Sacred Places and Humanness

It is a quiet afternoon, and I find myself rained in. The rainy season has ended according to the calendar, but the clouds seem to disagree. And although I would like to be out and about, there is a moment of peace here that I am very grateful for. (If nothing else, it forces me to sit down long enough to update our blog.)

We have found these moments here, in the midst of this busy city. We have seen oases of beauty and tranquility...

As part of our language study, we have been doing some cultural learning activities. Two Fridays ago, we (Amos, Ben, and myself) along with our guru, Parameswori, went on a city tour. Our first stop was Kathmandu Durbar Square. History, art, and religion all beg to be seen here. Ancient temples, ornately carved...traditional handicrafts...statues...a gently bustling place. Cars are generally prohibited in this area, which is quite literally a breath of fresh air. Parameswori grew up in this area and holds many memories from her childhood there. Through her we learned the stories behind the many temples and statues, their history, their significance.
Our second stop was the Boudhanath Stupa, my personal favorite. Entering this sacred place makes you instantly forget the noise and smog of the street just outside. Soft Tibetan music welcomes you inside...and makes you never want to leave. This is the largest stupa in Nepal, and it attracts many Tibetan pilgrims who can be seen praying here. The stupa is surrounded by beautiful Bhuddist monastaries as well as traditional Tibetan shoppes selling crafts, clothing, and beads. (Thankfully they also sell some of their music!) We circumambulated the stupa and tried to take it all in before heading onward to Pashupatinath Temple. Pashupatinath is the most important Hindu temple, and also quite extensive. Being non-Hindus, we could only skirt the temple, but were able to witness the public cremations that take place just outside, right next to the river. Needless to say, it was very sobering. We walked around the temple grounds, which are populated by a small colony of friendly monkeys. Apparently they are used to people and get much of their food from street vendors there. Surrounding the Pashupatinath are many small caves and huts where Hindu ascetics reside. We were able to speak with a group of them and get our photo taken with them...for a small price. :) They seemed to enjoy it as much as we did. It was one of our most memorable days here (positive memories, anyway).

This past Friday, Amos and I learned the art of making momo's (veggies or meat and spices wrapped in dough and then steamed or fried) from scratch. We went to Paramaswori's house for an afternoon of grinding spices, chopping vegetables, kneading dough, shaping momo's (sometimes with success), and eating copious amounts of them.

Sitting there on the floor, covered in flour and bits of potato skin, chatting and eating momo's together was so...human, simply. What a beautiful communion. We're learning much more here than we expected to.


Kathmandu Durbar Square


Hanuman Temple @ Kathmandu Durbar Square


Boudhanath Stupa


Our new yogi friends


Making momo's!


Paramaswori and Kalyani