Holiday Blessings

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Holiday Blessings

• Its freezing (and snowy) here in New England!
  But its good to be home from my fruitful
  pilgrimage to India Nepal last month. I happily
  sat beneath the Bodhi Tree every day, and watched
  it grow while the leaves occasionally felland
  hordes of pilgrims and tourists passed around and
  through it allthe head monks of Buddhist
  countries and the homeless and beggars of Bihar,
  the poorest state in India

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on The Champs Elysees of Buddhist pilgrimage
places. I was so impressed by the HH the 17th
Karmapa in person, in his room at the Tergar
Monastery, which Mingyur Tulku built for him in
Bodhgaya. He is very powerful and all grown up
now. There are metal detectors and outer walls
guarding the Bodhi Tree and Stupa now, tho it
still feels pretty much the same beneath the Tree
and also inside the Mahabodhi Stupa temple. India
is a wonderful, mysterious, magical country
filled with a plethora of people and customs. I
felt honored to be there but even more fortunate
to return to my homeland. Theres so much
inequality and poverty in the world, and I just
saw a great deal of it in Mumbai, at the Daravi
slum, which some call the largest and worst in
the world. One sixth of the world still
experiences hunger every day, and that is a truly
terrible way to live. The need is great
everywhere, including in our own country. In this
season of giving, we should all take a moment to
contribute generously to those less fortunate
than us, and be generous in all aspects of life
our time, patience and tolerance of others,
simple acts of kindness, share a smile or hold a
door, be mindful of others needs, and if you
can, share monetarily too. No gift is too
small. Thousands of candles can be lighted from
a single candle, and the life of the candle will
not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by
being shared. With love and holiday
blessings, To more details regarding the Lama
Surya Das, visit here at - http//www.huffingtonpo
st.com/lama-surya-das/