Above is a picture of the holy relics of the Buddha. A small portion of it was installed in a large Buddha image in the sala last night. I think this is the first time that I post any image of Buddhist relics on this blog. I hesitate to write about their mystery and wonders. Maybe it’s because of my extreme introverted personality that cause me not wanting to catch attention. Maybe because of the risk of possibly causing disbelief in those who had not experienced these holy relics. One thing is sure, I have very high respect for them and do not want to make any mistake. Since I still feel reluctant to elaborate on them in this blog, I’ll just give you a couple of links. This one is a very short explanation, but from a tradition that’s close to mine. Here’s one that’s quite famous actually, from a different tradition’s understanding. Just to give you some ideas. You’ll have to research if you want to know more.

Visakha Pjua (Buddha Day), a full-moon day, is a day that commemorates three key events in the Buddha’s life: his birth, Awakening, and final Unbinding (parinibbana). We started with the main ceremony of special chants, Dhamma talk, and followed by everyone walking around the main shrine room three times, holding flowers, candle and incense. Some of us even saw a shooting star (including me ).

After the main event we gathered at the sala for the installation of the holy relics in the head of the large Buddha image.

After the installation, some of us gathered at the site of the future Holy Pagoda for silent meditation. Sorry, no pictures. We only had the moon and the stars for light source. Not good for picture taking. Also, I just wanted to meditate without interruptions.

It is our plan to build a Thai style Pagoda in the next few months. It will eventually house 108 different relics of various Awakened Ones, so that people can visit and pay respect, and feel inspired to look at one’s self and to purify one’s mind.

CB and I decided that it would be best for him to stay in the States so that we won’t get caught in a difficult situation together if there ever will be one in the future. Not saying that there will be of course. Just don’t want to repeat the same mistake that we made with the last company (which is still struggling.) He is staying in Beverly Hills, and I can come home once in a while.

Did you heard about the new restrictions on getting the Chinese visa? Only in effect during the Olympics. Harder to get and allows less time in China. I am actually going to play this to my advantage. hehehe Am going to set it up so that I will be home every three months or so. That would be FANTASTIC!

Anyway. I have not been crafty for a while. Went to the spinning guild meeting. (Photos coming soon.) But not much else. Yes, Ted, I am still here, and will be picking up the needles for some earnest knitting this month. Here are some photos that I took for Songkran, Thai New Year celebration at the temple. We held the event one week earlier so that not all temples had activities on the same day.

The alms-round. It was raining in the morning so everyone crowded in the covered area to offer rice to the monks.

After the alms-round everyone gathered inside the sala to make more offerings.

After the meal we gathered in the ubosoth for the ceremonies. First the announcement of the Abbot’s new title. Followed by blessings chanted by the assembly of monks.

The Abbot presented holy relics to the monks to celebrate the auspicious events.

The younger monk is a new Abbot at a new temple located in Columbus, Ohio. Our teacher presented him with a statue of Luangpu Mun that was offered by a layperson. The younger monk is an old friend. We met when I was a monk at the temple.

This was the beginning of the ordination. The soon-to-be ordained together with the lay community walked around the ubosoth three times.

The soon-to-be ordained threw coins to the crowd signifying the letting go of possessions, leaving the householder’s life. These coins are considered lucky and not to be spent. I got some in my bag from a previous ordination.

The soon-to-be ordained entered the ordination hall where an assembly of monks awaited to begin the ceremony. First he had to go through the novice ordination. Followed by the ordination of monkhood.

Newly ordained novice waited to be questioned. He would be asked questions to determine if he was qualified to be ordained. The whole ceremony was done in Pali.

The novice was questioned twice. First away from the assembly of monks. A second time among the assembly of monks.

People offering gifts to the new monk.

Truly an auspicious day. You can see more photos here.

What a weekend. We had more people at the Kathina celebration at the temple this year. I had to wear an uniform. Guess they didn’t want me disappearing into the crowd hiding? Sorry. No pictures. I didn’t even take my camera. Hopefully someone will send me some later.

Now back to the torture. I am talking about two-color Double Knitting. I wanted a more relaxed knitting project to do at the same time as the Spider Queen. Exchequered featured on Knitty.com seemed to be a good choice. It will also be a holiday gift to CB.

I decided to learn how to carry both yarn with my left hand doing continental for speed. Let me tell you, it really felt like a torture at first. A great way to practice purling continental style, I thought. But using the middle finger to carry yarn instead of holding the needle made all the hand movements so very awkward! Plus, once in a while I had to purl with the yarn carried on the middle finger. THAT was very difficult. Luckily it was just a rough start. Double Knitting and I are slowly becoming good friends. My hands are beginning to find comfortable ways to work the needles and yarn. I think I may even be loving Double Knitting!

I joined a Double Knitting group on Ravelry. Wow! It opened my eyes to more DK possibilities! I will post a few links on my Tricks&Treats page soon to show you some amazing Double Knitting pieces that I found online.

Don’t worry. I am not going to ignore Spider Queen.

Kathina is an once a year occasion when people offer fabric to the community of monks. (Detailed description of Kathina at the end of post.) This year at Buddhist Temple of America (Wat Bhuridattavanaram) the ceremony is on Sunday, October 28. Like the previous years, the King of Thailand will send a representative to present his offerings.

Alms-round starts at 9:30am. People will offer food to the monks. The monks will then give blessings to the laypeople. After which the laypeople begin morning chants while the monks eat their meal. People usually start making individual offerings after the monks finish their meal. Items like medicine, soap, towels, donations, etc. But the main ceremony will start around 1pm. The King’s representative will begin by presenting the King’s offerings first.

