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Later in the trip, we also were luke- thoughtful and refreshingly honest - no
warm about another scheduled talk - proselytizing “lesson” in religion. In-
this one by a monk based at Chiang stead, using a whiteboard, he methodi-
Rai’s serene Wat Suan Dok. At this tem- cally outlined tenets of Buddhism,
ple complex, striking white stupas house explaining that it is less about spiritual
ashes the Lanna royal family that once dogma and more about living mindfully,
ruled northern Thailand. It also is home with compassion, clarity and purpose.
to a university that trains monks in Bud- By the end of the session, we walked
dhist philosophy, teaching, and public away feeling uplifted. No, we’re not
engagement. converting, but we were surprised how
One of these monks, handpicked by many of Buddha’s teachings already
Joe, welcomed our group with a calm align with how we try to live our lives.
smile. His hour-long conversation was
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