It is May 17, 2009. All of us here at our Wat, feel quite happy.

I find that
things are quite merrily moving along. I haven’t quite yet completed 100 hours of my
first days as a monk. But I must have already hit a learning curve along the road. It is
quite an impressive teacher that’s allowing me this curve. Is it the great Shakyamuni?
I find that things will be very mindful as his presence within each of us grows. I
would like to be able to grasp nothingness from everything-schmuck-ness but heck
I’ll just have to wait until it’s my turn. So I keep going on, from every which way the
helpers are letting me align with my Buddha nature. I’m gratefully blissful. Me-
thinks: that’s enough about my so-called profound stuff.

Today, earlier during the afternoon/evening, I met up with Patiporn and

Tipargorn (He is a resident of Tatrum- which holds many of the monks and is quite
near in the area of our Wat Nongbua). It was a nice (and informal) meeting between
us three peoples. We had two monks and one non-monk Sa-nGha. We also, had the by
now- an effervescent presence of Tem--he’s a helper at this WAt office. His role is that
of a multiple-errands-runner but due to his very reluctant skills of spoken English, he
usually does not want to join in meetings of English speaking types. But other than
that- English as Second language teaching- it’s a great new thing--coming along. I
want to get done here, one of these days. Although, it really is pretty neat to be able to
hang out with this crowd (or is it a gang?!). I am tired, really tired starting of every
morning with a bunch of these meds, etc. and them stretching over onto this overall
lazy-hazy body that has carried a cyst for sometime, at this point. Let’s see how this
overall cyst-mist-the-lifestory (of yours truly) pans out. I don’t claim to know any
answers. But as far as broadening my horizon-type-questions go, I always try my best
to bring them to your table. What would the Buddha (the top master of human psyche
that exists) have about answering me, if he ever had seen me (as a med-Buddha)? … I
guess that will do it for the evening of May 17, 2009. Peace out, now.

It is another morning here. It is today, May 18, 2009. I feel like food. Earlier on, we
(two plus many others--the monks) took to the streets. We were anointed (by the lay
person) to be the receivers of their alms and mendicant-like. But after begging for
food, I guess it did put my life’s humility into perspective. I have found out that being
a monk has been measured (read: graded) within the ranks (and files) of the pre-
existing SaN-gha. But in any case, it appears that all of the SaN-gha has had a bowl in
their hands, at some point during their lives and careers in spirituality (read:
Buddhism). It is clear in my heart that talking the walk, was much easier than say
readily putting my arms out in embrace of this method of training my mind--to be
humble, sharing and also accepting from a generous hand(s) (that gave away- the
alms).
I am not always sure as to what my problems with people of the streets (read:
panhandlers) of India or anywhere else could have been. I recall that when we were
younger, my parents instilled this sort of a dread about any person, who begs. The
begging in India might have raised some older dread (for both my parents who also
were raised in dirt poor origins) within their hearts (So they told all of us (the kids)
never to possibly entertain any beggars). Now of course, I find that any time spent as
a poor person, must be a real story in itself. I don’t claim to know it, just by becoming
a monk, but somewhere there in lies, in a nutshell the story of my capacity to have
some kind of “humility” (as opposed to the co dependent- “that humiliated ___”). I
find in this morning a very content and almost loving feeling crossing us all here at
the Wat. It has come to the end of our day here at the WaT. I have been close to farms
and lakes, people and more through the day, here.

The one lake to remember was Lake Ambun. The other one Wat that we were able
to discuss is: Wat Cokt-hum. Think that will do it for the really crazy amounts of
madness that one can pack in ceremonies and newbie-monkshood. I am signing off
today, Peace out on May 18, 2009.

