From Notting Hill to The Promised Land

There are some people that when you met you could see that the friendship and connection is there. And I just experience one of those moment while I am on my trip to Yangon. From the brief interaction and talk we shared during dinner and later during the visit to the popular pagoda in town, there are plenty that one can learn from another when we have a casual and open conversation.

I was supposed to join the bigger team to the pagoda visit but I missed the chance due to my role requiring me to attend to some discussion. So my friend is kind enough to offer to take me again if I like to go when the work is all finished. So we agreed.  As we approached the pagoda, I cannot help but asked my friend what i am supposed to do? Why this question? but i like the answer. "Do the right thing... we don't need to take the life but take the stair to go up so you will see what is along the way. the experience will be different from taking a lift..."

"Please tell me about the history of this pagoda and its significance?... I hope I have dressed proper enough to be at this pagoda (no remark - so i think i am safe) ... Please tell me what i need to do right when i make the offering or bath the Buddha statue...
Hey we shall not talk about any alcohol drinking plan while we are inside the pagoda. This is a holy place"  Okay okay sorry!!! Some of the conversation where the emphasize of local knowledge and practices are important to make the right conducts.

We sometime find peace in the place that is less quiet... 

We sometime find relaxation in the middle of being tired...

For it depends on how we let ourselves adapt to what the environment we are in...

Peace of mind and peace of thinking...

Connection to the ones we had in the past, 

the one we are with 

at present, and the one we might meet in future !!!

Caption: People comes to pray and make offerings - Yangon Dec 2018.

 While this is my third time at Shwedagon Pagoda, this is actually the first time i was making the offering following the local people advice. My friend went to get me the set of the offering: a bunch of roses, water lily, set of candle and incent. 

The golden colour of the Buddha status was so outstanding and his glamorous and gracious facial expression is not tired to look at at all. In fact, it gives me such pleasantly peaceful feeling when i was sitting there with my short moment of Meditation. 

I was advised to first offer the flower to the corner we were at, then i was to bath the Buddha statue with the water. "you can do it multiple times or the same as your years..." I was attempting to do the bathing accordingly to my age which is obviously going to take a rather long time :-) but I did not make it to the end because other people were coming to offer and i shall not take too much time at this corner. In Cambodia, we do the bath of the Buddha or our parents/elderly during the Khmer New Year but here you can do it whenever you are visiting the pagoda and make the offering :-) 

 The pack of candles allows us to put the set of 5 Candles in each poll for about 3 pairs. It would appear very powerfully lit if the whole set/corner will be lit up. 

What I got out of this expereince is that while you are in the middle of an open space in the middle of many passserby, you actually feel very calm in your conduct. Each process is graciously and carefully carried out. 

My grandmother memory and her passing flooded my thought and my mind as i was doing this. Since her leaving us eight months ago, it left with such an empty space in my heart whenever I think of her. I miss her terribly whenever I am in the space of pagoda or listening to any talk relevant to Buddhism. It brought the memory of her back to me because she would have enjoyed this tremendously; as a good Buddhist follower, Grandma was recognised by the head-monk in our community as the great resources that community could have. I know you are in peace resting with Grandpa and your other children now but i cannot help with my feeling. For I love you so much Grandma.

Friendship without Border, with no barrier due to language, race, colour, position or distance. as long as we treat each other with care and respect, we can connect and share.
This picture was taken as we celebrated our end of mission and the think where Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam as our place of original was put aside and we chat about many things and everything using the language and body action. What a memory we share!

This beautiful shot was shared to me by my Burmese friend while he was travelling back to him hometown. The stunning of the Inle Lake and how human, nature, and lives are intertwined in a vast of watershed. I have given the promise that I will visit the place, the lake, the people, the culture and learn from the local people when i next visit the country. I better keep my promise and make that promise not just a mere promise or dream but turn it into reality.

Fresh as the Lotus flower, beautiful as the whole setting provide to you and cool as the drop of dew/water uphold by each petal of the lotus flower.
To get to know one lotus flower is to understand the details of what this flower is, why is it so special and significant in its own unique way. To learn about a person is to understand why s/he do what s/he is doing? what is the motivation? what is our hobby and like and how we have traveled so far in life to be here today!

Of course, what we hear is only the tip of the iceberg... there are many untold story, and for some people it takes the lifetime to learn, for other it may take a book to cover some aspect of one life. What memory we want to keep and recall is very selective depend on our decision. But the importance is how we have spent the moment worthwhile of the time and how we can maintain the friendship with respect and understanding. Yangon - Phnom Penh - Dec 2018.