Scuffling through the leaves

Being part of the mysteries of China on a cold, sparkling fall day

with golden yellow ginko leaves rustling overhead and













 



 

 

 

 

 

scuffling underfoot (before they are speedily swept away)


 

 

 

Think of sandal, jasmine, rose incense

 

 

 

 

Prayers

And Amber-colored, curving rooftops with bells at each corner

 

Think of the mudras held by the hand, and the introspective smiles held by each implacable face. Think of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years, millions of hours of devoted meditations and devotion to the crafts of prayer, and thousands upon thousands of pilgrimages to send thoughts, wishes, desires, prayers..... heavenward with the smell of sandalwood, jasmine, rose.....

 

 

 

These are examples of the crafts of prayer, each of which took years of skillful preparation and dedication in each moment. The sand mandala is at least 4' across and at first I thought is was embroidery, but no, look closely..... it is small, neat piles of sand meticulously designed and implemented.

The "wall paintings" are actually collages of silk, the edges of each individual piece are rolled and stabilized. The golden foot is at the base of a statue almost entirely made of a single sandlawood tree. It is gigantic and 3 stories high. I couldn't see the top, but the loving detail of the foot and the flow of the robes around it were representative of the beauty of the whole. And finally the detailed yak butter sculpture (under glass).

That was my experience at the Lama Temple today. A perfect day. A very long walk day. A day of memories. Perhaps even a day of change. Certainly a day of peaceful reflection and joy. A beautiful day of alone-ness

 

 

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