Category Archives: Blog

The ruins of a large building, thought to be a temple from the reign of Cyrus the Great, have been discovered by Iranian and Italian archaeologists on a joint excavation near Persepolis. In addition to the bas-reliefs of mythical animal motifs from Persia and Mesopotamia on its bricks, an Akkadian-Babylonian cuneiform inscription was also unearthed. Plus, there’s a dragon!

Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained
by cultivating friendliness toward the happy,
compassion for the unhappy,
delight in the virtuous,
and indifference toward the wicked.

― Patanjali, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

If you are in D.C. or planning to be, you might want to check out the “Yoga: The Art of Transformation” exhibition at the Smithsonian Sackler Gallery–which will run from October 19th to January 26th.

The exhibition contains over 130 objects from 25 museums and private collections in Europe, India, and the U.S., and illustrates through visual culture how yoga practioners have been trying to master the mind, body and spirit connection for millennia.

As I passed by this wall in Beirut on my way to visit some Sufis, I felt compelled to take a photo–since the color of the wall and these decaying fliers reminded me, in a way, of previous papyri and palimpsests I’ve translated…

With the impoverished classes of Lebanon bearing the economic brunt of the Syrian conflict here in Lebanon, the ongoing war in Syria will likely affect the Lebanese economy and labor market for many years to come. Yesterday, the UN Children’s Fund announced that 400,000 Syrian refugee children in Lebanon urgently need the international community to step up its assistance this winter.

Last winter in Beirut, when I was visiting some of the refugee camps, every family asked us for more blankets–and I can only imagine how much greater the need will be this year with the worst winter of the century soon on its way…

Long live the beauty that comes down and through and onto all of us.

— Laurie Anderson

This morning, while reading Laurie Anderson’s account of how Lou Reed spent his final moments doing tai chi, I remembered how he used to enjoy our contemplative Javanese gamelan concerts in New York. The photo above was taken at our concert at the Indonesian Consulate–when Lou and Laurie were in the front row. As I struck the keys of my instrument (pictured above), it was exciting to have them sitting so close–appreciating the meditative music and masked dance. Though Lou was supposed to come our shadow puppet performance at Asia Society last year, he sadly wasn’t able to attend because he was ill. We’ll certainly miss having him at our concerts–and I’ll always picture him sitting right over there in the front row…

Yesterday, two German citizens were kidnapped in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa valley, with the gunmen
demanding ransom money for their release. Unfortunately, in the fight to free them from their captors,
a member of the Lebanese Armed Forces was killed…

Since I tend to split my time between Africa and Central Asia when I’m not in the Middle East, I’m always intrigued when these two regions meet…such as in a concert this week at the United Nations.

The United Nations SRC Symphony Orchestra together with acclaimed Japanese violinist Ryu Goto will be holding a Charity Concert for Africa on 7 November 2013 at 7:00pm, at the Peter Norton Symphony Space (2537 Broadway/corner of 95th Street).

Conductor: Predrag Vasić
Soloist: Ryu Goto, violin

Program:
Borodin: “In the Steppes of Central Asia”
Paganini: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in D-major (soloist: Ryu Goto, violin)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 (“Little Russian”)

Tickets can be purchased at “Symphony Space”, by phone (212-864-5400) or via their website…

The proceeds of the concert will go to a charity organization in Tanzania called “Teamwork City of Hope,” which provides education, support and hope for African children orphaned in local and regional conflicts.

Every day, I try to swim with turtles in Beirut–but due to sun showers yesterday, I was forced to retreat to the gym. When I looked up from reading my book on the bike, I was surprised to find that my turtle friends had followed me inside…

This NYTimes article on the U.S. Embassy in Iran (aka the “Den of Spies”) gives a comprehensive overview of the Embassy’s present condition, but unfortunately it leaves out what I found to be one of the most intriguing aspects of the building when I visited Tehran–the graffiti messages spray-painted on its outside walls (unfortunately, I couldn’t take a photo, since it was forbidden). Perhaps the graffiti wasn’t included in the article because the messages are written in Persian–but if you visit Tehran, make sure to ask someone to translate the graffiti for you…it helps complete the whole experience…

Looks like the Halloween holiday spirit is still alive today in Beirut–in places like this restaurant until November 3rd…

 

Those who give you a serpent when you ask for a fish,
may have nothing but serpents to give.
It is then generosity on their part.

— Kahlil Gibran

Today, after whirling with Sufis in Beirut, they served me the best cup of Arabic/Turkish coffee I’ve had all year. They make a mean cup of coffee–as Sufis in the Middle East long have…

As you can see in the photos, the Sufis first poured a few drops into the bottom of each cup–and then added sugar for those who wanted it (like me). After that, they added a little bit of coffee at a time before filling the cups to their rims and passing them around.

Sipping my sweet sludge on the veranda, I couldn’t help but think of the mystic origins of coffee, and marvel that in 1672, there were already 40 coffeehouses in Beirut–though the city’s population at the time was quite small. As the Sufi teacher began giving a talk on mystic knowledge and the Sufi path, I felt grateful that they’d served me a cup so I could keep up–since I’d raced off earlier this morning to whirl without having boiled my own morning brew.

Sharing a cup of coffee was the perfect way to end a full day of ecstatic whirling–in a peaceful little corner of Beirut…