Friday 19 June 2015

Laos: first impressions.

 

Just had a quick look round. Thought I was coming to another Cambodia, but not a bit of it, at least not in Luang Prabang, which is a very neat and tidy place. No people beeping their horns constantly or soliciting their wares on every street corner. Much calmer than anywhere so far.
Met a young Buddhist monk at a temple, who spoke very respectable English. He invited me to the temple for a meditation session. Found the temple, (by the bamboo bridge, how cool is that?), where there were other novices. It seems that the elite get into the temples to get a very good education. They reminded me of English Public School types; Eton or Winchester, that sort of place. Rogyal Rinpoche, a very influential figure in European Buddhism, who founded the temple where I spent 10 days last year, is a Cambridge graduate. Yoney Minghur Rinpoche, (the World's happiest man according to the popular press), went to Harvard.

Who remembers Kodachrome?

For the Anglophones.

Et pour les francaises.


Ever been to Anduze?

 

 

Entrance to the Temple.

 

There are also many more cats here than anywhere else in the region.

 

They seem to like it.

 

The place is stunning. An ataraxic calm reigns. Although I've done the temple thing, I'm not so good at the terminology, so the European version of calm equanimity will have to do. Maybe it's just lack of sleep, but I think I'm going to like this place.

 

 

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