It is interesting to see so many religious shrines in Kathmandu, and on a whole the peoples embracing of their faith in the public. This is something that we don't get in the US and don't see a whole lot of. Faith no matter which one, on a whole is given the back seat in the states. You go to church, mosque or temple, then tuck your faith in your back pocket and carry on. There are exceptions to the rule of course.
That is completely different in Kathmandu. Alot of people,while busy with their lives still stop at a shrine and pay their respects. There are these prayer wheels made out of wood, cylindrical and slightly smaller than a milk jug. There are prayers carved on it in Nepali. So when you spin it you are doing a quick prayer. Which is pretty interesting.
Right now its about 2:15 am and I got all my stuff packed up and ready to leave for Southern Nepal; about 20-30 minutes drive from India.
Later
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Chris,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you. Mom sends her love and greetings. You are obviously finding an internet hookup. Do they have wi-fi, or have you had to use the cable I gave you? The kids sound wonderful. I hope you are able to stay in one place for awhile and work/play/teach with them. Let us know how it goes. The prayer wheels sound like Tibetan Buddhist. I read about the religion of Nepal. It sounds like a mix of Hindu and Buddhist. As always, we are proud of you and keeping you in our prayers, as is an Orthodox rabbi and a Roman Catholic deacon, both of whom learned of your trip to Nepal from me. I think a Muslim chaplain I know also said he would pray for you. So, you are covered from several perspectives!
Dad