TONE TONE AND FRIENDS XVI
ToneTone
The discussion continues.
Friend: Well, from hindsight, you are always wiser after the event.
Culture and Pride
That is why we cannot be too infatuated with culture. We cannot base our decision on culture alone. That will be foolhardy and tragic. Culture may not help. From past experiences, it may even be a hindrance (prior postings).
Exception
Friend: We are supposed to learn from past mistakes. But some people really don’t or purposefully won’t for their own selfish reasons.
Friend: Yes, he is forging full steam ahead to attract more people, hordes of them. He plans to do this with his fake “Wish Fulfilling Banyan Tree” and his fake“Bodh Gaya.”
Friend: In fact, he has already sent out flyers about them. (Prior postings).
Friend: Festival attendees can easily exceed the legal 130 limit. His own flyers admit that his infractions are becoming more frequent. With his promos on the fakes, the size of the infractions would also be many times bigger.
Friend: Not only that, the monk is going for larger sums. See the flyer.
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Friend: No! He is at it again. To me, it looks like “Phongyi yuu naet hlay luu”/ A mad monk rocking the boat! Watch out!
Yorba Linda
Friend: Let’s return to the Azusa story. Then came the Yorba Linda public hearing. It’s for a prospective Temple permit with a higher attendance level at Yorba Linda, another place.
Friend: What happened there?
Friend: First year, it failed. Had to wait another year with a huge Myanmar crowd.
Friend: Why failed twice?
Same story
Friend: Same old story. “Not in my backyard mentality.”
The second cultural design was toned down quite a bit … to bare bones!
However, residents viewed both these cultural masterpieces as theme pieces which might attract more visitors and noise.
Chino Permit
Friend: I heard there also was a Chino permit hearing, at San Bernardino County building. What happened?
Friend: This time, no cultural piece. Nothing at all. It squeaked through the Planning Department hearing.
But it was denied at County Supervisors level. No reason given. Even with an attorney, lost. Spent a huge sum (prior posting), too.
Friend: So many failures! So much hardship! So much labor and so much expenses.
Friend: No talk of “Phone ta go gyi”/super normal powers at all. Just “Ma ya htike lo”/fate, at the time.