A Story that Makes me Happy

Every now and then it is so satisfying to have an experience that just reaffirms your belief that people around the world are basically good.  We had one of those experiences while on our recent Southeast Asia trip.

Once we all got to Singapore from our homes in America we still had 9 short flights to get us around SE Asia.  First Singapore to Rangoon, Myanmar; then Rangoon to Bagan; next to Inle Lake; then back to Rangoon; from Rangoon to Bangkok; Bangkok to Siam Reap, Cambodia; then back to Bangkok and on to Chaing Mai, Thailand and finally back to Singapore. Lots of time spent in airports and airport gate areas!

One of the very sweet women on our trip had two carry-on bags.  When we arrived in Chaing Mai nearing the end of the trip she realized that she had left one bag in the gate area at the airport in Bangkok.  In the missing bag she had her I-phone, I-pad and $400 in cash.  Naturally our tour guides immediately contacted the airport to see if by any chance the bag had been turned in.  For a couple of days we heard nothing.  The lady assumed that her bag was lost forever.  She spent time telling herself that it was only 'stuff' and all 'stuff' could be replaced.  Her trip insurance would help her recoup some of the cost.  Nothing serious had happened and it would all be ok.

Imagine her delight and the delight of the entire group when the tour directors were notified that her bag had been recovered and was being delivered to her at the hotel!  What about the contents?  Well it was all there.  I-pad, I-phone, and $400 in cash!

I truly believe that most people are good and honest.  Is it the light of Christ?  The influence of Buddhism in a country 95% Buddhist? It doesn't really matter.  I'm just so happy that she got everything back and that we all got to share her joy!

Buddha Hands

During our Southeast Asia trip we saw literally hundreds of statues of the Buddha. Did you know that the position of his hands has meaning?  I am sure the hands are to remind followers of his teachings.

The reclining Buddha represents his serene and composed posture before his death    This is the moment when Buddha enters "nirvana'.  According to Buddhist belief, a person who attains this state does not continue on the cycle of life and death and rebirth and is entirely free from the confines of destiny and misery.  Michael Wilcox explained to us that 'nirvana' is actually a state when all individual desires go away.  A person in nirvana is totally self-less and only thinks of others.  

 As you can see this reclining Buddha was quite large!

This posture with one hand in his lap and one pointing down is known as "Calling the Earth to Witness" and it is the moment of enlightenment for the Buddha.  It is the story of how after six years, he was at the verge of enlightenment but Mara, the Demon of Illusion, tried to dissuade The Buddha from the final last steps.  Buddha meditated all night to overcome the fears and temptations sent by Mara and then called the Earth Goddess to witness that he had achieved enlightenment. In this way he shared his enlightenment with the rest of the world. 

This position is known as the 'teaching Buddha'.  The cupped hand denotes charity and the upraised hand depicts tranquility, a sort of 'calm down' sign.  

In this pose, Buddha is touching his 3rd finger.

This denotes the 'middle way'.  Buddha didn't encourage luxury or asceticism. He wanted his followers to choose a balanced approach to life and the regulation of impulses and behavior.

                                                

I believe there is much to admire in these teachings.  Didn't Jesus of Nazareth teach many similar things?  

As we approach death we can be peaceful because of our knowledge of the plan of salvation and the power of the atonement and the resurrection. 

We believe that all the earth "shall see the salvation of the Lord....every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed." (2Ne 19:17)

Luke 17:33 "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it."  In other words, he who lives only unto himself withers and dies, while he who forgets himself in the service of others grows and blossoms in this life and in eternity. It is in forgetting self that we become tranquil. Charity equals tranquility. Luke 16:25 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." 

Don't we as Christians seek to live a balanced life and to learn to regulate our appetites, passions, and behavior?  By doing this we become like the Savior.  We learn HEAVEN!

Doctrine and Covenants 84:45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

 46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.

Every man.....including Buddha!

Elephant Art

Remember the elephant artist from Thailand?  One of the actual elephants who paints not someone who paints elephants???

Well I bought one of his paintings and had it framed.

Pretty cool huh?  But I decided to also display a photo of the elephant painting, in case anyone who didn't know it was done by a pachyderm questioned my artistic taste!!!

Kompong Khleang Village

We spent some time in an old fishing village on the edge of Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia..

As you can see the houses are on stilts.  We were there during the dry season but were told that during the wet season the lake will rise so that the water level is about 3 feet below the houses. This photo illustrates just how drastic a change that must be.  That is a lot of rain and this from someone who lives in Portland!

  

As you might guess, fishing is an important part of their lives.

Elaborate fish traps were in abundance.   Little fishes swim in and can't find their way out.

The best part of our time in this village for me was photographing the local children.  They were curious about the three bus loads of foreigners who descended upon their little village.

