Went to a chaotic Walt Disney colored temple this afternoon with Monkey characters and Avoliketera above a giant dragon. Then because we finished early Thay opted to go into the centre of Dalat to stop somewhere that is special in his memories. We stopped next to a giant lake and sat on the grass. [...]

[Read more →]

Today went to Chua Linh Son where Thay went after rebelling against his root temple in order to practise engaged Buddhism- which interacts with the community. He talked about taking care of your loved ones and the three reconciliation ceremonies that are taking place in Vietnam to grieve for all those whom have suffered during [...]

[Read more →]

Have spent the first week on tour with Thay. It is like being with a rock star, photographers are everywhere and he is greeted by crowds wherever he goes. We visited Phap Van temple where sixteen monks and nuns whom were killed when part of the SYSS- the social workers movement that Thay started that [...]

[Read more →]

It is my last night in Hanoi before I go to Ho Chi Minh City to go on a three week journey with Thich Nhat Hanh- a famous Vietnamese Zen Monk whom is in exile from Vietnam (Because he supported ending the war). I will be in Saigon, Dalat and then hopefully Bao Loc depending [...]

[Read more →]

A good start to the new year- returned to Hanoi and received notification that an on line journal Arabesques has published an article I wrote on Thich Nhat Hanhhttp://www.arabesquespress.org/journal/war-and-poetry-the-work-of-thich-nhat-hanh-by-hoa-pham-1354202for the link. So if the Chinese superstition holds true I will travel and publish this year.Last night went to the fireworks in Hue and ate ice [...]

[Read more →]

Went to Dong Xuan market today and ate buon (rice vermicelli noodles) and fried prawn cakes very cheaply indeed. A glass of tea was 1000 dong (ten cents) and buon was 5000 dong. This was way off the tourist track and we were the only foreigners there sitting on little plastic seats. Tomorrow am [...]

[Read more →]

Reading Thay’s book on anger- and about how doing other things mindfully creates writing. I totally agree- call it artistic dates a la Julia Cameron or a necessary gestation period- that’s my idea- it is fertiliser for works of art.I’m realising that I have a lot of anger and fear, and it will take me [...]

[Read more →]

mountain ranges shadowed by the mist, girls in indigo skirts large silver hoop earrings and bracelets hassling you to buy from them, terraced rice fields, water pumps pounding rice, colorful costumes, incredible scenic poverty.
I was very conscious of being a tourist here- we found out that each woman only got one outfit a year- at [...]

[Read more →]

Had dinner last night with Andrea Kauser a german anthropologist investigating spirituality in Hanoi and Doug Jardine an American academic teaching at Hanoi university. Andrea had some interesting things to say about ghosts and beliefs in spirits- she finds my belief that ghosts can appear during the 49 day transition period interesting- and she asked [...]

[Read more →]

Just met with another established Vietnamese author whom was quite honest with me about what is allowed and what isn’t allowed for writers to write about. In Vietnam you cannot write against the government, incite violence, have too much sex in your story and something about you cannot write against the unity of ethnic diversity [...]

[Read more →]