A Week of Radical Amazement

One week I'm in the Yunnanese village of Mae Salong, playing with a Chinese-speaking little girl in who's rolling in the tea leaves being dried for her family business;





















... politely offering a "wai" (bow of respect) to the monks waiting with me (different seating area of course) at the Chiang Rai bus station;



















...and chatting with a toothless, red from beetle berry grandfather as I hike toward an Akha village.


The next week: Chanukah in Chiang Mai. I skipped nightly candle-lighting at the Chabad house, it felt too far to travel from the University after a full day in school. But I wanted some celebration in community and thus created a"renewlesque" Chanukah. The chanukiah (menorah) above was made with a plastic tupperware container, rice, and Buddhist candles.

There were 11 of us including Thai and Japanese devout Buddhists, an Israeli woman who brought teachings on Chanukah from her favorite Breslover rebbe, a Rasta guy who sang both "One World" type songs on his guitar as well as sharing a traditional tune to Psalm 23, Brits who'd attended Yeshivah all their growing up years, and more. Here's part of our motley crew, post yoga, getting ready to enjoy latkes, brownies, wonderful local fruit and tea.
















Noriko from Japan, who had never heard of Chanukah before, accepted the tongue-in-cheek "challenge" I put out for somebody to make and bring latkes. She looked up a recipe on the internet and made a huge batch, using organic potatoes that she had on hand. They were SO good!
















Of course, being a Tammy-esque Chanukah party, it "had" to include a 3-part "Jewish Yoga" session. The 90-minute pre-party practice was attended by all but two of the party-goers. We utilized the ever-increasing miraculous light of the chanukah candles for the purification of the defiled Inner Temple . The "fallen away" former yeshiva-buchers completed the practice in a state of radical amazement; they had never been exposed to the rich transformative teachings of the Jewish tradition.

What a great celebration it was. I was a very happy camper.....