Day 66 - Boudha

We have made it safely to Kathmandu and are staying in a really nice guest house in an area called Boudha. It's connected to a monastery called Shechen, the grounds of which we often walk through on our way out for the day. Sometimes we hear the monks debating as we walk by, which includes a great deal of foot stomping and hand clapping (not in anger of course, but rather part of a very organized system of debate). Shechen is just one of many monasteries in the area. There is also the large, visually amazing Boudha Stupa that rises over the buildings. People do Kora around the stupa, circumambulating the structure while repeating mantras and spinning prayer wheels. In Buddhism, it's a great way to gain merit.
A couple days ago we went with some friends to Pharping, about an hour and a half outside of Kathmandu. There, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche was performing a puja at a monastery called Yellow Gompa. I won't pretend to know much about this particular teacher or pujas, however from talking to others I gathered that Thinley Norbu Rinpoche is an old, highly respected Buddhist teacher that lives in the US and has not been to Nepal in 13 years. Ultimately, the puja lasted about 5 hours and consisted of uninterrupted chanting, throat-singing, drumming and woodwinds. It was amazing to listen to and just feel the vibrations around and inside you. Also, the shrine room of Yellow Gompa was incredibly beautiful, with sculptures, carvings, paintings and tapestries of vibrant reds, golds, blues and greens. I may not have fully comprehended the religious significance of the event, but I definitely appreciated the visual and auditory power of it all.
Yesterday we went to Pashnupatinath, which is the holiest place for Hindus in Nepal. Pashnupati is one of the 1,008 names for Lord Shiva and there are many temples and sculptures there dedicated to Shiva. It sits alongside the Bagmati River (which I believe eventually meets the Ganges). There, they perform cremations twenty-four hours a day. Laura and I sat for an hour or so watching the cremations (which is far less disturbing or unnerving than it sounds). It was quite an amazing experience watching the families bring the bodies of loved ones, wrapped in bright cloth and decorated with garlands, to the riverside to perform all the religious rites. In Hinduism, there are five important elements: water, fire, air, land and sky. The cremations by the river unite all five elements in the single ceremony. The river is also significant in that Hindus bath themselves in it for religious purposes. They fully submerge themselves three times while reciting the ancient Vedas in hopes of breaking from the cycle of reincarnation.
Spending Thanksgiving in Boudha with Laura was so nice, and the first Thanksgiving we've spent together. We went to a little restaurant we found the other day called Double Dorjee. It is officially my favorite restaurant on the whole trip so far. The woman who runs it is very warm and friendly and the food is delicious. We had beer, mashed potatoes, fried veggies and apple pie, as close as we could get to a Thanksgiving dinner. The power went out at one point so we even got to finish our meal by candlelight. I know that, for me, it was the one of the best Thanksgivings I could ask for (no offense family).
Tuesday is the annual World AIDS Day (December 1) and I'm curious to see what will be done in Kathmandu. Laura and I e-mailed 3 organizations in hopes of finding a volunteer opportunity, but have heard from none. I'm thinking that we'll just head out in the morning and see if there's anything being done and somehow latch on, either as participants or volunteers. I don't know at all what to expect. In Kenya it's a huge deal and in some places it's a week-long thing rather than a single day. It'll be interesting to get a comparison.
Thus marks the first post from Nepal. I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!