TRAVELS
I am in the Middle East - or the Near east, as it is sometimes called. On my travels around the world it is remarkable how often I land in trouble spots, sometimes by intention, but often not. The whole world now knows that this area has been hit by a tremendous and devastating earthquake which has killed many thousands of people, maybe even as many as a hundred thousand. The dead are mostly still buried under rubble. The survivors, many of them injured, many now homeless, are facing severely cold weather with little or no shelter. It is a huge tragedy that will have social, economic and political consequences beyond the physical disaster relief effort. Only a week ago we were hearing of a much smaller scale disaster in which ten people were swept away by an avalanche. Rescue teams came and a second avalanche killed forty of them. Turkey is having a rough time. Whether your loved one is one of forty or one of a hundred thousand, the grief is still as bitter.
I am in the Turkish northern sector of Cyprus. It is the first time that I have been to this part of the island since i was a child. It is quite emotional to be here. We have done some sight-seeing, including places I remember from those early years. Yesterday we drove west to Lefke. The drive is beautiful. For two thirds of the journey from Nicosia one is crossing a flat plain with mountains left and right (south & north). On the Troodos Range to the south there is snow on the peaks. Beautiful. Then, as we got further west, beyond the northern coastal range, it being a clear day with good visibility, we could see the snow capped mountains of Turkey, eighty miles away across the sea.
We got to Lefke and spent the day with Sufis. A charming family made us very welcome. We exchanged books as well as greetings and had good conversation over tea and Turkish cakes. We visited two mosques, one of them 500 years old, the other within the precinct of a Sufi teaching centre. At the latter we met devotees from several countries including UK and USA. All in all a very pleasant and informative day.
I came to Cyprus by plane from Paris and flew into Larnaca in the south. After taking a day to recuperate from the journey, having arrived in the early hours, I travelled to Nicosia by bus. En route, I discovered that the battery in my mobile phone had died. This was my link with my host in the north, alas. Arriving, I had to find the check point in the rain. I was a little nervous anticipating formalities at the border, but there was almost nothing. A rather bored looking official asked to see my ID and then waved me though. On the north (Turkish) side, there was a little cafe. I bought a coffee and explained my problem to the proprietor. He let me recharge my phone and soon all was well. People here are friendly and helpful and life is easy-going. I was taken to a cafe to meet new friends and we talked poetry, travel, religion, and family matters.
My hosts here are delightful and cannot do enough with hospitality and care. I caught a rather bad cold and they have looked after me with great solicitude. So far, everything has worked out well and all problems have, by the grace of Allah, been overcome by kindness and consideration. Namo Amida Bu.
BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY
A new intake of First Year students is currently entering into Classroom One, while students now on their second year are entering Classroom Eight. It is challenging to handle two year groups at the same time, especially while travelling, but all seems to be going well and it is impressive to see how much good work is being done.
Do pass the Newsletter on to other members of your sangha
and if they are interested, ask them to subscribe.
ESPAÑOL: Siéntase libre de reenviar el Newsletter a otros miembros de su sangha
y, si están interesados, pueden apuntarse. En los próximos números
del Newsletter, habrá más artículos en italiano y español.
Intentemos ampliar la lista de correo a amigos italianos y españoles.
ITALIANO: Sentiti libero di trasmettere la newsletter ad altri membri del tuo sangha
e, se sono interessati, possono iscriversi. Nei prossimi numeri
della Newsletter, ci saranno più articoli in italiano e spagnolo.
Proviamo ad espandere la mailing list agli amici italiani e spagnoli.