It has been three months since our friend Bandu’s tragic death. As is customary in the Buddhist tradition, after three months, the bereaved family hosts a home based ceremony in which the local monks are invited for a meal, and to…
Departing thoughts about Bali, Indonesia.
As hard as it was to leave Hoi An, Viet Nam, which we loved to the point of being ready to declare it our new home, it now seems incredibly obvious that Ubud is a natural habitat for us. So…
Petulu, Bali, Indonesia ~ village of the sacred herons (and returning souls)
Petulu is a quaint wood carving and painters’ village, just outside of Ubud. Petulu’s profile changed after a massacre in 1965 when Indonesia was rocked by the Indonesian government policy of radical “purging” of communists (inspired and financially supported by…
Ancestors and the spirit world, Hoi An, Viet Nam
A fundamental organizing principle for Viet Nam: The belief system and rituals that regard the spirit world. Vietnamese believe that there are two kinds of ghosts – those spirits who are “at peace” and were buried nearby their ancestral home…