Buddha Day

It’s Buddha Day today. 

I wondered

what to write about… 

After living in a

Buddhist country

for three years,

I understand a little

about Buddhism and Buddha…

 But, I’m not going

to get bogged down

in religious facts

 and historical data. 

 Instead, I’m taking you to

Phimai, in the

north-east of Thailand. 

I first went to the

Phimai temple a long,

long, long, long time ago

– in 1991. 

I was with my Thai family

and casually strolled

the historical grounds,

 wondering at the thousand odd

 year old buildings

and gazing over the

picturesque location

(under a blazing sun and

 covered in several

sticky layers of sweat!)

Ever since,

these ruins have remained

some of my favourites. 

 I have been back

to wander the old

“halls” several times.   

It seems to have been

built in the 11^th or 12^th century…

(what’s a hundred years, anyway?!)

  It pre-dates the Angkor temples.

It is built in the style

of the ancient Khmer temples.

Happy Buddha Day

*Also –

today is NO Diet Day…

feel free to have another brownie…

Cheese… sure! 

That extra pie – no worries! 

Another wine? Go for it!  T

im Tams?  Why not! 

Enjoy!!

Photos from here and here.

Drifting Incense

A recent trip to a Buddhist Temple proved to be a reminder of the calm that washes over me when I sit in the protective temples. Wafts of incense drift across the air, stimulating my memory. Statues of the Buddha gaze down on me. The respectful sounds of hushed voices float around me as I feel my stresses and worries drift away with the incense.