Mayday

April? No showers. May 2? Straight-up blizzard...

...and no flowers.

This “snow event,” as the evening news dramatists like to say, better end soon. I’m scheduled to head out to the eastern ‘burb of Amgalan to take some important photos this morning of a temple to be restored. More about this soon (like, after I take the photos). We're gonna help 'em.

We’re also shuttling a 17-year old girl to FPMT’s nunnery, Dolma Ling, for a visit. She showed up at our Dakini Day tsog on Wednesday (along with about 40 others!) shyly confessing her wish to become a nun herself. Ah, one bad boyfriend and that’s what they all say. We’ll see how sincere she is and take it slow.

We did accomplish one milestone at the tsog (guru yoga practice with food offering, done in our tradition each 10th and 25th day of the lunar cycle). I finally found someone reliable to translate/transliterate our prayers to the dharmapalas, or dharma protectors, so for the first time we were able to chant them altogether.

Next step is a translation of the preliminary practices called ngondro, in the works. Soon, we’ll have lots of middle-aged, out-of-shape people (myself clearly included) accumulating masses of full-length prostrations! Bet they won’t allow me to take photos of that...

Elsewhere, Brother Don Croner is offering two tempting freebies at his World Wide Wanders Emporium: pdf downloads of his classic tome, Travels in Northern Mongolia, and his latest screed, Mongolia Adventure, with a fabulous cover shot of our friend Sema in full Mongolian sartorial splendor. Please note that Don is at great pains, and so I will share his pain, to say that these are Limited Time Offers! Get 'em while they're hot.

Comments

[sisLaura]

Sympathies from Concord, NH, which had the record for the second most snow fall since the late 1800s. We were waiting for the April blizzard to send us to the top, but it didn't happen! Snow just melted last week.