And its goodbye to Nepal...

These are some of the images I recall as I sit at the airport waiting to leave... sure its dirty at times... sure there are massive petrol, kero, gas, water and electricity shortages, sure its been freezing and dark.... but its been utterly fantastic.... I hope I can return....

Spirituality in everyday life....

In a place like this it is easy to see why religion is so important. It is necessary to have a way of making sense of the suffering. And here daily life is seeped in spirituality. It feels natural to flow with it, into it, like water into water (ok so this is exacerbated by the fact that we have been doing pilgrimage to some of the most holy sites in the world...). And at the same time it is disarmingly natural as well... as we bow our heads reverantly at places of massive significance on the Buddhist world map... around people have integrated these powerful places into daily life. Monks play football around the stupa that holds the ashes of an enlightened Lama, women do their hair on the steps of the place where a crystal stupa arose from the ground where the buddha meditated, people carry on a rich and colourful life... and it is a wonderful feeling...

Pilgrimage Images

So our pilgrimage has been the most wonderful spiritual experience... we have been to holy sites and sipped tea with Lamas... we have seen the place where there is an image of the goddess Tara growing out the rock... we have seen the handprint of a disciple in the rock face...
we have played with the four year old reincarnation of Geshe Lama Kunchog, widely regarded as an enlightened Lama... we have made butterlamp light offerings at some of the most powerful Buddhist sites in the world...

My karma stocks are brimming over!

These are experiences that cannot help but affect you...

Prayer Flags

So the idea of Prayer Flags, besides being gorgeous colourful decorations, is that the prayers printed on them are, as the wind passes the cloth, carried into the air and into the surrounding areas to bring blessings to all. Usually they have the most common tibetan mantra Om Mani Padme Hung printed on them, which means roughly something like Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus... which metaphorically refers to Compassion, the Jewel, being the most precious characteristic of a pure mind, the Lotus. The Lotus symbolises a pure mind because it is able to grow and rise above the muddy waters to blossom in startling white beauty... To wish someone compassion, to send this blessing forth into the air towards them, is to wish for their ultimate happiness as it is through developing loving kindness for all beings that true and lasting happiness is found....

Speaking of compassion...

These photos were taken on the spot where the Buddha in a previous life gave his own flesh to a hungry tigeress so that she could feed her cubs. He came upon the Tigress and was going to go and search for food for her and then realised - why would he kill another animal to feed her when all that was needed was already there... and in doing this took a huge step towards developing perfect Boddhichitta, perfect compassion, and an enlightened mind in his next life as the Buddha.

Its awe inspiring...

As a counsellor we are carefully trained to be compassionate and caring towards others, but not at the expense of our selves... and in life we are generally taught that its a good thing to be kind to others, as long as we put ourselves first. This is one of the ways that Buddhism turns Western Psychology on its head - because true compassion does put the needs of others before our own... In buddhism we are taught that all living beings have been our mother in a previous life and as a mother puts her child's needs before her own... so too has every being given fully of themselves for our care, and so when ever we have the chance it is great for us to return the favour...in a sense... to give as freely and as generously of ourselves as if each and every living being was our own newborn child.

Appreciation....

One of the best things about travelling in developing countries is the wonderful sense of appreciation that it gives me for just how incredibly fabulously fortunate we are... If you are sitting in your home or at your work reading this then you are undoubtably one of the luckiest people in the world... Looking around, walking around, moving through daily life surrounded by the people and animals here gives a rich, 3-dimensional sense of the basic conditions that I know I take so much for granted in my life. Life here is often so incredibly unfathomably more difficult than anything I will ever know. Last night I enjoyed a hot meal (plain rice by my choice not necessity), I slept in a warm bed, I travelled in a car rather than walking, I wore comfortable warm clean clothes and shoes, and I was surrounded in my life by people who care about me... and these things make me one of the most fantastically priviledged people in the world...

