Election Results Happy Dance

Just for the record, because I know you can't tell from the pictures of my previous post, those cows are about 5 feet tall. And did you know that cows come when you call? (If you can stop them from eating the grass, that is).

Anyway, exciting news on the home front. Rica sent some Horse Chestnut tincture from the States, and sure enough, in just a couple of days, the chronic swelling of Genla's feet is greatly improved.  There's a lot of natural things whose health proprieties Genla strongly believes in—guavas, turmeric, garlic, and ginger to name a few. In NYC, yogurt was high on that list. And yet Genla really struggled with phlegm. A few times I suggested that Genla experiment with taking a break from yogurt to see if the dairy was contributing to the problem. Needless to say, suggesting to a Tibetan that yogurt might be the cause of a problem didn't yield the desired result. However, here in Thailand, we have no yogurt. And he has almost no phlegm.  Until someone gave us some yogurt, and we conducted an experiment. Yogurt yielded more phlegm. Now Genla is happy to go without.  That's a long way of illustrating that if Genla doesn't already know about the health benefits, he's often pretty skeptical, especially of natural remedies. But if it works, it works. Sometimes its just hard to get him to try.  He's quite pleased with his feet though. So hopefully he'll be open to trying a few more things that I had shipped from America for him. He doesn't like to be fussed over though, so it's a delicate balance.

As a yoga teacher, and even more so now that I'm venturing into healing, I've had one major surprise. Time and time again, what shocks me is how much discomfort and pain people are willing to live with.  At the beginning of each session, I always ask my backcare students how their back is, specifically, is there any pain. The conversation often went something like this:
"Are you in pain now?"
"No."
"Have you been in pain this week?"
"No."
"Not at all?"
"No."
"You have not been in pain since the last time we met?"
(Here's where things would often start to reveal themselves)
"Not more than usual"
...And so I'd keep delving. Once, after a similar dialogue, one of my students said,  "Well, I did fly to California this week, and when I got off the plane, the pain was excruciating. I had to lie down in my hotel room for quite a while. I couldn't do anything it hurt so much. It often happens like that after a long flight. But then it passes. So it's fine. No problem."

Not only was I shocked, but this was the first time that I saw the big picture. To me it's simple. Reoccurring, immobilizing pain is a problem.  Yet I regularly saw yoga students who had a very different relationship to pain than I do.  Even truly disruptive or acute pain. One has to be skillful in helping people understand that they don't actually have to be in pain. And of course, not everyone can be pain free, but for many, many people, relief—albiet to varying degrees—is entirely possible.

There's many factors play into one's relationship to pain. I'm sure there' a lot written about it, but here are a few cursory thoughts. I have found that people become accustomed to pain. Very often they've tried many things, and nothing works. So they quite understandably become resigned to it.  Additionally, people with chronic pain seem to lose perspective about it; they forget it's not normal.  This often turns into a resistance to healing, because in their mind, nothing is wrong. Another factor that seems particularly prevalent in NYC, is that people feel they don't have enough time to address the issue, so they simply live in pain. Other people are distrusting of non-Western medicine, and so rather than try something else, they continue with something that only partially works or has ill side effects. Others are overly trusting of Western medicine.  I've had plenty of people say, "The doctor said there's nothing I can do." Or, "Surgery is the only option."  This is sometimes particularly strange when other forms of medicine/therapies have very common remedies for the same conditions. As such, it's rewarding to be able to help those people who have been told that they can't be helped.

At first (and it's still tough), the fact that some people seem dedicated to living in pain was purely mind boggling to me.  Sometimes I would meet someone with a problem, and I would say, "Oh, that's a simple one. Try this." And for one reason or another, they'd prefer not to. To see that person again, and to find them still in unnecessary pain, is a challenge. But slowly I am learning not say anything, or at least not to push. And slowly, slowly, I'm learning how to be increasingly skillful with varying types of people. And I'm also learning to just drop it with others. It can be quite difficult. But it does encourage me to keep learning more about how to heal the human body, and the mind. The more I know about the body and various healing techniques, the more I can help, accurately and with precision. And the more I know about the mind, the more I can respond appropriately to people just where they are.

