Counting My Blessings~

The day is gorgeous with all the spring blossoms in full display of colors. My partner and I mowed, weeded and  mulched the entire front and back flower beds this year, unlike last year.  Although my back feels achy, I feel an urge to try our new zero turn riding mower. 

Yet feel the time crunch to wrap up things and pack up as we will be heading towards a four day trip to Ann Arbor to see his holiness Dalai Lama for  the two day weekend program, do some visiting in the area and bring our daughter Maya home!


Tonight Maya is attending a pre-dalailama talk with Philip Glass, Bob Mcferrin and Richard Gere. You can the see the  livecast here. Ann arbor seems to be a very thriving place with all kinds of holistic and concious businesses and community events.

A month or so ago we had the good fortune to attend President Abdul Kalam lectures here in my hometown at the University of KY, Lexington. The peak moment for me was to spontaneously merge my voice in unison with over 500 fellow Indians in the audience, singing the nostalgic national anthem of India after more than a decade.

I will be joining Maya and her dad, leaving a week before me, in India on May 3rd. Meeting my mom, neices, nephews, cousins, in-laws is something I am cherishing very much as we are visiting as a family this time, upon Maya's insistence. We are taking a family group  tour to Darjeeling and I am likely to visit for the first time my birthplace Jalpaiguri!

Dalai Lama's two day teaching at Crisler Arena was filled to capacity! Overall the program was good, although Maya did not understand much of Sunday's teaching as much of Nagarjuna's emptiness, dependent origination, middle way went over her head. For myself the the best parts were the begining and ending of the program.

Dalai Lama began the program Saturday by saying how as individuals we have different view of many things and he jokingly mentioned the various hats or practices - yellow, red, white, black traditions in Tibetan buddhism itself. And may be a new color Blue hat would arise here in American scene. Then HH folded his hands and said. "But Sakyamuni (Buddha) had no hat! Perhaps it is time that we return to the original teachings of Sakyamuni."  I am in total alignment here  with HH  Dalai Lama. And I especially  liked  his gesture of asking a  Sri Lankan Monk  (?)  to begin the  program by  chanting Mangalam Sutta in Pali, something I heard in Bodh Gaya and Saranath as teenager. The program ended with collective reading of simple verses repeating three refuges and bodhisattava aspirations for generating and cultivating the mind for enlightenment for the wellbeing of all sentient beings.

I am amazed at student activism at University of michigan. There was a large contingent of chinese student protesters who gathered along the path of Crisler arena with all kinds of signs and info. Every time we visited, we came across some kind of student demonstration or protest and other groups including some faculty members support them. I am getting a little biased already for u.Mich as you can see.

A couple of days ago had a wonderful time with Liz, Richard and Joan and few others in the BPF Cincinnati Dhamma group. Richard is doing some great work transcribing Buddha's original teachings from Pali in a manner that is most user friendly for beginners and advanced students alike.

Now we had almost a panic attack Friday evening, just before departing Lexington after I posted the initial half of the blog. We discovered Maya's US Passport (as minor) has expired last October as we were planning to go to Windsor Canada to visit my neice. Things looked really bleak Sunday, but somehow today Monday morning all pieces and puzzles came together. We could gather all documents needed and with the help of a very kind postal passport agent and travel agent (who appeared just in the nick of time) it looks like we are going to receive the new passport wednesday in Ky, when we reach home!

We had a great mother daughter day shopping in the mall and enjoying dipping dots icecream (my first time), a chair massage and a sizzling chinese dinner with energy left to finish this blog before bidding goodnight to you all! 

BTW counting blessing works since I just came across another headline with same subject posted a few days ago somewhere in the wide world of web! And the passport arrived at 10Am sharp and we arrived home at 3AM last night to receive it! When things don't turn out my way, that is also a blessing. That reminds me to let go, relax my focus on obstacles and barriers  and not watch my rear-view mirror so much as long as I can see the front 200 yard clearly. Joyful blessings to you.

Grateful cheers