The Middle Pages

Buddhists hit the town you'd least expect

They weren't unexpected because the visit, from a group of monks in exile at a Monastery in India, was supposed to happen two years ago when things went south and their visas were denied. This year they made it. They were from the Gaden Shartse Norling monastery and the reason is the "World Tour for Internal Peace" courtesy of the Inkarri group. 

The week's program was organized and babysat by Adele Caprio - the founder of a local group I'm part of - Centro Le Nuvole.

We had a long conference the first day with the new Mayor in attendance, and then the monks set up shop in a local palazzo for consultations on medicine, psychology and astrology. One afternoon five of them came to our house to do a purification of a woman complete with bread effigies of her and a long chanting ceremony intended to rid her of obstacles, negativity, and disharmony. I interpreted. The most incongruous thing was seeing them wandering in town with hats and gloves and their maroon and saffron robes. The Italians were really unsure what to make of them. Overall they were well received and the visit was productive and interesting. I had my Tibetan horoscope read by the master (see below). I apparently need to avoid showing my angry face to people. Master said that my health is good, and that in a previous life I was the sage of the village. In my next life I can expect to return as a man. Goody! Let's hope I still have a planet to come back to, and not one in which Sarah Palin has any role in anyone's politics anywhere in the world.

They danced and I missed it, but I caught the purification ceremony for the town (it was a multi-denominational prayer ceremony for peace and I got to represent Atheists) and I was also lucky enough to attend a dinner cooked by the monks to say goodbye and end the tour. 

Anna Libera, Adele's daughter, was their adored pet and mascot and she blubbed like a baby when she said good-bye. They're off to Rome and then Spain, Portugal and Mexico. And the inner peace? I think there's time for inner peace when we're dead. But I'd be tempted to try (again) to do some meditation and keep my angry face for myself, in private, as the Master suggested.

 

The items used for the purification ceremony included effigies fashioned from bread and water used to attract negativity and bad karma, blessed water, rice, and incense.

Colored sand used for the mandala

Attired for the prayer for peace ceremony -

Dance and music in traditional dress

Anna Libera and the Master

Stimulation on the Road - Nookie and Kittens

Louis and I encountered this lovely vending device on a pit stop along the E45 near to Citta di Castello on the way to visit my darling Matilda earlier this month.

Here she is as a kitten:

Edited to remove the words for the act of love and material in various forms that depicts this act so my ads will not eb blocked:

So how it works is this: trucker pulls up to the rest stop. He buys a strong coffee to keep him awake and a plastic card from the cashier to prove that he's over 18. He pays, knocks back his espresso and leaves, stopping at this handy kiosk on the way to his truck. At the kiosk he chooses the flavor of "stimulation aid" that is to his taste and the format of its delivery (book? magazine? DVD?) and retrieves it from the hinged door at the bottom. This really underscores the differences in how we Americans and the Italians view "racy material" and "the act of love". Happy trucker or business traveler sets off merrily knowing he has his delicious, sordid treat to look forward to! Happy trails!