Fast writing prompt:
Michael Dao is a man who I greatly admire. He cares a lot for others and is constantly practicing Buddhism and learning more about the religion as a whole. The last time we talked we were at meditation and he was leading the group. Michael was giving lectures about karma and explaining his perspective on many ideas. He loves temple and visits it every day to pray, meditate, and clear his mind. He is a very wise person who isn’t as nearly stressed as he had been prior to going to temple on a daily basis. He is a very charitable person and spends his free time helping out temple in whatever way he can.
Hung Dang is one of the head people at temple and always seems to have a smile on his face. His father passed away a day before new years and he still went to the temple celebration and tried to enjoy himself. I’m not sure anybody I know is as strong-willed as Hung Dang fighting through adversity like that. Hung told me that he is hopeful for his father’s future in reincarnation and believes his father is one closer step to becoming a Buddha.
Jarrelle Barton is in love with Chinese culture and Buddhism as a whole. He nearly became a monk but then backed out last second because he didn’t want to renounce his family. He meditates every day and knows more about Buddhism than anybody that I know who isn’t a monk. He speaks mandarin and plays the Chinese zither, the last time I saw him he was performing for all the Vietnamese people at temple. Everybody loves listening to his classical Chinese music at temple, and he is well cherished there.
Michael Dao will do anything for his mother. She adopted him and then they migrated to America when he was in 6th grade. The lived in Iowa and his mother did everything that she could to support Michael and his sister’s schooling. They lived in a trailor park and his mother worked in a factory, and the conditions were just horrible. His mother sacrificed everything for him and in return he does whatever he can for her to this day. She lives with him now during the summers and during the winter she lives with Michael’s sister in Las Vegas. Michael often takes her on trips and out to eat to give back to his mom in a way for all that she did for raising him. His mom tracked down his adopted mom and in 2005 Michael went and visited his biologically mother in California, as she had managed to migrate to America too. Michael was filled with emotions, he said it was the most emotional event of his life. He was crying and so was his mother, and they hugged for a little while. Michael asked why she put him up for adoption but she didn’t acknowledge the question. He thinks it’s because she was single due to her husband dying in the war, and woman in Vietnam with children but no husbands get looked down on in society so she gave him up for adoption most likely due to this reason. Michael now is an avid practicer of Buddhism and spends as much time as he can at temple whether it be for praying, teaching, or helping out, Michael there and dedicated.
Frame: I’m trying to show who Michael Dao is as a person and his life story. I want the audience to realize his perspective on life and his immigrant story as many Americans should learn more about immigrant stories.
Theme: I want my readers to understand his whose life story. I really want them to take away the Buddhist perspective and the Buddhist answers to our life problems. He’s a smart man with a lot of and has a very interesting ideas that I would like everybody to like.
Information: I need to ask him a lot about Buddhism as a whole. I need to ask his perspectives on different circumstances in life. I also need to ask him about his life coming over, and what the differences are from here to Vietnam. I need to ask him about how he got where he is today as well.
