Southeast Asia - cambodia - fourth week
Day 27. 1.28. Sunday to the monastery
Learned last nite that political stability of Cambodia is fragile due to changes of govt and this may effect NGOs like GSC. After shopping for food and Krispy Kreme’s we went for a TukTuk ride for 49 minutes..insight-
- nothing here ever looks finished or neat, the concrete ends and turns to gravel or was dug-up to put lines underground and never repaired.
- The wiring on poles is atrocious as each time a line is added without consideration for tapping into existing wires and the extra roll left over is just tacked or wired to the pole or web of wires.
- In a country with millions of motor-scooters and TukTuks where none are bigger than 125 cc.... all riders are required to wear a helmet
- 5 meter theory (16’) ...if one divides storefront in a given block into 5 meter widths..there are a lot of small commercial establishments per block..crammed in..some stores or blocks (Id say 35%) use multiples of the 5 meters (but deep). and get more space like car lots or name brand stores. But there are millions of small establishments in buildings, saying nothing about the hordes of street vendors and large markets with tent structures. Everyone is trying to make ends meet... the situation indicates severe “under employment”. This (PP) area comprises 2M of the population of 15M (11M are classed as “poor or nearly poor” and the wealth is invested elsewhere and does not trickle down) (poor support for education, health and transportation). The remainder are Ag and Ag support at subsistence levels on the average. Our building is about 16’ wide and 4 stories tall.
Lunch and then shopping...$20 groceries, 7 Krispy Kreme, 10 TukTuk, 2 🎁 presents. Watch to security. After a ride to see the consideration above, we spent the rest of the afternoon discarding info/instructions and packing our junk/clothes for our move tomorrow to the monastery. The electric has gone out twice today. We were thinking about memorable people.. Sothy the program hostess at the orphanage who was an orphan herself and is now a mother of 2; the vp at the feeding center; Synath the the leader of the student workers at the feeding center; the VCDO security guard orphan. Went for a walk in the neighborhood and threw the football til dark-hotter than hell. Our last nite at VCDO (Volunteer For Children and Development Organization) and should know the name. Picture of the classroom at the orphanage. The feeding center and the orphanage.
English for monks=. write a simple biography... write a description of our pictures... discuss the questions below... develop a resume..
Buddhism contemplation..questions for the monastery English class..1. Explain Buddhism in the simplest terms..2. What are the main tenets or teachings?3. It appears monks are just orange beggars ...what else do they do? 4. What practical or religious efforts contribute to the life of ordinary people? 5. What mission or other work is done outside the monastery? 6. When they reach perfected State of nirvana or out of worldly contact, are they abstracted from the practical issues of society and people? And are numb to outside influences and to outside community-family issues. 7. Do people pray for them to intercede for them to Buddha similar to the Catholic Church and what caused the reformation by Martin Luther?
Getting ready to leave for the monastery..apprehensive as hell. Success x 3. Arrived at Wat K at 10 and got our room and trying to get internet by hotspot. At lunch we found a strong WiFi and are attached as much as possible. Having to wear long pants and no hat as we were shown around by a good English speaking young monk who goes to the University in the afternoon. The buildings are very dramatic but the grounds are quite trashy. We saw where the monks live and where they go to school for monkhood. There are two parts to the place, women's where we are and the men’s which we toured. There are women nuns who are more like caretakers. On some side streets of the Wat are small 2 story houses which are for the workers who maintain much of the Wat and these areas are much neater. We eat at a lady’s house which is in this auxiliary area. Marnie just made arrangements for our meals. Breakfast at 8 because we will not go to chanting at 4am. The monks eat at 6:15 and at 11:00 and nothing thereafter til breakfast the next day. We shall eat lunch at 11:30. We teach English conversation from 5:30 to 7:30 and will have dinner thereafter. Wednesday of this week is a special holiday for Buddha and we will not teach but watch the festivities. It is believed a lot of gifts will arrive for the Wat to earn merits for dead relatives and good passage to reincarnation for oneself. Our hostess/cook is very popular and a congregation of friends and relatives are checking as we sit and write at her outside table. While taking a nap Tucker the biker showed. We talked for awhile and then walked to the temple where they were broadcasting a chant over the speaker and a response by the monks in the temple. We thot the Buddha images display was tacky as colorful LED lites behind each Buddha flashed, rotated, moved left-right, etc like an overdone Christmas display. Beside all that was a huge red LED digital clock. Special person “Let” was our guide this afternoon because he has good English skill and he returned while we were eating. We talked for 2 hours about his life, monkship, the Buddhist teachings, meditation, the temple/Wat, and his life in general. He is 25 and been a monk for 8 years, starting in Siem Reap (his home) and transferring here to attend the university where he is in his 3rd year. Dinner was the usual tough meat with bones in, rice, and spicy veges. Interestingly our resident hostess had donuts for us for dinner, which we saved for breakfast and we asked for coffee. Back to our room, we have no ac controller so it runs full blast when on. Just a note: the beds we’ve been sleeping on are pads over wooden slates=hard, but we are so tired they feel GREAT!
