An appreciation of the unity and sacredness of all life is integral to awakening to our own awareness.  (Lyse Lauren)

Welcome to the late summer edition of Many Roads for Bodhicharya.  

Wishing all well and hoping to hear from you soon.

Albert Harris

FEATURES
LIVING AND DYING IN PEACE:  Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
REACHING OUT TO ANIMALS & ALL CONSCIOUS LIFE:  Lyse Lauren
THE RINGU TULKU ARCHIVE:  Paul O’Conner
SUMMER CAMP PORTUGAL 2017:  Annie Dibble
PEAS AND PANIR CURRY:  Indra Mahapuria
MINT CHUTNEY:  Indra Mahapuria

POETRY
FLAGS:  Albert Harris
SIKKIM HAIKU SEQUENCE PART 2:  Maeve O’Sullivan
WHEN SNOW MOUNTAINS WEAR BLACK HATS:   J. Stanley D. R. Loy
ODE TO MANCHESTER:  Ani Rinchen Khandro
THE BRIG:  Angus Ogilvy

FILM
MINDFUL JUGGLING:  Andi Puddicombe
SOWING THE SEED:  Sitar Rose

PERSONAL STORIES
HELLO FROM GOA:  Dave MacDonald
SATURDAY MORNING:  Wendy Nash
JOURNEY TO ASSAM PART 1:  Yeshe
JOURNEY TO ASSAM.  GUWAHATI: PART 2:  Yeshe 
LIFE AND DEATH:  Wendy Nash
A RABBI ON HOLY ISLE:  Adam Klegfeld

REVIEWS
THE POWER OF AN OPEN QUESTION:  Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel
NEW LAZY LAMA BOOK – LOVING KINDNESS:  Wangdu

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 Welcome to 2017 edition of Many Roads for Bodhicharya.  

In this edition there are entries from new sources and writing from regulars .  I want to thank all the readers who have contributed with an array of different subjects and styles of writing.

As the name of the magazine implies, there are as many different paths of thought as there are people and opinions.

I have taken the opportunity to re-publish Graham Smetham’s engaging article Quantum Emptiness originally appearing in an earlier edition of Many Roads.  Graham explores “the interconnections between Western science and Eastern philosophical perspectives.”  Brian Chung from Taiwan has submitted a poem translated from the Chinese Mahayana Pure Land Buddhist Sutras. In Visiting Borobudor, Mark Laidlaw gives his account of a visit to the 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple Boobudor in Magelang, Indonesia with striking photos depicting the gompa and surrounds.  Thanks to Bruno Nua for sending in his poem along with some haiku written after a retreat in India with Ringu Tulku Rinpoche.

And a final thanks to all other unmentioned contributors for sharing your thoughts.

PERSONAL STORIES
HERMIT……….DAVID BRAZIER
VISITING BOROBUDOR……….MARK LAIDLAW
THE PHOENIX……….KATE RODDICK
GLESCA……….FELISE WHITE
GAME CHANGING……….WENDY NASH
TECHNOLITERACY………YESHE

FICTIONAL STORIES
HARRIET TUBMAN……….JAIYA JOHN

FEATURES
RINGU TULKU RINPOCHE’S……….TRAVEL SCHEDULE
HAPPY NEW YEAR……….RINGU TULKU RINPOCHE
QUANTUM EMPTINESS……….GRAHAM SMETHAM
SWEET CORN PUDDING……….INDRA MAJAPURIA
NEPALESE CULTURAL BELIEFS – FLORA……….KESAR LALL
THE POWER OF AN OPEN QUESTION……….ELISABETH MATTIS NAMGYEL

HUMOUR
VARIOUS

POETRY
MAKARA……….BRIAN CHUNG
THE BUDDHA’S MASTER PLAN……….BRIAN CHUNG
SIKKIM (HAIKU) SEQUENCE……….MAEVE O’SULLIVAN
POETRY AND PROSE.………BRUNO NUA
POETRY……….BALACH “THUTOB” KHOJAR
THE MIDDLE WAY..……..TIMOTHY BARROW

VIDEO
CUMMUNITY GARDENING……….MONICA WILDE
HOW TO LET ALTRUISM BE YOUR GUIDE……….MATTHIEU RICARD

We need your contributions for our next issue. Please send your articles, reviews, comments and creative outputs to:

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If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. Carl Sagan

Pesticides and disease-bearing parasites are decimating the bee population in the US.  10 million beehives have been wiped out.  In reality, these pesticides and fungicides being poured into the earth by farmers in order to increase their crop yield for profit contaminate the pollen which, when examined and fed to healthy bees, was found to have a significant effect on their ability to resist infection from parasites.

