Happy is a Strange Word If You Think About It

Brother Konchog's happiness index has been heavily weighted toward "happy" this week, as opposed to "un". How come? Glad you asked.

1. Going to the Gobi in an hour! (Surprise!) Very quick trip with two Americans, one Bhutanese, one Irishman, and my favorite Mongolian lama, Sansarbat. Back Sat. AM with pix, etc.

2. Two people have already made serious inquiries about commissioning a thangka from Soyolmaa. And I realize I was remiss in not posting a photo of her, especially since I went and took some nice portraits at her studio. So here ya go:

3. They've finished re-doing my courtyard. Palzang -- can you believe this!? Even looks good in this morning's drizzle. My favoite duffer's seated in the back:

4. There must be a 4, even a 4-7, but I'm writing on the fly.

The only fly in this week's vichysoisse, and it's a huge, ugly one, was this story about yet another new form of outrage perpetrated by China against the people of Tibet. This time they're forcibly re-locating 250,000 rural Tibetans in Potemkin "Socialist Villages." And the kicker? They're making them take out loans to pay for the privilege themselves.

So. While I'm deep in the desert, feel free to share what's made you happy lately. Or "un" if you must, but concentrate on the former!

Comments

[Carol of Seattle]

Wow, the courtyard is neat! What are those weird green tree-like things in the lower right corner?
I'm happy because this week I walked away from a well-paying job offer at a possibly misguided, or more likely ethically challenged biotech company, and decided to stay with my low-paying but ultimately more satisfying non-profit position. Having decided to stay, I have now rekindled my love affair with my job. And I'm looking forward to 2 weeks of unplugging my western brain in UB, even though I'm fighting the usual pre-travel anxiety attack that makes me want to cancel the trip. See you 12 days!

[Palzang]

Wow, what a difference! But where's the basketball court? Is it still there to the left side?

Nice of them to leave the old guy and the snow lion with the giant badminton rackets! Or are they water tennis rackets?

[Lama Kunzang]

I'm happy to have finally gotten "The Blue Sky", a novel by the Tuvan Mongolian shaman Galsan Tschinag. It tells of his childhood in the High Altai and the beginnings of his Socialist education. He is a Tuvan and his native language is a strictly oral one, a Turkic tongue. He had to learn Mongolian in Cyrillic in order to write and eventually became a wonderful poet and novelist in German. Though not Buddhist, his Mongolian shamanist world view is imbued with wisdom and love and truths spawned by the Blue Sky. I am also happy that I will be co-hosting one American monk and any number of Mongols this summer! I am slightly unhappy that my book of Danzan Ravjaa's poetry has not yet arrived, but I am not in the least hurting for something to read. Another gem I discoved just yesterday is "Kabbalah, a Love Story" by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner. It is ALL about our old friend, Love with a capital "L".

[Palzang]

I did order the book of poetry and the bio of Danzan Ravjaa, and they arrived in under 3 weeks. They're very interesting. Hope yours arrive soon!

[lisa]

good coffee, the sight of a fixed-up courtyard and sounds of kids playing in it, kitty cats sleeping on the couch with me, purring, speaking mongolian, drizzle, making it through a day without smoking, good coffee, IM-ing with my younger sister who's in Minnesota

[Christian]

Happy department: Last week I had the deep feeling that hoping to reach happiness and avoiding unhappiness is the essence of my whole life and a childish and exhausting game. Then it vanished. I wasn't even drinking wine! So this qualifies as a kind of unusually happy moment.

Unhappy department: Population density and lack of privacy in Korea makes me too easily lose my temper. I realise that I made no progress in years and this makes me unhappy.

[Zoomtard]

Who is this fortunate irishman? Last time I checked, you never offered to take me to the Gobi.

I'm off to have a childish strop!

[Konchog]

It's worse than that, Zoomie -- turns out he's from Leeds, not Irish at all! So there's still an opportunity for someone to be my first Irish Gobi companion.

[Zoomtard]

I'm there! Just give me a few years to save up the cash and a little while to come up with an explanation in case Northern Irish Christians find out I'm holidaying with Buddhists... ;)