These experiences make me determined to remember to rejoice in all my infinate good fortune rather than focussing on perceived problems... its so important to remind myself that pretty much all of my daily "problems" are only the results of my wonderfully fortunate life... I only get stressed by work problems because I am lucky enough to have a job and an income... I only worry about relationships because I am so blessed to love and be loved... I only wrinkle my brow over my weight and appearance because I am so priviledged to have enough to eat and the luxury to indulge in vanity.... My happiness about the state of my life is totally a matter of perspective... and so I rejoice!!! LUCKY ME!!!

Making Comments...

By the way... a few people have said they don't know how to make comments... just click on the bit below where it says 0 comments ( or occasionally 1 comment... or even 2 sometimes!) and it should take you where you want to go!
Smiles to all...
:-)

Thank you!

SO... a wonderful 25 emails and comments later and I am feeling well acknowledged and more than happy that my blogging is not falling on deaf eyes :-)

SO stay tuned dear ones for pictures from our incredible pilgrimage... we are moving around for a couple of days now but I will put up some spiritually enlightening images as soon as technology allows....

and in the meantime... love and happiness to you all from a very blissed and well karma stocked me :-)

More Images of Nepal....

So here are some more images to tantilise...
BUT .... unless you answer my blogs with comments...emails... etc.... I will assume that no-one is reading them and STOP....
So please... unless you are all washed away in the floods or some heinous disaster has wiped out all internet in Australia.... save me from my plight of sending out blog after blog unanswered... unacknowledged.... ignored...
(oh and to those who have kindly dropped me a line... THANKS !! It means a lot!!)
Smiles to all....

Images of Nepal....

Images of Nepal.... ancient and modern at the same time.....
Ornately carved temples hidden behind a profusion of powerlines... internet cafes in old wooden buildings with low carved doors.... Monks with mobile phones and rugged old ruddy cheeked tibetans in traditional costume huddle around laptop computers.... Cheerful kids allow us to take their photo without asking for money!.... and cheeky mini-monks play hide and seek in the grounds of an ancient temple that "flew" here by the powers of an old monk who got ripped off by the Indians he built it for... so he made it rise into the air and fly to kathmandu - where the kids play hacky-sack under it...

Pictured here is my last solid meal before I succumbed to the clensing influence of the east... or perhaps it was my cupputeano that came with it... but thanks to the local ayrevedic remedies I am up and about and may eat again some time soon.....

Day of Miracles

So tomorrow is the Tibetan Day of Miracles.... big karma day... we are doing pilgrimage to holy sites... but to all who are going about their normal days...try to think positively, do no harm to others... be generous when you have the change.... be kind in your heart and in your actions....
The benefits of positive actions tomorrow (21st Feb) are huge for your future happiness :-)
May you all reap the benefits of a positive happy mind free from ill-direction...

Espresso man on the ganges

So I just couldn't resist anther image from India... On the banks of the Holiest of Holy rivers... the Ganges, not far from the burning of the bodies, in between the holy cows... what do I find?
Those who know me and my passion for coffee will understand the moment of joy, the excitement of the utterly surprising gift out of a totally unexpected environment... the thrill of ... the Ganges Espresso Man... :-)
Who'd a' thunk it?? It seems I am destined for decent coffee around the world..... well, it was nescafe under the froth.... but still.... :-)

Goodbye to India

I write now from Nepal - where I am reminded again of how wonderful it is leave a place like India and arrive in a country where people are considerate and intelligent, the streets are clean, no cows deposit their offerings on your unwilling toes, and there is an air of sophistication... but before moving on I wanted to share a few more images from that most frustratingly "in-your-face" Indian landscape....
Here are images I will hold in my mind for the future... releasing flower offerings on the ganges at sunset....
























It took me ages to get a clear photo of the goat in the santa jumper - he just would NOT stand still for the photo... but I think it was worth it in the end ... and I am sure the woman was not blinded for long.... :-)



Washing in the ganges is such a stereotype and yet... an enduring image of India....






And the wonderful thing about travel in places like India and Nepal is that, for me, they are not just tourist experiences but spiritual pilgrimages as well... It was incredible to see the tree under which the Buddha have the very first teaching .... a very powerful place.....

Oh - power is about to go out... Nepal has run out of energy ... and so have I.... will write more soon!
:-)