Tag: buddhism

Bagan Pilgrimage, part 1

August 27, 2011 / / 1 Comment

Note: if you are inspired to visit Bagan, check out this practical guide to aid your planning.

It’s been said millions of times – Bagan is incredible.  Let me say it again: Bagan is fucking incredible.  If you’re into Buddhism, Indiana Jones, architecture, art, history, or any combination of these, then you’ll agree with me, I guarantee it.

For much of the 2.5 days that I spent in Bagan, I was literally breathless.  Granted,  some of my oxygen shortage resulted from being on the brink of heatstroke, but most of it was attributable to pure awe.

I mentioned earlier that you should visit Inle Lake for its people, and Bagan for its history.  Here goes.

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Wat Charok Padang (glass bottles temple)

April 26, 2011 / / 2 Comments

I’m starting to find that Buddhists around the world are pretty into environmentalism.  The Sunnyvale  Zen Center in Silicon Valley, California  has a solar photovoltaic system on its rooftop and an abbot who emphasizes the importance of protecting the environment in his Buddhism classes.  The American Bodhi Center in Houston, Texas has a large organic garden, and many of its members are avid organic gardeners, composters, and recyclers.

Last week, I visited a Thai temple in Northern Malaysia largely made out of used glass (beer!) bottles.  Unfortunately, I made the amateur mistake of forgetting to charge my extra camera battery, so  I had to resort to using my mobile phone.  Even worse, my mobile phone camera appears to be operating at a sub-optimal level:

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Another taste of Myanmar

April 23, 2011 / / 5 Comments

April 13 was the New Year celebration for Thailand and Myanmar, also known as the Songkran Water Festival.  Unfortunately, I was in neither Thailand nor Myanmar on that day, but I did the best I could – I visited Thai and Myanmar Buddhist temples in Penang, Malaysia.

Here’s an environmentally friendly reminder I noticed in the Thai temple:

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