Thailand's National Flower
Friday, August 3, 2012
August 2, 2555: Asalha Puja; Beginning of Vassa (Theravada)
Buddhist Lenten: Vassa is a three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada
monks and nuns. It begins on the day after the full moon day of the
eighth lunar month of the common Buddhist calendar, which usually falls
in July, but this year it falls on August 2nd. The retreat ends on the 15th day of the waxing moon of the
eleventh lunar month, usually in October. Sometimes this holiday is called "Dharma Day." Asalha Puja commemorates the first sermon of the Buddha, called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (or sermon of Buddha), "setting the wheel of dhamma (dharma) in motion." In this sermon, the Buddha explained his doctrine of the Four Noble Truths. These form the foundation of Buddhism. The truths are:
1. The Truth of Suffering is the First Noble Truth, and is often translated as "Life is suffering" (samudaya). But the Pali word, dukkha, also refers to that which is temporary, conditional, or a compound of many things. Even something precious and enjoyable is considered dukkha, because it is temporary.
This truth is related to the nature of life and the nature of the self. In Buddhism, human life is temporary, conditional and compounded by many issues. Buddhism teaches that life is impermanent, and that we, also, are impermanent. Buddhism also teaches that before one can understand life and death one must understand the self as impermanent. Many agree that the nature of human existence is tragedy, yet Christianity differs from Buddhist philosophy in its view of the human soul as impermanent. Christians believe that the human soul, for better or worse, is eternal.
2. The Truth of the Cause of Suffering is the Second Noble Truth, which teaches that the cause of suffering is craving or thirst (tanha). Buddhist tradition teaches that humanity continually searches for something outside the self to make it happy. Yet no matter how successful one is, he/she does not remain satisfied for long. Buddhism teaches that this thirst grows from an ignorance of the self. Humans sometimes go through life grabbing one thing after another to get a sense of security about ourselves. They attach not only to physical things, but also to ideas and opinions about the self, others, and the world. Often these individuals, according to Buddhist philosophy, grow frustrated when the world doesn't behave, think, or conform to prescribed expectations. This is probably true of all of us, from time to time.
3. The truth of the end of suffering (nirhodha) Buddhist teachings on the Four Noble Truths are sometimes compared to a physician diagnosing an illness and prescribing a treatment. The first explains the illness, and the second lists the causes of the illness. The third truth holds out hope for a cure. Buddhism teaches that through diligent practice, mankind can put an end to craving. Ending the chase for satisfaction is called enlightenment (bodhi = awakened). The enlightened being then exists in a state called Nirvana. At my age, most of what once bedazzled me no longer does. Most of us grow up sometime. I'm grateful that I've finally outlived most (but not all) of my various obsessions. My past is littered with the mess.
4. The truth of the path that frees us from suffering (magga)
Here, Buddha as physician prescribes the treatment for the illness of humanity. Like Christianity, in Buddhism there is no particular benefit to merely believing a doctrine. Instead, the emphasis is on living the doctrine and walking the path. In Buddhist countries, as in Christian ones, this teaching is not routinely followed. Many call themselves followers of Buddha, as many say that they are followers of Christ, and yet their actions reveal that this is not the case. Corruption, sexual indiscretions, alcohol and drug abuse, child abuse, war and unhappiness are as rife in Buddhist countries as in their western counterparts. Perhaps humans are good at ascribing to ideas better than themselves, but not many stay the course.
Yet, just as in Christianity, there are the faithful in Buddhism. Thus, during Vassa, these Buddhist monks and nuns remain inside monasteries and temple grounds, devoting their time to intensive meditation and study. Laypeople support the monastic sangha by bringing food, candles and other offerings to temples. My students and I recently made this pilgrimage. See the pictures above and on my facebook site.
As in Christianity, many Buddhists also observe Vassa (Lent) by giving up something, such as smoking or eating meat. This tradition of meditation and study began during the life of Buddha. The first Buddhist monks did not remain in one place, but walked from village to village, to teach. They begged for their food and often slept out-of-doors, sheltered only by trees. Yet during India’s summer rainy season living as homeless ascetics became much more difficult. So groups of monks found a place to stay together until the rain stopped, forming a temporary religious community. The wealthy sometimes sheltered these groups of monks on their estates. Eventually they built permanent houses for monks, an early form of the monastery.
