Utopian AvenueWhen I was seventeen, not long after I started to question life's purpose, I wrote a song called "Utopian Avenue," about a place where a road exists with people walking and talking. Where everyone is kind, Where there is no need for money,Where there is no need for weapons, Where there is no need for cold weather jackets,Where there…
Month: November 2014
Muddy Waters Blues
Muddy Waters BluesEvery so often the water tank on the mountain goes empty and the water looks like this!It is only iron oxide but it is a bit freaky especially when it is black color, which it was for a short time. I tried to capture the black, but I was a little late.:-) Maymyo area has calcium carbonate in…
Sunday night we had an English Dhamma-talk with Sayadaw U Kovida. The new FM Transmitters were used …
Sunday night we had an English Dhamma-talk with Sayadaw U Kovida. The new FM Transmitters were used for simultaneous Vietnamese (102 MHz) and Chinese (101MHz) translations. We also used one transmitter for our weekly "monks' rules" class for the Vietnamese group. I'm a happy camper! The idea was to have the translators speak quieter so the rest of the group…
Robe Offering
Robe OfferingLast night was the recitation of the rules (patimokkha) for the Uposatha. These days, we get some type of gifts after the meeting. The Thai donors, who are often seen on the daily meal donation board came with a bunch of slippers (flip-flops) and custom made robes from Thailand for Pa-Auk. I would guess that 600 robes were offered…
A Dying Breed
A Dying BreedAs Myanmar modernizes and loses its culture, these pony-carts become more rare to see. In 2001, when I first came here, they were common to see. Now, I think I have seen this two or three times in Pa-Auk over the past two years. I remember the American monk who told me about Burma in 1999, when I…
The Dragon Chair
The Dragon ChairNot many people appreciate this chair like a Westerner would. This was posted on Google+
I just got 1 otoscope and 4 portable FM transmitters that I requested. Transport, as always, was the…
I just got 1 otoscope and 4 portable FM transmitters that I requested. Transport, as always, was the most complicated task! These should help make things easier. I love making great ideas come to life, especially my own ideas! (Merit).Currently, if we want a doctor to look inside our ears, we need to take a half day trip into Mawlamyine…
Kuti Construction
Kuti ConstructionNormally, a kuti is a small empty hut. However, these days, at Pa-Auk, many really-really nice kuties are being built. I grabbed this photo when I saw a monk fiddling with pictures of a kuti his family is building for him. This was posted on Google+
Alms Round in Intakkaw
Alms Round in IntakkawHere is a picture from my Intakkaw trip last year. The girl on the bicycle was actually a kitchen worker for the monastery. She helped prepare breakfast for us and also prepared the food we collected each day, mixed with some subsidized food from the Abbot's family. She was probably on her way to the local market…
A View Of The Sangha Hospital
A View Of The Sangha HospitalHere are some pictures of the Sangha Hospital Ward on Mawlamyine. The hospital does not smell like a hospital because of the open air design. The last picture is the dining hall.Sangha hospital is a free monk ward. This was posted on Google+