Medical Drawings from a temple wall in Bangkok 

Apparently I Spoke Too Soon about Cutting the Grass

Because by this afternoon, two GIANT local cows had taken care of it!

Genla, "They are eating a lot!"

Taking the good with the bad . . .

                                          . . .Not only did they mow our lawn,
                                    but they also trampled our fledgling papaya tress

Thai Tobtuan. English Comp 101, and Lots of Rain.

So much for writing more frequently. There's not much to report as the week roll by.  All that's news worthy is that Kyle broke our refrigarator by "defrosting" it with an hammer and a chisel. We'll have it back and fixed. . . in one week. In the meantime, life somehow seems refreshingly simple despite the inconvenience. Our first morning without a fridge, Genla and I were rousing Kyle about the incident.  "I think Kyle has some problem, never thinking before doing," Genla said with a long, loving laugh.


Actually, breakfast has turned into "Thai Tobtuan" (Thai language review). Each morning, Genla painstakingly goes through our Thai notebooks and quizes us. Both Kyle and I have to answer each and every question. It takes quite a while, but it's a lovely little ritual.

Now that we're half way through the semester, my papers are starting to be due. It's fun working on papers, much more so than going to class, which I have to say, leaves much to desired. Have I mentioned that each class is 3 hours long? And they're not seminar style. That's 3 hours  - minus a tea break - of straight lecture. I've started teaching English to the MA students after Gen Jamspal's Monday class. I'm really enjoying it. Mostly we've been working on composition. Everyone here *really* wants to learn English. I watch some of the monks who goof-off during other classes listen with rapt attention during English class.  I actually have a lot to say about English language and IBC's vision, so I'll save that for my next post.


                                                       The rains have started!

The rainy season, which runs from about July - October, was slow to get going this year, but it seems the rains have finally settled in, scattering showers much of the day.  The overcast sky provides a nice break from the heat, and the rains bring strong breezes. But it's not overcast all the time. Every so often the sun unexpectedly bursts through, chasing away the clouds and exposing a brilliant blue sky, which then again clouds over, and gives way to the most tremolutous down-pours imaginable. They don't last long, nor are they to be underestimated.

The grass is growing like wild-fire, and weather permitting, it will soon be time for us to ask our neighbor to cut our lawn, which he seems all to happy to do, with a sicle, for about $5.  To cut the grass by hand is about an 8 hour job.

Life in Thailand Starts to Take Shape

Last week (ok, two weeks ago but it feels like just last week), we went to Malaysia and to IBC's southern campus. The founder of IBC, Venerable Wei Wu, is from Malaysia and his main (very impressive 6 story temple) is in Penang. IBC's convocation/graduation was held at the southern campus, and since all the professors would be down south for that, an academic seminar was organized at the temple in Penang, which is about a 3 hour drive from the southern campus. At Genla's request and by the school's generosity, Kyle and I were included, and so we joined the professors and all flew from Bangkok to Penang, and then a couple days later we drove from Pengang to Songkhla, Thailand. 

The Than Hisang Temple is extraordinary because it encompasses a vegetarian canteen which feeds hundreds of local IT factory workers daily, a free clinic, a kindergarden with 300 children, a nursing home, dorms, seminar rooms, and a two temples. It was very inspiring to see so many people being helped. And I love the idea of having a kindergarten and a nursing home in the same building. 

Penang itself is a nice island, although you can't swim in the water due to pollution. It was occupied by the British at one point, and so parts of it have a distinctly colonial feel (and I'm a total sucker for colonial in the tropics). We got out and about one night and went to Little India, which was a lot like real India, and lots of fun. 

It's worth mentioning that the drive from Malaysia to Thailand was indeed beautiful, with mountains in the distance, and road that cuts through palm tree plantations and wide open fields. 

While very nice, IBC's southern campus is truly in the middle of no-where, and we are very happy to be here (even if we are very far away from any beaches). 

All in all, the he trip was nice (and it was good to see a bit of the country), but what's better is being back here with some time to settle into a rhythm.  As soon as school started, I had one class that met  Monday - Friday from 5-8pm.  No sooner had that class ended than we jumped on a plane for Malaysia.  So this really is the first time things are quieting down here. 

