talking with people

HIYA!

I've talked with lots of people along the way. Guys ordaining as monks for a short time. This is tradition. It's losing ground as people move to the city and forget about old customs, traditions, and other "old" things. It's interesting to hear guys talk about the reasons they ordain and what they get out of it. I feel that there is a great opportunity to really get a good feel for the heart of Buddhism even in this short time that they ordain, but for the most part it seems to center on learning the chants. And they learn the chants in Pali language, which is like Latin in the sense that who understands Latin? So they don't know the meaning of what they're chanting, and so, it seems to me, they've passed up a great opportunity to learn something incredibly valuable for their lives. They don't get into the heart of the teaching or the heart of the practice.

I've talked with farmers as they work in their fields. Talking about conventional versus organic practices and thier views towards both. I always like doing this.

Talk with shop owners and others along the way. Just anybody. Sometimes it's just a few words back and forth, other times it's a bit more involved. It's always a break from the rigors of the road. And I get that much more of a feel for Thai people. Why not do something like this with Americans? Hey Troy.

Troy.