108

108. A number used in Islam to refer to God or higher truth. The exact number of prayer beads found on a Buddhist mala (and the suspiciously identical amount on a Catholic rosary). A perfect three digit multiple of three, or the number nine when added together (which is also three threes).

Why am I spouting numerology?

Well since there is so much hoo-ha about the divinity of the number 108 it seems entirely auspicious that I have landed in Vietnam in house 108.

And actually this is what I am doing at the moment, seeking God in Vietnam. Not in some typically religious way. I'm simply taking the time to meditate on that Something for a while, (true unemployment leaves plenty of time for that). I'm sure the search for peace is something people here have done for a long time during the long wars and trials that rocked the country, and not just the American War!

Although Vietnam is a communist country, amazingly the constitution allows religious freedom. The major religions are the big three in Asia, Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism and Confucianism. The Vietnamese have perfected a special blend of these religions and even managed to mix in their own brand of ancestor and national hero worship to perfection.

While I realise an ashram in India is probably a better place to have a spiritual reawakening, you have to consider that I have found a happy balance between great food, amazing friends, bountiful jobs and warm weather, more and more I am finding that Vietnam is a perfect place to simply BE.