Author Archives for Konchog Norbu

Chaste by Goddesses


I’m having one of those nights where my head feels like it’s full of mashed potatoes and if the Buddha was sitting right in front of me and said, “Type a witty line and you’ll attain full enlightenment right now,” I don’t think I could pull it off. So we’ll do what we always do in the ...>

Mutton, Mutton, Everywhere


BEHOLD!! Ah, you complete me. Don was aghast when I said I wanted a regular drip coffee maker to replace the recently departed, and not a French press. "I thought you were a connoisseur," he chided. "No," I replied. "I'm a drug addict." Took me this long to find a maker under 50 bucks. This ...>

Mongolia East and West (In the West, not the East)


Still working on, i.e. mulling over between toenail clips, part deux of the Gobi trip. But until that marinates good 'n' tender, and so as not to lose you in your insatiable quest for new stimulation, lemme direct you to a coupla kool klicks. First off, Cuzzin Ryan dedicates the title of a whole po ...>

Everybody is a Star


This Buddhist stuff may be working, because I’m beginning to suspect that there’s a pretty broad gap between what I think is happening, and what’s actually happening. As usual, the Gobi Desert provided the milieu in which this faint light in my head has begun to glow. The trip started in a sc ...>

Ulaan-a Clue Me In?


Can someone please explain to me why over the past couple days DODR has gotten several dozen hits from all over the United States by people searching for "the Mongolian word for red"? Is it in a crossword puzzle or something? Anyway, it's "ulaan." It forms part of the capital city's name, Ulaanbaata ...>

Terrible Twos


Yes, I got back from my Tsagaan Sar Gobi adventure this morning, and yes I’ve got ripping yarns and eye-popping pics and brilliantly hilarious and poignant Mongolian cultural observations to share, but no, tough noogies, you can’t have them today. Today was devoted to sacred tasks – laundry, ...>

Holiday in Mongolia


Still deep in the Gobi, but you'd never know I was a cave-dweller there the last time I visited. I forgot a number of things, including a flashlight, so I dumped out of the monastery after two days so I could enjoy more than one candlepower after 7pm, a hot shower, and a room where people didn't bur ...>

Go. Be Back Soon.


Somehow in my tearing around taking care of last-minute errands I can't find the internet card I like, so I'm zipping off a quickie at a nearby internet cafe. Tomorrow morning I head to the Eastern Gobi again, to join my buds there for their Tsagaan Sar (White Month -- Mongolian New Year) celebra ...>

Like Cats and Dogs – A DODR Valentine


As you might imagine, Valentine’s Day is not exactly highlighted with a scarlet lipstick heart on the monastic calendar (truth be told, however, I’ve been invited to dine this evening with not one, but two lovely ladies and I’m bringing chocolates!). Nonetheless, there is a lot of love in my ...>

Only One Fire Swine Befalls in XVII


In a comment to my "Fundamentally in Error" post, Christian urges that it be translated into Mongolian. I'm not opposed to such things, but there are inherent risks. For example, what if the translation from English to Mongolian resembled this translation at olloo.mn from Mongolian to "English"? In ...>