CHEW SAY GO COOL BOOKS

2-11-11 ELLA ARRIVES...WELCOME ELLA

2011-02-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/user/hiphopcooking

TIBETAN NEW YEAR FOR THE METAL RABBIT AND BABY WARMER

2011-01-12T17:18:00.001-08:00

The Year of the Metal Rabbit

The year of the Metal Rabbit promises to bring some much needed peace and tranquility. If you are like most people, you probably feel like you were on a roller coaster in 2010, the year of the Tiger. That will generally not be the case in 2011, as the Rabbit is everything the Tiger is not.

Let there be peace, and let it begin with me is the Rabbit motto. The Tiger makes waves, but the Rabbit mends fences. Diplomacy reigns. If you want to improve your chances of success, you most often want to negotiate and cooperate rather than try to force your ideas and methods on others. It’s also a time to kiss and make up. Forgive and forget. Let’s all get along. Make love not war. If last year the emphasis was on excitement, it now is on harmony.

This does not of course mean there will be heaven on earth. You can find good and bad in every year. Still, looking back at the last reign of the Metal Rabbit, it’s hard to deny there were significant, Rabbit-style developments. In April 1951, for example, the Treaty of Paris was signed, establishing the European Coal and Steel Community. This was the first of several organizations that eventually became the European Union. A significant event in Asia in July was the beginning of armistice negotiations that eventually led to the end of hostilities on the Korean peninsula. And, in September, Australia, New Zealand and the United States signed a mutual defense pact (ANZUS).

The Rabbit is also very much about good taste and refinement. In March Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I began a three year run on Broadway. In July Judy Garland opened the first of 14 concerts in Dublin, Ireland, at the Theater Royal, and Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland premiered in London. In October An American in Paris premiered in New York and went on to win six academy awards. One of America’s classiest actresses, Audrey Hepburn, began her route to fame in November, as the lead character in the Broadway play, Gigi. In December the movie African Queen, starring Audrey and Humphrey Bogart premiered in Hollywood.

Self indulgence is another Rabbit theme. By all means go to the theater, spend time at the spa and patronize those great restaurants you love. On the other hand you do want to be careful about not overdoing it. And, you can bet the Rabbit will put lots of temptation in front of you.

This is especially true if you belong to the Rabbit’s group, that is, your sign is Rabbit, Sheep or Pig. These, however, are the people most likely to have a great year. If you are one of them, make an extra effort to follow your dreams, seize opportunities, and enjoy the moment. Other signs with excellent prospects this year include the Ox, Tiger, Snake, and Dog. Those that might want to hold back a bit include the Rat, Horse, Monkey, and Rooster.

There is a common theme here. Active people who always seem to be on the go are likely to be unhappy with the Rabbit’s leisurely pace. They can find themselves in trouble if they try to move faster than the prevailing one. The Tiger, being the Yang to the Rabbit’s Yin, can still do well by modifying its style. This year the cautious, slow but sure approach is likely to win the day more than a charge ahead one.

The question, then, is what to do in a so-called, peaceful year? Education, for one. Leisurely travel could also provide a nice experience. That means the museum circuit as opposed to trekking the Himalayas. And, pursuing your hobbies, be they ballroom dancing, bridge or gardening is a very Rabbit thing to do and will bring you many happy moments.

The Rooster is the sign most likely to encounter difficulties this year. If this is your sign, you are probably feistier than your friends and family. Your love of debate, nitpicking attention to detail and argumentative side all run contrary to the Rabbit’s fundamental, peacemaking nature. If you can’t keep this tendency under control, you may feel you are frequently trying to swim upstream as you pursue your goals.

So far it’s been all about the Rabbit. The fact that 2011 is a Metal year is almost as important---and for two reasons. Since this is a Metal year, those people born in an Earth one will generally fare better than others of their animal sign, while those born in a Wood one are likely to do worse. It’s also slightly negative for those born in a Fire year and mildly positive for Water sign people. Finally, those born in a Metal year will be in their element and do well if their animal sign is compatible with the Rabbit but could run into lots of confrontations if not.

The second reason is the Metal Rabbit is not that cuddly, soft, little ball of fur you see in the pet store. Metal gives this bunny a competitive, aggressive side. It is cold, sometimes insensitive, oh so different from the Rabbit. The Metal Rabbit, then, is the most unlike the other five breeds of this sign. So, there will be some confusion from time to time in 2011. What will predominate at any given moment, the gentle Rabbit or steely Metal?!

Thanks to the Rabbit, this is a Yin Metal year, so steel may be too strong a word. There could be some aggressiveness when it comes to fighting for a cause, but it is not likely to be a dominant attitude. Yin Metal is also more thoughtful in contrast to its Yang counterpart that often pushes ahead without thinking. And, under the Rabbit’s influence, there is more empathy and sensitivity with only the occasional lapse.

A final word. The Rabbit should give most of us an opportunity to pause and catch our breath after a hectic 2010. It’s a time for peacemakers to shine. But, it will have a metallic edge to it. From time to time aggressiveness will suddenly materialize and disrupt the peace. For those who revel in a slow pace, however, it promises to be a most enjoyable time.

So, in the spirit of the Rabbit, peace be with you.

HAPPY LOSAR

HIP HOP COOKING at LuLu.com

2010-10-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hip Hop Cooking By Annette Adams AT

Paperback: $17.00

GOSSIP REHAB: How To Stop Gossip.................(DR. PHIL, MAYBERRY, OPRAH AND ELLEN) available NOW AMAZON.COM or Lulu.com (author Annette Adams) IF THEY GOSSIP TO YOU THEY WILL GOSSIP ABOUT YOU...FOR PEOPLE 14-80 YRS. OLD... GO TO AMAZON.COM or LULU.COM AND ORDER YOUR COPY

2010-04-11T10:46:00.001-07:00

AVAILABLE SOON ON AMAZON.COM or lulu.com (author Annette Adams)
If they gossip to you ... they will gossip about you...THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE GOSSIP
IN YOUR WORLD OR IN YOUR CHILD'S LIFE

PREPARE TO DIE: GET YOUR AFFAIRS IN ORDER (Design your funeral) TO ORDER YOUR COPY GO TO LULU.COM AVAILABLE NOW on LuLu.com Annette Adams, Author

2010-04-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

My Days At Green Gulch Zen Center for 25 years

2010-03-26T16:27:00.001-07:00

Monday, February 8, 2010

GREEN GULCH ZEN CENTER AND ORGANIC FARMS where I spent 2-3 mo. retreat per year (cooked there and love their kitchen and wok the size of a house) for a couple of decades + (some years I went to other center's)

