Welcome to the Year of the Monkey...

Welcome to the Year of the Fire Monkey according to the Lunar Calendar. When I think of Monkeys I think of cleverness, darting movement and the trickster. I wonder if this year is going to have unexpected turns and twists... more than usual anyway.

I return to this impressionistic expressionistic blog after a hiatus. No excuses there. Just a human habit of taking a break - or perhaps that's an Australian habit or a Kiwi habit! OMG.

Anyway back at the lunar ranch - the New Year begins in the second lunar month of the year. In the Tibetan Buddhist Calendar it's from the 9th to the 22nd February. It's a time of promise (including setting intention) and practice (including prayers) with virtue magnified - and non-virtue in equal amounts.  Maybe it's time for me to pay more attention to my monkey mind or less attention!

At KPC (or Kunzang Palyul Choling) in Maryland the New Year is time of the year when the Vietnamese Buddhist community visit in busloads to make offerings and prayers. The Vietnamese New Year is called Tet and the Vietnamese Pilgrims will visit a number of Buddhist Temples over the course of the day. At KPC it's a joyful occasion, and a momentarily busy time. I think it's the sense of sincerity and joy people come with that I find uplifting. Of course it can also be a little chaotic! Here are some of the pictures I took starting with my friend Ani Alyce Louise! A great beaming smile.

And me trying to take a picture of myself which is technically a selfie but not the way I took it!