Farewell to Vietnam

Today is my last day in Vietnam. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I am eager to see my husband and my dogs. I have carried them with me in my heart these last weeks, thinking of them so often. When it was hard to fall asleep at night, I would think about what they were doing back home in Connecticut, and that would soothe me to sleep. On the other hand, I love this country and am sad to leave it. Vietnam has woven her way into my spirit. Not everything has been easy or peaceful or happy, but the whole web of life here is entrancing.

I have no agenda for the day, so I have been wandering, mostly in the Old Quarter. I started my day with a visit to a pagoda just south of the Old Quarter, Quan Su. I've read that it's one of the busiest pagodas in Hanoi. ("Pagoda" is a word used only for Buddhist temples in Vietnam. There are many other kinds of temples, but only Buddhist temples are "pagodas.") Indeed, there were a number of people chanting, praying, and doing prostrations. Not for the first time, I noted that most of them were women.

Then I slowly walked back to the shores of Hoan Kiem Lake. It was late morning and it's a hot day, so I treated myself to a small cone of green rice ice cream. (My friends and family know that in the U.S., I follow a vegan diet. I have found it challenging to do that while travelling and still stay healthy, so while I am in Vietnam, I am enjoying a vegetarian--but not vegan--diet!)

Then I did some shopping. A friend asked me to bring her a water puppet, so I stopped into several stores until I found one I liked. I hope she likes it, too! The same shop sold items made by some of the indigenous people of Vietnam, and I fell in love with two jackets made by the Hmong people. So those found their way into the bargaining...

For the third time during my stays in Hanoi, I ate at the Hanoi Garden restaurant. It is next door to my hotel, so it's convenient, but it's also lovely and quiet, and the food is good. I chatted with a couple from New Zealand and made notes in my journal. Then I walked to a lovely cafe/restaurant, Moca, near the main cathedral in Hanoi, and sipped what will probably be my last cup of Vietnamese coffee here.

Finally, I walked up to the north end of the Old Quarter to Baguette and Chocolate, a cafe that employs and trains Hanoi street children. They have a delectable selection of French pastries. I had one very small pear tart and wished I had room to sample something else. Now I am back in my lovely hotel, the Hong Ngoc Hotel on Hong Manh street, settled into a cool suite five stories above the horns and motorcycles. (See a few new photos, including one of Hong Ngoc, at the end of my photo album at http://tinyurl.com/2sbdac.)

I'll return to the U.S. with a few items to remind me of this beautiful country, with many photos, and a journal full of memories. It is, however, the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and the wisdom of the many Dharma friends I met and travelled with that will stay with me the longest. I read an article on the Internet that said over 2,000 people turned out for the Great Requiem ceremony in Hanoi this past weekend. That is such wonderful news! During one of his Dharma talks, Thay said:

"The seeds of Buddhism have sprouted green and fresh in the soil of the West. Practice there is very different than it is in Vietnam. People do not offer fruit and incense. Buddhism in the West is not for devotion but for concrete methods of practice to unravel difficulties. Donation and devotion [as practiced in Vietnam] can help us relieve suffering, but Buddhism isn't only a religion. It is a source of wisdom that can help us and help us to help others."

Integrating traditional Vietnamese Buddhism with the practices of mindfulness that Thich Nhat Hanh has taught so successfully in the West will be an ongoing effort. I have appreciated the soothing effects of devotional Buddhism here, feeling at peace in the incense smoke and dark, cool interiors of the temples. But I also know personally the great benefits of mindfulness practice and wish for all Vietnamese Buddhists that they will find a way to incorporate these beautiful practices into their existing traditions. And I thank them for all that they have taught me during my time as a guest here. Nam mô A-di-đà Phật