Roundabouts and Buddhism

I think the roundabout was invented by Buddhists.

Today I decided to go see the big stupa in Bodnath about 10 km away from the city. It is the biggest stupa in Nepal. There is also a big community of Tibetans here and this is the holiest temple in Nepal for the Tibetan Buddhists. It is also the residence of the Chini Lama, the third most important after Dalai Lama and Panchen lama. There are monks everywhere as there are more than a dozen monasteries surrounding the stupa which dates from the 9-10 century.

The stupa's architecture is quite distinct from any other stupa, as the hemisphere sits on a layered platform. The whole structure can be interpreted in many ways. As a representation of the primary elements the platform represents the earth, the hemisphere - water, the tower - fire, the umbrella - air and the top/peak - the pure conscience.
Another way of looking at it identifies the underground world in the base platform, our world in the 3 rectangle platform levels and the world of the gods in the hemisphere.

The proper way to go around the temple is in clockwise direction. So here I am circling the stupa like everybody else. It's a universal principle, if you think about it, it's like the moon circling the Earth, the Earth circling the sun and so on. Just like the planets do not change the direction of their rotation, hundreds and thousands of people circling the stupa day after day after day after day ...

Whenever I want to be in another spot for a picture I have to do the tour. In total maybe a dozen times.

In order to visit the monasteries you need to follow different streets leaving the main square. These are unpaved and in quite a bad shape. In some areas there is a terrible stench, and I'm looking around for carcasses, but there are only some dogs sleeping in the sun.
The street is lined up with workshops - little shacks where locals create marvels out of nothing. Sitting on the floor and hammering without interruption the coppersmiths create small bowls or copper molds for the monasteries. I can't find out more detailed information as none of them speaks any English. The level of detail is impressive. The working conditions are minimal. There are some young boys among the workers, I presume learning the skills.

From the rugged unpaved street suddenly a nice, clean and paved street turns right. It leads to a monastery. It is a huge monastery, a complex of several buildings housing prayer rooms and dormitories and a school for the monks and novices. The lawn between the buildings is very well maintained and the whole complex seems to be doing very well.
There is a maybe 8 year old novice sitting on the steps of the monastery. He is cute and very shy. I learn that he is from Taiwan. For 15 years he'll be here studying Buddhism, away from home and family.

I am lucky to be just by myself in the prayer room - facing the huge Buddha statue and admiring all the paintings and details.

My intention to return to the main stupa by doing a loop probably wasn't a bright idea. At some point the street seems to come to an end. This area houses big new houses and some huge hotels. Nevertheless, the street is in the same poor shape. New buildings are under construction and I'm lucky. A construction worker shows me the way out: squeeze in between these 2 walls, then walk along the wall, jump to the left and go straight for a bit, then follow the muddy trail to the right, left along the fence, straight through the meadow, right over the stones sticking out of the huge puddles then a few more turns like that and back to the "main" street. Whew!

Just a few steps further I watch a truck loaded with gravel backing into a yard. It is blocking the street so you can only stand and watch. The yard is the site for a future building and there's already a huge heap of gravel there and a pile of bricks. It's a matter of fractions of a second - the left rear wheel sinks into the gravel heap and the truck is out of commission sinking completely with its rear left wheel into the hole and leaning dangerously on its left side. It's going to tilt completely, I'm thinking, but it doesn't. Instead, it stands there with one wheel deep dug into the gravel and the diagonal (front right wheel) high in the air. What can I do ? I take some pictures and continue my way. At least the street is clear now. I wonder how much this will cost the driver...

I return to the square and do another tour of the stupa. The sky has cleared up considerably, so maybe I'll get some nice pictures. I sit down at the bottom of the stupa and write in my journal, write some postcards and watch the other people passing by. It is so peaceful!

I have also spotted a cafe with a rooftop garden that offers the best view of the stupa in the late afternoon. There are many such cafes around the stupa, but this serves the purpose best. So I go there to have a coffee and end up spending a couple of hours or more looking straight into "Buddha's eyes". And eating, of course.

As I'm sitting there I'm also watching on the adjacent rooftop construction workers finishing the balcony wall. They're working with patience and seem very meticulous about their work. At some point the owner/boss comes and checks and watches them. I wonder how much these men are being paid for their work. Very little probably, in spite of their hard work.

I'm thinking - if you want to get some construction work done neatly and without cutting corners, you should hire a Nepali.
I do not know how and if I deserved any of this. I feel extremely fortunate to be here and see all these wonders.
From up here I also notice some novices on the rooftop of the monastery close by jumping and competing in jumping on the side-wall of the rooftop. They're still kids full of energy.

My patience is rewarded as the sun comes out later on and I get the best light possible - in these circumstances - to take the desired pictures.

Eventually I feel it is time to head back. So I leave my observation point or, actually, change it. As I get down into the square it seems like all the people have gathered here from everywhere. It is evening time prayer time and so it's very busy. Extremely crowded - to be more accurate. Monks and women and old people are doing their prayer, circling the stupa three times. I can actually recognize the faces as they return a first and then a second time. Some hold a candle, others are counting their prayer beads, others are turning the prayer wheels. I notice there are very few young people among the praying crowds.
The elder women are wearing some local traditional dresses which I find very beautiful. Over a long sleeved shirt they have this sleeveless black dress on top of which comes a striped apron and another item, also striped, more like a woolen rectangle piece around their back and held tight by a belt.

I tell a woman that I find her outfit beautiful - "Ramro!" and point to her dress. She stops, smiles and then nods declining. She picks up Pepe from my backpack and pointing to him says "Ramro".
How different our representations of beauty. How much modesty!