Building a House

Kachin villagers in northern Myanmar build their houses out of variety of different plant parts (see Morning Mist and Shinlonga), and they build them by themselves. They harvest the bamboo, fell the timber, collect the rattan and thatch, and lift, tie, nail, and weave the pieces together - essentially by themselves - to make a home. I am humbled by the skill, patience, and resolve of these people.  

Another Bo Tree

This large Ficus religiosa is growing in one of the side pavilions of the Shwedagon Pagoda (see Sunday at Shwedagon) in Yangon, Myanmar. The tree was reportedly started from a cutting taken from the original bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, India. The gold statue of Shakyamuni Buddha sitting beneath the tree is exquisite. 

Bo Trees

Several Ficus religiosa trees were planted in the Dai tea gardens that I visited in Yunnan, China (see Sharing a Ride). Clearly of great cultural and spiritual importance, these trees were tended with special care. They were individually fenced to keep the animals away from them, some trees had small altars for leaving offerings and were wrapped with strips of saffron cloth, and one or two even had their own mala.

Ficus religiosa, or "bo", or "pipul", or "bodhi" trees have a special aura about them because of something that happened 2,500 years ago in Bodh Gaya, India.  Click here for more about the events at Bodh Gaya.

Ten Years Ago in Papua New Guinea

A somewhat choppy, wandering video clip from a palm survey that I did in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea in 1999. The study was part of the Kikori community forestry project (see Palms of Kikori, PNG and Living on a Log Raft); the video was shot and narrated by Kevin O'Regan, the Kikori mill manager (thx, Kevin).   

Chicozapote

A large chicozapote (Manilkara zapote L. Royen) tree in the Selva Maya of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Like the ramon tree (see The Curious Case of Brosimum alicastrum), chicozapote was a favored forest resource to the pre-Columbian Maya.  The timber was used for lintels and supporing beams in their temples, the ripe fruits were relished, and the dried latex, known as "chicle", was used as a masticatory. In 1866, General Antonio López de Santa Anna (best known for his involvement in the battle of the Alamo) gave a small piece of chicle resin to the son of Thomas Adams while in Staten Island awaiting clearance to return to his country.  The rest is history.

Chota Family

This is Don Manuel Chota (see Learning the Names) and his family standing in front of the clay oven behind their house in Jenaro Herrera (see Jenaro Herrera) in the Peruvian Amazon. A delicious, three-tiered wedding cake was cooked in this oven when Elysa and I got married. 

Another Carving

Another carving from the outdoor display at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (see Museé d'Ethnographie du Vietnam).  Although there was no information posted about this statue, when I look at it I see a very evocative rendering of a mother and child, the child being carried in a sling or pack on his/her mother's back. [NOTE: The carving is about 5 to 6 feet tall].  

Still Blooming

The days are getting grey and the temperatures are dropping in New York, but the planters in the parking lot of the Empty Hand Zen Center are still producing a profusion of colorful blossoms. [NOTE: I shot this two days ago].

"Yet, though all of this is so, flowers fall when we cling to them and weeds grow whether we like it or not"

-Dogen Zenji (1200-1235)
Genjokoan 

This Moment in Myanmar

There's so much happening in this country.  Most of it bad news.  And then there's the stillness, calm abiding, and hope of this moment...  

Reclining Buddha II

A slow pan of the beautiful Reclining Buddha statue in Myitkyina (see Reclining Buddha).  I especially like the rack of "loaner" malas shown at the start of the clip. Looks like they've been used a lot...