The increased use of agricultural chemicals are destroying the pollen on which the bees feed.

This is happening, not only in America, but in Europe.  In France, the death rate was more than 60 percent.  In the UK, honeybees my become extinct within a decade.

In Britain, a government minister warned that honey bees could be extinct within a decade. A third of what we eat and much of what we wear is dependent on pollination by honeybees.

Brian MacCallum, who I knew from my younger days, has taken an interest in bee-keeping. He now has several books published.  Among them is A World Without Bees, written along with his partner, Alison Benjamin.  

It’s thanks to these authors amongst others that they are helping to make plain the impending disaster of losing our bee population.  The ecology of the world can be both resilient and fragile.  The profit-driven motives of farmers in using harmful pesticides has to be curbed.  Of course, the earth will eventually heal itself, but we can help by increasing awareness within our own lifetimes.

The British Government has given permission to sow bee-endangering seeds across the country.  Take action now by signing the petition:

[Bayer is suing *Europe* for saving the bees]

https://actions.sumofus.org/a/neonics-uk

[various sources]

PERSONAL STORIES
ARE THERE ANY BODHISATTVAS IN THE ROOM?…KARMA CHANGCHUB
THE TREK TO MOUNT KAILASH IN TIBET…ANDY LOWE
WILD WHITE HORSES…LAURIE ANDERSEN

FEATURES
FAITH AND DOUBT…ELIZABETH MATTIS NAMGYEL
CALM ABIDING INSTRUCTIONS…YESHE DORJE
WHAT THE BUDDHA SAID ABOUT EATING MEAT…AJAHN BRAHMAVAMSO
MEDITATION…EDITOR

RECIPES
GREEN SWEET CICELY SEED SWEETS…MONICA WILDE
MIXED VEGETABLE PULAO…INDRA MAHAPURIA

POETRY
WHEN YOU ARE OLD…WB YEATS

BOOK REVIEWS
BEYOND MINDFULNESS…MAEVE O’SULLIVAN
BODHICHARYA PUBLICATIONS UPDATE…WANGDU

VIDEO
ALL IT TAKES IS 10 MINDFUL MINUTES…ANDY PUDDICOMBE

HUMOUR
BUDDHIST HUMOUR…VARIOUS

We need your contributions for our next issue. Please send us your articles, reviews, comments and creative outputs to:

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The weather doesn’t seem to be sure of itself.  January was about 8 degrees warmer that the average maximum temperature. That was followed by above average temperatures in February and March.  Yet there are still people who question the effect of global warming on our planet.

In this issue of Many Roads, we have contributors from disparate fields of interest.  In particular, Martin Hird explains about the effect of the  greenhouse gases and pollution; and alternative methods of providing energy in Europe.  Tshering Tobgay talks about how Bhutan is not just carbon neutral, but carbon negative.

If any readers would like to post their views on climate change from a spiritual perspective, please send your comments and articles to manyroads@bodhicharya .org

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PERSONAL STORIES
Teaching on Holy Island…Rollo Strickland and Joe O’Donnell
A Personal Reflection on India…I. M. A. Scott
Lama Ngapa…Yeshe
A Room…William McConnell

FEATURES
Mushroom curry…Indra Mahapuria
Fermented Wild Garlic…Monica Wilde
Depression…Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel
Renewable Energy…Martin Hird

Protecting the environment that we all rely on for our survival is an immediate way to care for all beings.  (The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje:  The Heart is Noble.)

Greetings to readers of Many Roads for Bodhicharya. 

Coming to the end of the year and we’re still waiting for the winter snow in Scotland.  With evening temperatures of 12 degrees and massive flooding in Cumbria, we don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

The planet is becoming warmer with the mercury up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit.  The signs are there with the melting of the glaciers and sea ice, the storms and the droughts. Many low-lying islands will have disappeared under water by the middle of this century.

