Zentraveler discovers quaint fishing town of Madridejos, Philippines!

Once nicknamed the “The Little Alaska of the Philippines”.. Madridejos has a population of 29,00 people who live on the tip of Bantayan Island. Most of the folks make their living in the fishing industry. Kota Park has an excellent sand beach, an old fort museum used as a watchtower to defend the town from maruders, and a scenic pier extending into the sea. It abounds in dried fish and has two crab factories on the waters edge. In the town square their is a picturesque park adjacent to a large cathederal set among large shade trees and flowers.

As you walk around Madridejos you will be amazed at all of the small shops chalked full of all sorts of things to purchase.There is a local general market with lots of shops and a large wetmarket to purchase fruits, vegetables, meats, and especially fishes of all sizes and descriptions.

The streets are wide and uncrowded except for some jeepneys and tricycles. If you want lodging you would love the quaint Green Beach Cottages that look onto the sea and have beautiful manicured grounds with a variety of flowers and tropical plants. As you head toward the sea you can see colorful fishermans houses dotted along the seacape between the swaying coconut palms.

Madridejos is a 4th class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. It is one of the three municipalities that make up the island of Bantayan. It is bounded on the south by the municipality of Bantayan, Cebu, and on all other sides by the Visayan Sea.

Lawis was the old name of Madridejos. In fact, even up to the present, the less young among the people still use the name Lawis. In the vernacular term of “Peninsula”, the portion carved out to constitute the Municipality of Madridejos being the peninsula located on the Northern side of Bantayan Island facing the Visayan Sea. The first fisherman, Lazaro Mangubat, came to live in Mancilang, Lawis after discovering the place as one of the rich fishing grounds of the country.

The general scenery of Lawis was that of a quiet place, of Virgin grounds covered by small shrubs and lantana. When more people discovered Lawis and flocked to it, the place became a visita. In 1889 when Pedro Benito Romero De Madridejos, the Archbishop of Cebu, came to visit the place, Father Juan Alcoseba, then the curate of the place, renamed Lawis…. Madridejos in his honor.

The main industries of Madridejos are fishing, poultry and tourism. Because of its rich fishing grounds, Madridejos earned the name of “Little Alaska of the Philippines” and as a matter of fact the first canning factory in the country was established in Madridejos, but it lost its sustaining impact in the history of the municipality after it was bombed during World War II. At present, poultry raising is a booming industry and Madridejos contributes a substantial quantity of eggs produced for sale to the neighboring provinces.

Madridejos is associated with the name Bantayan being a part of Bantayan Island as it shares only more than eight square miles of the total land area of Bantayan Island. Madridejos is composed of 14 barangays, namely: Bunakan, Kangwayan, Kaongkod, Kodia, Maalat, Malbago, Mancilang, Pili, Poblacion, San Agustin, Tabagak, Talangnan, Tarong and Tuga

According to the 2000 census, Madridejos has a population of 29,020 people in 5,275 households……cebudaily.com

So there you have it! If you can scrape up $600.00 dollars a month you could probably live pretty well in Madridejos and be in on the ground floor of a yet to be discovered fishing village… of course you have to share your bounty with the locals and put up with balmy days, doing nothing except eating fresh fish and crabs under the swaying coconut trees….and watch the world go by!

QUOTE: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” …Gandhi

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: People were shocked to find the fish with “hands” – and now scientists are even more shocked to find a fish that happens to be a skilled rock climber. It would seem the march of evolution is indeed inexorable. Lithogenes wahari is a type of catfish with specialized pelvic fins that act as gripping “hands” to climb rocks, walls and other terrain. The fish is incredibly rare and the most recent sighting occurred after twenty years of research. There are actually a number of so-called walking fish although not all are true fish.

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: The sea and the fishes in them!! I just read a report that we are putting more plastic garbage into the ocean around the world then there are fish. You be the judge…. when will we ever learn to help take care of our planet!

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Get involved! Do something to help save our planet before its too late.

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler on Zen Koans!

My concept of a Zen Koan is a statement to make you think and possibly allow your mind to get closer to the truth…. helping you with higher meditation practices to obtain enlightenment. One of the best examples is: Zen Buddhism can be broken down into two simple words…not necessary so!

A puzzling, often paradoxical statement or story, used in Zen Buddhism as an aid to meditation and a means of gaining spiritual awakening.

A Zen teaching riddle. Classically, koans are attractive paradoxes to be meditated on; their purpose is to help one to enlightenment by temporarily jamming normal cognitive processing so that something more interesting can happen (this practice is associated with Rinzai Zen Buddhism). Defined here because hackers are very fond of the koan form and compose their own koans for humorous and/or enlightening effect.

In Zen Buddhism, a brief paradoxical statement or question used as a discipline in meditation. The effort to solve a koan is designed to exhaust the analytic intellect and the will, leaving the mind open for response on an intuitive level.

There are about 1,700 traditional koans, which are based on anecdotes from ancient Zen masters. They include the well-known example “When both hands are clapped a sound is produced; listen to the sound of one hand clapping.”

(Japanese, a Koan is literally an official document or public notice; a final arbiter of truth or falsehood) Koan are stories, often in the form of questions and answers, set as problems for meditation in the practice of Zen Buddhism, although the problems are not for solving by linear or rational processes.

The mu-koan is the reply mu (meaning nothing) given by the master Joshu in answer to the question whether a dog has the nature of Buddha. Another is the interchange: ‘What is Buddha?’ ‘Three pounds of flax.’

Sometimes referred to as ‘zen riddles’, kōans are brief stories or dialogues from the Ch’an/ zen tradition upon which Zen students focus during their meditation in order to penetrate their meaning. During the late T’ang and early Sung dynasties in China, the Ch’an community experimented with many new teaching methods that would allow masters to directly elicit an experience of awakening (Satori) on the part of their students. These ‘shock Ch’an’ or ‘crazy Ch’an’ techniques included beating, shouting directly into the student’s ear, or giving paradoxical or nonsensical responses to their questions.

Later, during the mid- to late Sung period, stories of master-student encounters that had succeeded, or simple tales of a master’s strange behaviour, circulated within Ch’an circles in the form of ‘sayings of the master’ or ‘transmission of the lamp’ (Chinese, ch’uan teng lu) literature. Examples included the Record of Lin-chi (Chinese, Lin-chi lu) and the Patriarchs’ Hall Anthology (Chin, Tsu t’ang chi).

As students reflected upon these stories, they found that they could use them as helpful devices in their own meditation. In reading the story of a master whose teaching methods had led a student to enlightenment (bodhi), they could ask themselves: what was the master’s mind at that moment? What did the student experience? In other cases not involving the recounting of an enlightenment experience but simply giving an instance of a master’s teaching or even a casual dialogue, the student could try to break through the obstructions in their own mind that kept them from directly experiencing their own nature and seeing their own inherent enlightenment. The formal use of such stories as a teaching device for students is first mentioned in connection with Nan-yüan Hui-yung (d. 930).

IN BRIEF: A paradoxical anecdote or a riddle that has no solution.

Tutor’s tip: The “Cohen” (a member of the Jewish priestly class) pondered the “koan” (a paradox posed to a student of Zen Buddhism to help bring about enlightenment) as he ate his ice cream “cone” (a geometric solid with a circular base tapering to a point opposite.

A Koan is a story, dialogue, question, or statement in the history and lore of Zen Buddhism, generally containing aspects that are inaccessible to rational understanding, yet may be accessible to intuition.

In summary
Kōans originate in the sayings and doings of sages and legendary figures, usually those authorized to teach in a lineage that regards Bodhidharma (c. 5th-6th century) as its ancestor. Kōans are said to reflect the enlightened or awakened state of such persons, and sometimes said to confound the habit of discursive thought or shock the mind into awareness. Zen teachers often recite and comment on kōans, and some Zen practitioners concentrate on kōans during meditation. Teachers may probe such students about their kōan practice using “checking questions” to validate an experience of insight (kensho) or awakening. Responses by students have included actions or gestures, “capping phrases” (jakugo), and verses inspired by the kōan.

