Apparently, this roof top photo I took at Norbulingka is the top of a prayer wall. Like so much of what I am seeing here in India, I know little of the significance of what I am seeing — just that I am drawn to it.
final offerings
These candles, afloat the river, are our final offers before we return home to the states. They are full of appreciation and gratitude for this once in a lifetime experience for which we have been blessed with. In addition, they are filled with anticipation and promise for the days ahead.
Death becomes it
“To die in Varanasi, on the river’s sacred banks, is to free oneself from samsar, the seemingly endless cycle of death and rebirth; it enables one to forgo further reincarnations and achieve moksha, or spiritual liberation.” – Jim Lo Scalzo, A place for the Dead and the Living, US News, November 16, 2007.
It’s no wonder that people come from near and far to spend the last days of their lives. Here they pray, wash away their sins, and die. Yes, I said “die.” In fact, each month, several thousand bodies are consumed by the fires that burn day in and day out in the cremation ghats or burning grounds.
After hearing of this place, and how richly filled it is with death and the dying, I knew that it would be difficult for me to witness. Yet also knew that I must come here. Although I did not know precisely the reason, I was acutely aware that there was a level of rebirth for me here in all of this death. Another level of healing to be worked.
rich man, poor man
The people here in Varanasi are so poor. Yet there world is so visibly rich. I am in heaven.
the shores of Varanasi
There is so much that goes on along the shores of Varanasi. This photo is one of stillness but a few hours from now, these same shores come to life with the nightly rituals of giving thanks for the day and putting Lord Shiva to bed. And in the morning, a similar thing happens. It’s amazing.