Germany is leading the way in renewable technology.  Although it has the second highest consumer electricity prices in Europe, there is a positive change in its resolve to develop an eco-friendly culture – and a determination to abandon nuclear energy.  Already, 27% of its electricity is provided from renewables with a forecast of having at least 80% by 2050. (Source: National Geographic.)

Let’s hope that the recent climate talks in France will have a positive effect  on actions taken by some of the most industrialised countries to inhibit greenhouse gases and make our world a more stable place.

To receive regular updates of news and views posted on the MANY ROADS website, please Join our Mailing List.   All you need is an email address.

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PERSONAL STORIES
A TIME TO WEEP…Diana Lilley
STROMATOLITES…Albert Harris
DHARMA DANCE…Yumma Mudra
JOURNEY TO LUMBINI…Yeshe
THE TIBETAN ART OF HEALING…Kate Roddick

FEATURES
NUT ROAST...Good Food
EGG CURRY…Indra Majapuria
THE SANGHA…Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel
BODHICHARYA PUBLICATIONS BECOMES A CIC…Wangdu

POETRY
STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING…Robert Frost
TO WATERFALL…Irene Lavery
THREE POEMS…Cicely Gill
A HEARTWARMING HOLIDAY…Jaiya John

VIDEO
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS...Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
THE FOUR REMINDERS…Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
UMBRA…Malcolm Sutherland

BOOK REVIEW
IN PRAISE OF IDLENESS…Bradley Trevor Greive

HUMOUR
BUDDHIST CARTOONS

Summer is coming to an end and the Autumn Equinox is around the corner.  Already we’ve had our first crop of potatoes from one of our raised beds.  They are clean and organic, with a real taste that you won’t get from supermarket produce.  The brae berries are fat and sweet and the red currants are heavy on the branches.  Various beans are late in coming because of the lack of summer sun but the mustard leaf just keeps on growing and tastes delicious either cooked or in a salad.  And the apples and plums are almost ready to pluck.

In the magazine this time round we have some comments about the summer camp in Portugal as well as a personal review from Annie Dibble.  Maeve O’Sullivan answers some questions about her latest edition of Haiku poetry, A Train Hurtles West,  and we have another two poems from Angus Ogilvy.  Monica Wilde provides information about a cure for painful insect bites and Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel writes about dharma in the west…and lots more

Please consider writing and submitting articles to Many Roads.  There is no deadline as the magazine comes out when we have enough contributors.

The magazine is electronic and free and it’s easy to subscribe at:

Many Roads for Bodhicharya

All you need is your email address!

FEATURES
CHAU MEIN:  Yeshe
DHARMA IN THE WEST:  Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel
MEADOW WOUNDWORT:  Monica Wilde

POETRY
TWO POEMS:  Angus Ogilvy
LEAVING VIGO:  Maeve O’Sullivan

FILM
DEATH SONG:  Malcolm Sutherland

PERSONAL STORIES
TROWLOCK ISLAND:  Ann Inglis
BODHICHARYA SUMMER CAMP PORTUGAL:  Annie Dibble
REMEMBERING HARRY:  Diana Lilley
DENTISTRY IN NEPAL:  Anita Selva

REVIEW
A TRAIN HURTLES WEST:  Yeshe

FICTIONAL STORIES
SHE WANTED PEACE…  Jaiya John

EVENTS
SUMMER CAMP PORTUGAL…Various Contributers

DURBAR SQUARE BHAKTAPUR

The earthquake in Nepal was unprecedented in the amount of damage that was caused to the fabric and the hearts of the people.  The ancient cities of Lalitpur, Kathmandu and Bhaktapur have been badly hit.  Little news has been heard about the villages to the north, west and east, although unofficial word is that many of the houses no longer exist. Roads have been made inaccessible by landslides and the opportunity for helicopters to land is hampered by the lack of suitable places in the maze of terraced fields.

Please pray for the people in Nepal who have been affected.

