Sil

April 25th:

I am not an overtly pious person, but since I am in the heart of spirituality, I thought I should try some of the practices.  So - Sil, on the Bak Poya day - which is today.

I am doing Sil at home via TV - so that I can do it on my own terms - observe on the "inside" - without the external frills and traditions re: clothing, and how to sit, and when to eat etc.  6am - Several TV channels had sil.  I picked on to follow along. 

My biggest interest was not so much in Sil as much as the spiritual discussions that take place throughout the day.  But that was a bust!  One discussion was about how SL youth should stay in SL and not go abroad and leave the country to outsiders (or some such thing).  One was about how the president was a wonderful person because he cares for his parents and was a respectful son etc.  At this point I gave up and read my book of inspirational stories written by a monk - a British guy who was trained in Thailand and now lives in Australia.  So, the whole Sil thing was a bust for me.

Everyone I talked to since then are amused by my quest for spirituality - not really by the quest, but by my methods.  BLA/LA, Gihan, Nilly...  Their point of view is that these mass broadcast Sil programs are for the masses, addressing the lowest common denominator, and addressing the egos of politicians and big donors to temples.  If you want spiritual discussions, go on the web, or go to specific events in person.  Live and learn!