temple

Khajuraho Oh Wow

2025, India, , , , , , , , View all 16 comments

Hindus believe that spiritual growth comes from a synchronization of the mind, heart, soul and body. Because Hindus believe the physical body and its functions aren’t separate from the other aspects of our being, it’s not surprising that there is a temple complex in India with carvings that are very explicitly sexual. Khajuraho in Central India is dozens of sandstone temples built in the 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries The temple walls depict scenes from the Kama Sutra, an ancient Hindu manual of sexual pleasure, desire, and love.

Continue reading →

Lalish, Iraq — Holy Temple of the Yazidis

2025, Iraq, Kurdistan, , , , , , , , , View all 13 comments

Not many people know about the Yazidis — an ancient tribe of Mesopotamia with beliefs and traditions that are part Muslim, part Christian, and a lot their own. I met a few Yazidis when I was in Greece during 2015 when thousands of people were fleeing to Europe from wars in the Middle East. At the time, many Yazidis were escaping persecution by ISIS. I recently visited their most important holy place — Lalish Temple — in northern Kurdistan. Lalish is only a two hour drive from Erbil but, in some ways, it feels like a million miles from anywhere.

Continue reading →

Namaste Bhaktapur!

2025, Nepal, , , , , , , View all 9 comments

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.

Continue reading →

Buddha Bellies

2019, South Korea, , , , , View all 23 comments

We are in South Korea. We are standing in the dark at the base of a giant golden Buddha at 4:30am. The Buddha is framed by mountains and a wooden pagoda. I’m wearing six layers of lightweight cotton, unprepared for the near-freezing temperatures we will endure for the coming hour. Shaking, I find myself trying not to wonder why I thought staying at a temple in the mountains was a good idea.

Continue reading →

Kyoto: Less is More and More is More

2015, Japan, , , , View all 4 comments

Kyoto is Japan’s cultural center and land of many temples.  Kyoto has a long history and was once Japan’s capital.  It feels relaxed compared to Tokyo but, like Tokyo, it is warm and polite, clean and safe, and attentive to some of the finer details.  Everything here is so visual! Traditional Japanese style says a lot with a little. Drama is presented with simple beauty and attention to detail. The message is there if you are paying attention.

DSCN1540

Continue reading →

Ankor Wat: The Star of the (Cambodia) Show

2014, Cambodia, , , , , , View all 2 comments

Between the 10th and 12th centuries, the kings of the Khmer Empire built some very spectacular stuff in this part of Cambodia, which was originally called “Angkor.” Iconic Angkor Wat is the most dramatic jewel in the crown but Angkor is a 150 square mile park full of temples, each one a world treasure.

Magnificent Angkor Wat, originally built to honor the Hindu god Vishnu in the 12th century, it became a Buddhist temple in the 15th century

Continue reading →