Lotus Transplant

Brr. Heat’s off for some reason. Well, here’s what the next few days’ Ulaanbaatar weather looks like. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

But as of today, my nighttime warmth has been reduced by 1/3. As a counterweight to this week’s puppy sadness, I derived great comfort in the successful November rescue of Miss Padma. What a first rate cat she's turned out to be; I quite grew to love her furry little face. Thus it was a bittersweet moment this afternoon when I accompanied her to her new home, that of Lama Purevbat (the founder of the Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Arts), his wife Kim, and their two daughters, Hanna (15) and Lhamo (8). Needless to say, the girls are over the moon to have a new kitty cat. Here’s Padma with her smallest new mommy, Lhamo:

And yes, I also gave them the Meow Town Cat Gym. In a year and a half, Mooj and Nita couldn’t work out that the sisal posts were for scratching, not the sofa, not the desk legs. (Remember the hilarious moment when I first proudly brought it for them from America? It was in this critter-happy post.) On the other hand, it took Padma all of a minute and a half to discover the joys of sisal abuse, to play endlessly with the hanging fuzzball the others ignored, and to make Meow Town her personal domain and fortress. She kinda needed it. Mooj was cool about Padma, of course. I mean, he’s The Mooj. The Mooj abides. But Nita, well, Padma seemed to provoke in Nita bug-eyed outrage by her very existence, frequently expressed in plaintive caterwauls, and occasionally in attempts at all-out assault. Padma’s quick, but she’s tiny, and it was a semi-intimidating situation for her at my place that showed no signs of improving quickly. I think she’ll emerge into the fullness of her lovely personality as the solo object of girly affection in her new home. And I can contemplate attachment and impermanence.

Now, as long as we’re on the subject of the natural world, I want to introduce you to a new blog I discovered. It goes by the peculiar, and slightly apostrophe-challenged, name of “marktwainssecretary’s blog,” but don’t let that put you off. Its stated subject matter is “Science, Nature and Buddhism.” I find it a highly worthy effort, and so might you. Check it.

And in this same vein, kinda, I should give a shout out to the blog that’s created the most traffic by far for DODR over the last month or so: Bizarre Creatures. It’s connected because somehow its author happened upon the photos and query I posted after one Gobi trip a couple autumns ago in which I had encountered, well, some very bizarre creatures. Turns out they were some species of the ridiculously, prehistorically ancient triops, known to science, which irked me. I was so hoping I had discovered a hitherto unknown species and I could name it: Triops Konchogii. So why are so many people finding that old post about my old post? Probably because they did exactly what I did when I clicked over: I got totally absorbed in the creatures he or she featured, and read every single page, hardly daring to consider what actions in previous lives created the karma for such manifestations. Didn't you?

Comments

[Christian]

I don't think you need to consider karma here. I don't have time now to check for the exact reference, but one sutta about karma explains what karma is not and biology is one of them. Others are, from memory: meteorology, space and geography (the four continents and Mount Meru).

Additionally, there is commonly a lot of misunderstandings about evolution and natural selection. For instance, a species does not disappear to give birth to another. Also, as often insisted upon by late Stephen Jay Gould, catastrophies played a major role in selecting the species. Sometimes, the animals which look "ancient" are simply the ones who survived. In fact, all these "new" animals are weird since they have been around for a very very short period of time.

The youngest and weirdest of all, of course, is the so-called human being.

With a look similar to the triops, you can check out the horseshoe crab.

[Northmoon]

-22 degrees C with smoke!! Yikes, what kind of forcast is that??? Okay, you can dress for the cold, but do you need to take oxygen if you go outside?

Padma sounds like she's found the perfect home, especially since you found her in a children's playground, trying to make friends with a baby.

[Konchog]

Christian: I didn't mean the evolution of species was attributable to karma. I was thinking about the individual sentient beings reborn in those ways.

Northmoon: Welcome to my world. "Smoke" figures frequently in our weather reports, a delightful mix of coal, wood, and who knows what else. I try not to go outside until a daytime breeze clears the air a bit.

[Sangye]

Bizarre creatures indeed. I may not sleep tonight.

[Christian]

Ah, I understand now.

Well, I am not sure there is something special for sentient beings to be reborn as these animals. After all, they only seem weird to humans!

I was also kind of scared by the forecast of "Smoke."

[Jane (at Finger Lakes Equine)]

(2nd attempt - apologies if this is a duplicate comment). I would like to make a donation to...whatever would be YOUR preference - critter rescue, student needs, veterinary services, and/or/etc. However, the "donate to the Mongolia Fund" button does not let me choose a Konchong-specific fund. Any suggestions (or specific requests) as to how I might accomplish this?

[Carol of Seattle]

Konchog,
Did I tell you that we hatched a triops out of some sand I brought back from our trip to the Gobi? No wonder the agriculture guys don't want us bringing dirt home in our luggage. Who knew I had hitchhikers. Now if only I could have smuggled home a gerbil...

[Konchog]

Jane: You're very kind, thank you. Best is just to drop your coins into the general Mongolia Fund and trust that I won't use too much of it on that Belize beach cabana I've had my eye on. If you click on the Garuda it takes you right to the specific Mongolia Fund donation page. "Konchog-specific" may be donated in the form of high-quality, dark roasted whole coffee beans.

Carol: Yes, you mentioned that. Still unbelievable.

[Jane]

Konchog: as per your preference, coins have been dropped into the general Mongolian Fund. Upon brief consideration, perhaps the Belize beach cabana might be an ideal location in which to contemplate attachment and impermanence. Or, if that is unfeasable, I do have a package of Hualalai 100% Kona and one of Harrar I would be delighted to share with any Monks who might enjoy a warm coffee moment.