As used by teachers, monks, and students in training, kōan can refer to a story selected from sutras and historical records, a perplexing element of the story, a concise but critical word or phrase (話頭 huà-tóu) extracted from the story, or to the story appended by poetry and commentary authored by later Zen teachers, sometimes layering commentary upon commentary.

English-speaking non-Zen practitioners sometimes use kōan to refer to an unanswerable question or a meaningless statement. However, in Zen practice, a kōan is not meaningless, and teachers often do expect students to present an appropriate response when asked about a kōan. Even so, a kōan is not a riddle or a puzzle. Appropriate responses to a kōan may vary according to circumstances; different teachers may demand different responses to a given kōan, and a fixed answer cannot be correct in every circumstance. One of the most common recorded comments by a teacher on a disciple’s answer is: “Even though that is true, if you do not know it yourself it does you no good.” The master is looking not for an answer in a specific form, but for evidence that the disciple has actually grasped the state of mind expressed by the kōan itself.

Thus, though there may be so-called “traditional answers” (kenjō 見処 or kenge 見解) to many kōans, these are only preserved as exemplary answers given in the past by various masters during their own training. In reality, any answer could be correct, provided that it conveys proof of personal realization. Kōan training can only be done with a qualified teacher who has the “eye” to see a disciple’s depth of attainment. In the Rinzai Zen school, which uses kōans extensively, the teacher certification process includes an appraisal of proficiency in using that school’s extensive kōan curriculum.

A kōan or part of a kōan may serve as a point of concentration during meditation and other activities, often called “kōan practice” (as distinct from “kōan study”, the study of kōan literature). Generally, a qualified teacher provides instruction in kōan practice to qualified students in private. In the Wumenguan (Mumonkan), public case #1 (“Zhaozhou’s Dog”), Wumen (Mumon) wrote “…concentrate yourself into this ‘Wu’…making your whole body one great inquiry. Day and night work intently at it. Do not attempt nihilistic or dualistic interpretations.”

Arousing this great inquiry, or “Great Doubt” is an essential element of kōan practice. In an attempt to illustrate the enormous concentration required in kōan meditation, Zen Master Wumen further commented: “It is like swallowing a red-hot iron ball. You try to vomit it out, but you can’t.”

A kōan may be used as a test of a Zen student’s ability. For monks in formal training, and for some laypersons, a teacher invokes a kōan and demands some definite response from a student during private interviews.

Kōans are presented by teachers to students and other members of the community, often including the teacher’s unique commentary. A kōan may seem to be the subject of a talk or private interview with a student. However, a kōan is said to supersede subject-object duality and thus cannot necessarily be said to be the “subject” of such encounters. The dialog, lecture, or sermon may more resemble performance, ritual duty, or poetry reading.

Before the tradition of meditating on kōans was recorded, Huangbo Xiyun (720-814) and Yun Men (864-949) are both recorded to have uttered the line “Yours is a clear-cut case (chien-cheng kung-an) but I spare you thirty blows”, seeming to pass judgement over students’ feeble expressions of enlightenment. Xuedou Zhongxian (雪竇重顯 980-1052) — the original compiler of the 100 cases that later served as the basis for the Blue Cliff Record — used the term kung-an just once in that collection (according to Foulk) in Case #64.

Subsequent interpreters have influenced the way the term kōan is used. Dōgen Zenji wrote of Genjokōan, which points out that everyday life experiences is the fundamental kōan. Hakuin Ekaku recommended preparing for kōan practice by concentrating on qi breathing and its effect on the body’s center of gravity, called the dantian or “hara” in Japanese — thereby associating kōan practice with pre-existing Taoist and Yogic chakra meditative practices.

The purpose of kōans is for a Zen practitioner to become aware of the difference between themselves, their mind, and their beliefs that influence how they see the world as an aspect of realizing their True nature. Paradoxes tend to arouse the mind for an extended duration as the mind goes around and around trying to resolve the paradox or kōan to an “answer”. This is a lot like a dog chasing its tail and, while it’s chasing, the mind makes itself more visible. Once a Zen practitioner becomes aware of their mind as an independent form, the kōan makes sense and the teaching point is realized.

Zen teachers and practitioners insist that the meaning of a kōan can only be demonstrated in a live experience (after all, only you can witness your own mind and realize its nature). Texts (including kōan collections and encyclopedia articles) cannot convey that meaning. Yet the Zen tradition has produced a great deal of literature, including thousands of kōans and at least dozens of volumes of commentary. Nevertheless, teachers have long alerted students to the danger of confusing the interpretation of a kōan with the realization of a kōan. When teachers say “do not confuse the pointing finger with the moon”, they indicate that awakening is the realization of your True nature — not ability to interpret a kōan with the mind.

Even so, kōans emerge from a literary context, and understanding that context can often remove some — but presumably not all — of the mystery surrounding a kōan. For example, evidence… suggests that when a monk asked Zhaozhou “does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?”, the monk was asking a question that students had asked teachers for generations. The controversy over whether or not all beings have the potential for enlightenment is even older — and, in fact, vigorous controversy still surrounds the matter of Buddha nature.

No amount of interpretation seems to be able to exhaust a kōan, so it’s unlikely that there can be a “definitive” interpretation. Teachers typically warn against over-intellectualizing kōans, but the mysteries of kōans compel some students to place them in their original context — for example, by clarifying metaphors that were likely well-known to monks at the time the kōans originally circulated.

If you are thinking about Buddha, this is thinking and delusion, not awakening. One must destroy preconceptions of the Buddha. Zen master Shunryu Suzuki wrote in Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind during an introduction to Zazen, “Kill the Buddha if the Buddha exists somewhere else. Kill the Buddha, because you should resume your own Buddha nature.” Contrariwise, the kōan, similarly to the quote “God is dead”, teaches not to believe everything you hear and to make conclusions for yourself.

“In the beginning a monk first thinks a kōan is an inert object upon which to focus attention; after a long period of consecutive repetition, one realizes that the kōan is also a dynamic activity, the very activity of seeking an answer to the kōan. The kōan is both the object being sought and the relentless seeking itself. In a kōan, the self sees the self not directly but under the guise of the kōan…When one realizes (“makes real”) this identity, then two hands have become one. The practitioner becomes the kōan that he or she is trying to understand. That is the sound of one hand.” — G. Victor Sogen Hori, Tanzan, Subhuti and Tetsugen

The koan is when there is nothing you can do what do you do – A Zen koan – when the mind knows the way and the I of you is full of merit where is enlightenment hiding? ….. adapted from answers.com

So there you have it Koan heads or is it cone heads!

QUOTE: “If you meet the Buddha, kill him.” — Linji

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: A Koan is a Koan!

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Gold coins and Koans!

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: You ain’t nothing but a Houndog!

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler goes Bananas over Bananas!

I was recently talking to a friend on Bantayan Island, Philippines and she served up some killer fried bananas. In fact she had an entire stem of fat yellow ones and boiled the rest for our work crew. She went on to say the reason monkeys don’t have heart attacks is because they eat this very type of fat yellow banana.

Just when you thought you knew something about bananas you would be be out of luck at the local market in Bantayan. They have fat red ones, fat yellow ones, fat green ones… and oh yea most of the regular looking bananas that are green are the best tasteing. They also have small yellow ones, large yellow ones… and all kinds of sizes and shapes in between.

I became intrigued over the Banana when I learned one of the top ten restaurants in the world (located in China) only serves Banana. They serve the stem thinly sliced from young banana trees, they serve the heart of the stems cut into plugs that make a wonderful desert, and they make all sorts of flambeaus and salads to get you through the elaborate banana menu!

Then their is something about the sound of bananas. “Yes! We have no Bananas!”, a broadway song sung by Groucho Marx, slipping on banana peels in the supermarket and what a lovely bunch of bananas… and you can’t play second banana to me!

