my friend the Venerable Monk Ben Kong makes the most amazing necklaces i’ve ever seen. he uses a macrame knotting method that makes them surprisingly strong. he’s been beading in this manner for many years, makes them from beads donated to him from his friends and congregation from his temple in ny. he has a wide wide wide circle of friends from all over creation and everyone donates beads and baubles that he adds to these works that he then gives away. if you give him beads he’ll then ask you your two favorite colors and your favorite number and from this he creates a necklace for you. each one takes a long time to make and i marvel that he gets more than one done a year. he works on more than one at a time as well as keeping a full schedule at the temple and studying and translating. he’s fluent in mandarin. he’s also nutty as a squirrel, his most endearing quality. he visits with us every year and we always look forward to having him here.
if you’re in ny and want to buy a Buddhist monk some pancakes, he’s your man.