Weekend

Yesterday I went to a Buddhist temple close by with Nalin, Piyal (Another friend of Nalin who lives in Seattle) and his wife. There was a gathering of the Sinhalese community in Seattle. People there (around 5~6 small families) ranged from ok to good. But the monk there didn't impress me. He kept telling me to come to US and settle down. Why on earth should I migrate to US? Besides that monk was breaking more than a few "vinaya" precepts I know a monk should keep. They collected money for the upcoming rains retreat and people there were asking whether the monk could go buy the rob himself, and he was telling he could! Most of the active members there and the monk was really concerned about the monetary issues. Perhaps I don't have enough insight to comment but I felt some thing wasn't right. Buddhist monks should not use money. Neither the monk nor the lays there seem to be real Buddhists. It made me recall the American-white Buddhist monk I met in the airport, venerable Vimala thero, he was very well disciplined and displayed every aspect of a true Buddhist monk.

So I remarked myself that it would be my first and last visit there even though I made a donation to the rains retreat.

I bought a pair of shoes today. I wasn’t planning to - but I went out and saw them and just bought them. And did a online search on them after returning, just to find out I could have bought them for half the price I paid if I bought them online :(