“Here are 25 facts about one of the world’s most popular fruits: The Banana!

The banana “tree” is not really a tree, but a giant herb. The banana is the fruit of this herb.

The cluster of bananas sold in supermarkets is a “hand” of bananas, while the individual bananas on the hand are called fingers.

The strings that go up and down the length of bananas are called Phloem Bundles. They help distribute nutrients to every part of the growing bananas.

The yellow bananas that are most often sold in supermarkets are sometimes called “dessert bananas” because they are soft and sweet.

Plantains are a type of banana that are not as sweet and are usually cooked. While not as commonly eaten in North America, plantains are a dietary staple in many tropical regions.

It is believed by many experts that bananas were the first fruit cultivated by humans.

Alexander the Great first came across bananas in India in 327 B.C.

Bananas were introduced to the United States at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Celebration, where they were sold wrapped in foil for 10 cents each.

Worldwide, bananas are the fourth largest fruit crop.

The average American consumes 28 pounds of bananas per year.

The banana peel is edible, though perhaps not very palatable unless cooked.

About 50 percent of people who are allergic to latex are often also allergic to bananas.

India is the #1 banana producer in the world.

The most popular banana cultivar in the world is the Cavendish. This is the banana most often seen in U.S. and European markets.

Before Cavendish, Gros Michel was the main banana cultivar exported on a mass, commercial scale. In the mid-20th century, Gros Michel was ravaged by Panama disease and is no longer sold commercially.

Panama disease, or Fusarium wilt, is a fungus that attacks banana plants. It was reported in Australia in the 19th century.

It is believed that the Cavendish, like the Gros Michel, will be devastated by Panama disease within 20 years and will no longer be able to be produced commercially. This would be a difficult blow to the banana industry.

Scientists are trying to develop a hybrid, disease-resistant banana.

Chiquita was initially called the United Fruit Company. In the 20th century, they played a controversial role in the politics of Central America, where they had vast holdings. The company earned the nickname of “The Octopus” in the region because they had their hands in so many political pots.

The CIA-sponsored 1954 coup that overthrew the democratically-elected Guatemalan government headed by Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán is believed to be a direct result of influence by the United Fruit Company, which had an antagonistic relationship with the Arbenz government.

In Uganda, bananas are such a big part of the diet that the same word, matooke, is used for both “food” and “banana.”

The pejorative term “banana republic” was coined by American writer O. Henry. He used it in reference to Honduras, but the term became widely used in reference to any Latin American, Caribbean, or African country that was politically unstable, relied heavily on basic agriculture, and was not technologically advanced.

The banana split was invented in 1904 by 23-year-old David Evans Strickler, an employee at the Tassel Pharmacy soda fountain in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

The song “Yes, We Have No Bananas” was released in 1923 and became a huge hit. It refers to the banana shortage at the time.

In 2001, Britain recorded 300 incidents of injuries related to bananas. The majority of these involved people slipping on banana peels.” healthdiaries.com

So there you have it! If you want to be healthy and be depression free….eat lots of bananas!

QUOTE: I think cheese smells funny, but I feel bananas “are” funny. I’m assuming Swamp told the whole story of the executives seriously asking us to replace the banana with cheese because they thought it was funnier.

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: Eating a banana can cheer you up. Bananas are the only fruit to contain the amino acid, tryptophan plus Vitamin B6 which together help the body produce seratonin, the natural chemical which alleviates mental depression. (It’s also found in Prozac.) That’s why we call them “nature’s good mood food.”

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE:Bananas!

ZENTRAVELER SAYS:iF YOU WANT TO GO APE WHY NOT EAT MORE BANANAS!

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler treks to Bantayan Holy Week!

As I have been in the Philippines less than a year I also realize how important festivals are to the people. It gives the people a chance to have a parade visit with relatives and friends and sell every sort of snack and item you would normally find at a carnival.

HOLY WEEK OBSERVANCE
“The ancient customs of observing the traditional religious festivity during the Lent is drawing bigger and bigger crowd of devotees every year to Bantayan. The main attraction is the passion and death of Jesus Christ well illustrated in life size figures, mounted on high, richly decorated and brightly illuminated “carrozas”". These are paraded along the main streets on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Besides the passion and death of our Lord, images of saints as related in the Bible are also depicted. To this date, the scenes are complete from the Last Supper down to the scene when Jesus was being laid to His tomb”….Bantayan. gov

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

“BANTAYAN – Origin of a name. BANTAYAN as the name implies has a very interesting history as an island group.

During the time of Governor Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera ( 1635 – 1644), the Visayas were continually harassed by the Moros. Consequently, tall stone walls and watchtowers wer built in the different parts of the archipelago, for refuge and protection of the people from the moro aggression. The tall walls surround the convent and the church including half of the area where the Public Plaza now is. These watchtowers were loacally known as “BANTAYAN SA HARI ” , meaning, ” WATCHTOWERS OF THE KING” “KING OF SPAIN”. The watchtowers served as look-outs for the incoming moro pirate vessels. In the course of their vigil after the moros, it became the common expression for them to say, BANTAYAN! BANTAYAN!, meaning, “KEEP WATCH! KEEP WATCH! , and that was how this island-group got its name. The presence of the relics of those watchtowers till today, attest to the well-.fitting name BANTAYAN.

There are no dates to fix the time when the first people came to Bantayan, nor do we know of their places of origin. NO conscious records of their doings were left us to arrive at amuch certain conclusion. Some said, they can be traced back to Panay, others believed that the bulk of them were of cebuano origin, and still others say, they came from Leyte and Bohol.

However, there are indications that there existed some connections between Bantayan and the aforementioned places are the mixed dialects spoken by the people, the family names of the prominent old inhabitants, and their ancient culture such as cloth weaving, dances and architecture. AS to family names, the Rubios, the Arcenaces, and the Alvarezes, can be traced back to Panay, the Rodriquezes, the Ancajases, the Mansuetos and the Villacrusises to Cebu, the Villacins, The Villaflors, the Ortegas, and the Carabios to Leyte, the Hubahibs, the Garcias, the Caquilalas to Bohol. The majority of the old inhabitants, however, agree that they are a mixture of all these, a product of different blood and cultures.”…..Bantayan .gov.

I had the opportunity to meet the curator of the St. Peter and Paul Parish Church’s Museum which dates back to the days of Magellean. The walls of the church are at least six feet thick of square cut rock and once had cannons mounted on top and through the sides of the church to defend Bantayan Island against intruders.

The story told to me by the owner of Kermits… Eumel Lopez (a fantastic restaurant and stop for foreigners) who want to get really excellent snacks including: Italian cannolies, home made herb and wheat bread, and all sorts of delicious looking sweets in the cases. He also makes a real bacon cheeseburger that is to die for. And if you want any local information Eumel will be glad to share with you his knowledge of the area and probably sit down and have a cup of coffee with you… as his staff makes freshhy baked goodies of all sorts. When you go to Bantayan it’s a must visit to go to Kermits just off of the main plaza.

The story goes something like this the history books show Magellean coming into the Philippines and locating somewhere near Cebu City! According to local ledgend Magellean actually probabbly landed in Bantayan Island first and then sent his warfareing and discovery crews through the sea as a scouting party… and kept their main brigade right here in Bantayan… so they wouldn’t lose their entire brigade in a suprise battle in Cebu!

As I toured the churchs museum I saw robes made of pure gold, wooden replicas of religious figures, and an extremely rare manuscript with the pages made of pure sheeps leather… which is hundreds of years old and in perfect condition.

You cannot photo anything and I asked if I wrote an article about the museum it might be helpful to include some photos. The curator has now agreed to let me photo the rare items in the churchs museum . The only problem I have been back about ten times and cannot find the museium curator and the museum is closed.

Magellan’s Cross
This cross of tindalo wood encases the original cross planted by Fernando Magellan on this very site April 21, 1521

At any rate a Holy Week in Bantayan, Philippines is a really significant event and something you should consider experiencing on your own. As the religious tone intensifies you can witness the different stations of the cross as well as watch a magical parade displaying some of the important religious figures of Christainity. One that stands out is a float with Jesus on the cross in the trees with sun streaming down and the next float has hime being buried in the tomb.

