Nepal

Lumbini, Nepal — Buddha’s Birthplace

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I just learned that the Buddha isn’t the only Buddha. Buddhas are born every 5,000 years. I learned that in Lumbini, Nepal. Lumbini is where our current Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was born in 623 BC. It’s a holy site, and is becoming an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists all over the world. Since Lumbini was identified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, Buddhist countries (plus France and Germany) have built beautiful temples and monasteries in a giant park near the Mahadevi Temple, the exact location of Buddha’s birth.

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Namaste Bhaktapur!

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Bhaktapur was one of the three Nepalese kingdoms that united to become the Nepali nation in 1768. It’s a few miles southeast of Kathmandu, small and peaceful. In the historic old city, street dogs ask for a hug and the kids hang out on the ancient temples doing homework. In the several plazas, holy places and palaces show off a variety of architectural styles, mostly Newari, Nepali and Indian. Most have been rebuilt after a devastating earthquake toppled many of them in 2015.

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Pashupatinath, Kathmandu

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Pashupatinath is a sacred Shiva Temple in Kathmandu and among the most important pilgrimage places for Hindus. The temple is part of a large complex on the banks of the Bagmati River, which flows into the most sacred river Ganges in India. In the past week, I’ve spent several hours at Pashupatinath to learn about the Hindu way of death, which of course is also about the Hindu way of life.

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Holy Humanity, Nepal

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If Bali is the love, Nepal is the soul. Although Nepal is mostly known for the Himalayas, and as the staging area for climbing Mt. Everest, it is also a place of wonderful cultural and religious traditions, hiking, and many kinds of folk art. I was in Nepal 15 years ago with my extraordinary doctor friend, Karen Sokal Gutierrez, to help with a project that, for practically no money, eliminates pain and malnutrition in children. I wasn’t very helpful to Karen and her project, but I had a wonderful experience and I’m back to re-discover a little of this remarkable country.

Here’s Karen in Nepal.
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