Day 18: 12 March

Happy Birthday to one of my dearest friends, Jacks! Here’s wishing you a most fruitful, expansive, and happy 27^th year!

Today my brother Mike, Jay, and I visited the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. It is my highlight of Bangkok. I remember Erich Schiffmann, one of my greatest teachers, talking about him during my Teacher Training. It was so fitting, too, because Erich embodies and exudes the spirit of this Buddha.

After piddling around the Grand Palace and visiting the Emerald Buddha, who was very appropriately in his hot weather outfit (yes! He has different outfits for the 3 different seasons here: cold, rainy, and hot), we made our way to Wat (which means Temple) Pho. There are many, many temples and other sacred places here in Bangkok, and each carries a specific message. At Wat Pho, the message is to have a secure and peaceful life, and I could really feel that energy once we stepped onto the temple grounds.

I was excited to see the Reclining Buddha, and as I caught glimpses of him from the outside, I started bubbling up inside, like a child on Christmas morning. When I got inside, my heart filled, my eyes spilled…I was in awe. I was completely and surprisingly overwhelmed. I was so moved by the spirit of the Buddha – peaceful, relaxed, protective; by the love of the people who created the statue and the temple that houses him – breathtakingly intricate, beautiful, and you can just feel that it was created with pure love; by Erich’s presence; by an energy of love, compassion, pureness, goodness that words cannot properly communicate. Crying and sparkling from joy, wonder, love, and gratitude, I looked over at Jay and whispered, “I love him!” It was one of the most magnificent things I have ever been in the presence of.

Let us all aspire to find and live in the spirit of the Reclining Buddha…I think I shall start by reclining in bed. Bon nuit!