Leh Revisited

 The original residents-above and below.

 The intruders..

 Indus and Zanskar come together.. and snow-clad mountains from the pathways.

I (Almost) Become a Buddhist

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.