Making my first westward move today with a flight to Seattle, destination Chez Cuzzin Ryan. As regular DODR readers know, she's the chief cheerleadtrix for The Dulaan Project from her worldwide HQ at Mossy Cottage Knits. Dulaan (the Mongolian word for "warm") encourages knitters to fashion warm cozies to be distributed in impoverished Mongolian communities. What has become abundantly clear is that knitters have enormous hearts and need little encouragement to do something nice for others. The proof? Last year they collectively knit 12,085 items, and this year the teeny Flagstaff office of F.I.R.E., the distributing organization, has been inundated with boxes that, when all totted up this year, may lurch past 15,000 hand-knit acts of love. Astounding. I'm really looking forward to meeting a bunch of them at the big ol' BBQ they're throwing in my honor this Sunday.
Pictures I took from part of last year's knitting distribution will form part of a slide show and talk I'm giving in Olympia, WA this coming Monday. Called "Buddha After Marx: The Rise of Mongolian Buddhism and the Role of the West," I'll survey, in a hopefully entertaining way, the work of our Mongolian Buddhism Revival Project over the past year in the context of historical tidbits. The talk lasts about an hour, with time at the end for questions. So if you're a citizen of the Great Northwest or know someone who is, come on by! It'll be held, like I said, this Monday, July 16 at 7pm at the Olympia Public Library. That's at 313 8th Ave., SE and their number is 360-352-0595. It's free, but folks are more than welcome to make donations to the project if so inspired. Many, many thanks to DODR reader and commenter Carol of Seattle for organizing this!
Hey -- I heard that a piece produced at our local Arizona NPR affiliate about our Amitabha Stupa in Sedona went national! At least, folks were hearing it on WAMU here in the DC area. Did anyone else? Well, if so or if not, I just discovered that there's a really beautiful video about this stupa on YouTube, and here's the linkage for your viewing pleasure.
Then there's this. One of our nuns, Ani Dara, sent me a most peculiar pic of this stupa. What on earth is that strange bell/jellyfish thing floating in the sky above and behind it? Please present your theories, no matter how outlandish, in the comments below.
Looks like some sort of an exhaust pipe
Posted by: Bolor | July 13, 2007 at 09:13 AM
It's the rare Arizona flying jelly-fish... actually, it looks like a bell.
Yup, we're all on for the Konchog slide show down here. The Vietnamese monks are coming and bringing the Thai monks, and one of my meditation pals has a friend in town whose Mongolian. So it'll be quite the international crowd. Hope some other locals can make it.
Posted by: Carol | July 13, 2007 at 11:12 AM
oh, d'oh, I just repeated what you'd written in your post. my bad.
Posted by: Carol | July 13, 2007 at 11:13 AM
...is it Mary Poppins?
How odd! It's a gorgeous picture, though, even with exhaust pipe/jellyfish/flying nanny/whatever. :)
Posted by: Julie | July 13, 2007 at 12:53 PM
it's a wind chime! was the picture taken from a window?
Posted by: samsui_chick | July 13, 2007 at 01:14 PM
It looks like a lamp with an exhaust trail coming from where the base should be. Maybe someone's developing self-launching lamps?
Posted by: Mel | July 13, 2007 at 05:09 PM
Oh I know, it's the camera strap, hanging in front of the lens while the picture got taken. Something I do all the time!
Posted by: Carol | July 13, 2007 at 07:28 PM
Those are good thoughts but the part hanging from the bell/jellyfish thing is behind the top of the stupa... no ideas from me though sorry.
Posted by: rho | July 13, 2007 at 09:45 PM
a fairy flying upside down?
either that or a weather balloon, lol
Posted by: minnie | July 13, 2007 at 10:39 PM
I watched the video and listen to a tune from Jetsunma.
First, I was wondering why moving to Sedona? Has it something to do with Castaneda's fictions, which were fairly popular at the time?
Also, I heard people explain the stupa in terms of "vortex" and "energy field" (created by circumambulation). Also that the stupa is a source of blessings even for non-buddhists, that religion does not matter etc.
Isn't that typical New Age vocabulary?
I am aware that a positive karmic connection can be created by being associated to the dharma, but (and this is my point) this a very buddhist point of view that could not be shared by others... except if some non-buddhists believe in magic or superstition in general---which is indeed independent of any religion. Isn't there a possible misunderstanding here?
About the purpose of the "mantra tunes". If it is for the fun, then it is fun! But if they are advertised something in the line "listening is beneficial", plus "religion does not matter" etc., then I have doubts again. (Note: I don't claim that it is the case. I have nothing but respect for Jetsunma.)
Something independent now. From previous posts, I noticed that the focus "Prayer works", especially "Prayer heals", seems to have a significant importance on American buddhists, despite the lack of a cultural connection with Asia---perhaps a hint at why this aspect of Christianity is so emphasised in American churches.
