Nepal Retreat (2)
One afternoon during Retreat several of us hiked to the Namo Buddha shrine and monastery. Again beautiful scenery.
The story of the Namo Buddha: One day a prince was walking in the hills and came upon a starving tiger and her cubs. The tiger was so desperate she was about eat her cubs. Moved with compassion the prince offered his body to the tigers. That prince was later reincarnated as the Buddha.
This shrine is said to be where the prince made his sacrifice. It is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in Nepal. Recognizing the extraordinary sacrifice the prince made, the nearby villagers buried his bones beneath the stupa at this shrine.
We attended a service at the monastery but were not allowed to take photos. (This monastery is of the Tibetan tradition.) There was much chanting and horn blowing. Fascinating and moving. The inside of the temple was very reminiscent of the ones we saw in Tibet with beautiful colors and streamers of Tibetan cloth. The monastery is home to more than 250 monks and includes a monastic college, a school for young monks and a Tibetan Medical clinic.
The following is a description taken from the website:
In the center is the main temple building, which is six stories high with another added by the curved golden roof in the Indian style. Counting from the ground up, the principal temple hall is located on the fourth floor. It has thirty-six pillars, each of which enshrines a gilded bronze Buddha at the top. In the front of the hall are statues of the Seven Generations of Buddhas made in Bangkok. … Behind these seven, a Thousand Buddhas of the Fortunate Era fill the rows of alcoves. Fifteen mandalas from the great tantras adorn the ceiling. Hidden behind the main shrine is a special sanctuary, and outside in the front of the building is a wide veranda.
I “stole” a photo of the larger site since I was unable to get a good one.
-
- on hike to monastery
-
- on hike
-
- entrance to shrine
-
- a goddess
-
- shrine of Buddha & tiger
-
- stupa below which are the ashes
-
- prayer flags
-
- below the shrine
-
- prayer flags!
-
- temple site
-
- entrance to temple
-
- entrance to temple
-
- outside of temple
-
- an entrance
-
- students descending from service
-
- prayer wheels
-
- looking out
-
- countryside