1. The Truth of Suffering is the First Noble Truth, and is often translated as "Life is suffering" (samudaya). But the Pali word, dukkha, also refers to that which is temporary, conditional, or a compound of many things. Even something precious and enjoyable is considered dukkha, because it is temporary.
This truth is related to the nature of life and the nature of the self. In Buddhism, human life is temporary, conditional and compounded by many issues. Buddhism teaches that life is impermanent, and that we, also, are impermanent. Buddhism also teaches that before one can understand life and death one must understand the self as impermanent. Many agree that the nature of human existence is tragedy, yet Christianity differs from Buddhist philosophy in its view of the human soul as impermanent. Christians believe that the human soul, for better or worse, is eternal.
2. The Truth of the Cause of Suffering is the Second Noble Truth, which teaches that the cause of suffering is craving or thirst (tanha). Buddhist tradition teaches that humanity continually searches for something outside the self to make it happy. Yet no matter how successful one is, he/she does not remain satisfied for long. Buddhism teaches that this thirst grows from an ignorance of the self. Humans sometimes go through life grabbing one thing after another to get a sense of security about ourselves. They attach not only to physical things, but also to ideas and opinions about the self, others, and the world. Often these individuals, according to Buddhist philosophy, grow frustrated when the world doesn't behave, think, or conform to prescribed expectations. This is probably true of all of us, from time to time.
3. The truth of the end of suffering (nirhodha) Buddhist teachings on the Four Noble Truths are sometimes compared to a physician diagnosing an illness and prescribing a treatment. The first explains the illness, and the second lists the causes of the illness. The third truth holds out hope for a cure. Buddhism teaches that through diligent practice, mankind can put an end to craving. Ending the chase for satisfaction is called enlightenment (bodhi = awakened). The enlightened being then exists in a state called Nirvana. At my age, most of what once bedazzled me no longer does. Most of us grow up sometime. I'm grateful that I've finally outlived most (but not all) of my various obsessions. My past is littered with the mess.
4. The truth of the path that frees us from suffering (magga)
Here, Buddha as physician prescribes the treatment for the illness of humanity. Like Christianity, in Buddhism there is no particular benefit to merely believing a doctrine. Instead, the emphasis is on living the doctrine and walking the path. In Buddhist countries, as in Christian ones, this teaching is not routinely followed. Many call themselves followers of Buddha, as many say that they are followers of Christ, and yet their actions reveal that this is not the case. Corruption, sexual indiscretions, alcohol and drug abuse, child abuse, war and unhappiness are as rife in Buddhist countries as in their western counterparts. Perhaps humans are good at ascribing to ideas better than themselves, but not many stay the course.
Yet, just as in Christianity, there are the faithful in Buddhism. Thus, during Vassa, these Buddhist monks and nuns remain inside monasteries and temple grounds, devoting their time to intensive meditation and study. Laypeople support the monastic sangha by bringing food, candles and other offerings to temples. My students and I recently made this pilgrimage. See the pictures above and on my facebook site.
As in Christianity, many Buddhists also observe Vassa (Lent) by giving up something, such as smoking or eating meat. This tradition of meditation and study began during the life of Buddha. The first Buddhist monks did not remain in one place, but walked from village to village, to teach. They begged for their food and often slept out-of-doors, sheltered only by trees. Yet during India’s summer rainy season living as homeless ascetics became much more difficult. So groups of monks found a place to stay together until the rain stopped, forming a temporary religious community. The wealthy sometimes sheltered these groups of monks on their estates. Eventually they built permanent houses for monks, an early form of the monastery.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Changing My Mind: An American Perogative
My students need a huge dose of freedom. Wai Kru is a practice here of honoring the teacher, and although it is lovely for the recipient, it may not be so lovely for the one scraping and bowing. I know this is a reversal of my former position, but that's what I like about being American: I get to change my mind.
I've been teaching in Thailand just under three months. In that time I've begun to realize that critical thinking skills are missing from many of my students. They can copy what I put up on the blackboard, but their school lives are separate from their private lives by miles and miles. That seems a complete waste of pop culture and their formal education. It isn't that I want to turn them into cynical Americans, but they would definitely benefit from learning to ask the hard questions. They could start with the question, "why?". They could follow with "how?". They need to know what things are, what they're called, and to question whether something ought to remain the way it is.
