Why All the Buddhist Influences Lately?

Out of the blue, my daughter asked me if I wanted to go with her to a local Buddhist mediation session, followed by a "What is Buddhism?" film lecture. Sure, I'm open to most new experiences, so off we went.

But it also made me think, "Hmmm...what's with all of the Buddhist incidents coming into our lives recently?" Here's what I mean:

• Not long ago, I watched "What's Love Got to do With It," which is the story of Tina Turner's tumultuous life. In the movie, we learn that she turns to Buddhism to gain mastery over her situation, so I got to see how she worked this philosophy into her life, hear the chanting, the gongs...the experience.
• We recently enjoyed a fabulous work/vacation to San Francisco, where we spent much of our time roaming around Chinatown. One of our goals while we were there was to visit a real live Buddhist temple. We did and we loved the beautiful altar and all of the offerings, although we didn't quite get how people worshipped there? We also bought a set of miniature Buddha figures in faux gold and jade, to help us remember all the fun we had on Nob Hill and in Portsmouth Square. I set one on my bedside table, as a reminder to have more adventures.
• For my latest commuting book on CD, my hand pulled Siddhartha off the library shelf, which is the story of one man's journey to bringing to life the principles of Buddhism. I'm enjoying listening to it - Hesse's writing style is very flowery and lyrical, and there is cool sitar music between chapters.

We enjoyed the meditation and the lecture we attended, as I always like to learn new things, and everyone was very pleasant. I think we're going back next week.
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