https://vimeo.com/276673429

Hawaii Update #3, June, 2018

It has now been almost 10 weeks on the island.  My life is difficult, but it is very rewarding.  I get a chance to teach all the  people who donate rides and food to me.  I teach very deep things like mind moments and kamma for each mind moment and they all seem to “get it” which is complex and is amazing.  However, it feels right to move to different subjects according to the responsiveness of the donors and it all seems to work out.  For some, I just say, “Hey you make your own blessings.. Do good things and good things will happen.”  Other times, I get really deep and go into the intricate details of mind matter and its causes.  I have also done some public teaching and just finished my 2nd talk today (Sunday) on Loving-Kindness. Life is good.  It is so rewarding and such a blessing for me to have this opportunity to be on this lovely island.

Kauai might be one of the most beautiful places in the world and that is why it is called, “The Garden Island.”  My life took an uplifting upswing about 10 weeks ago when I was standing on the side of the road in Kilauea waiting for a ride back to my campsite at Anini Beach Park.  A person who owns a private botanical garden in Princeville picked me up and he had mysteriously just finished a 28 day Spirit Rock retreat with a fresh vision that he should take his property off the market and make it into a Dharma Center.  Two weeks after returning to the island, he saw me standing on the side of the road and decided to pick me up.  He told me of his idea, and I told him that if he ever wanted to make a church organization and needed an ordained monk to fill that requirement, I was willing.  He showed me his place and that was the last time I ever really went back to Anini.

Now ten weeks later, it seems as though the Dharma Center idea is coming to a close.  While it is uncertain if I have the conditions to commit to stay here for the 3 month Buddhist Rainy season, it has been a nice and beautiful ride.  Everyday seems to be brighter and brighter, and with less rain, it is a literal expression too.  I have really enjoyed my stay at Kauai.  Where things will lead me next, it is uncertain.  I still have my usual but sometimes changing schedule as before.  I have not really kept up on the calendar updates.

• Monday:  Sometimes go to Hanalei Big Save
• Tuesday:  Alms in Kilauea
• Wednesday: Alms in Kilauea
• Thursday:  Lunch at Kapaa SukhoThai
• Friday:  Open, sometimes local village alms on my street
• Saturday:  Kilauea Farmer’s Market
• Sunday:  Meditation Instruction

The Farmer’s market has been getting more and more easier as time passes.  When I first started, it took 3 hours to get some food.  Now, I have to hide after 30 minutes.  Otherwise people keep dropping more and more food in my bowl.  I am often asked what I want.  I don’t want to tell them, because I will feel guilty if I get it.  I eat with contentment and appreciation.  It is wonderful that people are catching on.  They really like the idea that it is possible for a monk to be free from money for 17 years.  I am often the first and only monk they had ever met and I feel like I am teaching them so much.

Currently, I am still at the Garden.  it is a beautiful and some pictures are below.  Will I stay the rainy season in Kauai?  I am not sure.  It depends if I have a place and still feel content and secure.  I still have a residential visa in Myanmar that is open until December 8th, and I have an open reservation for Pa-Auk Maymyo for this rainy season.  I should hopefully know some time in the first week of July what my future plans are.