For instance, recently the grounds crew sprayed for mosquitoes just outside our classroom. In Thailand, there are few windows with glass panes. It never gets cold enough to require them. Rainy season is nearly upon us. On this particular day, chemical clouds came wafting through the open windows of my classroom. First the students began to cough and to cover their faces with their shirts. Then some of the students quickly raced to pull the shutters closed and draw the curtains. There is an open wire grid at the top of the window openings that runs the full extent of the wall, which allowed the chemical fumes to continue pouring into the classroom. I was grateful for the quick thinking of the one or two students, and I was appalled that the spray was used while the students were on site and downwind. It is yet another way that the least important discover their lack of status in a hierarchical culture.
When I investigated later, I read that in 1995, the production, import, export and possession of DDT were prohibited in Thailand, and in 2003 the use of DDT for Malaria control was prohibited. Yet, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), export of obsolete stocks to Europe continues. I'm not sure if this apparent violation is the tip of the iceberg, compliance on paper only, or a way to get rid of an aging DDT stockpile. Because I'm not sure, I will continue to search for answers. My students know only to close the wooden shutters and draw the shiny fabric curtains. They don't know to protest. Who would listen to them? I'm also not sure how often they are exposed to these chemicals: yearly, monthly? How much is too much? Who decides? How much information does the guy using this stuff have about its danger? Does anyone know? Does anyone care? Right now, my lungs are a mess. I have asthma and my body registers damages within the environment almost immediately. I've learned to pay attention to my body.
According to Oregon State University:
"DDT is still widely used in less developed countries. And, ironically, when the last DDT
manufacturing plant in the US was dismantled in 1983, it was sold to Indonesia, where it
continued to manufacture DDT until Indonesia ratified the Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants in 2009, just three years ago; Indonesia is no longer manufacturing DDT.
Twenty five developing countries, however, got exceptions allowing them to keep using DDT,
because it is the cheapest and most accessible defense against malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.
This whole malaria and DDT issue is really tough -- between 1 and 3 million people die each year
from malaria.
No one wants to say whether DDT is more or less damaging in the long run. It can cause cancer, destroy whole species, and cause developmental delays in unborn children. It takes eons to break down, and malaria carrying pests ultimately develop a resistance to the strain. Is there a way to make safer products more available? Killing people and species with chemicals is not a better idea than letting them die of Malaria. There needs to be other, better solutions.
Oregon State University:
In some cases, DDT is still effective against the disease-bearing
mosquitoes, and many people
feel that the benefits from continuing to use it for this purpose, which [they think] outweighs the
risks. However, resistance problems are likely, and ultimately, will force a change in control
approaches. For instance, there is considerable success with the use of bednets -- mosquito netting
that is treated with an insecticide and suspended over a person's bed, protecting them during the
evening and night when the mosquitoes are most active -- coupled with more effective
dissemination of anti-malaria drugs. Finally there are common sense measures, such as filling
chinks in walls that fill with water and provide mosquito breeding grounds.
There is a dire need for better drainage spaces that will carry the run-off from the pervasive rain, to more useful sites: rice fields, for instance, or through filtering areas that percolate the water safely and naturally. Surely the brain-trust on the planet can come up with cost effective ways, eco-system friendly, to reduce the infectious and disease bearing mosquito population by radically reducing places where it breeds. Perhaps this should be a science project for all sixth graders, all over the world. Problems of disease seem foremost in importance, and thus, a good place to focus our attention. The sooner we get to it, the sooner we will find solutions.
All students, especially in this learning community, need to develop critical thinking skills, because their country is desperately in need of their help. In Thailand, a favor offered is a favor returned. These students are the future leaders. They must learn to ask and answer difficult questions. They must practice these skills often in order to get faster and better at sizing up a situation and knowing what to do about it. They will inherit this country. I fear what's ahead for them if they don't learn necessary survival skills: how to think, question, act.
I've been teaching in Thailand just under three months. In that time I've begun to realize that critical thinking skills are missing from many of my students. They can copy what I put up on the blackboard, but their school lives are separate from their private lives by miles and miles. That seems a complete waste of pop culture and their formal education. It isn't that I want to turn them into cynical Americans, but they would definitely benefit from learning to ask the hard questions. They could start with the question, "why?". They could follow with "how?". They need to know what things are, what they're called, and to question whether something ought to remain the way it is.
