Tammy Banks

Heart and Soul
World Service
Personal approaches to spirituality from around the world.
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UN International Days
https://www.un.org/en/sections/observances/international-days/

International Days These are the international days currently observed by the United Nations. The United Nations designates specific days, weeks, years and decades as occasions to mark particular events or topics in order to promote, through awareness and action, the objectives of the Organization. Usually, it is one....

Calendar Daily Bizarre, Unique and Special Holidays - December, 2020 - 2021
http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/december.htm

Holiday Insights December, 2020 - 2021 Daily Holidays by Day and Month, Bizare, Unique, Special National Days December, 2020 - 2021 Holiday calender dates by day, month. Special Days, National Holidays

December Monthly Observances
World Aids Month
Bingo's Birthday Month
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness
Month
National Drunk & Drugged Driving (3D)
Prevention Month
National Write A Business Plan Month
National Tie Month
Operation Santa Paws (1-24)
Rising Star Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Spiritual Literacy Month
Take a New Year's Resolution to Stop
Smoking (TANYRSS) (12/8 - 2/14)
Universal Human Rights Month
December Weekly Observances
Cookie Cutter Week: 1-7
Tolerance Week: 1-7
Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week: 1-8
Chanukah (Hanukkah): 2-9
Clerc-Gallaudet Week: 5-10
National Handwashing Awareness Week: 6-12
Human Rights Week: 10-17
Halcyon Days: 14-28
Posadas: 16-24
Saturnalia: 17-23
Gluten-free Baking Week: 19-25
It's About Time Week: 25-31
Kwanzaa: 26-1/1
December Daily Observances
Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day: 1
Day With(out) Art Day: 1
Special Kids Day: 1
World Aids Day: 1
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
Day: 2
Special Education Day: 2
International Day of Disabled Persons: 3
National Cookie Day: 4
National Dice Day: 4
Skywarn Recognition Day: 4
AFL-CIO Day: 5
Bathtub Party Day: 5
International Ninja Day: 5
International Volunteer Day for Economic &
Social Development: 5
Coats & Toys for Kids Day: 6
Miners' Day: 6
National Pawnbrokers Day: 6
St. Nicholas Day: 6
Islamic New Year: 7
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day: 7
International Civil Aviation Day: 7
National Cotton Candy Day: 7
International Anti-corruption Day: 9
National Salesperson Day: 10
Weary Willie Day: 9
Dewey Decimal System Day: 10
Human Rights Day: 10
Nobel Prize Day: 10
International Mountain Day: 11
UNICEF Birthday: 11
International Shareware Day: 11
Day Of The Horse: 11
Poinsettia Day: 12
Bill of Rights Day: 15
Cat Herders Day: 15
Ashura: 16
Barbie and Barney Backlash Day: 16
National Chocolate-covered Anything Day: 16
National Re-gifting Day: 16
Zionism Day: 16
Asarah B'Tevet: 17
Wright Brothers Day: 17
Underdog Day: 17
International Migrants Day: 18
Day for South-South Cooperation: 19
International Human Solidarity Day: 20
Mudd Day: 20
Crossword Puzzle Day: 21
Forefathers Day: 21
Humbug Day: 21
Phileas Fogg Win A Wager Day: 21
National Haiku Poetry Day: 21
World Peace Day/Winter Solstice: 21
Yalda: 21
Yule: 21
Festivus: 23
Christmas Eve: 24
A'Phabet Day or No "L" Day : 25
Christmas: 25
Boxing Day: 26 (Canada)
National Candy Cane Day: 26
National Thank-you Note Day: 26
National Whiner's Day: 26
Holy Innocents Day: 28
National Chocolate Day: 28 & 29
Tick Tock Day: 29
Falling Needles Family Fest Day: 30
First Nights: 31
Leap Second Time Adjustment Day: 31
Make Up Your Mind Day: 31
New Years Eve: 31
No Interruptions Day: 31
Universal Hour of Peace Day: 31
World Peace Meditation Day: 31

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Buddhist Retreats Around the world

300+ Buddhist Retreats Around the World | Retreat Guru Experience the wisdom & teachings of the Buddhist tradition. Filter by date, location & price to find your first or next transformative retreat.

Phu Quoc Island: North & East Coasts
First Published December 2019 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle
Right now, if you visit Phu Quoc Island, it’s all about the east and north coasts. Newly completed roads have opened access to beaches, bays, forests, and hamlets that were previously difficult to get to. These parts of Phu Quoc have yet to see the huge changes, developments, and construction that currently blight much of the rest of the island, and have laid waste to the natural environment and local life in the process. But, on the north and east coasts, Phu Quoc still has real island charm; still offers a chance to explore, to find empty beaches, eat local food in local restaurants, meet local people, wander through forests, and even spot some wildlife. Over the last few years, Phu Quoc’s reputation as a tropical island getaway has (deservedly) diminished, largely due to horrific over-development and environmental destruction. Indeed, the south and west coasts of Phu Quoc are far gone to both of the above, ruined by concrete and litter (save for a few lovely pockets and excellent resorts). But, on the north and east coasts my spirits are lifted. Here, there’s still a chance to see and experience the Phu Quoc of old; the one that travellers initially fell in love with: the lazy charm and rustic seascapes that pulled visitors here during the nineties and noughties. All this still exists on the east and north coasts. Today, I see Phu Quoc like this: the south and west is the tourist side of the island; the north and east is the travellers side.

https://www.vietnamcoracle.com/phu-quoc-island-north-east-coasts/

THE 10 MOST INFLUENTIAL SPIRITUAL LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD

THE 10 MOST INFLUENTIAL SPIRITUAL LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD - GlobeIn Blog People have been finding and following the teachings of spiritual leaders for as long as the world has been around. We read their books, we hear their words, we choose to believe bits and pieces of their messages to formulate our very own spiritual life. We’ve compiled, somewhat subjectively, our ...

