When I arrived in Kathmandu by car, from the northern border of Tibet, I was met with a political strike that shut down roads, avenues and venues to arrive at my hotel. I have to say....I loved it! This is what you travel for. Those unscripted moments when culture and politics combine inviting you to witness life as it is.
After we got through the roadblocks, I arrived at my hotel...a stone's throw from one of the most venerated sites in all of Nepal: Boudhanath Stupa. Located about 11 km (6.8 mi) from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, the stupa's massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in all of Nepal; and, in fact, one of the largest in the world.
The Stupa is on the ancient trade route from Tibet which enters the Kathmandu Valley by the village of Sankhu in the northeast corner, passes by Boudnath Stupa to the ancient and smaller stupa of Cā-bahī (often called 'Little Boudnath'). It is said that Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many decided to live around Boudhanath, because it is said that the Stupa has the remains of Kassapa Buddha entombed within its grand structure.
Every day that I was in Kathmandu, I started my treks by circumambulating the Stupa clockwise with prayers and a mantra repeated to the beat of each new bead on my prayer bead chain I have carried since it was presented to me by a family in Wadi Musa, Jordan.
There is something awe-inspiring and humbling at being part of a mass of people moving slowly...steadily...quietly around a sacred space, focused on their own prayer moment. For my part, my mantra was: There is only one Life. That Life is God's Life. That Life is Perfect. That Life is my Life now.
We all bring our own extremely personal moments to these sites. And so I wish you peace, light and love. Namesté.
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