The park adjacent to the Colonial built stone church is picturesque with an array of flowers and trees and serves as the focal point for the festivities. The parade goes clockwise around the park with the streets packed full of people. The central plaza is filled with flowers, cotton candy, all sorts of barbequed foods, and baloon vendors….adding even more color to an already colorful festival.

As part of religious tradition… you purchase a handful of candles and watch them burn over the embers paying your respect to the dead ancestors and pray for the future! Everyone goes to the festival including all babies, grandparents etc. People flock here from all over the world with the majority coming from the Philippines to attend Holy Week! Their literally is not one space to be found for sleeping.

The young and more adventerous simply camp-out on the beaches and others pile into the houses as if they were the best relatives ever! All of transportation in on a standsdstill and ferries are overloaded handling the approximate crowd of 70,000 new members coming onto the island for the Holy Week celebration!

As one foreigner said: “I wouldn’t miss this for the world, but maybe next year I will seek an deserted island for quiet and rest.”

So there you have it! If you would like to experience one of the most festive Holy Weeks in all of the Philippines… why not plan ahead and book into the beach resorts of Santa Fe just twenty minutes away from Bantayan Holy Week! Fair warning… the prices are escalated and it is very difficult to get your rooms… so you must plan ahead-and yes it is certainly worth the effort to see a celebration of life as only the Pilipinos can do!

QUOTE: Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. (Confucius) …

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW:Magellan brought Christainity to Bantayan Island in the year 1521 as is witnessed by the placement of the cross called Magellan’s Cross… located in St Peter and Paul Parish just off the main plaza.

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Religious Cards! Just go on the internet and google religious cards, which are collected around the world, and sold to collectors who are not only enjoying this hobby, but also makeing a business out of it. It’s great to open the mails from Romania, Germany and foreign destinations and see the beautiful work the artists created.

ZENTRAVELER SAYS:Maybe it not the Holy Grail but it’s a great time to explore and give regards to all of the religions of the world!

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentravelers Lafidio the Great Lion!

LAFIDIO THE GREAT LION FABLE!

It was a typical day in the jungles of deepest, darkest Africa! A pride of lions laid on top of the only hill in the area… licking their fur and generally discussing the happenings in the area.

One rather outspoken male Lion mentioned that these white hunters were shooting us for no reason… and even heard a rumor some of them took our hides back and made Lion rugs for their houses.

Lafidio declared then and now… “he was going to get revenge.” The other lions yawned and said: “no use… these white huinters use a magic bullet that kills us instantly.”

Lafidio dreamed of the day a white hunter would make a mistake. Maybe his gun would jam or blow up and he could run out and eat him.

He searched for the perfect lair… where he lay hidden in the crotch of a large tree. A secret place, where the white hunters always entered the savannah in pursuit of the almighty lion.

As the last of the caravan passed underneath the tree, carrying tents, foods, liquors and goodness knows what else was in the other white bundles, Lafidio leaped out of the tree and took down the white hunter… with the large mega rifle. He drug him into the bush and immediately devoured him for lunch!

That evening as the pride sat on the hillside Lafidio related the story: “that he killed a white hunter and ate him.” Again they yawned and told Lafidio not to exaggerate.

He then produced the white hunters rifle and began shooting into the sky. He then shot a branch off of a tree! He then shot a bird on a branch! He then shot a flea on the bird in the tree, and then shot a sparkle of dust on the flea on the bird in the tree and declared: “he was ready to fight an army of white huinters… if necessary!”

Every week when the white hunters showed up Lafidio had a new secret hiding place and ambushed every white hunter that entered their domain. Soon every lion in the pride had their own white hunter rug just inside their cave.

Then one day a white hunter showed up in shiny black boots, a white shirt, and a whip! He had no gun! This mystified Lafidio the Great …as this was his given nickname due to his bravery and expert markmanship!

The man simply opened his arms wide and asked Lafidio: “if I gave you all of the popcorn you could possibly eat would you like to tour the world with me!”

Since he never had an offer like this before he thought: “why not!” He instructed Lafidio to pack his tooth brush as that was all he needed. He remembered when he ate one of the whitehunters he had several toothbruses in his backpack.

They flew directly to the big circus in London, where Lafidio was immediately billed, as the Greatest Sharpshooter in the World. He could shoot coins out of the air, turn the rifle under his legs, and shoot behind him and do a finale by riding on a white horse and shooting just underneath his tail… as baloons fell from the air, as if a machine gun took them down!

As Lafidio became more famous, he was the talk of the town, and was invited to all of the social affairs. He noticed when he was dancing close to a debutante and had a little too much buttermilk to drink… his tail would slip down behind his perfectly fit black tuxedo.

He could really cut a rug… doing the tango as he whirled,the cha cha cha, and his favorite… the Spanish flamenco dance. Ladies lined up just to get one dance with Lafidio the Great and have an opportunity to get him in their liar …the bedroom!

One day they were all lying around the pool at the club, when one of the brightest and most magnetic celebrities, said to Lafidio: “I have a great idea: why don’t we book a safari in Africa and go after the most dangerous and exotic species on earth.”

Sort of drifting off, after having a few too many gin and tonics, Lafidio spoke up and said: “we are going in pursuit of the Lion!” “Exactly!” said the celeb: “how soon can you be packed?”

The big jet flew hours and hours and finally landed in Mombassa, Africa where they met their safari guide …who completely outfitted the group for the hunt.

They treked by Landrover Jeep overland and arrived at a five-star hunting lodge. They spent the evening listening to the wild sounds of the jungle and sipping on fifty year old brandy.

The following morning they left at daybreak on foot and penetrated deep into the jungle. The white hunter guide found fresh Lion spore and said: “the pride would probably be in the thicket next to the watering hole.”

Listening to the sounds of the jungle, Lafidio began to reflect and silently walked in another direction toward the only rock knoll in Africa.

Lafidio whispered to himself: “what in the world am I doing” as he threw down his rifle in disgust and headed deeper into the jungle….never to be seen or heard from again!

QUOTE:Qingfu The living meaning of Zen is beyond all notions. To realize it in a phrase is completely contrary to the subtle essence; we cannot avoid using words as expedients, though, but this has limitations.

Needless to say, of course, random talk is useless. Nonetheless, the matter is not one-sided, so we temporarily set forth a path in the way of teaching, to deal with people.

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW:Lions are the only cats that live in groups, which are called prides. Prides are family units that may include up to three males, a dozen or so females, and their young. All of a pride’s lionesses are related, and female cubs typically stay with the group as they age. Young males eventually leave and establish their own prides by taking over a group headed by another male.

Only male lions boast manes, the impressive fringe of long hair that encircles their heads. Males defend the pride’s territory, which may include some 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) of grasslands, scrub, or open woodlands. These intimidating animals mark the area with urine, roar menacingly to warn intruders, and chase off animals that encroach on their turf.

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: LIONS!
They are magnificent creatures and are very endangered of being totally eradicated.

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Do we really know what is best for us or are we just being pulled along by Madison Avenue slick advertising.

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler disvovers the perfect fruit! The Papaya!

Ever since we have keeping records in civilization man has been seeking the ultimate health tonic! Warpspeed ahead to Ponce de Leon searching for the fountain of youth in St.Augustine, Florida and cross the big pond and watch the snake vendors tell you of the virtues of drinking snake blood. Move over to China where they are feeding you powered rhino horn for sexual prowness.

Sometimes the answer is obvious and is sitting right in front of us! Just maybe the under-rated Papaya may be the Best Nutritional Food in the World and could keep you from all sorts of diseases—- simply by incorporating fresh papaya into your daily diet.

Papayas, native to Central America, have been long revered by the Latin American Indians. Spanish and Portuguese explorers brought papayas to many other subtropical lands to which they journeyed including India, the Philippines, and parts of Africa.