Day 28. 1.29. Monday starting to observe and teach
We hope to develop an English practice table for the monks and we teach conversation in a private school 5:30-7:30. Awoke is 4am to chanting in the distance-too tired to get up. started walk at 6:45- the monks had finished breakfast and as I walked thru their housing area I greeted and tried to say good morning-most did not know what to do. Cats are everywhere -scrawny and healthy but mostly smaller due to uncontrolled breeding we suspect, rodent eradication system. There are a few dogs here and there which appear unkept, distant, and passive. As I walked at 7 and my left hip was painful from too little walking-maybe a 1/10 of a mile before it gets very sore and needs a sit. I have walked thru and around the young monks area as they have finished breakfast. Speeches are constantly being broadcast on loudspeaker-sounding like instruction, day’s agenda and/or maybe propaganda. Novices crossed my path and after formalities took pictures and explore my iPad. It’s raining. Watched nuns eating and visiting. Went to the iInformation area where there is WiFi and read/wrote. SURPRISE...real strong black coffee.. we gave her extra money so she would keep the coffee coming...thank our hostess!
“LET” (the English speaking monk) COMES BY FOR DISCUSSION.. Beliefs of convenience. “No intention, no sin”, .don’t steal or/and kill. No intention, no sin! No sexual misconduct (just husband and wife). No lying, No alcohol. For monks another 5: no eating in evening, no handling money..someone will buy for you, not buy myself,...no singing cuz can’t control your mind... Sit in high position, respect, don’t touch women. Let should be a teacher of the Buddhist principles for non Buddhists. Monks are not allowed to touch women, thus the distance from Marnie in the photo.
The loudspeaker system is blaring most of the time to distraction-either chanting or lecture sounding noise and does not allow for contemplation or thought as prescribed by the unworldlyness/mindlessness of Buddhism. At 10:30 we attended the drama of the main day meal of the day-servinging staff and nuns sit on the floor while the 150 orange-draped monks parade in and sit 4 to a table on raised platforms of low tables. There are prayers and chanting and then the monks are served and start eating only what was offered to them by the staff or nuns -all other people wait til the monks are done and eat at tables in a low area of the open air building. Just took my second walk of the day. There are thousands of Buddhas all over the Wat in varying sizes from inches to tons in varying poses, all with some mystical meaning. All the statutes have the garish neon LED lighting around them.
Cambodian broom (photo). Venerable Sophea is second chief monk. He is younger than Let but on the administrative branch of Monks while Let is on general branch of monkhood. Spent 2 hours with Sophea..his/our life, the Buddhist precepts, meditation (much like systemic relaxation I did), farming, the Wat’s 200 monks (not all of whom come to the 11 lunch)..Sophea and his buddy ate in their room. At 5 we went to a private evening school specializing in English education owned/run by a local teacher. As the children of all sizes arrived they bought drinks and oil fried snacks. We each got a classroom from 5:30-6:30 with preteens working on learning vocabulary and ideas. From 6:30 - 7:30 3 of the early teachers were in our high school and up class. There we showed pictures we brought along and had them make oral sentences (thus having a conversation) to describe what they saw in the picture..went quite well. Home at 7:45 for dinner of fried rice, boney meat, fried egg and special drink. After reading emails we came home to cool and shower. We can only drink bottled water and no ice..we are supplied frequently during the day almost as gifts, so we save up several bottles for our room. We have a 12x12x12 room with ac which shuts off periodically (we don’t have the remote therefor) so we have to climb up and restart it as we quickly heat up and have no windows. Our bath is very basic..the pot is for showers and to flush the toilet with water from the collection tub, which must be 1/2 filled before 8:00 PM when the water is turned off. Learned a lot today!!!