Green Gulch Zen Center and organic gardens at Muir Beach
The regular daily schedule for Practice Period students begins with two periods of sitting
meditation starting at 5:00 am (wake-up at 4:25). After breakfast, all residents gather for
work meeting, and work until noon service in the zendo. In the afternoon, Practice Period
students work for one hour then have a break until study hall at 4:00 pm, followed by
meditation, service, and dinner with the community. The evening schedule consists of
either two periods of meditation, or a class, or lecture. The day ends at 9:00 pm.
In addition to the regular daily schedule, there is a half-day sitting once a week.
Two one-day sittings and a seven-day sesshin (meditation intensive) are also part of each
Practice Period at Green Gulch. There are a number of ceremonies, classes, lectures,
and events which all members of the community are invited to participate in.
1. No expectations
2. Faithful daily practice is enlightenment
3. No sticking to any teaching; there is nothing special to do or understand, every moment is always new (this Suzuki Roshi expressed in the phrase "beginner's mind")
4. Zazen is the most important thing in our practice and true Zazen is our whole life
5. Kindness and toughness are not two different things
6. A close and loving relationship with a teacher
7. Whole heartedness in all activity
8. Pay close attention to the details of form, for true freedom is found there...Soto
My teacher, Jiryu is below. He is the author of "Two Shores of Zen"...the only monk who gives me the rope long enough to think my way...Zen-Lite. My way is also the more practical form of Zen in the outside world. How to deal in daily life when I get up when I wake up and then I Sit
At the bottom of this post you will see my teacher, Jiryu, and under him the bee hives
During our practice period our group sang "Save The Bee's" to the bee shrine I made
to the tune of "Let It Be"...

My Teacher Jiryu

The BeeKeeper, Alan Hawkins

palgyal jonangpa takten shadrup choeling

Madeline and Alex at Laura Ziskins Birthday Party and THE RANCH

2010-03-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

READ PAGE 2 OF THIS BLOG (OLDER POSTS) IT HAS SOME COOL ASPECTS OF MY LIFE

2010-03-10T04:09:00.001-08:00

Annette Adams The man I love

Photo of the Day

His Holiness the Dalai Lama wearing a souvenir cap from the winter olympics in Vancouver that was pr...esented to him by a student. His Holiness is signing a book during a break in the Delhi teachings, March 20th, 2010.

Photo of the Day

By:Dalai Lama

My parents gave birth to 9 daughters (9 is a Tibetan lucky number but we are not Tibetan)

2010-02-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

Michele, Suzanne, Annette, Kathleen, Karen Marie, Jacqueline, Debbie, Jennifer and Sheila
The above names are the order in which we were born...not the order of the photo
Growing up in a family of 9 girls is living in a laughing crowd. 2 sisters gone now.

I owned (still own but it's in retirement) THE REALLY CHILE FESTIVAL in Santa Fe,NM

2010-02-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

At THE REALLY CHILE FESTIVAL I had a Frida Kahlo Beauty Contest
The festival was supported by The Dept. of Agriculture and the governor of NM
proclaimed it a day HONORING THE NEW MEXICO CHILE...
The Lowrider car desk below the Frida winner's is by Lowrider Nic of El Rito
(a Santero:carver of the saints)
The desk is made from a car and has a dvd player in it...yes, it rolls

"I always felt as though I walked the edge of a knife, afraid to fall
off. So what? What if you do fall? I would rather be doing something I
really wanted to do." ~ Georgia O'Keefe

Thailand, land of unusual pointy and glittery architecture, Tiger Monks and and Emerald Buddha with food shopping on the river in boats

2010-02-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

I was in a sea of saffron robes at a Buddhist monk "sit in"

I ate black jello cubes for vitality...I think seaweed

About 50,000 people gathered in Bangkok on Sunday, to take part in a protest against Thai Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra.

Tiger Monks

Guatemala full of color and colorful friendly people and then...Belize you'd better Belize it...underwater beauty...Orchidia Island (full of orchids)...

2010-02-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

MAJNU KA TILA (OLD DELHI, INDIA) What was once a Tibetan refugee camp is now a down with shopping, restaurants and delish food with plenty of Tibetan monks to make you feel safe in India (rare opportunity) rooms cost around $10.

2010-02-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

I spent one month in Majnu Ka Tila and would go back in a hearbeat
The lanes are lined with a Tibetan market, hotels and restaurants.
It is the go to place for Tibetan monks.

One can book travel there or go to the Tibetan Temple.
Everything you need is there as it is a town inside a city.
If you want to spend more $ go to Khan Market in New Delhi.
Watch out for the shoe shine guys who will toss monkeydung
on your shoes so they can charge you to clean them (in town)
with monkeys running around everywhere.
Great MoMo's to eat...and then I left for Menri Monastery

Sunday, January 11, 2004

Santa Fe Woman is 'toy Lady' to Tibetan Orphans
Consultant has spent two months in India helping Tibetan orphans

By ANNE CONSTABLE | The New Mexican

Young monks pose for a photograph at the Menri Monastery in northern India. - Photo courtesy of Annette Adams

Annette Adams, a fine-art consultant who has lived in Santa Fe for 30 years and who has practiced Zen Buddhism for nearly as long, is in her second month at the Menri Monastery in northern India where she is helping to care for Tibetan orphans.

The monastery is dedicated to the preservation of the Bön religion, Tibet's oldest spiritual tradition. At the monastery, some 200 monks undergo nine years of religious training that includes philosophy, logic poetics, astrology, the languages of Zhang-Zhung and Sanskrit, medicine, ritual and meditation.

The monastery also supports two orphanages.

"Not unlike the tribes of New Mexico, their culture is rich in ancient tradition," Adams wrote in an e-mail from Dolanji, India.

A few years ago Adams met Tempa Dukte Lama, who studied at the Menri Monastery and now leads retreats with Joan Halifax at Santa Fe's Upaya Zen Center. He asked Chongtul Rinpoche, founder and president of the Bön Student Welfare Trust and a teacher at the Bön Dialectic School, if Adams could go to the orphanage to study and work.

On Dec. 26, Adams said, 21 children, ages 5 to 10, arrived at the monastery from Tibet and Nepal after a six-week journey. While they were waiting to meet His Holiness, Lungtok Tempa'i Nyima, the worldwide spiritual leader of the Bön religion, Adams said, "I handed out gum and cricket cards. They were so appreciative. They formed a line and were taught how not to toss the wrappers on the ground as they had done with their eggshells in the morning."

Adams said one of the new children told her about waiting six weeks to cross the border. "His command of the English language is extraordinary. He spoke of how relieved he was to be here and excited to see his new school."

She is teaching the woman who escorted the children how to write her name and read. And, she said, she bought a book bag for a 12-year-old who will start school in a month.

They receive an excellent education, she said, in Tibetan language and history, English, art, math and astrology and spend their free time playing marbles and cricket.

The children are very polite, she said. "When they received their four marbles (my favorite gift to give), they bow and thank me," Adams said.

"I am known as the 'toy lady' because I buy the cricket bats and balls and marbles and hats. But, in reality, the gifts come from (Santa Fe friends) Anne Parker (who taught Adams about the Bön religion) and Joe Schepps (a local developer)."

