============================================================== To reach ALL SJD members, please send to sjd@satjadham.net ... Do NOT include any other addresses when sending to the list... Include as LITTLE of the original messages as possible........ Message sent by: LanXang Siengkhene *** Announcement: *** Please send your member fee to Victor if you haven't done so. ============================================================== It happened like this (it was actually my second time in Vientiane - the first time I hardly remembered it apart from a brief stay during the soccer match between Savannakhet air force team and the Thai air force team): My brother in law who played for Savannakhet air force team passed away when his T-28 plane plunged into the tree on his way back from Udon to Savannakhet. In fact, he was a very good pilot, maybe, on the same par with my brother, who was one of General Ma's elite officers. Unfortunately, on that tragic day, he flew home with another pilot in the driver seat. During the funeral at wat DongMieng, I witnessed for the first time apart from my grandmother's passing away when I was very young the burning of a human being. Seeing the flame and the chanting of the monks, I realized how fleeting life was. Also, during one of my visits to his coffin at wat OngTu guarded by the standing straight soldier in front, I listened to a story about two brothers who went to fight the Yak. As a good brother, the big brother wouldn't let his little one risk his life with the Yak so he came up with the idea fighting the Yak in a cave. Before getting into the cave, he told his young brother that if the blood flowing out of the cave was clear, it meant that he was killed. On the contrary, if the blood was thick red, it meant that the Yak was killed. If it was the first scenario, he wanted his brother to block the exit of the cave with the big rock so that the Yak wouldn't have a chance to come out. The young brother waited anxiously for the outcome while the rain was pouring down. Not knowing that the big brother defeated the Yak, he blocked the cave with the big rock immediately. Why? Because seeing the light red blood flowing out of the cave, he thought it was his brother's blood. In fact, it was the Yak's thick red blood but because of the rain, the thick red blood was turned into the light red blood. Too bad that I didn't remember the end of the story. Still the image was powerful enough for me to remember until today. Maybe, it hinted at our people dividing into 2 camps, the left and the right. In our hearts, we both wanted to get rid of the Yak but somehow with different means. That didn't mean we didn't love one another. Fate just made us choose different paths. If I were to tell that story again, I would say that the young brother realized about his mistake later so he went back and unblocked the cave. With the two hearts and minds together, they went back to their homeland and lived happily ever after… (to be continued) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com _ ***************************************************************** Visit SatJaDham Homepage at: http://www.satjadham.org (or .net) *****************************************************************