Tag Archives: worship Over the last few weeks, Bhutan, that Haven of Happiness, has been making an appearance in my various electronic news feeds and re-asserting itself into my consciousness. In part, this is because it was around this time of year, six years ago, that I visited. I was in this beautiful Himalayan Kingdom for two weeks in September 2009, as part of a […]  You have to be early, and you have to be quick, to catch Theravada Buddhist monks on their morning alms rounds. For over 2,500 years, since the Buddha decided that monks and nuns should not cook or store their own food, Buddhist monks have walked alms rounds. The practice was intended to free religious monastics from the worldly burden of cooking […]  Inle Lake, in the Shan Hills in central Myanmar, is a unique environment. I’ve written before about it’s floating villages (Life on the Water) and about it’s distinctive leg-rowing fishermen (Iconic Images). Most of the lake’s 70,000 residents live in villages and towns on the shore line, where everyday life includes bustling local markets and quiet Buddhist worship. My time on […]  新年快樂 ~ Gōng xǐ fā cái ~ Happy New Year. It is Chinese New Year today – a perfect time to visit a Chinese Temple. Last spring I got to explore Xiamen in Fujian Province, Southeast China, while my husband was busy with meetings. I spent a few delightful days wandering around the coastal city – mostly on foot – with a crumpled map in hand. One of […]  It’s a different world out there… In this day and age where travel is relatively quick and easy, and when communication is virtually instantaneous, it is amazing to me how much diversity still exists. Some ethnic groups have managed to resist the influences around them and to preserve their age-old traditions. Sumatra is just one of the […] |
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