Buddhism

Dharamshala, India

Dharamshala is the home of Dalai Lama and, by extension, Tibetan Buddhism. It’s a small city perched along wooded hillsides about 300 miles north of Delhi. I engaged a taxi to drive me from the region’s tiny airport to my hotel in McLeodganj, but arrived on foot after what was, for me, a terrifying ride up the mountain — or in my case, part of the mountain. The city is lively but not chaotic like so much of India, and it feels different because the culture is predominantly Tibetan. And the cool climate of Dharamshala was a relief after spending several weeks in the intense heat of China and Sri Lanka.

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Zen and the Art of MotorMind Maintenance

Photo by Into Saihoji

For some reason, I thought a weeklong silent Zen meditation retreat — called “sesshin” — would be an important life experience. And it was, although maybe not in the ways I expected. I certainly chose a good one. It took place at Mar de Jade, a gorgeous resort on a secluded beach north of Puerto Vallarta. The priest, Norman Fisher, was once the head of the San Francisco Zen Center, and understands the “western,” non-Zen mind. The description of the retreat welcomed “beginners.” I don’t have a Zen practice, but I’ve read books about Zen, so I was a beginner, right?

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Lumbini, Nepal — Buddha’s Birthplace

I just learned that the Buddha isn’t the only Buddha. Buddhas are born every 5,000 years. I learned that in Lumbini, Nepal. Lumbini is where our current Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was born in 623 BC. It’s a holy site, and is becoming an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists all over the world. Since Lumbini was identified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, Buddhist countries (plus France and Germany) have built beautiful temples and monasteries in a giant park near the Mahadevi Temple, the exact location of Buddha’s birth.

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Buddha Bellies

We are in South Korea. We are standing in the dark at the base of a giant golden Buddha at 4:30am. The Buddha is framed by mountains and a wooden pagoda. I’m wearing six layers of lightweight cotton, unprepared for the near-freezing temperatures we will endure for the coming hour. Shaking, I find myself trying not to wonder why I thought staying at a temple in the mountains was a good idea.

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Mongolia Is A Country

I am a little embarrassed to say that I didn’t know Mongolia was a country until I decided to visit. I guess I assumed it was a region that was part of China and part of Russia. But Mongolia is a democracy with a president and – since the Soviets pulled out in 1991 – it has a mixed economy. It is unlike any place I have ever visited. Continue reading →