Many people set up hot food stands on the temple ground. They prepare delicious food on the spot and share it freely with the visitors. Come join us and experience the spirit of giving. You don’t have to bring anything. There will be steamed rice prepared if you want to offer food to the monks during the alms-round at 9:30am. Come and participate in the ceremonies. Or come if you are just curious. Ask me if there’s any question.

KATHINA
(Taken from Metta Forest Monastery’s web site)

The month after the Rains-retreat is the kathina season. In the time of the Buddha, this was the month when monks would prepare their requisites for the up-coming eight-month period when they could wander and meditate freely in the wilderness. These preparations would include patching their old robes or sewing new ones if the old ones were beyond repair. Lay supporters thus took the opportunity to provide the monks with cloth at this time, and the Buddha established the custom of the kathina, in which donors would present cloth to a community of monks as a whole. The monks would then make the cloth into a robe within that day and present it to one of their members whose robes were old and worn, or who was deserving in any other way. (The name “kathina” comes from the frame over which the cloth could be stretched while it was sewn, much like the frame used in a quilting bee.)

The texts do not say why the Buddha established this custom, but a few moments’ reflection will show that it promotes the virtue of cooperation among the monks and affords the opportunity for senior monks to pass on their sewing skills to more junior monks-skills very important for anyone who has few possessions and wants to be unburdensome to others. To encourage the monks to maintain this custom, the Buddha allowed them to enjoy certain privileges-i.e., to temporarily be freed from certain minor rules-for the remaining four months.

Because the kathina ceremony may be held only during one month of the year, and only once a year in any one monastery, it is considered a very special opportunity for donors to join in and develop the virtue of generosity together.

Note: Metta Forest Monastery is located in San Diego County. It was founded by the Ven. Ajaan Suwat, who also founded Buddhist Temple of America. The current Abbot, Ven. Ajaan Geoffrey Thanissaro is well-known for his English translations of Pali and Thai Buddhist texts. This year Kathina ceremony is held on November 4th at Metta Forest Monastery.

Thank you all for coming. Today we say farewell to our dear mother, Rose. But it really isn’t good-bye. Mom was a devout Buddhist. In the Buddhist view a person’s passing does not necessarily mark the end, but a turning point in one’s path. The closing of one chapter, the opening of a new one.

In travel there are many forms of transportation. Sometimes when we move from one point to another we need to change vehicles. We may travel to the airport by car, switch to an airplane, then to a car again. We need to make the switch when the circumstances call for a change in order to continue on the journey. We cannot simply sit in the car when we arrive at the airport and expect to reach our destination, can we?

Mom had reached such a point on her path that she needed to change vehicles for her journey. And we rejoice because we know it is like switching from a car to an airplane for her. She will be traveling so much faster. It maybe a little sad for us to see her fly away, just like saying good-bye to loved ones at the airport. But we know she will be very very happy at her next destination.

So, thank you all again for coming to join us in saying farewell to our mother, and to wish her best of luck on her continuing journey. May it be a most auspicious one, and may she attain true peace and happiness. That is every Buddhist’s ultimate goal.

Oh! I finished “knitting” the Four Corner Hat on our trip to the Bay Area. Not quite “done”. Still have to sew the top of the brim to the crown. I completed the crown months ago. But it was getting warm and I wanted to make something cool for Mom. So I got some cotton blend and knitted Shedir. I am so glad that she was able to wear that a few times.

The next post will be about our trip north. Honest!

A couple of weeks ago CB and I hung out at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica when the cleaning lady was here. It was nice to get away for a few hours.

Last Sunday we celebrated Thai New Year at the temple with a special “hand washing” ceremony.

There was another filming at A Mano yesterday (Wednesday). Time Warner Cable wanted to do a Video On Demand segment of the S&B. If it goes well, it might even appear on CNN. Not a lot of details. But we had tons of fun!

This is the original altar.

The original altar is inside an armoire. I didn’t have a dedicated room for a shrine, so I chose the armoire so that I could close the doors when other things were going on in the room. Later we cleared the office stuff out, and I brought in a traditional style altar table. Place the other statues that I acquired onto the table and created the big altar that’s more proper.

Yes, I got quite a few holy images and objects. I went through a phase.

On the main altar, the Buddha images are on the top level. The lower levels are mostly images of venerable monks of the Thai Forest Tradition, past and present. The largest one in the center is the image of Luangpu Mun, a founder of the tradition. There are also a couple of images of the next Buddha to be, Ariya Metteyya.

I told you that I have proof that I was once a monk for 7 days.

It is quite common for Thai males to become short-term monks. I am not Thai but go to the Thai Forest Tradition temple. My sister suggested that I ordain as a monk to make merit to share with my mother who is a lung cancer patient. I agreed, but at the time I truly believed that you should want to be a monk for the rest of your life when you decide to be ordained. Not for short term. But it was a special situation.

There’s no special ceremony for short term monks. You go through the same procedures and become a fully ordained monk, with 227 training rules to follow. No less. You just ask to leave the monkhood when you feel that you can’t continue being a monk.

I took this opportunity and asked myself to truly train as a monk, to think like a monk. Body, speech and mind. For my own understanding, and because of the support of the community. With so many teachers, good information and good environment, I gained an understanding of the path that is unshakable. I am not saying that I knew everything. But I finally understood the practice. I knew which direction to go, and that I had much to learn.

Unlike before, I now think that it’s good to be a short term monk if one isn’t just keeping up the appearance. Train like a monk inside and out. Chances are that one will gain understanding and maybe even consider staying as a monk. In any case, one can learn a lot!

Here are a few more pictures:

Getting ready to shave off the hair and eyebrows.

Receiving the requisites from Mom.

A snapshot with friends.