We were ill and tired, and, all too often, despair and depression overcame us. It was Maha Ghosananda who traveled to Cambodia, to the refugee camps in Thailand, and to Cambodian communities around the world reminding us that Buddhism was alive in us, and that we could call upon the sweetness and depth of the tradition. Ghosananda's quest has been the journey of a hero. He has reminded us by his own example to take each step slowly, carefully, and in mindfulness, and to always continue on. Maha Ghosananda accepts with equanimity the apparent contradiction of being compassionate to people who were formerly among the remorseless oppressors in the Khmer Rouge regime.
People can change.
Fundamental to Maha's approach to all people is to offer respect. The dharma of the Buddha asks always that we should try to respect people. We have to think that in a previous life all people are our mother - the whole world is our mother.