This revered tropical fruit was reputably called “The Fruit of the Angels” by Christopher Columbus. In the 20th century, papayas were brought to the United States and have been cultivated in Hawaii, the major U.S. producer since the 1920s. Today, the largest commercial producers of papayas include the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

PAPAYA
The papaya is a melon like fruit with yellow-orange flesh enclosed in a thin skin that varies in color from green to orange to rose.

Papayas are a rich source of vitamin A and C. One half of a small papaya can provide 150% of the recommended dietary intake of Vitamin C. It is low in calories, fat free, cholesterol free, and a good source of potassium, folate, and fiber.

How to Select and Store
If you want to eat them within a day of purchase, choose papayas that have reddish-orange skin and are slightly soft to the touch. Those that have patches of yellow color will take a few more days to ripen.

Papayas that are totally green or overly hard should not be purchased, unless you are planning on cooking them, or unless you want to use green papayas in a cold dish like an Asian salad, as their flesh will not develop its characteristic sweet juicy flavor.

While a few black spots on the surface will not affect the papaya’s taste, avoid those that are bruised or overly soft. Papayas are more available during the summer and fall; however, you can usually purchase them throughout the year.

Papayas that are partially yellow should be left at room temperature where they will ripen in a few days. If you want to speed this process, place them in a paper bag with a banana. Ripe papayas should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within one or two days, so you can enjoy their maximum flavor.

For the most antioxidants, eat papaya fully ripened: Research conducted at the University of Innsbruck in Austria suggests that as fruits fully ripen, almost to the point of spoilage, their antioxidant levels actually increase.

Key to the process is the change in color that occurs as fruits ripen, a similar process to that seen in the fall when leaves turn from green to red to yellow to brown— a color change caused by the breakdown and disappearance of chlorophyll, which gives leaves and fruits their green color.

Until now, no one really knew what happened to chlorophyll during this process, but lead researcher, Bernard Kräutler, and his team, working together with botanists over the past several years, has identified the first decomposition products in leaves: colorless, polar NCCs (nonfluorescing chlorophyll catabolytes), that contain four pyrrole rings – like chlorophyll and heme.

After examining apples and pears, the scientists discovered that NCCs replace the chlorophyll not only in the leaves of fruit trees, but in their very ripe fruits, especially in the peel and flesh immediately below it.

“When chlorophyll is released from its protein complexes in the decomposition process, it has a phototoxic effect: when irradiated with light, it absorbs energy and can transfer it to other substances. For example, it can transform oxygen into a highly reactive, destructive form,” report the researchers. However, NCCs have just the opposite effect. Extremely powerful antioxidants, they play an important protective role for the plant, and when consumed as part of the human diet, NCCs deliver the same potent antioxidant protection within our bodies. . Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2007 Nov 19;46(45):8699-8702.

Papayas are spherical or pear-shaped fruits that can be as long as 20 inches. The ones commonly found in the market usually average about 7 inches and weigh about one pound.

Their flesh is a rich orange color with either yellow or pink hues. Inside the inner cavity of the fruit are black, round seeds encased in a gelatinous-like substance. Papaya’s seeds are edible, although their peppery flavor is somewhat bitter.

The fruit, as well as the other parts of the papaya tree, contain papain, an enzyme that helps digest proteins. This enzyme is especially concentrated in the fruit when it is unripe. Papain is extracted to make digestive enzyme dietary supplements and is also used as an ingredient in some chewing gums.

Papayas offer not only the luscious taste and sunlit color of the tropics, but are rich sources of antioxidant nutrients.

Nutritional Profile carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium and magnesium; and fiber. Together, these nutrients promote the health of the cardiovascular system and also provide protection against colon cancer. In addition, papaya contains the digestive enzyme, papain, which is used like bromelain, a similar enzyme found in pineapple, to treat sports injuries, other causes of trauma, and allergies.

Protection Against Heart Disease
Papayas may be very helpful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Papayas are an excellent source of vitamin C as well as a good source of vitamin E and vitamin A (through their concentration of pro-vitamin A carotenoid phytonutrients), three very powerful antioxidants.

These nutrients help prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. Only when cholesterol becomes oxidized is it able to stick to and build up in blood vessel walls, forming dangerous plaques that can eventually cause heart attacks or strokes. One way in which dietary vitamin E and vitamin C may exert this effect is through their suggested association with a compound called paraoxonase, an enzyme that inhibits LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol oxidation.

Papayas are also a good source of fiber, which has been shown to lower high cholesterol levels. The folic acid found in papayas is needed for the conversion of a substance called homocysteine into benign amino acids such as cysteine or methionine. If unconverted, homocysteine can directly damage blood vessel walls and, if levels get too high, is considered a significant risk factor for a heart attack or stroke.

Promotes Digestive Health
The nutrients in papaya have also been shown to be helpful in the prevention of colon cancer. Papaya’s fiber is able to bind to cancer-causing toxins in the colon and keep them away from the healthy colon cells. In addition, papaya’s folate, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and vitamin E have each been associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.

These nutrients provide synergistic protection for colon cells from free radical damage to their DNA. Increasing your intake of these nutrients by enjoying papaya is an especially good idea for individuals at risk of colon cancer.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Papaya contains several unique protein-digesting enzymes including papain and chymopapain. These enzymes have been shown to help lower inflammation and to improve healing from burns. In addition, the antioxidant nutrients found in papaya, including vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, are also very good at reducing inflammation. This may explain why people with diseases that are worsened by inflammation, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, find that the severity of their condition is reduced when they get more of these nutrients.

Immune Support
Vitamin C and vitamin A, which is made in the body from the beta-carotene in papaya, are both needed for the proper function of a healthy immune system. Papaya may therefore be a healthy fruit choice for preventing such illnesses as recurrent ear infections, colds and flu.

Protection against Macular Degeneration
Your mother may have told you carrots would keep your eyes bright as a child, but as an adult, it looks like fruit is even more important for keeping your sight. Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily. In this study, which involved over 110,000 women and men, researchers evaluated the effect of study participants’ consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARMD, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss.

While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence of either form of ARMD, fruit intake was definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease. Three servings of fruit may sound like a lot to eat each day, but papaya can help you reach this goal. Add slices of fresh papaya to your morning cereal, lunch time yogurt or green salads. Cut a papaya in half and fill with cottage cheese, crab, shrimp or tuna salad. For an elegant meal, place slices of fresh papaya over any broiled fish.

Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis
While one study suggests that high doses of supplemental vitamin C makes osteoarthritis, a type of degenerative arthritis that occurs with aging, worse in laboratory animals, another indicates that vitamin C-rich foods, such as papaya, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.

The findings, presented in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases were drawn from a study of more than 20,000 subjects and focused on subjects who developed inflammatory polyarthritis and similar subjects who remained arthritis-free during the follow-up period. Subjects who consumed the lowest amounts of vitamin C-rich foods were more than three times more likely to develop arthritis than those who consumed the highest amounts.

Promote Lung Health
If you or someone you love is a smoker, or if you are frequently exposed to secondhand smoke, then making vitamin A-rich foods, such as papaya, part of your healthy way of eating may save your life, suggests research conducted at Kansas State University.

While studying the relationship between vitamin A, lung inflammation, and emphysema, Richard Baybutt, associate professor of nutrition at Kansas State, made a surprising discovery: a common carcinogen in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, induces vitamin A deficiency.

Baybutt’s earlier research had shown that laboratory animals fed a vitamin A-deficient diet developed emphysema. His latest animal studies indicate that not only does the benzo(a)pyrene in cigarette smoke cause vitamin A deficiency, but that a diet rich in vitamin A can help counter this effect, thus greatly reducing emphysema.

