Back to the Buddhists I go

Buddhist temple Mongkoltepmunee in Bensalem, PA

Enter, please

Glittering door in this classical Thai temple

Mr. S, who designed this classical Thai Buddhist temple, and Tang, a Thai-born Buddhist


Interior with Red carpet
White world of purity

Picnic grove. Buddhists like to eat

The iron gates of the monestery

After my experience w/the Buddhists, I went food shopping. Made a fresh flounder sandwich with sauteed onions on a kaiser roll. It was delicious except I was talking on the phone while eating since I had to catch up on my phone calls after I escaped to see the Buddhists.

I had a hankering to revisit old places today so slipped on my shoes and went. Everything is timing. First I drove out to Simon's old house. Unrecognizable. Under construction, major construction. Am wondering if the plumbing biz next door bought it. Tried to see if his trees were still in the backyard -- and the yellow iris he planted in memory of his mother -- but couldn't see a thing and didn't feel like trespassing.

Then I drove to The Atrium where I used to work as a therapist. Here's a photo. The bldg hasn't changed but our old offices are a financial company.



My old office was just beyond the bushes on the right. I had a huge room, the conference room. Used to run groups there. We had an intern by the name of Greg Perri. One time Greg came over and Henry Jacqueline was canvassing for office as a twp commissioner. I invited Henry in cuz I didn't like what he stood for but wanted to hear his spiel. I introduced boyish-looking Greg, correctly, as Dr Perri.

Couldn't remember what street the monestery was on. Was driving slowly & saw the iron gates. My heart soared. Would I be taken in?

Parked in the empty parking lot. They hold services for civilians on the weekends. Greg and I had gone once together. He said he never felt so out of place. The room was filled with chanting Asians and a handful of whites like us. I felt quite comfortable.

Lo and behold the Buddhists had built a bright new white temple. Aghast, I walked up to it in my shorts and red shirt, watch shining in the sun. Started snapping photos right away. Then I saw a man. Then two men.

He waved and I knew I was safe.

We stood and talked for half an hour. I was now under the influence, again, of the Buddhists. All life is suffering, he told me. The Buddha designed a way out of suffering. By meditating, you lose your ego which is all about attachment. Ah, I'd forgotten that word. Attachment. Things. Materialism. Nice things.

When I walked back to my car, I wondered if Tang thought I had a nice car. I am a materialist. I told him I was a poet. He said sometime in a past life I was also a poet. He had been some animals as well as persons. It was no accident we met, he said. There are no accidents.

The fact that you and I, Dear Reader, are together right now, when you could be watching a dumbass TV show or raiding the refrigerator like I'm gonna do, is no accident. According to Tang.

When I got home I took a nap. It was 4 o'clock. Slept well. When I woke and looked at my watch it was 4 o'clock. My watch had stopped.

Perhaps I was dead. But, no, I was dead the other day. Sometimes we die but we come back to life again. So far, so good.

Love, Ruthie