Baby Buddhas

You don't have to believe for it to work.

I arrived in China in August, 2008, with $43 and a maxed-out Visa card. I near ! ost that at a securit! chec" #oint in $os Ange es. %ood thing I needed a &eer. I went into a &ar near m! gate with one other #erson in it. A good- oo"ing & onde, a&out m! son's age, named (cott. I had &een to d another new teacher wou d &e on m! ) ight, and as"ed him i) he was going to China* +e was. ,e oo"ed at our tic"ets- "arma had #ut us in the same row on the .4-hour ) ight to /ei0ing. I ordered a &eer and reached in m! #oc"et- I had e)t m! wa et at securit!. Shit. I as"ed (cott to watch m! carr!-on &ag, and dashed &ac" to the securit! area. 1he! saw me coming. I s#ied m! &eat u# #oc"et-wa et on to# o) the x-ra! machine, right next to m! one ounce trave /uddha, "e#t in m! other #oc"et when I ) !. American 1(A securit! o))icers o)ten comment on it &ecause it g ides &! their screens. I a wa!s made sure it was in an u#right #osition going through, the &ron2e in its &od! setting o)) a arms that were scrutini2ed, and ignored when the sha#e is examined. 34h, a itt e /uddha.5 Is am )or&ids ido atr!, so whatever I am on a securit! eve , I am not a terrorist. 1errorists don't ) ! with /uddhas in their #oc"ets. I have since accidenta ! e)t that itt e /uddha at )riend's house in Amsterdam. I had #ut it on her +indu-st! e a ter )or sa)e "ee#ing, and )orgot it in the rush to catch m! # ane. 6arma sa!s it was su##osed to sta! at her house, that's wh! I )orgot it there. (hou d ever I need it, it wi )ind its wa! &ac" to me. Buddha statues come and go, like flowers in the spring. I can only enjoy them for a very short while. I am )orever osing and )inding them again. I've whitt ed m! i)e down to two suit cases, a ma"e-u# &ag, a com#uter and a )ew /uddhas, and I can get m!se ) an!where, and I mean an!where. 1he! are m! #rotection, something o) great va ue on the road, trust me. 7aised in an Irish Catho ic &rood, I must ma"e a con)ession here. I con)ess I am not a ver! good /uddhist. In )act, I'm a rather /ad /uddhist, &ut I tr!which is a /uddhism as"s o) us. It is the most 3reasona& e5 o) a the re igions I've examined and #ractice in one )orm or another. /uddhism as"s us to a wa!s continue a 8uest )or higher earning, and to #ass that earning on in some )orm. It is interesting, as writers, co ective ! we 3examine5 others' )aith, and write a&out it, !et 3&e ieve5 in our own &ecause we "now it &etter, we've "nown ours onger, and ongevit! #u s strings. ,hat !ou &e ieve de#ends on the 8uestions !ou as" !ourse ). (ome &e ie) s!stems are &etter at answering 8uestions than others. ,hi e &oth m! #arents were Irish, m! mother was 9rotestant, m! )ather Catho ic. 1hat mix #roduces /uddhists or anarchists. I strive )or the )ormer, &ut "ee# the atter in reserve. I &ought that itt e trave /uddha at the /aita (i, the ,hite 9agoda 1em# e, m! )irst ast da! in /ei0ing, in 4cto&er o) 2004. :! then new )riend, 6ath een, had ta"en me as I cou d not eave without seeing it. :! )ew months there