Baybutt believes vitamin A’s protective effects may help explain why some smokers do not develop emphysema. “There are a lot of people who live to be 90 years old and are smokers,” he said. “Why? Probably because of their diet…The implications are that those who start smoking at an early age are more likely to become vitamin A deficient and develop complications associated with cancer and emphysema. And if they have a poor diet, forget it.” If you or someone you love smokes, or if your work necessitates exposure to second hand smoke, protect yourself by making sure that at least one of the World’s Healthiest Foods that are rich in vitamin A, such as papaya, is a daily part of your healthy way of eating.

Papaya and Green Tea Team Up to Prevent Prostate Cancer
Choosing to regularly eat lycopene-rich fruits, such as papaya, and drink green tea may greatly reduce a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer, suggests research published the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Jian L, Lee AH, et al.)

In this case-control study involving 130 prostate cancer patients and 274 hospital controls, men drinking the most green tea were found to have an 86% reduced risk of prostate cancer compared, to those drinking the least.

A similar inverse association was found between the men’s consumption of lycopene-rich fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, apricots, pink grapefruit, watermelon, papaya, and guava. Men who most frequently enjoyed these foods were 82% less likely to have prostate cancer compared to those consuming the least lycopene-rich foods.

Regular consumption of both green tea and foods rich in lycopene resulted in a synergistic protective effect, stronger than the protection afforded by either, the researchers also noted.

Practical Tips: Get in the habit of drinking green tea and eating lycopene-rich foods.

Take a quart of iced green tea to work and sip throughout the day or take it to the gym to provide prostate protection while replenishing fluids after your workout. Pack a ziploc bag of apricots and almonds in your briefcase or gym bag for a handy snack. Start your breakfast with a half grapefruit or a glass of papaya or guava juice. Add papaya to any smoothie or fruit salad or use as a delectable garnish for fish.

How to Enjoy
For a delicious summer lunch, cut a papaya in half, scoop out the seeds, sprinkle with lime juice and top with cottage cheese, a fresh mint leaf, and roasted almonds. Begin lunch or dinner with some spicy tomato juice on the rocks with a twist of lime. Snack on tomato crostini: in the oven, toast whole wheat bread till crusty, then top with tomato sauce, herbs, a little grated cheese, and reheat until the cheese melts.
Top whole wheat pasta with olive oil, pine nuts, feta cheese and a rich tomato sauce for lunch or dinner.

The fruit, as well as the other parts of the papaya tree, contain papain, an enzyme that helps digest proteins. This enzyme is especially concentrated in the fruit when it is unripe. Papain is extracted to make digestive enzyme dietary supplements and is also used as an ingredient in some chewing gums.

Tips for Preparing Papayas: Papayas can be used many different ways. They can be eaten as is, added to a fruit salad or to a host of different recipes.

One of the easiest (and most delightful) ways to eat papaya is to eat it just like a melon. After washing the fruit, cut it lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and then eat it with a spoon. For a little extra zest, you can squeeze lemon or lime juice on top.

To cut papaya into smaller pieces for fruit salad or recipes, first peel it with a paring knife and then cut into desire size and shape. You can also use a melon baller to scoop out the fruit of a halved papaya. If you are adding it to a fruit salad, you should do so just before serving as it tends to cause the other fruits to become very soft.

While most people discard the big black seeds, they are actually edible and have a delightful peppery flavor. They can be chewed whole or blended into a creamy salad dressing, giving it a peppery flavor.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:
Mix diced papaya, cilantro, jalapeno peppers and ginger together to make a unique salsa that goes great with shrimp, scallops and halibut.
Sprinkle papaya with fresh lime juice and enjoy as is.

Slice a small papaya lengthwise and fill with fruit salad. In a blender, combine papaya, strawberries and yogurt for a cold soup treat.

Nutritional Profile
Papaya is an excellent source of vitamin C. It is a very good source of folate and potassium. In addition, it is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin E, vitamin A and vitamin K. w.h.foods .com

So there you have it a teriffic amount of research about a fantastic fruit. The Papaya! The perfect fruit… which you could easily incorporate into your daily diet for a healthy lifestyle.

QUOTE: Be soft in your practice. Think of the method as a fine silvery stream, not a raging waterfall. Follow the stream, have faith in its course. It will go its own way, meandering here, trickling there. It will find the grooves, the cracks, the crevices. Just follow it. Never let it out of your sight. It will take you….Sheng-yen.

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: Though the Papaya resembles a tree, a papaya plant is actually an overgrown herb, known as Herbaceous perennial!

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Papaya seeds! Start your own Papaya farm and live the healthy life!

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Eat more Papayas they are good for you! Listen to your mother earth she knows best!

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler takes night ferry via Philippines!

After what was to be approximately 7 hour bus ride from Bacelod to Dumaguete… my watch said 13 and one half hours and I was beginning to wonder if this was a typhoon, sunami, or just the end of the earth. As it turned out I was still alive and anxious to get back to Cebu.

I went to the ferry office at Dumaguete and procurred a senior discount ticket for 150 pesos, which is roughly three dollars US. I once figured out I could travel by bus in Central America for approximately 20 cents an hour and if I stayed on the bus for a year my daily cost would be approximately $1.60 per day plus food and lodging… which would include corn on the cobb, beans and some sort of homemade tortillas. My sleeping would vary from hammock, backpack sleeping bag, and an occassional budget hotel.

Oh well a diversion …I figured I could travel for a year for under two thousand dollars and have an experience of a lifetime. You could also travel by the ferry system in the Philippines, take advantage of their discounts, and move from Island to Island at a very cost effective method of travel.

Also for those who love adventure, white water rafting, surfing, deep sea fishing, birding, and discovering Spanish ruins and historical sights… the Philippines is a place yet to be discovered, because of its great diversity in culture and geographical terrain.

One minute you are visiting the night ferries and witches of Siquijor Island, who can cast a spell, and the next minute you are witness to a holy event…. complete with large parades and fiestas with drums beating and folks dancing down the street.

The Philippines in one way is just a giant fiesta, trying to suck you in like the Venus Fly trap, and if you are not careful you too will be a part of the celebration—stopping to taste some of their dishes, which don’t even have an English name or comparison, and joining in with the festivities.

As the Ferry pulled out of Dumaguete the night was pitch black and we could hear the whistle blast against the brisk wind. I beleive my bunk number was 454 and I felt like I was back in the US Navy!

The night ferry left Dumaguete at exactly 12 midnight and was scheduled to arrive in Cebu at 8 am. They had a small snack bar for coffee and such and I slept with my arms wrapped around my back pack using it for a pillow. The engines groaned and moaned and the ferry seemed to settle in for the long ride.

A bit dreary eyed I was outside on the railwalk as we came closer to Cebu! The fresh air was exhilarating and I was glad we had a safe trip and would look forward to stepping onto terra firma.

As the ferry approached Cebu, one small homemade boat made of bamboo came alongside the ferry, and to my greatest suprise, a pregnant mother dove off the side to retreive one peso thrown from the ship.

Soon several other homemade bamboo boats showed up mostly with naked children and with the mother or father pointing to their mouths… hoping to get a few pesos for their mornings work. The pesos kept falling usually one at a time and then we docked.

The next tume you think you have it tough, I want you to consider that a family or a single mother got up early and rowed the entire distance to gather a few pesos. My observation showed that the average boat might have gotten about 10 pesos of which they had to dive off of the boat and swim down fifteen feet or more and capture the peso. Of course I empyted my pockets and only prayed they too could have a better life.

So there you have it! If you want adventure and have a small amount of time or a great amount of time… hop a ferry and discover for yourself… some of the wonderful sights and culture in the Philippines!

QUOTE: “You ask why I live Alone in the mountain forest, And I smile and am silent Until even my soul grows quiet: It lives in the other world, One that no one owns. The peach trees blossom. The water continues to flow.” Zendailyquotes.com Li Po (701–762

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: Approximately 200 trees can be cut down by an average beaver.

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Trees!

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Eat more Beavers!

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler on the Zen Grasshopper!

Like my mother used to say: “What good are Zebras and what good are Grasshoppers and ESPECIALLY FLEAS AND MOSQUITOS?

