The NYTimes is running a feature about Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. It's one of my favourite places on earth from when I visited there in the fall of 1997. This has been a sacred place for a very, very long time. It possibly predates the historic Buddha, Shākyamuni. The thing to do when visiting the Stupa is simply to walk around it in a circle--circumambulating. I did this for a few hours, in fact, one afternoon just for the experience of it.
In those days I was experimenting with Buddhism and sat at the feet of some truly great teachers of that religion. I even spent a month taking the Lam Rim teachings at a monastery on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley. I was there with a few hundred others, mostly Westerners, receiving the teachings and learning to meditate. It was very hard work, actually. One of the things I learned was that I was definitely not a Buddhist! I appreciate the meditation and many of the insights that Buddhism has to offer, but in the end the revelation I have received in the Gospel is simply not compatible with some basic tenets of Buddhist dogma. This might seem obvious, but I'm not sure how many people really thoroughly examine and test the world view they inherit. I'm not saying that I did any profound, epic examination, but I did at least try to examine my faith by offering it up for a serious challenge from a worthy contender. I still like meditating with the Buddhists when I can. I think they have many wise and worthy and even holy things to say, but I'm not going to be taking refuge in the Buddha anytime soon!
I miss those days. The seductive quality of Kathmandu and Tibetan Buddhism did not fade after four months of living in-country. When I did need to touch base with my roots I'd simply head over to the British Embassy for Anglican worship (from the BCP, of course) or else go to Mike's Breakfast.
Mike's Breakfast is kind of like "Rick's Café Américain" from the movie Casablanca, except it's oriented around breakfast, obviously, and there is no casino! Sometimes I would sit for hours at a table in the courtyard sipping the ubiquitous sweet tea of Nepal and India known as Masala Chai and reading or writing. I felt like a real sophisticated expat at 21!
In reality I can barely say that I knew Nepal, let alone Kathmandu. I think you could probably live there your entire life and read every book and barely know a place as complex as that! Truly, it's the most complex and layered city I've ever visited--even more so than New York, Istanbul, or London!
-t
2 comments:
House pictured on Mike's Breakfast website resembles house at Avenue&Lowther. Didn't know that Annex architecture had British Raj influences!
The house was once the residence of a bunch of the ruler's concubines. The architecture of the ruling families of Nepal are all based on English Architecture. They were built in the late 19th century by English architects brought by boat, train, and then through malaria infested jungles to Kathmandu using local materials. It's all part of the weird and fascinating legacy of the Rana Dynasty. Nepal was never colonized by the English or anyone else (unlike India), but the Rana's wanted to Associate themselves with the dominate superpower in the region.
-t
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