were a ) urr! o) Chinese disorgani2ation, and I saw near ! nothing outside /ei0ing. ;ven in /ei0ing, I had on ! &een to the (ummer 9a ace, and the $ama 1em# e. I never saw the %reat ,a on m! )irst tri#. I read a&out the /aita (i, oo"ing at #hotos o) the strange white stu#a and "new I had to go there, even i) it meant ri##ing the #age out o) the guide &oo" to show the taxi driver. I cou d not s#ea" &e!ond three words in Chinese. 7i##ing the #age out wou d have wor"ed, &ut was not necessar!, as 6ath een agreed to &e m! guide. 1his is necessar! &ecause there are two white stu#as in /ei0ing. I wanted the /aita (i, not the other ,hite 9agoda 1em# e in /ai +ai 9ar". I had a read! &een to the one in /ai +ai 9ar" the month &e)ore with students on a schoo outing. /ut that isn't the s#ecia one. /aita (i is, )or man! reasons. It &eing the o dest standing &ui ding in /ei0ing is 0ust one. I have a wa!s )e t drawn to the # ace, i"e )o owing a string I cou d )ee &ut not see. 4vera , it had not &een a success)u tri#, and I was eaving China the next da! in tears, )ee ing an a&so ute #enni ess )ai ure. I had $.00 when I e)t China then. I cried the entire wa! home with m! one and on ! tissue, sitting &etween two un)ortunate &usinessmen who, at the end o) that ong 0ourne!, one #atted m! hand and said, 31here, there.5 (8uare one, ste# one. In the gi)t sho# I had seen the sma itt e .0 rm& /uddhas, and he d u# )our )ingers, indicating I wanted to &u! )our. 1he woman &ehind the counter thought I was tr!ing to &argain. 6ath een, ) uent in :andarin, aughed and said, 3(he thin"s !ou on ! want to #a! 4 rm&.5 9utting 40 rm& on the counter, the woman set )our identica itt e /uddhas in )ront o) me, and I immediate ! gave 6at one, sa!ing< All Buddhas should be given to you. If you buy one, you will end up giving it away. (8uare two, ste# two. ,hen I returned in 2008, 6at met me at the air#ort. I sti see her &eauti)u )ace, u# )ront, in the midd e o) a hoard o) Chinese, a waiting )or their oved ones. I was &e!ond exhausted, and gas#ing )or a cigarette. (he smo"ed at that time, and we went to an air#ort co))ee sho#, and did what we a wa!s do, ta " a&out the wor d's #ro& ems &e)ore we ta " a&out our own. 1he =.(. econom! was 0ust &eginning to tan" in (e#tem&er, 2008. 1he e ection was two months awa!. I came to China &ecause there was no 0o& )or me in the =.(., and at that time, I had m! #ic" o) #ositions in /ei0ing. (he, a veteran ex-#at o) more than .2 !ears, he #ed me decide which schoo 's o))er to acce#t. I made the right choice. I o)ten have to do things twice to get it right the )irst time. :! schoo arranged a van to #ic" &oth (cott and I u#. (cott's mom is a nurse and had given him some s ee#ing #i s to ta"e on the # ane. It wor"ed- he s e#t the entire 0ourne! a)ter dinner. 6at rode in the van with us to the hote . I dro##ed m! &ags o)), e)t m! #ass#ort )or registration with the #o ice, and she and I stro ed the hot sidewa "s, heading )or dinner. 6at had se ected a nice Ita ian &istro not )ar )rom the hote with ver! good )ood, and nice co d &eer. It was August hot, a itt e dam#, 0ust i"e is now. And dust!. It's a wa!s dust! in /ei0ing.

