Archive for November, 2006

Here is the largest Buddha in Vietnam in Soc Son. Soc Son is more well known for the legend of a giant warrior whom helped the Vietnamese fight off the Chinese and his footsteps made the lakes and valleys in the mountains. Because of the largest Buddha which weighs thirty tonnes some other people want to make an even larger statue of Giong the warrior. This oneupsmanship is quite interesting I think! Here I am outside one of the many pagodas at Yen Tu mountain. It’s a pilgrimage site and the ascent is very very steep! I bravely chickened out before the summit. Even though part of the way was by cable car…. We had an interesting conversation with Tam whom is a Vietnamese practictioner whom does translation with us. She talked about how Westerners like the ideas of Buddhism but only like the fluffy bits – and balk at stopping drinking etc. I guess this applies to me…but I think the more common misunderstanding about Buddhism is about impermanence- people sometimes view non attachment as having no emotions at all and trying to reach nothingness which I don’t think is quite correct. It’s the concept of interbeing I think that is central to Buddhism. And compassion. And love. Etc. Etc.

I have been reading the journals of Thich Nhat Hanh Fragrant Palm Leaves which really provides an insight into how he has had revelatory moments at different times in different places. It also makes me realise how lucky I am to be in Vietnam at a time when the sanghas following him can come out in the open- the one at Dien Quan practiced in secret before his visit here last year.
I miss my husband a lot and the sangha provides me with the emotional support to stay here. To be gentle with yourself and to show yourself compassion is a lesson I have learnt here. I had my own quiet moment of reflection waiting for my Vietnamese class looking into a pool of water. I’ve been dwelling on impermanence and how everything inter-be that in death we are still part of life and vice versa. I’ve been thinking of ways to write this into my fiction and finding it rather difficult.
I suppose the interaction I have with ghosts, spirits with humans has this interlaced through it.
This picture is of a gatha carved in rock from the Thay pagoda. I’ve been told that it is about impermanence and the reflections of life in water.

Because I drink and eat meat. I also have not fully embraced total compassion for all beings.
I cannot extend compassion to rapists – but the teachings of Thay have modified my position on the death penalty.
It takes a great heart to be able to transcend and extend compassion past hatred and I’m not there yet.

This blog is about my Buddhist discoveries in Vietnam. I am an author and this is not my main blog- it is here for people whom are interested in the dharma, the sangha and matters of the spirit. First I thought I would outline my interest in Buddhism to date and then as my discoveries with the sangha of Hanoi Compassionate Living goes on I will add additional posts.

I was first made forcibly aware of my Buddhist roots when my grandfather died ten years ago. It was the first time I visited a Buddhist temple and my brother and I did a lot of reading around the heart sutra since my brother had to read it at the funeral ceremony. I tried to reach an understanding of ghosts and spirits then- part of my journey is in the play and book – 49 Ghosts which you can access from my website at www.hoapham.net

Since then I had only attended Linh Son temple in Reservoir for special occassions- the anniversary to celebrate the dead, my grandfather’s and grandmother’s death anniversaries and for Tet.

I had tried to start meditating with the University of Melbourne Buddhist group but found myself falling asleep- the lunchtime schedule just did not suit me!

My father gave me Thich Nhat Hanh books to read and I started investigating Buddhist psychology. A book I highly recommend is Emotional Alchemy which is written by Tara Goldman- the wife of the man whom wrote Emotional Intelligence. This engaged my mind and I started trying to meditate again.

Then I went to Vietnam where I stumbled across the Community for Mindful Living in Hanoi which follows Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings in English! This was a real find for me- not only did it provide me with a network of support and friends which I needed- but also provided me with Thay’s teachings in a real live suppportive community space.

So this was the beginning for me and the journey with the sangha begins here.

went on a tour yesterday to nim binh. Saw two ordinary looking pagodas dedicated to early kings of Vietnam- they were not fully restored and not as spectacular even compared to the Chua that I went to for mindfulness day. Then had a lovely rowboat ride through three caves past limestone mountains. it was a bit of a tourist trap after the third cave we were rowed straight into a flotilla of boats selling drinks and fruit and weren’t left alone until we bought something. Then on the way back our rowboat produced clothing and tablecloths for us to buy! It pissed one tourist off so much she didn’t tip the women when we got back to the pier. I’m sort of resigned to this stuff, I regard it as part of the deal when you go on a tour. But we also saw water buffalo, goats (yum!) ducks waddling along the road with the traffic, and a basket of dogs on the way to a restaurant (one assumes!)