Day 29. 1.30. Tuesday another day of exploration and teaching
Up at 6, exercises, tea and walk. I have decided to not hand gesture and bow since monks don’t do that for me...I am special human being placed by god like they think they are...no homage, I’m not Buddhist...maybe I’ll get kicked out. They are even sweeping the lawn with brooms to clean everywhere for the Wednesday festival and have placed beautiful colorful flags all over, inserted small stand up dishes for oil to burn at nite-thousands on every piece of lawn in the central pageant area. Talked to 2 monks from a province for about 20 minutes exchanging pictures and words. One will follow us as he has 4999 friends and can’t take any more. Everyone here is prepping for the festival...the speaker is blaring again. Let and Thearu ( 8 yrs here, management) came by at 8:30 for morning lesson in Buddhism and our questions/challenges to the rule system. No forgiveness in Buddhism...must balance bad with good on your own. The only services monks give for common person are advice and being prayed to/bowing. They seem to believe and are taught they are superior and enjoy this status without being challenged- maybe thru propaganda of Buddhism and not arising from religious beliefs. We do not believe these monks and this temple could survive in Madison..we would tell them to get off their butts and “do something”, not expect everyone else to do for them.. the home environment is too demanding..and based on “equality”.
Buddhism contemplation..questions for the monastery English class..1. Explain Buddhism in the simplest terms..2. What are the main tenets or teachings?3. It appears monks are just orange beggars ...what else do they do? 4. What practical or religious efforts contribute to the life of ordinary people? 5. What mission or other work is done outside the monastery? 6. When they reach perfected State of nirvana or out of worldly contact, are they abstracted from the practical issues of society and people? And are numb to outside influences and to outside community-family issues. 7. Do people pray for them to intercede for them to Buddha similar to the Catholic Church and what caused the reformation by Martin Luther?
Explaining Buddhism in the simplest term? RULES AND FINDING WAYS TO FOLLOW THEM WITHOUT REGARD FOR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY/THINKING AND INTENT. See above for tenets. No change in my beggar opinion and they have not defended this idea nor reported what they do for the people except giving advice based on Buddha. Our findings so far after 3 conversations thereabout. No intercession. Let and his friend came to practice speaking English with us for 1.5 hrs...we made them think in English and responded to their questions..they provided us with an outline of tomorrow’s festival x by sound “MIT Boter” ...celebrates Buddha’s sermon to 1250 Monks in India. Boyan temple for Buddha in transition from Hindu temple at Wat Angkor. Sophea stopped by to say he would get a TukTuk for us for the parade tomorrow afternoon. We went to school at 5 and started with younger students at 5:30 for one hour on sentences about pictures. At 6:30 we got the advanced kids together and gave them the newspaper ads to write sentences about, read in conversation, and diagram (subject/verb/adjective/adverb). Home by 8, exhausted and sweaty, for dinner and shower. We shall start early tomorrow to take part in the celebration.
Day 30. 1.31 Wednesday Day of celebration of Buddha’s sermon
We don’t have to teach today-holiday for Buddhists. Stream of events and thots of the day. The kitchen with wood stoves for feeding 500 monks and staff twice a day. Slept thru chanting at 4am and got up at 7. Got them to turn on the office WiFi and here we go again. We shall wait here reading until English speaking monks come to practice conversation. We ate and walked the festival, collecting a to-be-monk student as our walking partner. We bought something to see if he would eat but would not. I gave him a prayer scarf and he wore it with pride. Then he left us without explanation but sought us out again..we did words to pictures until 11 when he had to go eat (last meal until tomorrow am), still wearing his scarf. We compared notes and I published Marnie’s verbatim below. My partner found us again at our table. He did eat a sweet roll and we showed him our names..and asked him to write his name..he did in Khmer..we all laughed and the family helped him translate his name to “PHA” and we had a nice time sharing and found he is 13 yrs old. I had given him my Buddhist scarf and negotiated for a replacement during our earlier walk. He loved music videos but I’m sure he was not allowed to view them. Shortly thereafter a person from the near town came to the table to visit- I talked with him in English and learned he is a university grad in architecture. The family members of our hostess were beautiful in the preparation for the festival day’s activities. Back to the room for shower and core cooling until the 2 pm parade. Constant blaring of sermons, probably the only opportunity to propagandize believers as monks do not otherwise preach or organize Buddhist groups for worship.