OM MANI PEME HUM

FEATURES

Approaching the middle of a wood…Cicely Gill

Are We Really Practicing?…Elizabeth Mattis

Grasping the Nettle…Monica Wilde

Kubli Chana...Mridu Shailaj Thanki

POETRY

Letting Go of Avila…Maeve O’Sullivan

Prayer for Nepal…Jaiya John

Layman P’ang…Three Buddhist Poets

Splenomegaly…Angus Ogilvy

FILM

Karmapa…The Story So Far

MANY ROADS is a platform where students and friends of Bodhicharya can publish news, articles, poetry and more.  Writers, journalists, photographers and the inspired are also encouraged to submit any work under the various categories which can be found on the Home Page.

Submissions can be themed on the factual as well as the fictional.  Please submit articles for consideration by Wednesday of each week.

Should you wish to receive regular updates of news and views posted on the MANY ROADS website, please Join our Mailing List.

AH

Schiehallion (Fairy Hill of the Caledonians), Perth and Kinross, Scotland by Yeshe

There has been a lot of talk and a lot written recently about mindfulness.  I came across quite a few websites concerned with corporate-based mindfulness training (CBMT). There seems to have been a transposition of the Buddhist idea of mindfulness incorporated into business in order to decrease stress and improve productivity.  Here is some blurb from a course in New York which features a photograph of uncomfortable-looking execs trying hard to be mindful:

Would you like to make better use of the precious time you have each and every day? Are you looking for opportunities to be more effective, calm, clear, and focused at work and at home? Are you interested in learning techniques to be more responsive and less reactive in everyday living? 

Suits, shirts, shoes and ties seem the appropriate meditation wear for the course.

A course in Mindfulness at Aberdeen University describes the aim of the study as: Mindfulness is an innate capacity of the mind to be aware of the present moment in a non-judgmental way.

David Brazier has a unique take on the current popular interest in mindfulness and calls it the new hula hoop.  He relates that when he visited a neighbour his mother would remind him to be mindful of his manners:  simply to remember where he is and be polite.

Maybe there is something in his straightforward approach to what it is to be mindful.

This Christmas and New Year, please be mindful of those less fortunate than ourselves and radiate love and compassion for all sentient beings.  What better message can there be for this season of celebration.

Please  receive regular updates of news and views posted on the MANY ROADS website by logging on to Join our Mailing List. 

Take care and wishing all readers health and happiness in the coming year.

 Haflong, Assam

Features

Spinach Pakora by Indra Majapuria

Coconut Vegetable Tofu by Kate Roddick

Wild Food Winter Salads by Monica Wilde

A Conversation with David Brazier by Yeshe

Humour

Universal Laws from Everything You Never Said

Personal Stories

Big Buddha is Watching You by Christine Hawkridge

Community Champion’s Reflection by Ankhra

Healing the Wounded Heart by Annie Dibble

Poetry

The Retired Miner by Cicely Gill

Reunion by Maeve O’Sullivan

The Combat by Edwin Muir

Pride by Annie Dibble

Film Reviews

The Laughing Policeman by Charles Jolly

 Toronto: Autumn Sky

Autumn has turned into spring.  In our tiny garden at the front of the house, flowers are blooming again, the hedges are still growing and a warm wind blows through the trees in the park across the road.

In this edition, there are some new contributors.  Anne Katrin-Voss writes about her experience of how compassion can suddenly evolve when faced with an emotionally-charged incident.  Annette Tamuly Jung recounts her decision to change her lifestyle by joining a dharma community in France led by Lama Sherab Namdreul.  And Lynda Miller and Cicely Gill have contributed to the fictional stories and poetry sections  respectively.

Finally, all who knew Lama Tsering Paljor were saddened by his recent death and he will be remembered as a kind and gentle friend.

Submissions can be themed on the factual as well as the fictional.  Please submit articles for consideration by Wednesday of each week

Please  receive regular updates of news and views posted on the MANY ROADS website by logging on to Join our Mailing List.

PERSONAL STORIES

Compassion Can Change a Man by Anne Katrin-Voss

Oasis of Long Life by Annette Tamuly Jung

FICTIONAL STORIES 

A Slice of Samsara by Lynda Miller

POETRY

A Cure for Insomnia by Cicely Gill

Non-Hatred by Bikkhu Nanamoli

The Horses by Edwin Muir

Perspective by Maeve O’Sullivan

HUMOUR

Language and That from Not the Best of Tom Shields

FEATURES

Lama Tsering Paljor by Yeshe

Pumpkin Achar by Indra Majapuria

VIDEO

Winter Walk in Vogrie Park by Yeshe

Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so.

