July 24th and 25th in Chiang Rai

July 24th:

A morning bike ride out of Chiang Rai to the south about 15 kilometers brought me to Wat Rong Khun, or "The White Wat." This is the most unusual wat I have ever seen. Besides being all white, it's graphic sculptures and murals make it quite unique. 

The White Wat: the first view of it reminded me of something in Disneyland, or maybe the Ice Queen's palace.

before entering the wat, you pass through hundreds of hands and a few skulls

This is a contemporary wat, constructed in 1996, and expected completion by 2070. 

 Inside there is a life size sculpture of a monk in meditation. Behind him is a large golden Buddha sculpture. And behind it is a large mural of a Buddha. Painters are presently working on the interior murals. The most unusual mural was one that looked like World War III: monsters with missiles coming out of their bellies, and the twin towers burning. But then there are images of Spiderman, Superman, and other action heroes. There was one missile that faded into Elvis. There were Japanese cartoon characters. It was all very strange.

Even the traffic cones were unusual

I rode to Wat Rong Khun on highway 1, which was not very pleasant. I found an alternative ride on the way back, through rice terraces and beautiful scenery. 

Wat Srimingkeau, on the route back to Chiang Rai

Wat Srimingkeau's main gate, financed by foreigners at a cost of 1,500,000 baht (about $50,000).

We were having a difficult time finding good street food, walking all over town until we found this stand, serving the most delicious pad see ew, fried wide rice noodles with vegetables.

pad see ew (I added the chilies)

 July 25th:

To Know As We Are Known, by Parker Palmer

I have been reading Parker Palmer's book on re-envisioning education. He wrote this book in 1983, then revised in in 1993. And even though it was written quite a while ago, I find it very relevant today. Palmer has presented arguments against objectivism, which limits our understanding of truth, and for the understanding that truth is personal and in relationship. Though he also argues against subjectivism, which creates private "truths" which can't be challenged, and thus, are just as limiting.

Chapter 3: "What is Truth" 

Quoting Schumacher: "The answer to the question 'What are man's instruments by which he knows the world outside himself?' is . . quite inescapably this: 'Everything he has got' - his living body, his mind, his self aware spirit . . . It may even be misleading to say that man has many instruments of cognition, since, in fact, the whole man is one instrument . . . The great Truth of adaequatio (the understanding that the knower must be adequate to the thing to be known) teaches us that restriction in the use of instruments has the inevitable affect of narrowing and impoverishing reality." (p. 52-53)

Parker goes on to write: " . . . but ultimately we find a self whose nature is not simply to know, but to know in relationship, as a means to relationship. The self is greater than the sum if its parts, and its greatness is in its ability to move beyond perception in any mode - into relationship with the world to be known . . . The relationships of the self require not only sensory evidence of the other; not only logical linkages of cause and effect; they also require an inner understanding of the other, which comes from empathy; a sense of the other's value, which comes from love; a feel for its origins and its ends, which comes from faith; and a respect for its integrity and self hood, which comes from respecting our own self.  . . . The deepest quality in our quest for knowledge is not to object and analyze and alter things. Instead, it is personal participation in the organic community of human and non human beings, participation in the network of caring and accountability called truth . . . To know the truth is to enter with our whole person into relationships of mutuality with the entire creation - relationships in which we not only know, but allow ourselves to be known." (p. 53-54)

"When truth transforms us in relationship, then one not only asks 'What is out there?' in each encounter with the world. But one also asks 'What does this encounter reveal about me.'" (p. 60)

I had written the above passages from Parker Palmer in my journal a few days ago, intending to share them in this blog, but, for some reason, I was hesitant. Maybe because I hadn't fully internalized its meaning.

I remember once, in a discussion on meditation practices, I had said that sometimes I just walk and eventually I figure out why I am walking. Well, maybe the same is true for bike riding. I went on a morning bike ride with Sheila back to the White Wat, though using all small roads through rice fields and villages. After Sheila returned her bike, I decided to go on an afternoon ride. I had a biking map for Chiang Rai and the surrounding area that showed one bike route north of the city along the river. It turned out that the river, though near the road, was not visible. Instead, I rode through beautiful corn fields that skirted along the mountains north of Chiang Rai. 

Sometimes "understanding" is sneaky, as if it is just outside our field of vision. And it only makes itself aware when we are not paying attention (maybe "paying attention" narrows our focus too much). Often our greatest gifts of understanding reveal themselves in unexpected places and when we are not looking for them. 

While biking this afternoon, it became clear to me the significance of the Palmer passages, and so I found a coffee shop on the road and wrote.

afternoon bike ride across the river

the little road skirting next to the mountains

 The Parker Palmer passage is significant to me personally, as one seeking out my own "truths," but also significant as a teacher of history. Teaching about the subjectivity of authors and historical texts is central to my teaching pedagogy. One of the first lessons students are exposed to in my global studies class is about author bias: I show the students a set of photographs about a city, asking students to reflect on the people, culture, economics, etc, from this limited data. Then I show them another set of photos about the same city, but this time with a completely different bias. Hopefully the lesson shows the students that when reading history, we see everything through the eyes of the author, who is influenced by his or her own culture, time period, gender, and understanding. Even the process of selecting what to write about and what to edit creates a bias. 

I continue this process throughout the year by exposing students to different perspectives on the same event, allowing the students to articulate, through their own logic and evidence, what is true to them. The purpose of this is twofold: 1) As critical thinking human beings, I want students to challenge everything they read, hear and see, including challenging my perspective. And 2) (and maybe most importantly) In this diverse world we live in, I believe we have a much greater chance of living peacefully with one another if we can come to realize that our "truth" is a subjective one. And that subjectivity does not lesson it or de-legitimatize it in any way. To the contrary, an understanding of our own subjectivity opens the door, I believe, to an acceptance that other "truths" contrary to our own, are just as legitimate. Hopefully, what this creates is an atmosphere of tolerance, compassion and even curiosity.

Parker Palmer takes this perspective one step further. Subjective truth in isolation is just as dangerous as objectifying the world. It is through relationship that truth is discovered, both in dialogue with others and especially internally, for the process of accepting and rejecting tells us something about our self. 

Night market at 6 pm. A few nights ago this place was more than 100% full, with people standing around looking for a table to become empty, though it was much later in the evening.

surrounding the tables are many many food stalls. This one sells all types of fried food - onion rings, broccoli, crickets and grass hoppers

I have no idea what organ meat this is, or from what animal.

Sheila and I, being not so adventuresome, chose fried cashews, tempura vegetables, grilled squid on a stick, and spring rolls.

This was our last night in Chiang Rai. Tomorrow we head south 3 to 4 hours to Chiang Mai.

Last observations:
Ring tones are the same all over the world.
Two common international words: "mama" and "oy"