 Someone from the group gave this little doll a balloon!

 Love these innocent faces....and the pearl necklace!

 Such a beautiful mom!

These two were all smiles!

 This guy isn't as sure of us!

 In all my travels this is the first time I've seen children with swollen bellies.

 I just love everything about this little fellow!  The intent stare, the dirty face and the soccer ball!

And this little cutie...strolling past 90 strangers with not a stitch of clothing but proudly holding onto his treasure of a piece of wood!

 Rice patties and lotus fields behind us!

Stupas, Temples, Pagodas

I'd love to be able to give a definitive explanation of the differences between stupas, temples and pagodas but the more I research the more confused I become.  The explanation given by our Burmese tour guide seems to be the most clear and most often given in the articles I've read so I'll share that.  It makes sense to me!

The term "pagoda', in general, can be used for any kind of Buddhist edifice without specific architectural requirements.  However the bell shaped structures providing a place for the faithful to pray and make an offering is a stupa, which is actually an Indian term. Prayers and offerings are made outside the stupa.   The center of the structure usually enshrines a holy relic.  Pagodas and stupas are not entered.  They don't actually have doors.

Around the outside of the large gilded stupa are these small altars for prayer and offerings.

The next distinctive Buddhist structure is a 'temple' where devotees enter to pray, meditate and learn from paintings and Buddha images placed inside.  This reminded me a bit of early Christian stained glass windows in cathedrals which were not just beautiful but reminders of Biblical stories.

This is inside a temple where people are meditating and praying.  They don't actually 'worship' Buddha because he is not considered a God. And yes, tourists walk among them taking photos.

A temple doorway decorated with carvings depicting stories from the Buddha's life! They are beautiful and also give reminders of his teachings.

Here's a temple with stupas in the background.

Again you can see the stupas and also the temples.

Most of the building are quite spectacular! Nothing quite like gilded structures in the sunlight!

And none more beautiful than the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangoon, Myanmar.

Unfortunately for us, while we were there it was being re-gilded using donations from faithful people throughout Burma.  Every Buddhist should come to Shwedagon Pagoda at least once in their lifetime.  Sort of like a trip to Mecca for a Muslim!  Again my heart was touched as I thought about the sacrifice of so many to donate gold and money to make their sacred building shine in the sunshine again!

Temple Building People

Mormons or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are a temple building people. Right now there are 144 operating temples worldwide with 14 under construction and 12 more announced but not yet started.

These beautiful and sacred buildings are not used for Sunday services. Rather faithful church members attend the temple during the week to participate in ordinances designed to unite their families forever and help them return to God.  We are blessed with a temple right here just a few miles from our home.

While traveling in Myanmar we went to an area called Bagan.  During the 9th - 13th centuries the capital of the kingdom was here and because of that over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed.  About 2200 have survived to this day.

The styles and materials vary from temple to temple.

Some are enormous!

Others relatively small.

A few are illuminated in the evenings but most are not.

All are quite beautiful and a testimony of the faith of these ancient 'temple building' peoples.

Inle Lake

George and I agree that a favorite place on our trip was Inle Lake in Myanmar.  I admit that I had not even heard of Inle Lake until we started reading about the itinerary.  Located in the eastern part of the country we used to call Burma, it was a fascinating place!

About 70,000 people live in small cities bordering the lake or in numerous small villages along the lake's shores or even on the lake itself.

Some of the buildings in the lake are homes and other are stores or restaurants or bars.

I especially loved seeing people going about their normal activities in this real 'waterworld'. I caught this couple washing their dishes together on the dock of their home.

Maybe she was going home for the evening or to visit a friend!

As you can see they do have some modern conveniences like electricity or at least some people do.

There were satellite dishes on a few homes!

Naturally fishing plays an important part in their lives.

The men practice a rather distinct style of rowing which involves standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar.  This unique style evolved because the lake is covered by reeds and floating plants which are difficult to see while sitting.  Standing provides the rower with a view beyond the reeds.

Their great balance also allows them to throw their fish traps in a rather unusual style!

We saw more fishermen cooperating to set their fish nets in a more conventional way as these two demonstrated.  The lake isn't very deep so the nets are held in place by bamboo poles..

In addition to fishing, locals grow vegetables and fruit in large gardens that float on the surface of the lake and are also anchored by bamboo poles. These green areas are actually ON the lake, not by the lake.

The floating garden beds are formed by extensive manual labor.

 The farmers gather up lake-bottom weeds and dirt from the lake, bring them back in boats and make them into gardens.

Because they rise and fall with changes in the water level, they are resistant to flooding.  The constant availability of nutrient-laden water makes them very fertile gardens. 

They two days we spent on Inle Lake were a quick peek into a totally unique culture.