Her day begins early with mediation at her shrine and reading about the Bön religion, Adams said. After tea, she goes to see what needs to be done.

In an e-mail in late December, Adams wrote, "Today I brought water-filtering sets I bought for the dispensary and met three monks who had been hit by a truck while coming from Nepal on a bus. They had broken bones and were not feeling well."

While looking for someone to give the water filters to she walked into the monastery's medicine room where, she said, "there were thousands of pieces of incense and jars of herbs and Tibetan medicines."

During the last week of December, Adams wrote, the monks go to the monastery temple for daylong chanting, which culminates Dec. 30 with the lighting of 1,000 candles.

But the highlight of her visit was on Christmas. She and Sandia Douglas, another volunteer, were cooking a vegetarian dinner when "His Holiness walked in and sat in this small kitchen and talked with the two of us for an hour. He told us stories and chatted. This man is equal to the Dalai Lama, and there I was in his presence. It was lovely."

"They really need a complete set of clothing for play," Adams said.

Unfortunately, mailing packages is risky.

"I mailed myself two boxes," she said, but they arrived without the clothing they originally contained.

"They left me no clothing, just my books," she said. "Little did they know that I prefer the books, but it was the children who needed the clothing. Poverty mentality is everywhere."

Menri Monastery in the very north of India

2010-02-13T10:09:00.001-08:00

Among the many Tibetans who fled their homeland since the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959, many are Bonpo, followers of Bon, which is the oldest spiritual tradition of Tibet. Bonpo believe their culture to have originated in the land of Olmo Lungring (located in a larger country referred to as Tazig, a region probably to the west of present-day Tibet) and that it flourished as it moved eastward through the Kingdom of Zhang Zhung, which made up much of what is now western Tibet. The ancient roots of Bon religion derive from a profound respect for nature and emphasize the healing of physical and environmental as well as spiritual afflictions. As Indian Buddhism was being established in Tibet, many native Bon elements were incorporated into the incoming religion, resulting in a distinct religion known today as Tibetan Buddhism. In turn, Buddhist influences are abundantly evident in Bon religion as it currently exists. The two religions are distinct in many ways but share a strong and identical commitment to bringing an end to all suffering. Although they trace their origins to ancient times, Bonpo practice a living doctrine dedicated to perpetuating the teachings of their founder Tonpa Shenrab, who occupies a preeminent position in Bon culture similar to that of Sakyamuni in Buddhism. Tonpa Shenrab's teachings are collectively known as Yungdrung Bon or the "tradition of Eternal Wisdom" and include the Nine Ways of Bon that outline the laws of cause and effect on the path to spiritual liberation. Bon monasteries have survived throughout Tibet despite long periods of persecution. H. H. the Dalai Lama's recognition of Bon as the native religion of Tibet and one of its five core spiritual traditions is an important acknowledgement of Bon's significant role in Tibetan history and current affairs.

H. H. 33rd Menri Trizin Lungtok Tenpai Nyima

The Menri Monastery

Sukhothai an Ancient Site in Thailand...Indra's Net (How we are all connected) and Angulimala (How he learned a lesson about gossip)

2010-02-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

PAINTING BY DAVID LORD (Santa Fe)

Photo of Sukhothai, Thailand
Indra's net (also called Indra's jewels or Indra's pearls) is a metaphor used to illustrate
the concepts of emptiness, dependent origination, and interpenetration
in Buddhist philosophy. The metaphor of Indra's net was developed by the Mahayana
Buddhist school in the 3rd century scriptures of theAvatamsaka Sutra, and later by the
Chinese Huayan school between the 6th and 8th century.
Buddhist concepts of interpenetration hold that all phenomena are intimately connected;
for the Huayan school, Indra's net symbolizes a universe where infinitely repeated mutual
relations exist between all members of the universe.This idea is communicated in the
image of the interconnectedness of the universe as seen in the net of the Vedic god Indra,
whose net hangs over his palace on Mount Meru, the axis mundi of Vedic cosmology and Vedic

Dhammada Story of Gautam Buddha and Angulimala (Stop Gossip)
Dhammada Story of Gautam Buddha and Angulimala
Ahimsaka was a bright and obedient student, well loved by his teacher. His classmates soon became jealous of him and started a rumor that he was having an affair with their teacher’s wife. At first the teacher refused to listen to any of the gossip, but slowly became convinced that, indeed, his favorite student was deceiving him behind his back.
He became so angry that he wanted to kill Ahimsaka, but a teacher killing a student was really out of the question. He then devised a plan that he hoped would not only bring harm to Ahimsaka but satisfy his vengeance as well.
The teacher went and told Ahimsaka that he had some special knowledge which he wanted to impart to him. First, however, he was to go out and kill a thousand people, and to prove that he had really done so, he was to bring back the right index finger of each one of his victims.
Ahimsaka was very unwilling to kill anyone, but because he badly wanted to have his teacher’s special knowledge, and because he trusted his teacher so much, he decided to set out and do as his teacher required.
Soon Ahimsaka had so many index fingers that he did not know just how many he actually had, so he started to keep them strung around his neck in order not to lose count. Because of this morbid habit, he became known as Angulimala, which meant “garland of fingers.”
When Angulimala’s notoriety reached the courts of the palace, the king immediately sent out a warrant for his capture. Angulimala’s mother, in the meantime, went out into the forest to look for him and warn him about the warrant.
When the Buddha got wind of this, he realized what might happen to her should she find her son first, for Angulimala was already wearing 999 fingers around his neck and was eager to get the last and final one to complete his garland.
To prevent Angulimala from killing his own mother, the Buddha went and appeared before him. When Angulimala saw the Buddha, he was delighted, thinking that he had at last found his last and final finger. With dagger drawn high, he ran in haste after the Buddha. To his consternation, however, he discovered that no matter how fast he ran, he was not able to catch up with the Buddha.
He yelled for the Buddha to stop but the Buddha replied, “Angulimala, I’ve already stopped. It is you who have not stopped.”
Angulimala did not understand what the Buddha meant. The Buddha then told him, “I have stopped because I have stopped killing all living beings and have established myself in universal love. But, you, you have yet to do so.”
Realizing that it was the Buddha himself who was addressing him, he threw away his dagger and asked to be admitted into the Order. When the king and his men found Angulimala in the monastery of the Buddha, they decided to leave him alone, for they saw that he had given up his old evil ways. Angulimala then continued to live under the Buddha’s guidance and eventually became a saint.
When he finally passed away, he realized Parinibbana. The other monks asked the Buddha how a man who had murdered so many people could realize Parinibbana. The Buddha replied that Angulimala had previously done much evil because he lacked good friends.
Later, however, because he found good friends who helped him and advised him rightly, he was able to become steadfast and mindful in his practice of the Dhamma and finally attain enlightenment. Therefore his evil deeds had been overwhelmed with good.
He who overwhelms with good the evil that he has done lights up this world as does the moon freed from the clouds.

