POWER OF FIVE (2006-Apr-20)
Cambodian legend has it that two deities once engaged in a challenge to
offer the ultimate sacrifice. The challenge: If you can figure out my riddle,
then I will chop my head off and vice versa. That legend offers a glimpse
of the cultural beliefs that are imparted and celebrated during the traditional
Cambodian Buddhist New Year ritual of handing over the symbolic head from
the old angel to the new angel. The old and new angels are figurative sisters
who share the responsibility of caring for their father's head. The Cambodian
New Year was actually last Thursday, but the celebration took place between
Friday and Sunday at the Cambodian Buddhist temple at 5111 Bryndale Ave.
in Southeast Memphis. Amid all the traditional decorations - a table with
feathers and offerings, a spot for the angels, the five mounds of sand
representing Buddha and his disciples and the stage where youngsters performed
- stands an unfinished building that soon will become the home of the temple's
monks, who have lived in the sanctuary itself since 1999. Directly
adjacent to the temple, the $85,000, 1,600-square-foot monastery is scheduled
to be finished within a couple of weeks. It will have two floors and room
for four live-in monks.
The Venerable Thuok Lach, an honorary
monk
at the Cambodian Buddhist Temple
in Southeast
Memphis, stands in front of the
symbolic five
mounds of sand at a recent Cambodian
New
Year celebration. The mounds represent
Buddha
and his four disciples.
Photograph by Rosalind Guy
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A rectory of sorts
The temple used to be the site
of a community center. Built in 1961, the 3,872-square-foot structure was
purchased in 1999 by members of the local Cambodian
community who wanted a place to worship and socialize. Thoeurn
"John" Chan, a local jeweler and pawnshop owner, spearheaded the project.
Besides donating a large portion of the money himself, he helped secure
the financing for the loan. Chan undertook the effort because he just wanted
to bring in something nice for the community. As the Memphis Cambodian
population grew, he noticed how everyone was scattered. Along with other
elders, he began collecting money to purchase the property on Bryndale.
"You cannot be a part of others' lives without being a part of your
own life ... You can't just run around like you have no roots, because
if you do, you end up feeling lost.." [Sophan Lach, A regular attendee
at the Cambodian Buddhist temple in Southeast Memphis].
The construction of the monks' residence
began about five or six months ago. Once the monastery is complete, Chan
plans to start raising funds to build another temple on the property. And
after that is complete, the old one will be redesigned and turned into
a gathering spot. There's no timeline for when the plans will come to fruition
because it all depends on the frequency and amount of donations. But all
the members have donated something, said Sophan Lach, one of the people
in charge of preparations for the recent New Year festivities. Everything
from the elephant statue - which represents peace - to the paintings on
the wall was donated. "It's just not right," she said, talking about
the monks living in the temple instead of in their own space.
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The blessings of liberty
Lach's father, the Venerable Thuok Lach, is one of the monks currently
living in the temple. He's also the honorary head of the monastery. When
the monastery is finished sometime in May, the members will hold a ceremony
to bless the building. Currently, only two monks are living in the temple,
but there should be four as tradition dictates. But it's difficult to get
other monks to come over from Cambodia because they want to be close to
their families, Chan said. Kaneka Lim, a 14-year-old who attends Wooddale
Middle School, became this year's new angel during the weekend's festivities.
"It makes me happy," she said of participating in the yearly ritual.
She's had a part as a dancer in the past three ceremonies. It's also a
way for the older generation to teach the stories, customs and traditions
of the culture.
Brave new world
As the only religious center for Cambodian Buddhists in Memphis, the temple
has served as a residence for monks as well as being a place of worship
and culture. It is in the temple where the new angel, old angel and the
angels' "maids of honor," or angels in waiting, practiced for the ceremony
in which the head of the father was given to the new angel. After both
angels have addressed each other in their native tongue - quite a challenge
for high school students who normally speak English - the angels perform
a dance of thanks and blessings. Theary Hory-Dodson, who also attended
Saturday's event, came with her family to the United States in 1981 to
get away from a country that had been destroyed by the Vietnam War and
the conflict involving the communist dictator Pol Pot. She was only 7 at
the time. "The country was devastated, so we came over here," she
said. "We had the opportunity to leave and we left."
More than 1 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships or
starvation under Pol Pot's regime. And the Vietnamese invasion in 1978
turned into a 10-year Vietnamese occupation that touched off almost 13
years of civil war. Associated Catholic Charities helped families like
Dodson's come to the United States with refugee status. Efua Coleman-Appah,
the organization's director of refugee and immigration services, declined
to estimate the total Cambodian population in Memphis,
deferring to her communications department. Chandra Tuggle, director of
communications, said Catholic Charities hasn't resettled any Cambodians
since 1981. More than 21,000 Cambodians have entered the country with refugee
status, according to a report released by the U.S. Committee for Refugees.
Having the temple and participating in the traditional ceremonies of their
homeland is one way local Cambodians stay connected to their roots, Lach
said. "You cannot be a part of others' lives without being a part of
your own life," she said. Like she's told her niece many times before,
"You can't just run around like you have no roots, because if you do, you
end up feeling lost."
Jeyvarman Duong : My Khmer Compatriots, ask not what Cambodia and
her People can do for you, ask what you can do for Cambodia and her People!
The Khmer Politicians have only interpreted Cambodia and her beloved people
in various ways. The point, however, is to change it...
Cambodia considers sending humanitarian troops to Iraq (2006-Apr-17)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodia is considering dispatching
medical and demining troops to help U.S. forces in Iraq, but will first
gauge the success of a Cambodian force leaving Saturday to work with a
U.N. peacekeeping mission in Sudan, an official said. U.S. Ambassador to
Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli met Monday
with Prime Minister Hun Sen to request
that Cambodia send non-combat armed forces personnel to assist with humanitarian
work in Iraq, senior adviser to the premier Om Yentieng said. Hun
Sen has previously rejected U.S. requests for the deployment of Cambodian
troops in Iraq, but suggested a change of heart during his meeting with
Mussomeli. "The prime minister did not say yes or no. He told the U.S.
ambassador that he needs time to see how the situation plays out in Iraq,
and to see how the Cambodian deminers who are being sent to Sudan
fare on their mission," Om Yentieng told The Associated Press.
A team of 109 Cambodian soldiers is expected to leave for Sudan Saturday
to join another 26 troops already there - marking the first time the Southeast
Asian nation will join an international U.N. peacekeeping mission. "Cambodia
could send medical staff, doctors, deminers, or possibly military police
personnel to help establish law and order in Iraq," Om Yentieng said.
He said Mussomeli was "happy to hear that the prime minister wanted
time to consider their request."
A U.S. Embassy spokesman confirmed Mussomeli's meeting with Hun Sen, but
declined to give details of the talks.
Copyright
2006 The Associated Press.
N.P. : The second religion of Cambodia is... ISLAM. If civilian Khmers-Islams
can work safely in Iraq on humanitarian grounds, why not? Many of them
have already received money from foreign countries and went instead to
work for the Malays (against the Thais?)
GOD
vs BUDDHA
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