At 2 we left the cool of our room and went to our seats and then the stupa by 2:45. Let offered to try to get us a TukTuk and Sophea told us he’d find something. We stood around and learn no TukTuks were available but Sophea’s 4 Dr truck (as he is a relatively high official even at a young age) had an empty back seat and he put us in it with ac sometimes. He was photographing the people and parade and was in and out of the truck. Our truck had a bouquet on the hood, streams the length and Buddha in the back with several training monks. And along with 2000 people we traveled on a 2 hour circuit with most people walking in a prayer position holding flowers. They walked in sandals or bare feet or rode in a TukTuk or on a motorbike. At the festival there are at least 5000 people and 200 food venders here mixed in with 300+ monks and nuns and their workers/attenders. My task now is to take 1000 pictures of monks before the end of the week. We looked at all the foods, flowers, clothing, etc. We found the very small birds in the cages which can are to be released to create the “happiness of freedom” (not for eating which was our alternate hypothesis). The constant chanting was broadcast on a radio and by mobile loudspeakers, and when it shut off my head was ringing. Literally everyone has a phone and thus a camera..think back 10 yrs and no one would have either capacity here, to say nothing of connecting to the net. Theran handing out water.
Notes of the day from Marnie
Hundreds of stalls selling food and souvenirs
Cooked meat on skewers
Sautéed crab and Eggs
Fried whole chicken and fish and smoked-cooked-sauteed frogs
Balloons
A few booths for scarves, purses, some pants, shorts but ppl mostly buy food. Big variety of typical items
Talked w two English speakers, one with braces
Ppl bring donations of money and food to give to the monks and Wat..several blind beggars are guided to people by young girls.
Speakers are broadcast over loudspeaker
Rick went to see men photoing ceremony from production company hired to make documentary of festival. One used drone to photo.
Buddha statue w many glass boxes for money donations plus flower arrangements which ppl add flowers to
Nearby holy stupa highly raised w many steps. Shoes off to go up and inside to honor and photo
Nuns and others in white on hundreds of chairs under tent to be out of sun and listen to speakers. Shoes off at entrance as always at entrance to bldg and covered patio
To market to see above. Young student in white attached to Rick and followed for long time. Rick gave Hm his green scarf and found out ok for him to wear. Rick bought another for 1-1/2$ Student would not try the sweet meringue bread we bought
Usually ladies walk w somber face but smile big if we greet them
Sophea doing his job...with the camera and interviewing me in the car.
Our flags and the information man paralyzed on the right side 2ndary to left brain stroke (and he told me in broken English)....
We watched eclipse over the Wat temple...”Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse”
And the lighting ceremonies around the stupa... Very impressive and people bowed to lite the oil lamps and candles and pray... at the parade and in the evening we met people from our evening classes at Western school.
Day 31 2.1.18 Thursday back to work
Stream of incidents for the day...Our room is a semi disaster - 12x12x12 space, with broken glass on the floor of the bath when we arrived to a supposed clean room, a sink would not drain, the water tub leaked, the valves to divert water from the spout to the showers are so corroded that we can’t use the shower and have to take pan showers slopping up the bath floor, and the ac which was high on the wall had no remote controller= frustration. The only super good thing was we could periodically escape to here from the heat and humidity (90+ each day and nite). At our table at the home of our hostess we have a mangy dog at our feet begging, and sometimes 3. We prepared our lessons for the two classes this eve. Read all the input during breakfast and thereafter waiting for English table to begin. Marnie lost some of the log and is frustrated. We need a walk. We met a Cambodian women, visiting here with her family, who has lived in Prague for 30 yr following her going there for an education..Sopheap (see notes). We went for our morning walk. First we met the monks filing in for their 11am lunch/last meal of the day and did not respond as they expected..just watched. Then we met a loan officer from a nearby bank which make business and construction micro loans.. up to $500 for 2-3 yrs at 15-18%. As we walked to/in monk house row we came upon Sopheap, the 1st Vice President of the Wat who has been here 20 years and to the US 4-5 times to study at U of Alabama. We talked for an hour+ and learned more about Buddhism thru instruction and Buddha’s parable teaching, and the administration of the Wat by consensus. There are very interesting parallels in Christianity. Back for lunch and catching up on email before cooling session in our ac’d room. Just got a homeopathic/traditional treatment people receive for illness...a oil on my arm, then followed by very hard scrapping of the skin which breaks the capillaries and turns the under skin red-red..pain and burning resulted x now 30 minutes later. Some success. In spite of my clean clothes, no one showed for the English speaking table. Royal World of Education Center (the private school)..to teach 2 classes - the first I had a great enthusiastic response from 10 high school kids about themselves, how their families lived/made a living, their family structure, and what their lives and job will be like 10 years from now -actively going around with lots of excitement and hand shaking. Second class with Marnie and less interesting but more structure about their future goals, education and funding. We found out the teacher of young children in public school, a teacher of English here and a student in our adult class, was a monk, but now married with kids. Ate, read mail, and went to room for cooling session/pot wash. This teaching is hard sweaty business-NO FUN.
