published away
Just got my most exotic cover ever - the front page of a Myanmar Journal, the 7DayNews (the big, misty photo is mine). How cool is that? They found it on this very site and gave me a nice big credit as well. I’m as chuffed as a chuffed thing.
No, I have no idea what any of it says. It’s certainly a story about lovely Bagan, possibly about an environmental protection scheme or something.
Trusting Nature
Sort of related, but not exactly is a little snippet of Tao I was sent in an email. The Myanmar people are not Taoists, of course, but there is much about Tao that weaves its way through their society and the mention below about community and warmth certainly reflects that.
The rough waters of life affect us all. We face challenges that sometimes appear like tidal waves to our small and powerless selves. We try to swim upstream with all our individual strength, but at times the journey seems impossible. The spiritual path of Taoism teaches that the best way to deal with life is to relax into the Tao, literally, “the way”, a power that flows like a river through all of life. Only by deeply trusting in the natural rhythms of our universe, by standing still and letting the stream rush around us, can we cultivate the world in a powerfully compassionate way. Spiritual seekers, especially from the Western tradition, often ask for a definition of the Tao; however, the Tao is defined by the very fact that it cannot be defined. It must be felt as it is beyond reason and intellect. Think of how nature functions through instinct and spontaneity, of the strength of silence, of the unique power of inaction and you will begin to comprehend the Tao.
Taoism is thought to have been born about 2500 years ago, during a period of feudal conflict in China. Lao-Tsu, a scholar who dedicated his life to balancing his spirit, authored the seminal text, called Tao Te Ching, in which he describes a peaceful option for living, beyond war and ego. According to his work, when we have the courage to leave behind the world of dogma and intellectualism, we begin to cultivate faith and we have a natural tendency to simplify our lives and give unconditionally to others. For this reason, Taoism puts emphasis on meditation and Taoist sages were often artisans and woodcarvers. In order to be centered, skillful and creative, one must put aside the world of external reward and follow the creative path of nature.
Not all of Taoism is meditation and silent contemplation. Building and nurturing a community is an important aspect of the belief, because only in the context of a warm circle of caring can you maintain your faith in the Tao. For Taoism, peace and a loving community are not difficult end goals for which we have to struggle. They are actually our natural state. We need only stop over-thinking and believe in the inherent mystery of the world in order to create harmony.
Remember that the Tao exists everywhere but you can’t find it by looking for it. As long as you are searching for security through dogmatic beliefs and material goods, the Tao will elude you. But the very moment you accept that there is no security through attachment, you will gain the courage to go the natural way. That is when greed just goes away and true compassion begins.
travelogues • art, photography • (3) Comments • Permalink
Longleat and the New Forest
Finally, the British summer provided some good weather and we were fortunate to have decided to take a short holiday before school began. Because we had limited time and a small budget, we decided to do something closer to home than going abroad. After much (and I mean much) consideration, we decided on the New Forest and Longleat House and Safari park.
I’d seen Longleat on television in numerous animal programmes and this was our first stop. We set off mid-morning on Friday and arrived around 1pm. The Safari Park was great fun and the House itself really quite spectacular. The paintings alone would rival almost any British gallery. We bought a passport to all the attractions and especially enjoyed the petting zoo (with free-roaming herds of guinea pigs, some very amusing rabbits and a great parrot show). There were also some amazing collections of Victoriana and plenty of other things we didn’t have a chance to see. All in all, a great value for only ?16 per adult.
From there, it was less than 2 hours to the New Forest, where, without knowing where to stay, ended up choosing the Stag Hotel on the Lyndhurst high street. An excellent choice as it happens as the hotel seemed newly refurbished, well-managed and very clean. We had a large family room (the one at the front on the top floor) which cost ?110 a night. Also, being in the centre of the little town, we had a wider range of places to eat although the restaurant in the hotel did very good and authentic Italian food. Being on the high street, of course, it was a little noisy, but I live on a busy road so it really didn’t bother us.
We spent Saturday and Sunday morning exploring The New Forest which is absolutely lovely. The heavy rains redeemed themselves by making everything beautifully green and lush. We visited the Otter centre and the Reptile centre and took a number of long walks on the moors, picked handfuls of blackberries, got lost in the forest and played a while in the the water down by Bucklers Hard (a restored 18th century shipbuilding village that we didn’t bother to tour).
