Being in a majority Buddhist land for the first time -at least in India- I can feel the difference. Peace is the overwhelming theme in Leh and Ladakh. Population is a confounding factor, I admit. But the difference between a temple and a monastery (both sacred places) is too much to ignore. Again, the dominating word would be "peaceful". No cacophony, or crowds. Or pandas who insist on extortion under various guises. You can meditate, or just have a quick look, or sit there for hours. Only a small entry ticket of 20-30 rupees for tourists/visitors. Don't know whether these things are taught or inherent in the locals, but everyone is polite to a fault. Maybe it is the mountain air!
What is civilization, or culture? Is it being in a perpetual state of chaos? Or is it being at peace with yourself and those around you? I wonder. There have been a few mails circulating about Japan and the reactions to the Tsunami damage in Fukushima. Japan happens to be a Buddhist nation, and though it is far from flawless as a society, it does have a resilience (modern equivalent of stoicism?) to withstand a lot of adversity.
Just staring at a snow-covered peak gives you a feeling that life (as we have been living it) is meaningless, and that there is more to it (or less to it?) than we think. If a short trip can do this, I am not surprised at the sages over the years who made the region their home.
A blog about life, Hindi music, films, humour, books, people, places, events, travel, and occasionally, marketing management or leadership. Mostly apolitical, because that is a personal matter that each of us should decide on, and because I don't want to lose readers!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
XLRI Doctoral Colloquium 2024
Pics from a well-organised event. With TAS Vijayaraghavan, my classmate and XLRI prof., and Dr. Prashant, host. My talk on Building Academ...
These Were Liked a Lot
-
The Bangalore Years (1982-84) at IIMB What happens to anyone who goes to an IIM is that his life changes forever. It is a unique environm...
-
There is this game of songs-no idea what it's called in English, if at all- called Antakshari, where you sing a song, and the next pers...
-
Two new faculty members, Juhee Singh Verma and Bharat Singh Patel, joined us at Prestige University. Pics of them, with me and some older t...
-
Just started teaching the Digital Marketing course for its second run. In between last year and this year, two important things happened.. ...
-
Whoever said a rice cooker is only for cooking rice? On the lookout for new ways to make tea since my only gas cylinder got exhausted and w...
-
I am not a food blogger, but I thought why not try everything once? So here is a simple egg curry recipe. Boil 3 eggs. Peel and set aside....
-
I have been experimenting with drinks all my life. In Calicut, my friend Ravi and I tried out innovative cocktails with local ingredients. ...
2 comments:
You are right, Ladakh is a place where anyone can feel themselves as a buddhists. buddhism culture is very good culture and have no words to describe it. this smooths the soul and mind of the person. One can go every year for the peace.
http://www.tourismladakh.com
Yes, I agree.
Post a Comment