That being said, we've started Thai language classes and are doing some English tutoring by request, so my personal schedule is a bit fuller than I'd like, but it's still manageable. 

Here's some fun pictures, and now that things have settled a bit, I'll try to be more consistent with the blog posts.

From Malyasia:

Remember how I said Kyle went native? Well, I wasn't kidding... Check out the fried crickets that both he and Genla claim are delicious (yet I've noticed they haven't bought any since . . .) 

Me  - Sa Bai, Sa Bai  (Thai for "taking it easy"), doing my morning yoga. 

‎"The next time you lose heart and you can't bear to experience what you are feeling, you might recall this instruction: change the way you see it and lean in. That's basically the instruction that Dzigar Kongtrul gave me. And now I pass it on to you. Instead of blaming our discomfort on outer circumstances or on our own weakness, we can choose to stay present and awake to our experience, not rejecting it, not grasping it, not buying the stories that we relentlessly tell ourselves. This is priceless advice that addresses the true cause of suffering- yours, mine and that of all living beings."
Pema Chodron Taking The Leap

First week of classes; Kyle goes Native; Genla lets me cup his feet

School actually started two weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to posting this. Here's an overview: the week begins with Genla's Master's Level: "Tibetan Buddhism" class, Monday afternoons from 1.30-4.30.  It's a pretty full class. Some of the people in the class have been at IBC through their BA degree, and are thus well versed in Buddhist philosophy. Others got their BA's in their home country and are struggling with both the level of academics and english. Some of the MA students truly have a rudimentary english level, and I expect that a few of them will not make the minimum required GPA to stay here another semester. Genla's class is great - and so far packed with information and amazing readings (this week we read the second half of Gompopa's Ornament of Liberation). Wednesday's (again from 1.30-4.30) "Buddhism and Society" meets. The professor raised some interesting questions (albiet outdated) in his exceedingly brief first lecture. Nonetheless, I think it might be a somewhat interesting class, that is if my ears can adjust to the professor's incredibly thick Indian accent. On Fridays "Theravada Buddhism" meets. Again, the professor's Indian accent is tough; however, I'm encouraged by some ideas that I have for the paper. "Schools of the Abhidharma" meets Monday through Friday from 5-8pm (!), although apparently the class only meets for something like 3 weeks.  The professor, Charles Willemen, is quite a bright and accomplished scholar.  European by birth, his teaching and analytical style is clearly Western (and refreshingly ironic).  I'm already lamenting the fact that this class will be so short, yet I hope to keep an open dialogue with him in conjunction with my other classes.

On the home front and around town, Kyle's taken to doning this totally Thai hat, which gives everyone a good chuckle. 

He's loving biking all around our little town, Pak Thong Chai, shamelessly trying out his Thai with everyone who will listen. As you imagine, he's quite popular with the locals, and -  thanks to the doggy treats he now carries around in his bike basket - he's even making friends with some of the more curmudgeonly neighborhood dogs.

Genla, who has resisted letting me cup him for nearly a year, finally let me cup his feet which have been swelling from the heat. It worked to reduce the swelling, but only temporarily, and Julia has confirmed that it's not the right treatment; and unfortunately I don't have the necessary herb. In the States, Genla wore compression socks (which I'm not a huge fan of because they don't seem to actually heal the problem, but instead just make it somewhat more bearable). Regardless, it's simply too hot here to wear them.  I need to research having the tincture sent here by mail.

Speaking of healing topics, yesterday I got my first Thai massage here in Pak Thong Chai. 1/2 the price of Bangkok (so about 5$), and it was much better than Bangkok. I will definitely frequent this quiet and small 'ladies only' spa.  And as soon as my Thai gets a little better (it's all but non-existent just now), I'll inquire with these ladies about some of the lesser known Thai healing modalities that I've heard of. 

Tonight we're having an India woman who is a professor at IBC (and whom Genla's known since the 60's when they were both at Sanskrit University), and a BA student from Nepal over for dinner. So soon we'll be off to the market to gather ingredients for mo-mo's (Tibetan dumplings). 