Best yet, it was only 2 hours from home, so an easy weekend away in a really nice spot.
Obviously, I took a load of photos (until I ran out of memory).
thames time
Made a little daytrip to London today. We started out by climbing to the top of St Paul’s. The weather held out and so I managed to get some quite good photos of the London skyline. Top tip for travellers: spiky heeled boots are not great for climbing the iron stairs to the top bit of the dome.
From St Paul’s, it’s a short walk across the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern. We managed the Still Life gallery in a couple of hours - there is still loads to see (another 5 floors, basically!). From there we took the Tate boat from Bankside down the Thames to the Tate Britain. An earlier start and we maybe could have taken in a bit of that museum, but it was getting late. Most of the galleries at the Modern are free entry and the boat was only ?3.50 for the two of us, so it was a cheap day out, really.
holiday plans
No, I don’t have any to speak of, but want to get away to somewhere sunny, relatively cheap and kid-friendly. Somewhere interesting is a bonus, of course. Whilst browsing, ran across this Responsible holidays site. Some quite nice trips, though I’m leaning towards Cancun at the moment.
Bhikkhu Patimokkha
Michael’s latest post happened onto the subject of Buddhism, which is obviously a subject of great interest to me. One of the many things that fascinates me is its depth and multitudes of levels. At it’s most basic, it is simple rules of ethical conduct for lay people. Like the 10 commandments, only fewer…
Normal people need only worry about the first five sila:
1. Refrain from taking life (don’t kill)
2. Refrain from taking that which is not given (don’t steal)
3. Refrain from improper sexual conduct (don’t use sex to manipulate people, cheat, etc.)
4. Refrain from incorrect speech (don’t lie)
5. Refrain from intoxicants that lead to carelessness
During periods of intense meditation or during special observance days, the precept regarding sexual misconduct is extended to any sexual relations at all and adds on 3 more:
6. Refrain from eating after noon.
7. Refrain from singing, dancing, watching entertainments, wearing garlands, perfume or cosmetics
8. Refrain from sleeping on a raised or luxurious bed
In Burma, over a million people live as monks or nuns and the Buddha felt that life within the Sangha, or community of monks, was the best way of achieving the ultimate state of nirvana. Nirvana, or true awakening, requires a devotion to to the teachings of the Buddha and faith that their practise will lead to enlightenment. Novices must observe the same practises as above, but precept 7 is split into two and an additional prohibition on the handling of money is added. Anyone can become a novice by taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha and by agreeing to the ten precepts. This is not a lifelong committment, but rather one that can be entered into or left at will.
Should the novice wish to be ordained, the rules become rather more specific with 227 rules for Bhikkhus (monks) and 311 for Bhikkhunis (nuns). These rules are very specific and rather amusing, covering such things as how, when and from whom robes and other neccessary items can be obtained, how and where to bathe, how to relate to fellow monks and nuns and are phrased in such a way as to make skirting the rules pretty difficult.
I should also point out that the Burmese practise Theravada Buddhism, also called the “Doctrine of the Elders,” which draws its scriptural inspiration from the texts of the Pali Canon, or Tipitaka. The dominant form of Buddhism in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar/Burma, Cambodia, and Laos) and Sri Lanka, it is differentiated from the Mahayana Buddhism of China, Tibet, Japan and Korea in its emphasis on individual development through monastic practise.
Mahayana’s goal is to become a Bodhisattva - one, who out of an infinite compassion, deliberately pauses on the edge of attaining Nirvana so to help others to achieve enlightenment. It tends to use more ritual and chanting while an adaptation of it, the Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism of Tibet, makes use of difficult and complicated rituals as a sort of “fast-track” to Bodhisattvahood.
Vintage travel
I love vintage graphic design, especially from the 30s and 40s - the kind you see on old tin signs or forms and brochures in your granny’s loft. Vintage Luggage Labels - The Lost Art of Travel and The History of the Luggage Label is very cool indeed.
Ethnic minority politics
An interesting introduction to the complicated political situation in Burma/Mayanmar.
Found via the very interesting Burma Photo Project.