On the eastern side of the Kathmandu Valley, in the midst of the chaotic streets and overcrowded markets, sits the stunning stupa Bodnath. Locals refer to it as Boudha (bow-dah), and it's about as close as you can get to Tibet without actually going there. The large, circular stupa is an important stop for locals, pilgrims, and tourists who come here to shop, eat, take photos, and, of course, pray. But it's hard to take your eyes of the towering eyes of Buddha...
Carrying a butter lamp, the pilgrims circumnavigate the stupa in a clockwise direction, spinning prayer wheels as they go. But sometimes they stop to chat with a foreigner. Especially a foreigner who is carrying a beautiful little girl on his shoulders. And can speak Nepali.
I tried not to get distracted by the many, many, many shops with cool and crazy things to buy.
But when I stopped for a moment, and forced myself to just *look* at what was right in front of me, a quiet universe opened before my eyes. And I remembered, yet again, the singular joy that comes from traveling in a distant land, in a culture far different from my own, and I offered my own prayer of gratitude for this priceless treasure.
Are we not all Pilgrims, each carrying symbols of sacredness on our own journey towards enlightenment? Are we not all Travelers, treading towards the horizon in the hopes of discovering the beauty that lies within?
I love that you guys have gotten out and explored so much already. Although, it makes me feel like a lazy, shut in. I'll get out. I will, I will!
ReplyDeleteAll your pictures are great, but I love the last one the most.