Bangkok’s blogging British monk
Phra Pandit has let go of material desires while remaining connected to the modern world, inspiring many other Westerners to follow suit
By Greg Jorgensen 18 October, 2010
The image of saffron-clad monks wandering Bangkok’s streets on their early-morning alms rounds is a familiar one. But one aspect of this long tradition that still causes a double-take is when one of those monks is obviously not Thai, or even Asian.

Slowly, they are becoming a more common sight here. Phra Pandit Bhikkhu, a Brit who was ordained as a Theravada monk in 1996, is one of the most visible Westerners in Thai Buddhist circles.

“Growing up, I found that I didn’t really like people, and didn’t get much from society in general,” he says. “When I was younger I read a book about a monk who lived in a cave whose best friend was a snake that lived under his bed. All he did was meditate and had nothing to do with the world, and I thought that’s great; that’s me,” he laughs.

Theravada Buddhism, the sect most popular in Thailand, focuses on wise reflection, meditation and the belief that one of the main causes of human suffering is craving, or the desire to amass wealth.

“The more you give up, the more freedom you have,” says Phra Pandit.

As a monk, he says his life is austere yet rewarding. He spends time much as his monastic brothers do, performing tasks involved with maintaining the sangha (the Buddhist community), from temple upkeep to administration to furthering his studies.

Developing an online presence
For those unfamiliar with the nuances of Buddhism, a conversation with the affable monk can be quite an eye opener. He checks his mobile phone regularly for messages, talks knowledgeably on the latest developments in nuclear energy and discusses the challenges of building an online community via his blog, www.littlebang.org.

“Some people like to say ‘monks shouldn’t do this, monks shouldn’t do that.’ But monks are just ordinary people with a more visible moral framework to live by. If monks are going to be leaders in society, they should have an education equal to the people in that society, rather that someone who doesn’t know how to use a computer or talk about history or math. An education and familiarity with modern tools are necessary.”

Using these tools, such as his blog and Facebook, Phra Pandit has built up a sizeable expat community interested in exploring meditation and Buddhism. He leads regular talks and organizes special events that see some of Buddhism’s most talked-about names come through Thailand.

“On November 2 we’re very lucky to be hosting Phra Jayasaro who is a huge name in Thailand and in Buddhism, and on December 21 we have Phra Pasanno, a Canadian abbot of an international temple in California,” he says. “In January His Holiness Phakchok Rinpoche is visiting, who is a very young and charismatic teacher, and we’re setting up an intense 10 days of events with him.”

In addition, Phra Pandit leads weekend retreats that strip away the mystery behind meditation, making it more accessible for those who join.

“Once you learn how to meditate properly, it stays with you forever,” he says. “You can meditate anywhere because the base of your happiness is inside you. If you’re married, in prison, in a hot country, cold country, rich or poor, it doesn’t matter. Happiness comes from letting go.”

Bangkok's blogging British monk | CNN Travel Phra Pandit has let go of material desires while remaining connected to the modern world, inspiring many other Westerners to follow suit

THE PRACTICE OF GIVING FOOD TO BUDDHIST MONKS
How almsgiving nourishes more than those who receive it. By Arinya Watt- 18 September 2017
The novice knew he wasn’t supposed to be hankering for food other than what the faithful brought to the temple in Bangkok. But there he was, sitting up straight, doing his best to behave like a monk, asking his mum if she remembered the restaurant they’d gone to before he’d donned these holy robes.

I overheard the question and had to stifle a laugh. The boy, doing his dharma duty on his summer break, was no older than 10, and he knew he wasn’t supposed to complain.

But the youngsters don’t have to put in special menu requests. They’ve all got the best mothers in the world, and the mums know exactly what they have to cook or buy the next morning before coming to the temple.

Mothers have been cooking food for monks and giving alms, as the practice of offering food is called, since the dawn of Buddhism over 2,500 years ago. Specifically, almsgiving is a tradition of Theravada Buddhists, who are an overwhelming majority in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Laos. By bringing monks food each day, the faithful are investing in the faith, and in doing so they too make merit to nourish their own souls.

I remember how my siblings and I would drool watching our mother prepare dishes late in the evenings, as if the family were preparing for a feast. The food was of course for the monks, and we felt envy the next morning when the men in saffron robes would pause outside our house during their rounds and receive those dishes.

Indeed, it was always the best food from our kitchen, as it was intended not just to sustain the monks but also to demonstrate the giver’s selflessness and commitment to the faith. It is the worldly duty of the layman, as a way to maintain a direct connection with the Lord Buddha. It is especially meaningful for laywomen, as they cannot legally be ordained in Thailand.

Times have changed and so have lifestyles. Fewer people now devote the effort in the kitchen to preparing food for monks. It’s much more convenient and equally meritorious to buy neatly wrapped dishes as offerings.

These days, Buddhists also see the practice as a way of connecting to their ancestors through the monks. They give their own favourite dishes or those that their late parents or grandparents loved, in the hopes that these individuals would be enjoying them in the afterlife.

The Practice of Giving Food to Buddhist Monks - Discovery How almsgiving nourishes more than those who receive it. By Arinya Watt

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