Day 32 2.2. Friday last day, thankfully
Tired of routine...oh I forgot, the water is shut off after 8pm for the nite-inconvenient. On my contemplation and meditation, I think this monk thing is mostly BS. Except for the not touching women, funny eating rules, depending on others for livelihood, and weird clothes they are more like the big car taking-privilege persons I detest and we both live by the same rules (read the 10 commandments after they tell you their first 10 rules or listen to Mohammad), but I have to apply them in the real world and they isolate and protect themselves -in the cloister and by begging...no appreciable work or worldly responsibilities (except as they claim to learn the monk rules and the teachings of Buddha). They are so isolated for the most part they don’t know the sameness or difference. I am not Buddhist and am human, and if they don’t acknowledge me as a human (or say hello or bow), I’ve quit treating them as special- I’ve stopped bowing and not touching, etc. a couple of monks don’t seem to be taken back by me, tho a lot look askance at me when I’m not like other people toward them-deference. The monks know nothing about comparative religion and only believe the rules make up their vows- does not appear to require much obligation except to the rules and giving the people advice.. Wat a racket! ++damn electricity just went off again...climb the wall for the ac+++ so agitated I forgot to do my exercises this morning and only meditated. Speakers blaring chants and a sermon. Enough! Marnie had a new idea...Buddhism is the culture of the country and they work 7 days a week because they have no holy day each week unlike the sabbath.
Then we had an epiphany because of a meeting-up. Let came to our table at 8:15 inviting us to move the English table to the monks’ compound. We were met by Sophea and sat for 2.45 hrs talking and waiting for the arrival of Luke, our GSCer fellow. We talked and shared and gave Let and Sophea sharks teeth as a memento. We really like these guy as they treat us as equal and are as interested and engaged with us as we are with them. At this level Buddhism is much more human and inviting than my musings this morning..thanks Let and Sophea! On the way back from the monks’ compound we stopped and Sophak and Luke interviewed us for GSC film with the temple as background. Had lunch together and said our last goodby to Sophak and went for midday cooling.
It appears that the workers/supporters housing backs up to an open sewer. Our hostess and her granddaughter, Mai, take care of kitchen and feeding us. New insight after extreme success. Two evals arrived and mine is completed completely. The table napkins and the toilet paper come out of the same package. No one came to the English table this afternoon except Luke and we worked on his accent. Off to teach at 5:30 but the car didn’t arrived until 5:25. No 2nd class, as all participants were attending a party. We said our goodbyes to the Director and his wife and all the students who had been so welcoming. Got a ride home in the school van with several giggling girls. Dinner with Luke and spent time chatting. Many bobtail cats so it must be genetic.
Day 33. 2.4 Saturday last day GSC-back to the city
On contemplation I think I’m approaching the style and functioning of my two grandfathers, some kind of reincarnation. Up to cool cloudy day like none other here. Picked up by car and in town at Golden Gate Hotel. Immediately off with my Wat-required long pants and into my shorts and hat. Getting wash done today and picking up tickets for the bus to HCM CITY at Palm travel. Will post log today at beebelog.blogspot.com. Western food tonite!
Day 34. 2.5. Sunday
Day 35. 2.6. Monday to HO Chi Ming city
