Today I had a field trip as part of my Teaching Religion in American History class. We visited the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple in Hacienda Heights, which is where Al Gore once sold out his country to raise funds for his political adventures... Click here: http://www.hsilai.org/ I hadn't known anything about Buddhism at all, so this was a productive day. The class in the morning was taught by a brilliant professor from UC Riverside, who had been born in Ireland, educated in a Catholic monastery, then became a Buddhist monk and lived in a temple, then converted back. He spoke over a dozen languages, including Thai, Lao, Burmese, Vietnamese, Chinese etc. He was also a fanatic follower of the Philadelphia Eagles. Where do they find these guys? I got lost trying to find the place and I didn't even have Mrs. JO'Co along with me, so I have no excuses. I finally asked for directions at a place that said, "Chinese Accupuncture." I figured that if anyone knew where a temple was, it would be those folks. The pretty Chinese girls who ran to meet me offered to rub me down while I was asking my questions. They seemed disappointed that I only wanted directions (which they finally gave me) and offered to rub me down anyway. Now my first thought, was that lonely GIs must be looking for joints like this. My second thought was about that needle business and I got the hell outta there... The temple itself was quite beautiful. The shrine was nothing short of spectacular and a small museum of Buddhist artworks from around the world was jaw-dropping. Everything there was made of jade, ivory or gold. Our guide was a Buddhist nun who was very helpful and made us feel relaxed and welcome. The food in the cafeteria was all veggies, but I had scouted out a McDonalds on the drive over there, so I had that covered... I didn't realize that you could tour temples like that and I would recommend taking the tour if you're ever in that area... 8)
8) 8) 8) So did the kids make it, or did they go ahead and just tour the accupuncture/massage parlor!!
Jo Co, just in case I get to your neck of the woods, could you MAP QUEST where the Chinese place is and do you recall what the rate is for the "spinning basket" massage?
8) My students were in the desert, while I was pursuing my academic goals 100 miles away with other history teachers. This was another example of your tax dollars at work. I was paid for the day by my district and I get paid by the state/Fed grant for attending this class on top of that. I would have had to pay for the rubdown with me own credit card, but I would have deducted it from my income taxes as a necessary and academic expense for sure... BTW- that accupuncture place is on Hacienda Road in Hacienda Heights. The temple is three miles down the street from there at the corner of Hacienda Road and Glenmark... Buddha sez BE HAPPY!
:roll: you know the only way I would let him go . He promised not to come home bald and wearing an orange sheet. But he did buy me a lovely tape of monks chanting and a good luck poster in Chinesse ....