The koan may simply be why judge and look for good or bad –just be grasshopper!

Zen meditation is a practice designed to make us more aware of ourselves and the world around us. It is meant to make us more sensitive to the world, to respond to others with empathy and compassion. It is a call to act in the world of suffering, while trying to maintain a mind of clarity and equanimity.

We need to cultivate that awareness, that sensitivity, to the world around us and to act upon it. This mindfulness includes the things that are unpleasant or difficult or make us uncomfortable to pay attention to. But that is necessary in order to look at the world just as it is and not how we want to see it or would like to see it.

A case in point comes from an article in this month’s issue of the “UU World.” The article is titled “Good for Nothing” by John Lockwood, a UU and a professor of entomology at the University of Wyoming. He is a bug doctor specializing in grasshoppers. I took an immediate interest in this article because you may recall that I have spoken about grasshoppers in the past. When I was a kid there was this show called “Kung Fu” in which the main character, Kane, was referred to by his master as “Grasshopper.”

It is a classic TV show of the seventies. Kane received this nickname, not because he looked like a grasshopper, which some people thought, but because of an incident when he first met his teacher, who happened to be blind.

The master asked him if he could hear the grasshopper that had landed on the boy’s shoe. When Kane looked down, he saw that indeed there was a grasshopper there. The blind Zen master had cultivated his awareness, his mindfulness, and his sensitivity to the world around him to such a degree that he could hear a grasshopper land on someone’s shoe.

Later when Kane passes the final test, his master asks him, “What do you hear?” He replies, “I hear the grasshopper.” Meaning that Kane had at last cultivated his own sensitivity to such a degree that he was now mindful of his environment. The grasshopper in this story is an everyday event. It is nothing special. But when experienced with a mind of clarity, even a humble grasshopper becomes the window to the sacred, the voice of Gaia.

Professor Lockwood’s study of grasshoppers from a scientific perspective yields some interesting insights. He claims that grasshoppers would make good Buddhists because they just sit there.

They exist for no discernable practical purpose. He writes,
“And so, in answering the polite and honest question, ‘What are grasshoppers good for?’ the ecologist in me wants to discuss the role of this creature in nutrient cycling, and the evolutionist in me wants to explain that it is good at replicating itself. But I have come to understand that these are ends that we impose and values that emerge only by induction; the grasshopper is unaware of our goals and our statistical extrapolations. We might as well ask ourselves what our children are good for: Do we love them because they are efficient omnivores, effective competitors, successful phenotypes, genetic successors? These compromise the right answer to the wrong question. The reason we love our children is not because of what they do, but because of who they are. That’s why as a spiritual scientist, my answer is that a grasshopper isn’t good for anything. Its presence is of no significance-an ultimate zero. Its value is in being a grasshopper, nothing more. The grasshopper just is. And that is enough.”

The question of “is a grasshopper beneficial for humans or is it just an inherent part of the web of life” is an issue that exists only in our heads to confuse us. Nature continues to be, continues to grow with or without us. The grasshopper, like the Zen master that can hear it, just is, and is not bothered by utility. Adapted from Sermon archive of Dr. Joshua Snyder.

QUOTE: Dae-Ju said, “When people are hungry, they eat. Only the outside, the body, is eating. On the inside, they are thinking, and they have desire for money, fame, sex, food, and they feel anger. And so when they are tired, because of these wants, they do not sleep. So, the outside and the inside are different. But when I am hungry, I only eat. When I am tired, I only sleep. I have no thinking, and so I have no inside and no outside.”

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: The scientific name of a grasshopper is: Conocephalus Longipennis and they are edidble.The taste and texture of edible insects varies as much as other kinds of food. The most widely consumed species are grasshoppers. When these insects are roasted and salted, they have a nutty flavor. Grasshoppers can also be ground up and used as flour.

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Grasshoppers! They are very good to eat… especially chocolate covered and offer good treats for our bird-feathered friends!

ZENTRAVELER SAYS:Eat more grasshoppers… so you can think from the outside and from the inside…. or just be! Grasshopper!

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler discovers Alkaline Vital-C!

We have all heard of the virtues of taking Vitamin C by now!
Dr. Linus Pauling dedicated his life to the research of Vitamin C and nearly eradicated scurvy worldwide… which is a direct vitamin C deficiency.

VITAMIN C DEFICIENCY IS THE MOST COMMON BUT UNRECOGNIZED REASON WHY PEOPLE DEVELOP AND ACQUIRE DISEASES.

I ONCE WROTE A BLOG ABOUT OPENING CLINICS JUST TO DETERMINE PEOPLES LEVEL OF ACIDIC OR ALKALINITY. DISEASE CANNOT LIVE IN AN ALKALINE BODY!

The original caveman and dinosaurs manufactured plenty of Vitamin C from their food sources. As we evolved we have lost the capacity to manufacture the required amounts of Vitamin C our bodies need in order to operate properly…. consequently we need to use Vitamin C food supplements to keep our bodies healthy.

Approximately 98 percent of all of the Vitamin C products that are on the market are acidic and most are incorporated with binders of pork and beef (especially gelatin) which affects their absorbtion rate and loads up your kidneys and liver with contaminants. In reality you are only gettting a portion of pure Vitamin C in each capsule.

Along comes the new face of Vital -C which is placed in a green veggie capsule with no additives. It is also Alkaline and contains 100 percent pure vitamin C. This product called Vital-C is the brainchild of Richard King, the owner of the Crown Regency Hotel, in Cebu and one of the Philippinos new billionaires.

His medical staff and research department are so positive of the effects of Vital-C, not only did they get the Vital-C product registered as a food supplement, but also as a drug… which is nearly impossible in todays competitive market, with the giant corporations and cash enhancing lobbyists, doing everything possible to promote the next drug.

Richard Kings goal is to make Vital -C a household word throughout the world and help people become healthy. It’s amazing, but if your bloodstream is Alkaline, you are DISEASE FREE and you have no tumors or cancers.

I became so excited about the Vital C- products ability to eradicate disease I became a Vital C distributor with my main office located on the ground flloor of the Crown Regency Hotel, the highest and most prestigious building in Cebu, Philippines!

In summary this is a breakthru product that can be taken in large doses without upsetting your stomach and can be taken any time of the day. The old acidic Vitamin C was told you could only take about 500 mgs a day and was down played as not very important in disease control. Linus Pauling got tired of The FDA and lobbyists and moved his research laboratory to Costa Rica, where they are still studying Vitamin C and its ability to eradicate diseases.

So it makes great sense to take a Vital -C product that adds Alkalinity to your body on a daily basis. With the new Vital-C product they recommend 1-2 capsules per day for maintainence and 3-4 capsules per day when you are getting the flew or a cold. Also cancer patients are taking up to 25,000 mgs per day. I have friends who knock out the flew in just 48 hours by taking 9 capsules per day… three in the morning, three at lunch and three in the evening.

RECOMMENDED INTAKE OF VITAL C
Healthy Adult :2,000-3,000 mg/day
Stressed/Sick :3,000-6,000 mg/day
Children :1,000-2,000 mg/day
1 year or less : 500 mg/day
Cancer patients :10,000 mg/day or higher-as tolerated

The roles of vitamin C in our body are so varied, that its deficiency results into most of what are now known as Chronic Degenerative Diseases (CDD).

Vital C product: Sodium Ascorbate:
Contains only 100 percent pure Sodium Absorbate in every capsule(vitamin C) Each capsule is Veggie green with no additives. PH is Alkaline. Does not cause stomach irritation. Can be taken with or without meals. Can be taken in high doses, even up to 25,000 mg without irritating the stomach.

Old Absorbic Acid product:
Usually prepared with binders (gelatin pork and beef) effects absorbtion. ph is Acidic. Causes stomach irritation. Must always be taken with meals to avoid stomach upsets. CANNOT be taken in high doses because of its adverse effect in the stomach.