Orientation.

People often ask, especially about my travels, if it was "like you expected". Because I don't like disappointment and also because things rarely turn out the way one expects,  I try my best not to anticipate things, especially when I travel. So I was a bit surprised that I had so many latent expectations surrounding orientation, which was both a drag and a delight. A drag because it consisted of a lot of long speeches - delivered very slowly by people for whom English is a second or third language, to an audiance whose English - in some cases - is rudimentary at best. A delight because the community here at IBC is shining and exuberant. I've never seen a group of people so eager, so openly kind, so fresh. Because I've been with Genla, we've had several dinners and discussions with top administration and the founder of IBC, and based on my extremely favorable impressions,  I expected a more professional orientation. My expectations were of course also colored by previous orientations in the States. However, what was lacking in organization and sophistication, was doubly made up for by the warmth and sincerity of community itself. 

The overwhelming majority of students here are monastics from South East Asia.  The South East Asian countries are known for observing the monastic vows very strictly, so I was a bit worried about how I'd be received as a woman. There was in fact a bit of a commotion during one of the ice-breaker games when we were all asked to hold hands (traditionally it's a breach of a monk's vows to touch a woman); many of the monastics (nuns and monks alike) were visibly disturbed, and some refused to play. The young monks who organized the games/orientation acknowledged the breach (not all monks are equally strict) and ritually resolved the infraction - presumably according to tradition - yet without due sensitivity to the women, who were asked to apologize for touching the monks.  Because the administration is open-minded and because the school is so clearly in its fledgling years, they encourage constructive feedback.  I am drafting a letter which I hope will encourage a more proactive consideration of the lay community, specifically lay women. I will say, however, that this community, rumored to be so conservative,  seems more open than other Asian Buddhist cultures in terms of their treatment and views of women. When I heard Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (the first Western - born in Britain - ordained Tibetan nun who spent 12 years meditating in a cave in the Himalayas) speak this spring, she said the monastics, particularly in Asia, are supported primarily by woman. In fact, I believe the principle funder for IBC is a woman. The power we as women hold for change could not be more tangible, and I hope to be a tactful conduit for some much needed advancement of the role of women. 


On a lighter note, the last day of orientation (Saturday) was a field trip to various near-by temples. About 30 monks, 3 professors and the hand full of lay students piled into a large, top-heavy bus and made our way down the road, greedily munching on milk and cookies. Not long after we started our journey, some of the monks began chanting the Metta Sutra in Pali for our safe journey.  Here's an English translation:

This is what should be done

By those who are skilled in goodness,

And who know the path of peace:

Let them be able and upright,

Straightforward and gentle in speech.

Humble and not conceited,

Contented and easily satisfied.

Unburdended with duties and frugal in their ways.

Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,

Not proud and demanding in nature.

Let them do not the slightest thing

That the wise would later reprove.

Wishing, in gladness and in safety,

May all beings be at ease.

Whatever living beings there may be;

Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,

The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,

The seen and the unseen,

Those living near and far away,

Those born and to-be-born –

May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another

Or despise any being in any state.

Let none through anger or ill-will

Wish harm upon another.

Even as a mother protects with her life

Her child, her only child,

So with a boundless heart

Should one cherish all living beings;

Radiating kindness over the entire world:

Spreading upward to the skies,

And downward to the depth;

Outward and unbounded,

Freed from hatred and ill-will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down,

Free from drowsiness,

One should sustain this recollection.

This is said to be the sublime abiding.

By not holding to fixed views,

The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,

Being freed from all sense desires,

Is not born again into this world.

The Chinese Sangha then chanted the Heart Sutra in Chinese. Genla, Kyle and I then chanted in Tibetan. It was a hauntingly beautiful way to begin a journey; and despite the various debacles of the first two days of orientation, I was once again reminded of how special IBC is.



The most amazing place we visited was Phimai, an astonishing 9th century temple. 

We also visited a Banyan tree that is 350 years old.  Banyan trees put down long tenacle-like roots from their branches. Over time, the roots slowly grow together, become woody and reach deep into the earth.  This ancient Banyan spans what seemed to me about 1/4 acre, and has lovely paths and alcoves with benches and tables. It's surrounded by water and little bridges. There's also a small shrine from where the delicate smell of incense floats through the branches, making it all the more magical. 