John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873)

There is a novel method for gauging prosperity in Bhutan; the measure of wealth in a country can be assessed in the happiness of the people.  In Bhutan, they have replaced road signs telling drivers to slow down or not to exceed the speed limit with life-affirming mantras:  Life is a journey: complete it; and Let nature be your guide are on signposts at the side of the road.  

Bhutan has rejected the measure of the country’s GDP in favour of GNH – Gross National Happiness.  It can be witnessed not only in the smiling faces of the people, but in the way they have protected the environment from the onslaught of modernisation with its consequent destruction of the culture.  The preservation of the environment has remained more important than the maximisation of profit and it remains that way, at the centre of its political agenda.

How has such a distinct and unique system of measuring the happiness of the people been sustained?  Being geographically isolated  has certainly helped protect the country from the devastating effects of the corporate greed and destruction of the environment.  The clearest and most concise answer for me, however, can be found in HH Karmapa’s book, The Heart is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out.  

In his chapter on Consumerism and Greed, the subtitle is Contentment is the Best Wealth.  HH Karmapa expounds very clearly how the attraction for goods have played on our gullibility to purchase according to our wants rather than our needs.  Then once we have succumbed to the allure of material goods, we fall into the endless upgrade game.  “The functions you need are coming in the next version!  The new design is so much more attractive!  And it comes in your favourite colour.”  It could be anything from a phone to a car; a box of soap powder to an extension to your home.  HH Karmapa draws the distinction between wants and needs:  Using our own personal experience, we can ask ourselves where the distinction lies between what we really need in order to be happy, and what we do not need but merely want.  Greed takes control of us when we lose sight of this distinction and mistake our wants for needs. (pp 61-2)  He ends the chapter with a section titled The Greatest Wealth: Contentment.

So where do we find happiness?  There are several articles in the magazine which should provide you with thoughts about how happiness might be measured:  Andy Lowe has submitted an article about the way he overcame his severe writer’s block when he was involved in writing a text book on research methodology.  And in Under the Walnut Tree,  Andy’s second piece, he relates the story of Isa and Humphry and the success of building their dharma retreat in the Sierra Nevada, of Andalusia, Spain.  The three conversations that took place at Casa da Torres also provides insight into individual takes on the subjects.  Jaiya John’s positive prose also provides a message of joy.

Lastly, if you need some sustenance that will bring you happiness, there is a recipe for carrot haluwa by our regular contributor, Indra Majapuria.

PERSONAL STORIES

How I met Ringu Tulku Rinpoche: Andy Lowe

Under the Walnut Tree: Andy Lowe

FEATURES

A Conversation With  Tatjana Popovic-Thuret (Tanya): Yeshe Dorje

A Conversation With Ani Wangmo: Yeshe Dorje

A Conversation With Meena Stenroos: Yeshe Dorje

A Recipe for Carrot Haluwa: Indra Majapuria

The Himalayan Centre: Leith: Harriet Cross

EVENTS

Bodhicharya Summer Camp:  Casa da Torre: Pat Little

VIDEO

The Four Noble Truths: Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

POETRY

Going for Water by Robert Frost

Prose:  Joy’s Cup by Jaiya John

Poetry by Maeve O’Sullivan

In case you haven’t subscribed to Many Roads, you can do this on https://bodhicharya.org/manyroads/about/

“We’re becoming addicted to the Karmapa” [Paraphrased from Ringu Tulku Rinpoche’s speech at the end of H H Karmapa’s first visit to Europe.]

The Karmapa’s visit to Kamalashila and Berlin has been the highlight of 2014.  Thanks to the efforts of all the people involved in this memorable visit, the Karmapa’s charismatic presence was felt by all.

Fortunately, I was able to attend the programme at the Estrel Hotel in Berlin.  But Annie Dibble has penned a coherent and heart-felt response to Karmapa’s visit to both Kamalashila and Berlin.

A special thanks must also go to Ringu Tulku Rinpoche whose eloquent interpreting of Karmapa’s words sustained the flow of the teachings, expanded on by Karmapa’s interjections in English.