APACHE CROWN DANCERS in the White Mountains of Arizona

2010-02-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

I was in Lakeside, Arizona after the big fires and wanted to see the results. I had also heard the Gaan Crown Dancers are sometimes seen in the mountains in that area. I took a walk one day in February to see if I could catch some magic.

I walked into the woods and saw the devastation and dry creek beds and turned to walk back. I couldn't find my way.

I walked for hours and it started to get dark. I hiked to an enormous rock and looked around but couldn't see anything but trees. The sun started to set. I had a half bottle of water and my pack that had aspirin, a couple of textiles and a sweatshirt. The sun went down and the coyote packs howled at each other. The day before I had seen a map of animal poop and I remember wondering why I was interested. Now I knew. I stayed up on the big rock and spent the longest night gazing at the stars and hearing the noises of wildlife.

It took me 12 hours walking, the next day to find my way out. I was dehydrated and dirty. The first house I saw had a sign, Healing, I knocked and the white woman took one look at me and wanted me gone. She had a client coming and I looked pretty bad. She gave me a small Dixie cup of water and asked me to leave. I told her my story but she really didn't care. I have yet to be face to face with a Crown Dancer but I'm not dead yet.
(Outside) SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO Sculptor Bob Hauzous

Ruth Asawa...I once had 3 of these pieces hanging in my livingroom

2010-02-10T20:03:00.000-08:00

Ruth Asawa crocheted these by hand. They showed at the opening of The de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. She has dozens of public pieces in the Bay Area including Ghiradelli Square and one in memory of The Japanese Internment Camp in San Jose. She taught me a lot about art and told me of her days at Black Mt.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama's recipe for MoMo's mmmmmm good

2010-02-10T12:27:00.001-08:00

H.H. The Dalai Lama's Momo's

1 pound potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 onions, chopped
12 ounces mushrooms, chopped
12 ounces grated cheese*
1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped

Pinch of paprika Salt and pepper, to taste *Consider substituting parmesan, asiago, or Sonoma dry jack for yak cheese
For the Dough

1 pound plain flour

1-3/4 to 2-1/3 cups water
For the Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
1 vegetable stock cube

1-3/4 cups boiling water

Directions

To make the filling, boil and mash the potatoes. Leave to cool. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and cook the onions for 5 minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms, cover, and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Leave to cool. When all the vegetables are cooled, mix with the grated cheese, chopped coriander, salt, and pepperTo make the dough, mix the flour with enough water to form a smooth dough.** Roll out, but not too thinly. Cut into rounds with a 2" pastry cutter. Taking each round, press the edges with your thumb and first two fingers, working around the circle.*** On one side of the round, place a tablespoonful of the cooled vegetable misture, then fold over and press the edges together, making sure they are well sealed. Alternatively, hold the round in one hand, and with your thumb and forefinger gather the edges into a pleat at the top and seal.
Fill a small steamer with water, first boiling the rack so the dumplings do not stick.**** Bring the water to a boil. Place the momos on the steamer rack, spacing them well apart as they will expand and stick together if they are too close. Steam for 20 minutes, or until they are firm and glossy. To make the soup, heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion, and cook till soft. Add the tomatoes and chopped coriander and cook for 5 minutes. Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water and add to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.Serve in small bowls as an accompaniment to the dumplings.
"***** **I briefly knead the dough until it is smooth.
*** Doing this makes the edges a little thinner than the center so that when you fold the edges together and pleat them, they're not too thick and your momos will cook evenly.
****If you don't have a metal steamer, a bamboo steamer sprayed with vegetable oil spray works well. Momo can also be fried on each side until they are golden brown
. *****In addition to the soup, you might want to try a Kathmandu-style momo dipping mixture of soy sauce combined with a little rice vinegar and chili-garlic sauce.

From the album:

Kopan Monastery Kathmandhu Valley

2010-02-05T14:09:00.000-08:00

It was a long walk up a dusty road to the monastery. On the way I met a 98 year old Tibetan monk who sold me his mala (prayer beads) and as I walked further I met a man who wanted to talk for a while and practice his English. When I finally arrived at Kopan I was chased by a drooling dog who was eager to bite me. I got away and he was trapped by some monks. I went to the gift shop and got a box of incense I use sparingly. I walked around and loved being there. When I walked back to the stupa I thought how lucky I was to see the Tibetans circumventing and praying but couldn't help notice that hundreds of monks were in the video cafe's playing violent war games. Wild dogs and garbage with temples and monks sprinkled the area. One day I walked to the stupa and saw a Hindu festival where food was sold. One woman was selling raw eggs which were placed on a board under the hot sun.

Dhaka, Bangladesh mode of transportation

2010-02-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

At night the hotel clerk would just walk into my room. I had to put a piece of furniture to block the door. In the airport I was standing in line to convert money at the bank and men would just walk in front of me...but I said "hey, I was here first get behind me" and they all laughed and obeyed. I think they did that because I am blonde. Traveling alone can be nerve wracking ...but makes one reify (makes things real, not just an illusion)

SIKKIM Lingdum Monastery where I taught the monks English Dude Class

2010-02-05T10:19:00.001-08:00

IlLingdum or Ranka Monastery, Gangtok, Sikkim

I was in a cafe in Gangtok and feeling quite disturbed with my noisy hotel when I saw a Buddhist monk. I smiled and he spoke with me. I mentioned that I had been invited to a monastery in Sikkim but that I couldn't find this place on the map. He said it was far away and invited me to his guest house at Lingdum Monastery. I checked out of the noisy hotel with purple rooms and grabbed a cab. We drove for 30 minutes and the beauty of Sikkim was revealed. I was in the mountains on a windy road in the trees. We drove up a long driveway and came upon Lingdum Monastery with ponds and a river and lawns. There were vans of tourist's that came daily...Indians mostly...came to see the temple and have a 15 minute view of the place and get back in the van for a ride to the next place. I lived above the cafe where the monks played board games and ate junk food. At night I taught the monks a class of "Dude English"...all the ways one can use dude in a sentence. They loved it. All of the monks have names that begin with Karma