Lama Konchog, I remember that you told us that your master Jetsunma advised to practice Vajrasattva when somebody was sick (the cute little girl, perhaps?). Was it the same practice as found in the preliminary tantric practices (ngondro)?
Please, don't get me wrong. I believe that certain practices by oneself or by someone qualified in the benefit of oneself or someone else can be beneficial. My inquisitions are more of an anthropological nature, how Buddhism is being acclimated, adopted, reinterpreted in the West, especially in America.
Posted by: Christian | July 14, 2007 at 03:22 AM
Here's my rather 'blind faith' Buddhist view. It's a deva holding a parasol. My more 'normal' view, it's a camera strap with a small bell thing attached to the end. Like those things people hang on their phones. I've got one of a dorje and bell on my mala.
Posted by: Jae-Min Lee | July 14, 2007 at 05:34 AM
Christian. Prayer is something that is done as much in Buddhist tradition as in Christian ones, it looks like.
it is said that if everything arises from causes a wishing prayer can be a cause like that. In my simple view it is wonderfull when we get our minds straight to wish well for others, in any form, making prayer or building a stupa... It is done in Asia, Africa, Europe and America in dependence on spiritual traditions and independently. Why question such a thing.
Posted by: Sherab Gyatso | July 14, 2007 at 11:19 PM
It is of course meteorological baloon.
Glad to see you are doing well with your homeland adventure Konchog! Sorry I don't follow DODR so carefully, I don't have much time lately.
Posted by: Vedran | July 15, 2007 at 02:02 PM
That is an odd pic. I haven't a clue what it is, though it does look like a bell-rocket on take off.
What relics are in the stupa? I just saw the FPMT Maitreya Project relic tour yesterday in Irvine, CA. Wonderful opportunity. Post and pics on my blog soon.
Posted by: Rinchen Gyatso | July 15, 2007 at 06:27 PM
I was not questioning the usefulness and meaning of prayer in general, but wanted to understand the link between prayer and physical healing.
Perhaps it is believed in American Buddhism (if such a thing exists) that prayer heals, independently of who is praying and who is being prayed to.
There is no omnipotent God to pray for miracles, you see, and we are not saints, so this belief can be questioned, in my opinion. I am aware that, daily, millions of Buddhists make petitionary prayers, but I don't see why such a practice could not be discussed, just like the fact that, for example, in Korea, it is common practice to bow and pray in front of the altar where is the statue of the Buddha, flanked by some Mountain Spirit (coming from Shamanism) and some Immortal (coming from Taoism). Should a Buddhist pray a Daoist spirit to heal one's son? Whether the answer is yes or no, I would like to understand what the buddhadharma says about it, in terms of efficiency.
I am reading a bunch of suttas (that I don't understand, in general, unfortunately) but, so far, at no point the Buddha advises to pray. Sometimes, some lay people is said to be handicaped, but it becomes for the Buddha an occasion to discuss the karma... not healing with or without prayers.
I agree that praying for others' benefit creates merit for oneself, but this is more a side effect, it does not imply that it is effective in terms of the objective. Like practicing Vajrasattva.
So, to complete my circle, I was wondering whether the way French Buddhists pray is different than American Buddhists pray. I believe that American Protestants insist more on healing, compared to others Christian denominations, and faith and prayers are considered effective. By contrast, it is perhaps more the Catholic tradition to believe that, in this case, physical contact with a saint is required (e.g., some Catholic English and French kings have been supposed to have this power), or a prayer made by a saint, or a prayer to a saint.
I don't know. But, certainly, without questioning, I won't find the answer.
Posted by: Christian | July 16, 2007 at 09:40 AM
Hey, y'all. Doing this on the run (there are Washington birds to be looked at, after all) but I think here's the difference in the discussion. Prayer, to well-trained Buddhists, is not always a petition to another being to do something on your, or someone else's, behalf. And certainly not with the idea of a definitely separate, omnipotent being.
The idea we work with is that, ultimately, we are inseparable. So merit generated through prayer, mantra, stupa circumambulation, whatever, dedicated intentionally to another, can have some positive effect. It may be limited (even the fully enlightened Buddha couldn't liberate others without their cooperation) but it's not non-existent either.
Rinchen -- weren't the relics awesome? We sponsored that display in Sedona once. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. I'll re-link your blog very soon. It's great you're on the wire again.
Posted by: Konchog | July 16, 2007 at 11:43 AM
Yes. It seems to me that, most of the time in Buddhism, "wish" should be used instead of "prayer", for a lack of addressee.
Posted by: Christian | July 17, 2007 at 11:37 AM
It's a bell hanging from a skyhook.
Posted by: Carol | July 18, 2007 at 12:21 PM
no comment.
i miss coffee and cats. when are you coming back? i'm sorry i haven't checked in on you sooner but i've been in the c-side. sounds like you're having a grand american time. please enjoy a decent piece of pizza, a donut and a coffee on my behalf.
Posted by: lisa | July 19, 2007 at 04:54 AM