For instance, recently the grounds crew sprayed for mosquitoes just outside our classroom. In Thailand, there are few windows with glass panes. It never gets cold enough to require them. Rainy season is nearly upon us. On this particular day, chemical clouds came wafting through the open windows of my classroom. First the students began to cough and to cover their faces with their shirts. Then some of the students quickly raced to pull the shutters closed and draw the curtains. There is an open wire grid at the top of the window openings that runs the full extent of the wall, which allowed the chemical fumes to continue pouring into the classroom. I was grateful for the quick thinking of the one or two students, and I was appalled that the spray was used while the students were on site and downwind. It is yet another way that the least important discover their lack of status in a hierarchical culture.
When I investigated later, I read that in 1995, the production, import, export and possession of DDT were prohibited in Thailand, and in 2003 the use of DDT for Malaria control was prohibited. Yet, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), export of obsolete stocks to Europe continues. I'm not sure if this apparent violation is the tip of the iceberg, compliance on paper only, or a way to get rid of an aging DDT stockpile. Because I'm not sure, I will continue to search for answers. My students know only to close the wooden shutters and draw the shiny fabric curtains. They don't know to protest. Who would listen to them? I'm also not sure how often they are exposed to these chemicals: yearly, monthly? How much is too much? Who decides? How much information does the guy using this stuff have about its danger? Does anyone know? Does anyone care? Right now, my lungs are a mess. I have asthma and my body registers damages within the environment almost immediately. I've learned to pay attention to my body.
A little background: DDT was discovered in 1939 by a Swiss chemist, Paul Muller. It was so effective at killing pests and boosting crop yields and so inexpensive to make that its use quickly
spread over the globe. Muller was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery in 1948.
In 1962, Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring, was published, and many began to question the wide scale use of such chemicals. Carson, a scientist, issued grave warnings about pesticide overuse, and predicted massive destruction of the planet's fragile ecosystems unless more was done to halt the "rain of chemicals." Many believe that her book launched the environmental movement. In 1972, the U.S. outlawed DDT.
However, the makers of the toxic chemical found buyers for their plants -- in S.E. Asia.
In 1962, Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring, was published, and many began to question the wide scale use of such chemicals. Carson, a scientist, issued grave warnings about pesticide overuse, and predicted massive destruction of the planet's fragile ecosystems unless more was done to halt the "rain of chemicals." Many believe that her book launched the environmental movement. In 1972, the U.S. outlawed DDT.
However, the makers of the toxic chemical found buyers for their plants -- in S.E. Asia.
According to Oregon State University:
"DDT is still widely used in less developed countries. And, ironically, when the last DDT
manufacturing plant in the US was dismantled in 1983, it was sold to Indonesia, where it
continued to manufacture DDT until Indonesia ratified the Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants in 2009, just three years ago; Indonesia is no longer manufacturing DDT.
Twenty five developing countries, however, got exceptions allowing them to keep using DDT,
because it is the cheapest and most accessible defense against malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.
This whole malaria and DDT issue is really tough -- between 1 and 3 million people die each year
from malaria.
No one wants to say whether DDT is more or less damaging in the long run. It can cause cancer, destroy whole species, and cause developmental delays in unborn children. It takes eons to break down, and malaria carrying pests ultimately develop a resistance to the strain. Is there a way to make safer products more available? Killing people and species with chemicals is not a better idea than letting them die of Malaria. There needs to be other, better solutions.
Oregon State University:
feel that the benefits from continuing to use it for this purpose, which [they think] outweighs the
risks. However, resistance problems are likely, and ultimately, will force a change in control
approaches. For instance, there is considerable success with the use of bednets -- mosquito netting
that is treated with an insecticide and suspended over a person's bed, protecting them during the
evening and night when the mosquitoes are most active -- coupled with more effective
dissemination of anti-malaria drugs. Finally there are common sense measures, such as filling
chinks in walls that fill with water and provide mosquito breeding grounds.
There is a dire need for better drainage spaces that will carry the run-off from the pervasive rain, to more useful sites: rice fields, for instance, or through filtering areas that percolate the water safely and naturally. Surely the brain-trust on the planet can come up with cost effective ways, eco-system friendly, to reduce the infectious and disease bearing mosquito population by radically reducing places where it breeds. Perhaps this should be a science project for all sixth graders, all over the world. Problems of disease seem foremost in importance, and thus, a good place to focus our attention. The sooner we get to it, the sooner we will find solutions.
