Email Reflections: 10 Simple Courtesies

In addition to Tai speaking people, there are Chinese who have blended seamlessly with the Thai. Other cultures include Malays, Mon, Khmer, and even Vietnamese.



The Leshan Giant Buddha is regarded as the biggest carved stone Buddha in the world. Carved from the Lingyun Mountain, this statue is found in the Dadu, Qingyi, and Minjian rivers in Sichuan, China. It stands 71 meters (230 ft) in height and spans 28 meters (92 ft) between its shoulders. At 14.7 meters (48 feet) high, the head alone is large enough for 100 people to sit on.

The Tiger Temple is located near the most famous tourist spot the - Bridge Over the River Kwai. The temple is formally known as Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno in Thai language. From 1999 the monks are engaged in taming tigers and all this started when an abandoned tiger cub was found in the nearby forests by villagers who gave the cub to the monks to take care of it. As the news spread, many people started bringing orphaned cubs to the temple. Most cubs had lost their mother to poachers and were too young to fend for themselves. Presently there 18 cubs in the temple.

Part of Harvey's secret to youthful appearance was his discipline with himself. At 80, he still went to work every day, running his successful business. On a daily basis, he was committed to maintaining optimal health in his physical body. He watched what he ate, and remained open to new health trends and ideas, willing to incorporate them into his life.

When I arrived, Bhante G, welcomed me to the monastery and retreat center in the same warm manner that all serious seekers are welcomed in theravada Buddhist organizations, by never charging fees and only asking that the seeker meditate seriously and help in the community however he or she can.

Well, the Buddha didn't want people to worship him. Anyway, after his Parinirvana(passing), his followers cremated his body and took some relics. Many of these followers (specially the lay ones) started to worship these artifacts that had a relationship to the Buddha. They could be the relics of his cremation or simply objects that the Buddha touched during his life, like his begging ball. Eventually, they built great and beautiful shrines to hold and worship these objects.

We convinced a property manager to take a chance on us in the way of a small apartment, which wasn't easy with our spotty history, Janet's shiny bald head, and driving the old, rusty Toyota that mystically kept going for us. We didn't have much stuff either, so we cruised garage sales and thrift stores to get a few things together, like a $3 phone to keep in touch with the nursing home. Luckily, we were accustomed to sleeping on bare, wooden floors in Thailand, so sleeping on a carpeted floor was a treat.