True Dharma Blog

January 4, 2023

My mother Ann Gabriele Tedesco would have been 106 today. I inherited her house in Largo, Florida which is where my family has lived since the summer of 2001.

Today was spent with auto repair matters. My 2001 Prius has hybrid battery failure, at 255,500 miles. I have spent thousands over twenty years to keep it in service rather than buy another car. Nowadays, new and used cars are more expensive than ever. I have driven the car on many service missions for True Dharma- to Florida prisons, hospitals, hospices. I also used it to film footage for Good Death Auspicious Rebirth at Hindu, Jain and Sikh places of worship, teaching at USF campuses and satellite classroom sites for adult education classes. My Prius albatross has been my sole transport for innumerable trips to churches and temples to teach Buddhism, interfaith meetings and to lead meditation groups.

January 27, 2023

The 2001 Prius has been starting and moving without warning lights for a few days, after being repaired by Paul and his father Constantine Tassos of Affordable Hybrid in Brooksville, Florida. They replaced the hybrid battery and computer. The red triangle and check engine light appeared driving home about 30 miles away. I returned and spent hours with Constantine who test drove the car and checked all the codes. Finally, I left in the evening with the warning lights still on. Surprisingly, they disappeared the next afternoon for reasons unknown to me and the local deities.

March 10, 2023

The Prius has been starting quickly without fail without the red triangle or check engine light. All the lights appeared on mornings that were cold and damp but disappeared when I drove a bit and it got warmer outside. I think the problem is with the warning light system rather than problems with the gas engine or hybrid system. I am keeping all my fingers and toes crossed.

I have been driving short distances around town but haven’t tried to visit prisons in the countryside yet.