In this edition, one more recipe from Indra Majupuria for vegetable pulao is also included.

Another photo/poem from Jaiya John is on our poetry page.

Dickens’ character Mrs Malaprop has lent her name to many mistakes made in the English Language.  Here are a few – Malapropagation.

Lastly, I’ve published an article written by Upasana Pokhriya, The Ten Commandments for Women in India, originally published in a previous edition.

To subscribe to Many Roads, you can do this on https://bodhicharya.org/manyroads/about/

For the next issue, photographs, music, film and book reviews, poetry and recipes are welcome along with anything else you would like to submit.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Albert

                                              Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring 
                                              Your Winter-garment of Repentance fling: 
                                              The Bird of Time has but a little way 
                                              To flutter–and the Bird is on the Wing. 

                                                                                          The Rubaiyat, VII by Omar Khayyam

This month, we have a couple of new sections – Humour and Features.  In Humour we have Cricket – As Explained to a Foreigner.  I’ve never understood the game and understand it even less now.

Features contains a couple of spring recipes:  one for a mouth-watering Nepalese Curry; and another for a Garlic Dressing, contributed by Monica Wilde, a herbalist and forager.

Dr Gwen Enstam has reviewed Akong Tulku Rinpoche’s enlightening and motivational text, Taming the Tiger, which contains instructions on meditation techniques and the cultivation of compassion in oneself for others.

Meditation:  What’s the Point? is a film of a public talk with Ringu Tulku Rinpoche.  I Call You Legendary by Jaiya John recites a poem he presented at the Florida Dependency Summit.

Kate Roddick, a health-care practitioner has made her first contribution with her poem, Sometimes.

Eddie Buck is back with Days 1 and 2: End to End, recounting his fascinating journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats on a bike.

David Syme is a new contributor with his fascinating account of  his visit to Tibet.  David is a retired linguist and Changing Tibet is based on a presentation he gave at a University of the Third Age gathering.

Finally, there is a piece I wrote a while ago, I Was There, an account of my time in India when Indira Gandhi was assassinated.

In case you haven’t subscribed yet to Many Roads, you can do this on https://bodhicharya.org/manyroads/about/

For the next issue, photographs, music, film and book reviews, poetry and recipes are welcome along with anything else you would like to submit.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Albert

Today is the first day of spring, the  vernal equinox, and I came across some unlikely news in a publication, International Business Times. The column reminds the readers that this day is also the undeclared UN International Day of Happiness.  There is a surprising article about this day in the paper where it rather poetically states:

...in the world that has always been basking in the glory of economic prosperity and material gain and measuring the substance of growth only in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it is hard to imagine the possibility of looking at progress through the perspective of people’s happiness.

The article then continues to use the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan as an example of striking a balance  between the material and the spiritual welfare of its citizens hoping to impart happiness to all.

Ironically, there is news on the same page of a Tibetan mastiff puppy being sold for $2 million in China.  That’s going to make somebody happy.

How did I celebrate International Day of Happiness?  Between downpours, I potted some seeds in the hope they would germinate for replanting in the early summer.

This month we have articles from the usual sources.

Journey into Buddhism relates Ernie Buck’s experience of dharma and how he found his spiritual home.

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche explains how the world benefits from the three concepts of Healing, Helping and Harmony.  The short video is taken from a page on the Bodhicharya website.

Jaiya John reads his poem I Call You Legendary from the Florida Dependency Summit To all who attended the Everest Restaurant.

Happy faces at the Rigul Trust fund-raising event

This month we have some new contributers to Many Roads.  Mark Laidlaw gives a heart-felt account of his discovery of Buddhism in My Journey.

Ernie Buck returns with an account of the beginning of his journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats in Journey Down.

Christine Hawkridge who is the Chair of University of the Third Age has written a well-considered piece on Contentment.

In Fresh Peace, Jaiya John returns with a thought-provoking poem.

More poetry from Angus Ogilvy in Four Poems offers an insight into his skill in the use of different styles of verse.    

Finally, a poem by Laxmi Prasad Devkota I translated a while back titled Clouds.