Located an hour's scenic drive from Gangtok, Lingdum Monastery is a destination for Buddhist pilgrims and devotees of fine art alike. The sprawling complex, set amid serene forested hills, is a specimen of sacred architecture. Its exquisite murals, statues and adornments, besides the impressive scale of the edifice, bring a look of wonderment to every visitor's face.Completed 10 years ago, Lingdum Monastery is a Buddhist center in the tradition of the Zurmang Kagyud lineage. It is under the spiritual direction of Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche, who is the 12th unbroken successor of the lineage. Up on a hill behind the monastery is a retreat center where monks retire to meditate. As you pull into the parking lot, a long wall fixed with prayer wheels leads you to the front gate. Stepping inside the monastery grounds, you throw your head back to admire the main building. Embellished with the symbols of Tibetan Buddhist architecture and topped with carved parasols and finials, it rises in receding terraces and pagoda roofs over a vast courtyard.Lingdum Monastery contains a number of chapels. We took off our shoes and entered the main prayer hall where monks wrapped in maroon robes sat in rows chanting the scriptures. Every once in a while, they clashed their cymbals and beat on a large drum, filling the hall with sonorous music. The large Buddha enshrined at the end of the hall was an awe-inspiring piece of art. The image was massive in size, five meters tall, and its gilt finishing shone in the light. The Buddha's perfectly sculpted face and hands exuded a life-like effect, and its tranquil expression inspired one into contemplation.They told us that the statue had been made in Kathmandu by Shakya craftsmen, with final assembly being done at Lingdum. These artisans, experts in the lost-wax method of statue casting, are continuing their ancestral role of lending their artistic expertise throughout the Himalayan region.We went upstairs to look at the other chapels and their beautifully carved and painted decorations. Out on the terrace, the ceremonial parasols atop the parapet caught our attention. They were ornamented with fancy repousse designs and Sanskrit mantras in Newar script. Indeed, "Om Mani Padme Hum", "Om Bajrasatwa Hum" and such other prayers seemed to be inscribed everywhere, on the walls, over the doorways, along the beams.Looking out into the wide quadrangle enclosed by a cloister, which contained the living quarters, we saw a group of young lamas seated cross-legged on cushions and reciting their lessons. Their energetic voices floated up to us like a loud drone. A master walked through the class, making sure they were concentrating on their texts."Lingdum Monastery shelters almost 300 monks," said Karma Palzor Lama, the in-charge in the absence of the Rinpoche and who guided us around the center. "They come from Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and other places," he said. As part of their daily routine, which includes studying and performing various chores, he explained that their wakeup call came at 4 AM.We had to be up and out early too, if we were to catch our transport back to Kathmandu the next day. And so we decided to make a hasty retreat to Gangtok as it was already getting dark, even though we would have liked to see more, which, hopefully, will happen during another visit soon

Dharmsala, India...a life thrill

2010-01-30T17:03:00.000-08:00

A busy street of Dharamshala, a city in Northern India, home of many Tibet exiles and their leader Dalai Lama (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

In a Practice Period (I HAVE PRACTICED FOR MORE THAN 2 DECADES IN RETREAT FOR 2-3 MO. PER YEAR) and other formal meals at Green Gulch Zen Center ... this is the style of eating...3 bowls or Oryoki (Soto Zen)

2010-01-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

Oryoki

Introduction

Oryoki–"just enough"– synchronises body and mind through bringing mindfulness to how we eat. Oryoki-style eating , in the prescribed manner and sequence we use, follows a tradition that began in Zen Buddhist monasteries and helps promote synchronicity of mind and body.
One bowl rice, one miso, one pickle.
A meticulous style of eating that is slow and meditative.

Added by Michael Bashista
to "Santa Cruz Zen Center"

Oryoki

I met this woman (a long neck Karen) from The Kayan Tribe at The Burma Border

2010-01-29T13:39:00.000-08:00

A Kayan woman in North Thailand by the Burma border

I was in Chang Mai staying at The Travelers Inn. I spoke with the concierge about taking an exotic tour. He suggested Padaung. I bit.

We drove through the forest and high into the mountains. When we came to the border I saw soldiers with what I would call machine guns (I know nothing of guns but these looked like the same guns I saw in the hands of soldiers in Guatemala years prior). The land is tropical and mountainous. We were taken to the camp and met the woman you see above. There were chickens and children running around. Women sold textiles and crafts. I saw no men. On the way back to Chang Mai we stopped in a WWII cave where over 600 soldiers had lived. Buddhist shrines adorned the walls. The cave next to this one had been covered with an enormous rock, a monk had gone in it to pray and was killed by a cobra. We were told the caves house 7 types of snakes.

1947 film of New Mexico (Santa Fe)

2010-01-29T10:26:00.001-08:00

Travel Film Archive - New Mexico

Between Stephanie Colet, Annette Adams and You

Annette Hiphopchef Adams January 29 at 12:13pm

Travel Film Archive - New Mexico

www.travelfilmarchive.com

All RegionsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAtlantic OceanAustraliaCaribbeanCentral AmericaCentral AsiaEuropeFar EastMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaSouth AsiaSouth PacificWorld

Bella Coola B.C. up by the Yukon

2010-01-24T11:36:00.001-08:00

Mobile Uploads

Thunder Mask Carved By my husband Richard

By:Richard Pollard totem carver

I was told that if you get a ride to Williams you just walk over to the road in and "you" would get a ride...I was told this by 2 women of the Bella Coola Nuxalk Band so, I got a ride, walked over, got a ride from Holly Wood for about 5 miles, got out and started walking, I next got a ride from 3 natives (I sat in back with the grandma who couldn't speak English), then I walked more, then I got a ride from a mother, her son and his girlfriend, then I walked a lot and slept under a tractor and got sprayed with red dust fire repellent, which started my new day of walking through 6 forest fires, got a few more rides and got a ride from a woman on her way back from Africa then walked for 34 hours in all...and got my last ride from a Nuxalk who was going home for a potlatch and invited me. I spent 6 weeks in Bella Coola and saw a host of eagles, pink bear poop, ate organic food and walked 5-10 miles a day

Mercy Burlingame Prep School (my high school)

2010-01-19T15:17:00.001-08:00

me me Me Me

2010-01-18T17:11:00.000-08:00

Abliguritionist: A lover of Extravagant Cooking and Serving

Bio for Annette Adams aka Zen-Lite

The waiter asked if I was done “working” on my dinner.Years ago I found an eyebrow in my omlette at The Hogs Breath Inn in Carmel. In India cooks are not required to wash their hands. In Sikkim the cook stood 5 feet away from me while he let his bladder find comfort. There was mouse poop in the rice in Chang Mai. Ask anyone who knows me and they will verify that I normally find hair in my restaurant food. My sister once found a small frog in her salad. Keeping that in mind you will understand that I prefer to cook it myself. Name 3 items and I can write you an organic, vegetarian recipe.

Thirty years ago I went to Green Gulch Zen Center for a two month retreat and stayed for six. I have returned annually for a two month Zen tune-up. I have been in Tibetan monasteries in Asia volunteering. I became vegetarian when I managed The Santa Fe College of Natural Medicine. It was at Green Gulch that I learned how to cook vegetarian-style, each year I spend my 2-3 months of retreat in the kitchen of the Zen Center and organic farms where rainbow chard is picked and brought to the kitchen within hours or mint is just a stroll away and the wok is super-sized. It is here the integrity of food was introduced to me. Each cut to be exact and each piece to be the same size. My love for perfectly created food and solitude Buddhist practice began.