Today we continued our work in making a home (Kyle biked all over town  - with me perched on a little seat on the back - as we shopped for a desk). Tomorrow is the first day of classes . . .

THAILAND!!

We've been in Thailand for about a week and a half  - and  so far all three of us quite like it. We spent the first three nights in Bangkok, staying with a warm-hearted Indian family, which made the cultural transition much smoothier. Our host, Ram, was exceptionally kind in ferrying us (sometimes literally on the muddy river that flows through Bangkok) from temple to temple.

The temples here really are extraordinary.

I don't think that anyone who has traveled to India would find Bangkok dirty or off-putting. It is however unplanned and for the most part it looks like a second world country; but parts of it, such as the banking district, are like any other major modern city - plush and polished.  


Where we are living is about a 4-hour drive north east of Bangkok in a medium sized town, Pak Thong Chai, which is itself about 35 minutes from the second largest city in Thailand, Korat. The side streets of our little town look a bit like India, with dark, un-airconditioned shops selling dusty bagged potato chips and an inexhaustible array of plastic odds and ends. The streets are hot - it appears no one had the foresight to leave any tress - but they're very clean, albeit studded with stray dogs. Many businesses and local residents have potted orchids and other such plants on their stoops.  


Our home is quite lovely, and about a 3 minute walk to the International Buddhist College (IBC), whose gate is pictured below. 

While the campus is indeed modest, it is shaded by tall trees, has a couple of vegetable gardens, a few class rooms, library, dorms and whatnot. Apparently they are preparing for some new construction. The Korat campus, as this is known, is a satellite to the main campus in Southern Thailand, although one day Korat will be the main campus. The next couple of weeks are reserved for registration and orientation - classes start July 9. But ... back to our house. 


It is fairly large, with a spacious and airy living room, three bedrooms and two baths. The inside is definitely in need of a fresh coat of paint, but the shiny tile floor (patterned and colored to look like hard wood) somehow almost makes up for it. Genla's bedroom has its own bath; the other bath connects to our bedroom and the hallway. The bathrooms are - much to my dismay - "India" style, which means that there is no designated shower area. There's hot water (!) and a shower head, but no curtain or the like, so the whole bathroom floor gets wet when you shower. In fact, you can actually shower while sitting on the toilet if you choose!

There is a new and quiet AC in our room, but not in Genla's - although he doesn't mind. Actually, he doesn't even use his fan during the day, which although hot, is not oppressive. Our kitchen is fairly bare-bones and we've spent a good amount of time outfitting it with gas burners, steel pots, a new cabinet, etc. We basically didn't use much of what IBC thoughtfully provided for us (aluminum pots, an electric hot plate, etc). We are, however, still using the typically Asian mugs with Bugs Bunnies on them for the time being!

The food is great, and not *too* spicy.  Each day, there's a morning and evening market. The morning market has all sorts of things; the evening market has just foods. You can buy freshly cooked street food,  home-made curry sauces or fresh veggies and fruits. The fruits are amazing. The veggies are not as flavorful as ours. The spices are - as of yet - still mostly a mystery to us.  The best part for me is that a fresh young coconut is about 30 cents (compared to a dollar in Bangkok). I'm already on very friendly terms with the coconut man!

I suppose that's all for now. Pictures of the house and college to come. . .

Not to be Missed . . .

I can't recommend this workshops (and a private consult with Julia) enough . . . 

My Meditation Teacher Teaches in NYC

Students who have not yet met Venerable Jinpa and are coming to the Vermont Retreat are encouraged to come to Sunday's NYC Meditation retreat in order to learn/review some basics.

Memorial Day Yoga and Meditation Retreat

I am honored to be co-leading this retreat with my Teacher, Venerable Thupten Jinpa. Venerable Jinpa, whose nickname is "The Walking Smile," lives in semi-permanent retreat in France and comes to the States once a year to teach. 


Space is (very) limited and early registration is essential. Please be in touch with any questions.