Sideline Trip out of Temple and Alms Round

At dawn, I followed monks on an alms round to get familiar with what I will have to do. Then five of us went on a tour along the Myanmar border, and to see a few hill tribes, some of which provide this temple with novice Monks. We did this trip before two of take precepts. With us are two other participants that are studying Buddhism in university back in the US, and will hate to see them go, as they accent most everything we do with their knowledge and willingness to share. We saw a cave which monks use of and on for the cave tradition, three different villages with different languages, and visited the area near the border. Feeling that this took away from our studies here at the temple, but it was interesting and allowed as the program is unstructured. And with the great company of our Dharma teacher who is happy and funny. Upon returning we watched the novices and their monkey pet providing a funny ending to a great day. So with the living, breathing temple there is time for fun. I have an eye infection, and got drops so it makes hard to see.

Ringing In Peace and the Gecko Calls

Almost immediately after I got a tour of the temple and put my bag down in my room, I felt completely relaxed and totally disconnected from my life in the states. Because you lose at lot of yourself in the peace and happiness that pervades this temple, it seems like home. A working temple, with novices who help teach us Pali chants, and we join them with chants and meditation. They provide much lightness and joy. I meditated three hours today each in one-hour segments, and one of which in the afternoon by the Stupa, after three us did Qi gong before as prep. I also got to talk to several other people on this journey and everybody is calm and happy even when things are difficult like being sick. The people involved are interesting and helpful, without getting in your face. It can be as much as you put into it. So, it is really hard for me to want to get online and tease out a piece.



Especially after a novice named Joy was so kind to come and help me work on my Pali, tonight. These connections are so unique, getting to hear about his Palaung village and learning Thai is his second language and English which I tried to help him on a bit. We compared the similar prayers in Mayahana and Theravada and I showed him some of my photos of other temples in different countries. In the middle of a lesson, a gecko barked right outside the widow in my left ear and scared me not knowing the sound. Joy closed the shutters to reveal him biding behind, so I could photograph him high up on the wall.
I am wondering if the gecko is my partner checking up to see if I am ok, as he wanted one as a pet. It just seemed like his style of joking. There is so much to tell, but I am anxious to get to bed to go on alms round with the novices at dawn. A bit nervous to do blessings, when I do become a monk, on similar rounds to the people who will give us the nice food to get merit. It is not begging, and it is a honor to give, so I only hope to honor them with a good Pali rendition. It gives me yet another way to look at how I fabricate worry, when I have no idea. It is just a total waste of time. This evenings chanting is still ringing in my head and it is so lovely all while the birds chirping, cackling and beetles buzzing and the sun going down.