I cou d not "now what m! )uture he d )or me, &ut 6ath een was m! guide, mentor and occasiona guardian ange . (he has &een here since .>>8, having studied at the /ei0ing $anguage and Cu ture =niversit! ?/$C=@ com# eting a one!ear anguage course, )o owed &! a !ear at the /ei0ing /roadcasting =niversit!. +er degree is )rom /e gium in (ino og! ?Chinese (tudies@. (he to d me she earned Chinese &! )oregoing her Chinese c ass in )avor o) sitting next to an o d woman, a true /ei0inger, who so d ) owers outside the gate o) /$C=. 1he o d woman taught her as much a&out Chinese cu ture as she did voca&u ar!. 6ath een is ) uent in Autch, Brench, ;ng ish and :andarin. +er Chinese is o)ten commented on as 3#er)ect5 &! oca s- es#ecia ! taxi drivers who ove her ong, cur ! hair, and tr!, unsuccess)u !, to ) irt with her. :! schoo gave a new teachers a oan when we arrive, as Chinese and ords insist on rent #aid 8uarter !, # us a one month de#osit. I remain grate)u )or that sma courtes!. 1he! too" it out o) m! sa ar! in insta ments over )our months. I had a &eauti)u , &ut sma , &rand new a#artment, and 6at came over with a we come &ox o) "itchen things and 2000 rm& in an enve o#e. (he "new I was &ro"e and wou dn't &e #aid )or a&out )our wee"s. (he too" me to China :o&i e where she #ic"ed out a 300 rm& ?$C0@ Do"ia ce #hone, #utting C0 rm& in credit on it. ,henever I ran into anguage #ro& ems, I cou d ca 6at on the #hone and hand the #hone over to whoever I was tr!ing to communicate with, a taxi driver, the &an. (he then too" me across the street to the /an" o) /ei0ing that has a machine where !ou can oad mone! onto #re#aid gas and e ectric cards. (he #ut C0 rm& on m! gas card so I had hot water. I wou d not &e a& e to re#a! her unti the )o owing )rigid Be&ruar!, during Chinese Dew Eear, when #a!ing o)) de&ts is a custom &e)ore entering the Dew Eear, the! ear o) the 4x. I #ut 24 red .00 rm& notes into a traditiona red enve o#e, and too" it over to her warm a#artment on the 2>th ) oor with a do2en red roses. (he i"ed the roses &est. 4ver numerous unches, dinners, grocer! sho#s and other outings, I came to "now how much m! )riend wanted to &e a mother- &ut a)ter tr!ing )or severa !ears, and numerous medica interventions, her greatest desire e uded her. (he vo unteered )or man! !ears with 3:orning 1ears,5 a /e gium-&ased charit! that &ui ds or#hanages in the south o) China )or chi dren whose #arents have &een executed. 1hese chi dren are outcasts, seen as 3un uc"!5 in Chinese cu ture. ,hat can a )riend do* I, who had 0ust &ecome a grandmother, cou d on ! isten with a warm o#en heart. An American )riend, Am!, emai ed that she needed a 3,hite 1ara5 statue. 1he %reen and ,hite 1aras are considered the 3mothers o) a /uddhas,5 and were consorts o) 3Chenresing5 the great /uddha o) com#assion, &orn )rom his tears over the su))ering o) humans. ;ven toda!, the! are revered in China, 1i&et, De#a and :ongo ia. 1he ,hite 1ara stands )or #eace and com#assion, and the %reen 1ara stands )or action and ethica iving. Eou can te them a#art &ecause the ,hite 1ara has her egs crossed, and the %reen 1ara has one )oot out-stretched on a otus ) ower, read! )or action.

,hite 1ara Am! had &ecome disa& ed )rom a series o) medica #ro& ems, and cou d no onger teach- I ha##i ! set out to )ind her one. 4) course 6at had to come with me, we ove going to the $ama 1em# e, and went one warm (unda! in 4cto&er. ,e were in and out o) severa souvenir sho#s around the tem# e &e)ore we )ound one who "new the di))erence &etween a ,hite 1ara and a the others in the #antheon o) &odhisattvas ?saints@. Birst o) a , the %reen and ,hite 1aras are )ema e &odhisattvas, so the statute must have &reasts, and I ro ed m! e!es at more than one sho# "ee#er tr!ing to se me a &o! /uddha. I a so &ought three sets o) 1i&etan #ra!er ) ags. Am! was a so oo"ing at )orec osure on her house, and I thought the ) ags might he #, too. 6at negotiated the #rice, and I got &oth ,hite and %reen 1aras )or 200 rm& ?$30@. 1his was in m! )irst )ew months, and I was sti #rett! &ro"e. ,hen I too" the ,hite 1ara to the #ost o))ice I )ound out it was going to cost me 3C0 rm& ?$C0@ to air mai it ?it weighed a&out 8 ounces@, and it was too sma to &e shi##ed sur)ace. I was warned it wou d get ost in a 3ho e in the shi#.5 I cou dn't a))ord $C0, or consigning it to a )ate in the &ottom o) a Chinese cargo shi#, so I sent the #ra!er ) ags with a #romise to de iver the ,hite 1ara on m! next tri# home. /ecause I cou d not mai it, and wou d not &e going home )or severa months, the ,hite and %reen

1ara on ! ived at m! house )or months &e)ore I decided to give them &oth to 6at, to #ut on the nightstands on &oth sides o) her &ed. As the mother o) a /uddhas, it was m! ho#e the! wou d he # her get #regnant. I to d her< FCant hurt." Below is a photo of L and A, born une !", !#$$

Boy Baby Buddhas Eesterda!, 6ath een returned the %reen 1ara to me. I had a read! co ected the ,hite 1ara, and &! this time, had )orgotten it at m! son's house in 9hoenix. +e wi mai it to Am!'s new house in northern Ari2ona this month. (he is ha##! chasing road runners, tr!ing to get a good #hoto<