We have done another alms round. It was without a doubt, another humbling
experience. It put some of the things in the whole practice of Buddha’s way into
perspective. Tapigorn monk is probably shortly going to head on back over to Tartum
(district) where his village is. (Tartum is the name of a district. These districts are like
counties over in America). While we’re over in Tartum; Roeng will be having some
sort of a localized version of Buddha (golden statue) consecration. This statue will be
carried back there by Dr. Roeng. We the other monks, hope to follow him. We are his
personal followers (read: helper monks). I feel that matters are very freaky geeky as
far as my learning on the job-time has been so far. The job (if you may call it that) is
staying as a good novice monk (of my teacher). Every now and every then, I’ll just
become a rogue monk. In any case, lot of learning and people’s respect has gone into
my first 4 days as a monk. We are optimistic here, of my finishing day 5, that’s May
19, 2009 Tuesday.
This morning, I had a moving feeling which I got from the SaN-gha heart. It
went extremely kindly at the alms round (basically: early morning walk with a bowl
exercise, which is described earlier). Then, suddenly I ran into another monk whose
mom was ready with her food outside. It was pretty moving to see her, give her own
son the alms (with humility plus deep faith written all over her face). Then, my new
monk bud and I went over back to the bus station and finally as if preparing to exit
somewhere….we did in fact quite the opposite. We went right back inside the WaAt
campus. Then, I got to hear a very nice chanting after we had dispersed our respective
SaN-gha’s earlier earnings or collective alms offerings. These (meal packets) became
the sharing of (merit via) generosity amongst our small group of SaN-gha of which I
had become an invitee novice (monk). The younger monks were totally cheerful and
ready to accept the Dhamma after waking up early (by Thai traditional standards
4:30a.m is the wake-up call).
So, this morning has taught me already and looking forward to more of it,
until it will be our-Thai lunch hour (of SaN-gha kind). I am also, contemplating
writing a phonemic style spelling for Wat--as WaAt? It feels the second one’s closer to
the original Thai way of saying the word. Peace now. Oh by the way, Tapigorn monk
forgot his cellie here. Poor guy-he will be missing out on a piece of technology. Hope
that he gets to come back to pick it up. Right now, he’s gone back home. His home
Tartum is a bit ways from here (roughly 60 km.) So, I stand corrected, if it was
mentioned about it being very close to WaAt Nong boa.
The first thought of today, is my learning of can-d0-compassion. This is
possibly the very basis on which things have appeared to the Buddha (the enlightened
one). His very actions let us reflect everyday on this one way of can-do-compassion.
In American contexts, this will apply as it seeks to pluralize- its citizenry (the writer
belongs there). It is another morning at the WaAt. May 20, 2009 and around breakfast
time that we have gathered. Another day at the alms round and another lesson  have
we done. I want to express this thought today--before it completely looses itself…
Earlier on, my friend Roeng and my self were chatting away. Then, he mentioned
about speaking to a village chief whose mother had passed away. It got me wondering
about death (mine to be specific). Let’s use a little bit of anthropological-culture here.
Let’s pretend for a second that I passed away in Timbuktu. The cultural mores of the
dying would be applied to anybody who does die there. But, who would like to bring
a foreigner’s body to the way of Timbuktuans dead body disposal (for lack of better
descriptive)? This is where a spiritual belief system does tie in to the cultural mores of
its people. So, I have a good chance of getting an Indian as are my looks, also I have a
half-way decent chance of getting some white man preside over my dead body. This is
because upon my death I will be treated as an American (I am passport carrying and
non-union kind of U.S guy) and also because of the way I look, Timbuktuans might
assume that I was of Indian blood (good guess!) and get me a Hindu death certificate.
(Does the certificate really count anyhow?) Which one of these realities is worth a
duality-check in my mind? I guess, this can now be the reality check of death in and
off itself. Thank you and sending all readers much loving. I am particularly happy that
things are a matter of personal Sa-nGha-ness (as in my participatory attitude in Thai
culture of monks) to my Thai host WaAT (temple). I’m getting ready to be involved in
a death ceremony. It will be held in a village chief’s residence. His mother’s taken off
to her heavenly (*nirvana) abode. The ceremony is on a Sunday. Other than that it’s
May 22, 2009 and we have rounded up and eaten the alms (for breakfast and leftovers
as lunch). As usual the request for Ajahn Roeng had been made by the relatives of the
deceased lady.