TRAVELS w/P: Tales of Adventure Here & There

Friday oct 22 - Sarnath. End of day. