Below are more pictures of The Day After. The snowdrift that had piled up against the living room window is gone. I wandered out today to get a few supplies (like coffee). The streets (except for the piles of snow) are for the most part clear but tonight is supposed to be colder than the last two (the effect of the snow on the ground and the atmosphere), so I expect in the morning all those damp and wet places on the pavement will be ice.
The large snow covered item that looks like it's next to the buidling is actually the fir tree across the street shown close up in Saturday's post.
We had a few hours Monday morning without heat or hot water, but since 11am yesterday have been toasty and warm. I expect it was the result of everyone being at home instead of at work and the usual pre-holiday laundry washing bonanza. The snow on the hills across the street is sled scarred
I have spent the last three days rearranging my sleep schedule to watch the live broadcast of the start of the Kagyu Monlam led by His Holiness the Karmapa. I was truly expecting it to be a solo experience of watching a web broadcast of the teaching on A Letter to a Friend. Instead there was a chat room intended to report any broadcast difficulties that became a social arena where the online community chatted amongst themselves and with staff attending the Monlam in Bodh Gaya. What a difference it made being able to chat online to others. I now have new Facebook friends and a community of people with whom I have had a shared experience. It was amazing to see HHK live. Particularly to see him intervene in both English and Chinese making sure the translators chose the right words to convey the meaning of his teaching.
I had read the Letter to a Friend before and during the teaching and HHK illuminated and made the concepts real and applicable to everyday life and practice.
Because our online community (there were at times over 500 of us) was so lively and engaged, more of the Monlam teachings will be broadcast live between now and January 1. We had a special gift not shared by those English speakers in attendance at the monastery. In the interest of time, the HHK said there would be no translation of his talk on the environment. One of the online participants translated the main ideas from the Tibetan for us. The work that the Kagyu monasteries are doing to implement HHK’s guidelines is astounding. I failed to get the link to the environmental website for the monasteries but will post it when I do.
Between sleeping and web broadcasts, I have been knitting. I am working on another cowl in Knit Picks Worsted Bare. I continue to beaver away at my first legging (going to do the open heel tonight.) Piccys tomorrow.
Toupie has for the most part been very good with the topsy-turvy schedule of the past three days. It did help that the second teaching of the day started at our normal getting out of bed time, but we’re usually in bed for good by 9:00. He didn’t make too much of a fuss about getting up at 10:30 for three hours.
One news item struck me: Prince William spent the night out in an alley in London to draw attention to the plight of the homeless. Good on you! Although the news item didn’t mention security, I’m sure it was there. But as the charity campaigner who accompanied the prince pointed out, there was no shielding the prince from the cold of the night or the hardness of the ground.
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