My mother gave birth to nine daughters and cooked three meals for dinner including; a simple caserole for the younger girls, an experimental stir fry or fondue for the older and steak and potatoes for my dad. My father brought the first Mazda dealership to America and taught any of his nine daughter’s, who would listen, about cars starting with the Ford and ending with The Wankel Engine and its three moving parts. It is no wonder I had a lowrider car show at my Really Chile Festival in Santa Fe. I haven’t owned a car in over a decade and have one of the cleanest carbon footprints in the world. I no longer use a cell phone but am at my laptop all day. I walk everywhere.

When I was 8 years old I made a Betty Crocker boxed Cherry Cake. I did not follow the recipe…I added more egg whites. I don’t know why I did but the cake rose to 11 inches so I haven’t followed a recipe since (except for some baking, which is actually a science.

I have been anorexic and have been on every diet including the shot diet which was made of pregnant cow urine (found that out years later when the doctor was sent to prison). The best diet of all is the prison austerity diet which is the same as the break up diet aka the starvation diet.

Foodie, bon vivant, bon viveur, connoisseur, gastronome, glutton, gourmand, gourmet, hedonist, sensualist

Oriyoki: The Zen monastic eating practice of oryoki is simple and precise (the word oryoki means "just enough" and 3 bowl) - Each set includes 3 nesting bowls, cloths and utensils.

125 Things you don't need to know about me and were afraid to ask

Always THINK BIG
My mother gave birth to 9 daughters
I have a daughter, Madeline (who helped raise over $100,000,000 for s
tand up 2 cancer in 1 year) YES ONE HUNDRED MILLION AND COUNTING
for cancer research
So sorry to say I am white...no I mean really white...not Albino but
sunburned every summer
I have been a vegetarian most of my life and am moving toward vegan
(damn cheese)
I managed The Santa Fe College of Natural Medicine back in the day
I don't owe money. I don't use credit cards. I pay cash. I save 18%
I lost my pet lizzard in the See's Candy factory on a field trip when
I was 12
When I go to Asia to teach Tibetan orphans English, I teach them a
"Dude" class (when/how to use it)I write cookbooks 12 of them (anti-dish-establishment-vegetairanism
or A to Zen Catering)
I have decided to write "Facebook Shut-In" about you
I wrote "Dignity Bandits: How To Stop Gossip"
I have been in 5 serious car wrecks (2 off cliffs)
I enjoy pulling a Zen Tarot card for guidence
Music is the soul of life Sammy Davis Jr was the first to wear Bling
I meditated last year for 13 hrs. a day for 2 weeks and 5 hrs a day for 2 mo.
I hopped the fence at the zoo into the elephant area when I was 5 and
my grandmother cried
My boobs are too big,
I don't use M.D.'s and I tossed my 2 cell phones away and gave up my car
I wrote A Lowrider's Guide To Eating
I quit drinking coffee each month and drink Russian Caravan Tea until
I need coffee
I prefer myself on greenery not alcohol but natural is fine most of the time
I curated art shows for many years
I "dated" drummer Tony Williams off and on for a decade (Miles Davis)
and he never made me laugh
I say his name as often as possible to remind people he once walked
this earth and contributed
I wish someone would cover his drumming

I wrote a joint about the 9 realms of Hell taken from Dante's Inferno
and don't know what to do wit it
I have practiced Buddhism for a long time
I have driven 1,000,000 miles so now I walk everywhere...
bet I have walked 1,000,000 miles
I have owned a lottery ticket every Wed and Sat since it began in Cali
I can go a whole week without speaking to anyone
I believe the end of the world as we know it will be in 2012 (Hopi's,
Mayans and Nostradamus)
I care about design and think Japanese are best at it...one artist takes
a year to make a doll (not a beanie baby)
I watch 15 movies a week and can't name one
I don't own a TV
I took a walk in Feb '06 in The White Mountains and got lost in
18 degree snowy nite with coyotes howling and no moon...took
12 hours of walking to find my way out the following day
I took a walk at the age of 3 in Yosemite at midnight just to look around
I used to run away from school...
In the 4th grade I built an oil well and sold stocks for a penny
each (They wrote me up in Standard Oil Mag)
In 7th grade I babysat a family of 7 boys and an infant girl
for 50 Cent an hour
I meditate...I study dreams...me me me geesh is this 25 yet?
I like black and so I chose Zen training but am attracted to
The Bon (indigenous religion of Tibet for its magical qualities)
I met their oracle
I lived in Santa Fe for years and owned Deluxe, a vintage
clothing shop on Canyon Rd for a second
I owned The Really Chile Festival (food, music and Lowrider car show
with Frida Kahlo beauty contest) for a long long time and met with
Gov Bill Richardson twice for funding and he ordered his employees
around like they were slaves...I love telling on him
My mechanic stold my mint condition '65 Mustang and
said I never brought it to him
The monks of Menri Monastery (way up north in India)
study debate, astronomy, astrology and I had my chart
done while I was there. I was told people gossip about me.
They gave me the mantra to stop gossip. It is the last page
of my manuscript.
I have an altar or shrine no matter where I am
Thailand is my favorite travel spot
Dhaka, Bangladesh is my least favorite (colorful but they don't
have sanitary kitchens where I have been) but Sikkim (by Bhutan)
is the hardest place on earth to get to
I have been invited to be chef in Swaziland (East Africa) this
summer to be chef for Earthship Biotecture
I can read 3 books a week and each year I read The Alchemist
People on facebook have helped me and I am thankful for them
Variety is the spice of life...give what you can...take care of yourself...
and love love love
Went to the opening reception at Pings the other nite and think I
was the most boring person in the room

Zuni

2010-01-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

ZUNI

Photo size: Medium - Large

The Lotus Guest House at Dabzang Monastery in Boudhanath, NEPAL and Menri Monastery in North India THE BONPO... building a library in Humla