Vitamin C was isolated from lemons in 1932, following the discovery of its link to scurvy. It was first written about circa 1500 B.C. and described by Aristotle in 450 B.C. as a syndrome characterized by lack of energy, tooth decay, gum inflammation, and bleeding problems. A high percentage of sailors with the British Navy and other fleets used to die from scurvy until James lind discovered that the juice of lemon could cure and also prevent the disease. The ships then routinely carried lime for the sailors to consume daily, and thus these sailors became known as “limeys.”

SOME CONDITIONS THAT WILL BENEFIT FROM SODIUM ASCORBATE SUPPLEMENTATION VITAL-C PRODUCT!
Mascular Degeneration.Cataract.Glaucoma.Bleeding and Swollen Gums.Allergic Rhinitis.Bronchial Asthma.Pulmonary Tuberculosis. different forms of Arthritis. Slipped disc.Thyroid diseases.Bruising.Tiredness. Skin Allergy. Low resistance to diseases. Recurrent Cough & Colds. Hypertension. Heart conditions. Angina Pectoris (Chest Pain) Varicose Veins. Diabetes. Alzheimer’s disease. Parkinson’s disease. Poor memory. Flu. Dengue. Hepatitis. Various Liver conditions. Psoriasis. Cancer and STRESS.

BENEFITS OF TAKING VITAL C SODIUM ASCORBATE SUPPLEMENT:
Strong Antioxidant. Immune Booster/Anti -allergy.Strengtening of the Connective Tissues. Natural Anti-cholestrol. prevents Thickening of the Blood. Strengthens and Dilates Blood Vessels. Anti-stress. Helps burn Fat. Liver Cleanser/Detoxifier. Removes heavy Metals. Anti-virus. and Enhances Fertility.

So there you have it if you want to be DISEASE FREE you can simply take the new Vital-C product and you are on your way to good health.

AS THE VITAL-C PRODUCT IS IN ITS GLOBAL EXPANSION PROGRAM ANYONE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A VITAL C DISTRIBUTOR CAN SIMPLY CONTACT ME AT MY:

EMAIL ADDRESS: vanfulton@gmail.com or cell phone Phillipines 0915-1164-043

To become a Vital C distributor you only need to purchase 7 boxes of 100 capsules each for 5750 Philippino pesos or US approx $115.00 plus shipping and a one time photo for your visa card cost of 100 pesos or US $2.00

When you become a Vital C distributor you receive a BDO Visa Bank Card with no credit check and no balance. You also receive a starter brochure complete with DVD, Product Registration, Incorpation and informational Brochures.

This is the perfect expansion business for any SERIOUS business persons who would like to get in on the ground floor of an explosive product. The Vital C Corporation pays commissions every Friday deposited into your visa bank account and the marketing plan is relatively simple …with you getting just two distributors underneath you.
The binary business plan builds directly underneath you. Worried about how to order… just do a simple bank transfer of your money and the product will be shipped immediately from Cebu Philippines

Disclaimer: This site is not an attempt to practice medicine or provide specific medical advice, and should not be used to make a diagnosis or to replace or overrule a qualified health care provider’s judgment. Nor should users rely upon the Zentravelers web site if they might need emergency medical treatment. We strongly encourage users to consult with a qualified health care professional for answers to personal questions.

QUOTE:Zen Quotes by Langya! “Just think of the trees: they let the birds perch and fly, with no intention to call them when they come and no longing for their return when they fly away. If people’s hearts can be like the trees, they will not be off the Way.”

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: If your body and bloodstream are ALKALINE you are DISEASE FREE!

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE:YOUR MONEY …that you continue to pour into prescription drugs… making the corporations even more wealthy. People are now moving away from drug based therapies and more toward natural remedies.

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: TAKE YOUR VITAL-C ALKALINE VEGGIE CAPSULES FOR A DISEASE FREE LIFE.

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler Ferries to Cadiz, Negros Island, Philippines

If you live in the Philippines or are looking for adventure… the Philippines offers 7107 islands to visit. One of the most cost effective ways to travel through the Philippines is via the ferry system which connects all of the major islands.

If you have the time this is a very good way to travel, since you have bathroom facilities, food, snacks, and drinks available, and can see many interesting ocean sights as you cruise along.

Often times you can see a brace of flying fish scurrying just off the top of the water… like a spray only to disappear into the depths and maybe outrun whatever larger fish is chasing them.

You can also see Dolphins following the boat or running alongside showing off some of their acrobatics just to impress you! I saw one albino Dolphin flip backwards and almost laugh at approval as everyone clapped and tried to take his or her picture.

As a bonus if you are a senor citizen you can get a discount on the already fairly priced ferry sytem throughout the Philippines. I left from Bantayan Town on Bantayan Island and took the four hour ferry trip to Cadiz. The cost of my ticket was about 150 pesos which is three dollars US.

Where else can you enjoy the fresh air, watch a myriad of Islands pass by, and stimulate your imagination… that you could someday live on one of these un-inhabitied islands and be an Island unto Yourself.

Just when you thought there wasn’t any civilization within miles you see a series of fisherman in pump-boats heading toward an island so secretive… that even the IRS could not find you here! In many ways you see sights that only Magellan the Explorer saw when he entered the Philippines.

After marveling at the blue ocean and all of this space the ferry edges up river toward the port town of Cadiz. This bit of navigation is very exact as the river narrows and the Captain sails along as if he knows every ditch and obstacle that needs negotiated.

Not beautiful by some standards, but reminiscent of novels from Somerset Maugham… you see a lot of rusted tin roofs and different types of rust bucket ships that have made their final run and are resting in their own graveyard.

As you make your way by tricycle you can choose any number of pension houses in maintown Cadiz or discover a hotel on the beach. They have one very good resturant named Garden Restaurant and one modern hotel just at the edge of town.

As you wonder through the local marketplaces you can see plenty of dried fish either hanging on racks, on tables or packaged in plastic bags to take home. As Cadiz is nearly sorrounded by water it has a reputation for its good fishes.

So there you have it! If you love adventure and want to travel inexpensively…. then hop on a ferry and see where the destiny travel wheel takes you.

QUOTE:”Like the little stream Making its way Through the mossy crevices, I, too, quietly Turn clear and transparent.” Dailyzen
- Hakuin (1686-1768)

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: “Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.” Robert A. Heinlein

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Save Your Marriage!
Trying to save your marriage? Easy.

If your partner and you have mentioned about the D word ( Divorce) a lot of times already, a time off period will do the both of you good. You may want to spend some time away from each other to think about things.

1.Focus on the things that made you fall in love with your ex. Try to calmly approach to go through your problems when the time comes that you get to see your partner again. Try to fix your own problems or issues. This could mean your personal issues as well that could have affected your marriage as well.

2. While in a “time-off” period, it would be best to repair the issues that you may have. Avoid pointing fingers and putting the blame on your partner especially if abuse has taken place during the relationship.

3. Fix conflicts. If after your cooling down period you have already made significant thoughts to how you may have added to the conflict, allot some time for you and your partner to talk things over without being interrupted.

4. Try Counseling. If you feel like being in a wrestling match every time you attempt to work matters out, try doing it in a wedding counselor’s office. A neutral third party that is well knowledgeable about how to save a marriage can help keep things sane and can help you make some real improvements.

5. Spend time quality time with each other; not being able to spend some quality time together is what gives the marriage issues. And when this happens, your relationship starts being on the rocks and you start spending time apart more often than you know, making it too late to save. Fortunately, this is a simple trend to change. Find something that you both love doing and make sure that you can talk to each other while doing so, and schedule it to happen twice a week.

Patience is a key in saving a marriage, and you will need it as change can not happen overnight. However, a lot of these methods you can try out right away.

If you think that being together will work better than being apart, or otherwise, do something about it and do it the right way.The main thing to do is dong something about it and not throw away time thinking that things will just happen all alone.

Do you have a plan? It is certainly possible to save your marriage. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane_Artisan

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: It’s all in Zee Travel. Hop a ferry today and see where the wheel of destiny takes you!

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?