All students, especially in this learning community, need to develop critical thinking skills, because their country is desperately in need of their help. In Thailand, a favor offered is a favor returned. These students are the future leaders. They must learn to ask and answer difficult questions. They must practice these skills often in order to get faster and better at sizing up a situation and knowing what to do about it. They will inherit this country. I fear what's ahead for them if they don't learn necessary survival skills: how to think, question, act.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Whai Kru
Then the students clean the school from top to bottom. On the day of the ceremony, they come to our offices and bow before the chosen teachers. They sing songs of appreciation, present her or him with flowers to wear or to carry. The necklaces I wear are made of "Horm" (fragrant) "Dok Ma-li" (Jasmine blossoms). The Thais present gifts often and they take great store in acts of kindness. I was moved to tears when some of my students presented me with several necklaces. Then I was taken even more aback when an entire class came and sang to me on their knees. They were weeping and I was weeping. They said, "teacher, we love you." I could only reply that I loved them. I can't remember when I have been so moved.
During the second part of the day, a "Phi - Thee" is held in the big hall. The younger students play traditional Chinese instruments as the hall fills with students. There is a pageantry to this ceremony unlike anything that we experience in the West. The older students and the class leaders carry the ornate flower arrangements up the stairs where teachers sit on a dais. They present the arrangements to each teacher and in return we offer them an "Auy Pon" (a blessing). Then each child drops to their knees and presses their face to the floor. Wave after wave, the smaller children come, each bearing a small bouquet of flowers wrapped in banana leaf, in a cone shape. They offer these flowers to the teachers and like the leaders before them, they bow to the floor.
After the ceremony, the children continue to bring flowers, to kneel and sing songs to their teachers. They are often weeping and they hug their teachers in a burst of affection. The older students visit former teachers and sit at their feet. These acts are voluntary. I do not know what to make of such humility, except that these lavish displays of love are humbling for the recipient, and they cause the bond between the teacher and the student to deepen. When one of my students said, with tears in her eyes, "I love you," I touched her cheek with my hand and spoke words I never thought I'd say to a student: "I love you too." And I do love them, as they demand that I love them. They are needy and poor. They are children and they require a fierce, protective love. This, I will give them. It's the least any of us can do.
The Thai students are endearing in so many ways. There are far too many of them in one class room, and they misbehave with the same frequency as any students, anywhere. Yet they are also sincere and joyful. This culture expresses itself in other humbling ways. The children are affectionate with each other, often walking arm-in-arm together, singing songs together, the way we did when I was small. They are also affectionate with the adults.
No, I didn't need to be up on that dais. My ego did not swell with power or satisfaction at a child's act of contrition and obeisance. On the contrary, I was moved to tears by so many children trying to please their elders. The West has exported its technology, its fashions, its modes of transportation, skateboard rites-of-passage, and Lady Gaga, but it has not yet succeeded in making Thai children cynical. They are precious, bright and affectionate, and when allowed to be, they are innocent in the extreme. This experience also asks me to consider how it might appear to God when His children willingly humble themselves before Him. I can tell you, from my perspective, it's irresistible.
No, we don't operate like this in the West. We wouldn't consider humbling ourselves before others -- it's out of the question. We're splendidly over-sanitized, a p.c. society that's dying of loneliness. We'd sooner live out our lives in isolation than risk the blank stare that's sure to follow if we ever offered our ritual respect, or lived transparently for that matter. So be it. We've made our beds and just as inevitably, we will lie in them.
Conversely, the Thais have so much community that it makes my head hurt most days. I want nothing more than to shut the door, hole up in my cave, and tap out messages on computer keys, my virtual security blanket. All the while, they're chatting up a storm, eating who knows what from some questionable communal bowl, and beating the living daylights out of each other. We Westerners foster our illusions of family closeness, community connectedness, and respect for one another, but the truth is, we aren't respectful, we're merely uninterested. There's a huge difference. We pretend that we're an egalitarian society, but that's simply not so. One has to care enough to bother asking questions or answering them. We don't care, we don't have to. End of report. We're polite enough that's for sure, but concern ends in 37 seconds, because we've got somewhere else to go, other people to meet. We prefer our illusions of order, and we rationalize about our boundaries until we've negated every human with whom we ever come into contact.
Today I was humbled by child-like obedience to an ages old tradition of respect for one's elders. The thing took several days to accomplish, and hours to sit through. But my students were touched that I cared enough to show up. Their song made it well worth my while.
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