2010-01-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

Himalaya near Pokhara

A Day In Kathmandu
  Having an attraction to the Tibetan culture I decided Nepal would be a place to visit. Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the 1950's Tibetan culture has been diluted with Chinese influence and many Tibetans have fled to Nepal. I don't want to witness Tibet today. I have to accept the fact that the old Tibet is gone and I missed the opportunity of seeing it in its true form by not going thirty years ago.
My great friend, Tempa Lama, asked me to build a school in his home village in Humla, Nepal.   I located a U.S. foundation that builds libraries in Nepal, so I made a goal of building a library in a village close to Tempa's village in Simikot. For me, travel without a purpose is as dull as dust. I don't shop and in developing countries it is difficult to find a clean restaurant, by western standards, to use eating as a pass time. I like to spend my time living in or around Tibetan Monasteries and teaching English slang is a favorite course I teach. Last spring I taught "Dude" slang expressions to monks in Sikkim, ranging in age from 7-29. The classroom was small and so full the monks were squeezed together on the floor.
     I checked online for weeks in search of the best priced round-trip ticket to Kathmandu. I found shopping online for the best deals a way to see the practices and patterns of Orbitz and other online ticket distributors. In the end I was assigned seating and dates and flights I had not agreed to with my airline purchase but there was nothing I could do to change the new circumstances. Saving money on flights almost never pays off. I took a trip from Bangkok, Thailand to Kathmandu, Nepalvia Bangladesh and was told by a passenger that I indeed had a cockroach crawling up my leg. I had a bad room experience and there was nothing I could do about it in Bangladesh because I am woman with blonde hair traveling alone. The hotel clerk walked into my room all night long asking for a tip or using any excuse he could to enter.
     I stayed in Boudhanath, the Tibetan area of Kathmandu, at a monastery. The day I arrived an eleven day puja (a spiritual cleansing) had begun. At 4 a.m. the 16' horns, 6' drums and 150 chanting Tibetan monks began their prayers and continuing until 10p.m. I loved it. A moment I hold dear. From time to time I would go into the Temple where I would be treated in a lovely manner by the little monks who would hand me a bag of candy and fruit. I originally thought I would put to use the 25 years of meditation practice but the little monks were far to active for me to not want to keep my eyes on them. The nature of a Tibetan Buddhist Temple is colorful and busy and so are the young monks.
     I formed a committee of Tibetans who were from Humla but lived in the city now for the library we wanted to get built.   READNepal offices are in Kathmandu so we met there on several occasions learning more on the criteria, guidelines and requirements set by READNepal. After more than two months I decided it was time to leave Nepal as it was quite obvious the process for getting a library built takes time. I went into town to look for the airline office to pick up my ticket back to Bangkok. The taxi driver could only get me near the area the office was in. He couldn't find it. I got out to walk the rest of the way...to see if I could find my way. I asked for help on several occasions and within the hour I thought I had received some good directions from kind people in a shop. I walked out of their door and turned left, I walked two blocks and crossed at the light to the right and walked one more block and then I was turning the corner watching the ground for any animal poop when I saw a pair of brand new black shoes. Not many people in Kathmandu have brand new black shoes. As my eyes pulled up from the shoes to the sharp black pants I drew my eyes up further to see a black belt and then a black shirt...bright black shirt then up some more I notice the persons hands are covered with black gloves. It was a warm day I thought as I saw the neck of this person was also covered in a black fabric when I looked up to see a face I was stunned to see that the face was covered in a Ninja mask. As I tried to look into the mask a fist came shooting out of nowhere, well from his body and struck me in the temple. I went falling against a brick wall and the man who punched me kept walking, as though nothing had happened. He walked away not looking back, which goes against human instinct. There was no skin to be seen on this person...he was completely covered. His punch was powerful. A man stopped briefly to ask me if I knew the man who hit me. I answered "no" and he said "Oh" and walked on. I stopped at The Travel Police to report the incident and the cop laughed. I had a bruise on my face and he thought this was quite funny.
     The first day I was in Kathmandu I saw 4 Maoist's beating and kicking a twelve year old Tibetan Monk and then I watched them pull him upstairs, face first. He was screaming as his face bounced off the marble stairs. One of the Maoist's was a woman who kicked this little boy in the kidneys. I wondered how the loving mother had been removed from her. Maoist's scare me.
Menri Monastery in North India

	About Bon and Menri Among the many Tibetans who fled their homeland since the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959, many are Bonpo, followers of Bon, which is the oldest spiritual tradition of Tibet. Bonpo believe their culture to have originated in the land of Olmo Lungring (located in a larger country referred to as Tazig, a region probably to the west of present-day Tibet) and that it flourished as it moved eastward through the Kingdom of Zhang Zhung, which made up much of what is now western Tibet. The ancient roots of Bon religion derive from a profound respect for nature and emphasize the healing of physical and environmental as well as spiritual afflictions. As Indian Buddhism was being established in Tibet, many native Bon elements were incorporated into the incoming religion, resulting in a distinct religion known today as Tibetan Buddhism. In turn, Buddhist influences are abundantly evident in Bon religion as it currently exists. The two religions are distinct in many ways but share a strong and identical commitment to bringing an end to all suffering. Although they trace their origins to ancient times, Bonpo practice a living doctrine dedicated to perpetuating the teachings of their founder Tonpa Shenrab, who occupies a preeminent position in Bon culture similar to that of Sakyamuni in Buddhism. Tonpa Shenrab's teachings are collectively known as Yungdrung Bon or the "tradition of Eternal Wisdom" and include the Nine Ways of Bon that outline the laws of cause and effect on the path to spiritual liberation. Bon monasteries have survived throughout Tibet despite long periods of persecution. H. H. the Dalai Lama's recognition of Bon as the native religion of Tibet and one of its five core spiritual traditions is an important acknowledgement of Bon's significant role in Tibetan history and current affairs. Biography of H. H. 33rd Menri Trizin Lungtok Tenpai Nyima
	The Menri Monastery Notes from the journal of John Bellezza, scholar-explorer, 2006 Menri (Medicine Mountain) Monastery is located in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, in a rather out of the way corner, far from cities and bazaars. How this place has changed in recent years! From a sleepy, albeit culturally important backwater, Menri has become a bustling hub of religious learning and ritual activity. Until 1998, Menri was a very rudimentary facility with a few simple adobe and stone buildings. Even the main temple was bereft of the rich decorations that have come to characterize Tibetan religious edifices. There were around 100 monks then. Now there are over 350 residents, and large concrete Tibetan-style buildings have come up to house the new temples, a library, Bon Dialectic School, dormitories, health center, and nunnery as well as other well functioning centers. The chief lama of Menri Monastery is Menri Trizin, who is also the titular head of all the Bonpo. Now aged 80, His Holiness still maintains a full work schedule, overseeing important functions at the monastery. A typical day will see Menri Trizin delegating tasks to his circle of leading monks (all of whom hold the Doctor of Divinity or Geshe degree), participating in religious ceremonies, receiving visitors, dictating letters, and supervising construction and education projects. Menri Trizin fulfills his role as spiritual leader of the Bonpo admirably well, and he cuts an impressive figure with his deep resonant voice and regal bearing. His Holiness however, is a good listener and is always ready to help all who seek him out. In short, he is the ideal spiritual beacon. It is good to see the Bonpo finally come out from under the shadow of the Tibetan Buddhists, and to take their rightful place in the international spiritual community. It is no exaggeration to state that Bon has everything Tibetan Buddhism has, and much more too. There are still many who believe that Tibet is synonymous with Buddhism, not realizing that it is home to another of the world's great religions. Fortunately, attitudes are changing as the Bonpo reach out to the rest of the world with ever greater vibrancy. In addition to possessing the doctrinal traditions and ecclesiastic structures of Tibetan Buddhism, Bon has preserved a variety of more ancient cultural traditions. This is of course my area of scholarship. Needless to say, native Bon traditions are of great interest to historians, anthropologists, and archeologists. But they are also highly valuable in a practical sense, for they contain much that is of relevance to human physical and mental well being. To name but a few aspects of Bon's indigenous heritage, there are medical therapies, rituals for psychological contentment, systems of divination, and special rites for environmental harmony. This profound pre-Buddhist spiritual bequest draws its inspiration from the primal well-spring of human experience, seen as the universal birthright of us all. The Bonpo believe that the foundation of our human identity has been ignored in the theologies and institutional frameworks of the other major world religions. Often mistakenly equated with shamanism by laypeople and poorly-informed religious scholars, the ancient Bon legacy is actually concerned with divinity as it abides in all natural systems. It is held that this divinity or essential state is tantamount to human beings in their fundamental phenomenological form. Known as the "natural state of mind", this view of reality is elucidated in a highly advanced system of teachings known as Dzogchen. Wed to Buddhist cosmological and ethical traditions over the last twelve centuries, Dzogchen is considered the highest of Bon teachings. The Yungdrung Bon Monastic Center
	Under the leadership of the Abbot H. H. Menri Trizin, a group of Geshes representing each sector of the monastic and educational community is responsible for the planning, administration, development, and finances at Menri. The democratically- structured YBMC functions, in effect, as the operational office of the Menri complex. The Redna Menling Nunnery
	A new Bon nunnery is being completed in a pristine setting across the river from, and in view of, Menri Monastery. Called Redna Menling or "Land of Precious Medicine," it is the only Bon nunnery in India and only one of a handful in the world. Girls and women from Tibet and the borderlands arrive here to study and remain as nuns in the Bon culture. Redna Menling is a rapidly growing institution that is a solid reflection of women as leaders and practitioners of the Bon tradition. The Menri Bon Children Menri is a refuge for approximately 350 Bon children whose numbers increase each year. The children -- some of whom are orphaned -- are sent to Menri from poor regions in the borderlands of Tibet and Nepal for their sustenance and education. Boys whose families send them to the monastery are trained as monks. Girls who are placed in the nunnery are trained as nuns. Also within the Menri complex is the Bon Children's Home with dormitories for boys and girls who were sent to Menri for basic care and education. All children, including the young monks and nuns, attend school together at the Central School for Tibetans. Situated in the valley below the monastery, the school is run by the Indian government and provides education through the tenth grade. Because Bon tradition places such high value on education and on the continuation of the Bon culture and tradition, the school includes a strong component of Bon studies. Education is regarded as an absolute necessity for the future of Bon.




