Yesterday I went for a short trek up a hill about a half an hour north of Kathmandu. I went with my host's 21 year old daughter and a friend of hers. We went to a Narayan shrine, the God laying in the water on a bed of snakes, then visited the Vipassana Center, they were having a kids sit, then we got a ride up up and then walked up up some more to a Tibetan Gompa with nuns, mostly teanagers, then we went down down the hill and stayed at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness center. What a trip to see so many different things so close together. I sat in the Tibetan temple and listened to four girls chant. Wow.... On the walls were brightly painted Buddhas floating everywhere and there were little birds flying about in and out eating the rice offerings. No one can believe I know about Vipassana and have many friends who have done it."
So to the religion thing. It is so interesting learning about these new "dharmas". I have also been sharing a lot about Judaism. In one respect it is amazing how really all religions are the same. About how to be closer to the mystery of life, God, whatever you want to call it. It is amazing how there are beautiful things about all religions and negative things also. Hinduism is so sexist, exclusive and there are so so many rules. Traditional Judaism is also sexist and exclusive. The Buddhist tradition of sending at least the second child to a monastery or a nunnery is a little upsetting. Some people I talk to say the kids can choose to leave the Gompa when they reach maturity others say they can but it is totally considered a sin. I saw a four year old monk. A Gurung good friend told me they give the young monks and nuns Tibetan medicine to repress sexuality for about a week at some point during their teenage years. It is supposed to work. Some of the young girls I saw looked so boylike. For many families going to the Gompa is the only way a child can get any kind of an education. I think they mostly study Tibetan language and all things Buddhist though. Also if they are in the gompa they are guaranteed to be taken care of for life.
Copyright Yarrow Sprinkling 1998
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Last updated 02/07/98 (RGE)