Don’t forget, if you haven’t already joined our mailing list you can do this on https://bodhicharya.org/manyroads/about/ and receive monthly updates at the end of each month.  Please submit your articles early for publication.

Shrine for losar

So here we are having arrived safely in 2014 according to the western calendar. Of course, there is still the Tibetan new year to look forward to on March 3, the transition from the year of the water snake to the year of wood horse.  For me, that is an exiting time when special dishes are made:  khapsi, ghutuk, mo mos; and of course the salt butter tea which is definitely an acquired taste but so warming in the winter months. Oh well, meanwhile it’s porridge oats for breakfast.

In this edition we have an interesting piece of writing by Nougaro Saint Sernin known to some of you as Jet:  Guess Who!

Then there is a piece I wrote earlier about my experience with learning the Nepali language:  Learning a Language.  I rememer trying to learn Hebrew when I was at school and I had such a difficult time because it never really became part of my experience, only an exercise in memorising words for things.  Learning Nepali gave me a valuable insight into how a language should be learned.

The film  Blue Poppy by Sitar Rose is a well-crafted documentary to follow on from her previous submission, Fulfilling the Vision, a wonderful account of the horticultural efforts in Tibet to save valuable, medicinal plants that have been overharvested.

Ernie Buck’s account of his journey by cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats, Ernie’s End to End,  is entertaining in that we are armchair travelers and do not have to make the arduous journey the length of Great Britain.  Ernie has circumnavigated the globe on his cycle but we’ll revisit that epic journey another time.

In the Poetry Section, Margaret Ford has submitted two highly intersting pieces that combine variations in font, colour and overlaid images. They don’t have titles but you can link to them on Poetry by Margaret Ford.  These are meditative poems on  love.

Lastly, Jaiya John’s Meditation:  In a House of Stone brings us back to our selves and the mindfulness that is within us all.

Photo by Jet

SEASONAL GREETINGS TO ALL READERS OF MANY ROADS

Am I am imagining that the citiy is less busy than it usually is at this time of year?  

Perhaps online shopping has taken off and high street stores are now receiving fewer shoppers.  I remember not that long ago people held back their purchases till the post-Christmas sales which began on Boxing Day.  Now, weeks before Christmas Day, there are bargains to be had  as stores compete for people’s money with cut-price goods on sale everywhere.

Of course, there are alternative ways of giving presents this year and that’s by doing something that will benefit others: like donating to the Rigul School in Tibet.  All kinds of ways you can help the school are posted on  http://www.rigultrust.org/   

From 2014, Many Roads will be sent out as an Editorial to subscribers at the end of the month with links to the most recent articles.  For submissions, please send articles, reviews, personal stories etc. to manyroads@bodhicharya.org as early in the month as possible.  If you haven’t already subscribed, you can join on https://bodhicharya.org/manyroads/about/ by clicking  Join Our Mailing List at the bottom of the page.

Here are links to some of the most recent articles:  Approaching Buddhism, Meeting the Teacher and Daily Life at the Monastery are three articles originally published in the New Statesman by Ani Rinchen Khandro depicting her initial discovery of Buddhism, meeting the late Dr Akong Tulku Rinpoche and her experience of daily life at Samye Ling Monatery in Scotland.

Nosy Mangabe relates the experience of Jane Fyfe on an archaeological trip to Madagascar to study carvings on rocks left over the years by Dutch Sailors.

Dr Gwen Enstam reviews Night Boat by Alan Spence.  The book is about the Zen monk Ekaku and his attempts to revive Buddhism in Japan.

There is also a short poem by Eliza Bishop, Revealing Manjushri

Sitar Rose’s Fulfilling the Vision  is a film offering an insight into the “Spiritual, humanitarian and therapeutic” work at Samye Ling Monastery.

Jaiya John’s prose poem, I Find My Sacred Lake, is an ispirational piece of writing, straight from the heart, and depicts the humanity we can find in us all.

Finally, an account of a meeting I had with Lama Ngakpa Rinpoche in Kathmandu, Divination by Dice.

As usual, I urge you to send in your submissions as soon as possible for the next edition at the end of January, 2014.

May you have health and happiness over the coming season and the new year and hope to hear from you soon.

 Winter sunset over The Pentlands west of Edinburgh City