© Copyright The Bon Foundation 2009 All rights reserved l Privacy Policy l Design: Tong/Ngai Photos: Chelsea Abrose, Bill Megalos, Jonathan Kramer, Mary Ellen McCourt, and other Menri visitors.

CHEW SAY GO COOL BOOKS

2-11-11 ELLA ARRIVES...WELCOME ELLA

TIBETAN NEW YEAR FOR THE METAL RABBIT AND BABY WARMER

The Year of the Metal Rabbit

HIP HOP COOKING at LuLu.com

GOSSIP REHAB: How To Stop Gossip.................(DR. PHIL, MAYBERRY, OPRAH AND ELLEN) available NOW AMAZON.COM or Lulu.com (author Annette Adams) IF THEY GOSSIP TO YOU THEY WILL GOSSIP ABOUT YOU...FOR PEOPLE 14-80 YRS. OLD... GO TO AMAZON.COM or LULU.COM AND ORDER YOUR COPY

PREPARE TO DIE: GET YOUR AFFAIRS IN ORDER (Design your funeral) TO ORDER YOUR COPY GO TO LULU.COM AVAILABLE NOW on LuLu.com Annette Adams, Author

My Days At Green Gulch Zen Center for 25 years

Monday, February 8, 2010

GREEN GULCH ZEN CENTER AND ORGANIC FARMS where I spent 2-3 mo. retreat per year (cooked there and love their kitchen and wok the size of a house) for a couple of decades + (some years I went to other center's)

Madeline and Alex at Laura Ziskins Birthday Party and THE RANCH

READ PAGE 2 OF THIS BLOG (OLDER POSTS) IT HAS SOME COOL ASPECTS OF MY LIFE

Annette Adams The man I love

My parents gave birth to 9 daughters (9 is a Tibetan lucky number but we are not Tibetan)

I owned (still own but it's in retirement) THE REALLY CHILE FESTIVAL in Santa Fe,NM

"I always felt as though I walked the edge of a knife, afraid to falloff. So what? What if you do fall? I would rather be doing something Ireally wanted to do." ~ Georgia O'Keefe

Thailand, land of unusual pointy and glittery architecture, Tiger Monks and and Emerald Buddha with food shopping on the river in boats

Guatemala full of color and colorful friendly people and then...Belize you'd better Belize it...underwater beauty...Orchidia Island (full of orchids)...

MAJNU KA TILA (OLD DELHI, INDIA) What was once a Tibetan refugee camp is now a down with shopping, restaurants and delish food with plenty of Tibetan monks to make you feel safe in India (rare opportunity) rooms cost around $10.

Menri Monastery in the very north of India

Sukhothai an Ancient Site in Thailand...Indra's Net (How we are all connected) and Angulimala (How he learned a lesson about gossip)

Dhammada Story of Gautam Buddha and Angulimala (Stop Gossip)

APACHE CROWN DANCERS in the White Mountains of Arizona

Ruth Asawa...I once had 3 of these pieces hanging in my livingroom

His Holiness The Dalai Lama's recipe for MoMo's mmmmmm good

H.H. The Dalai Lama's Momo's

Directions

Kopan Monastery Kathmandhu Valley

Dhaka, Bangladesh mode of transportation

SIKKIM Lingdum Monastery where I taught the monks English Dude Class

Dharmsala, India...a life thrill

In a Practice Period (I HAVE PRACTICED FOR MORE THAN 2 DECADES IN RETREAT FOR 2-3 MO. PER YEAR) and other formal meals at Green Gulch Zen Center ... this is the style of eating...3 bowls or Oryoki (Soto Zen)

Oryoki

Introduction

I met this woman (a long neck Karen) from The Kayan Tribe at The Burma Border

1947 film of New Mexico (Santa Fe)

Travel Film Archive - New Mexico

Bella Coola B.C. up by the Yukon

Mercy Burlingame Prep School (my high school)

me me Me Me

Zuni

The Lotus Guest House at Dabzang Monastery in Boudhanath, NEPAL and Menri Monastery in North India THE BONPO... building a library in Humla

"I always felt as though I walked the edge of a knife, afraid to fall
off. So what? What if you do fall? I would rather be doing something I
really wanted to do." ~ Georgia O'Keefe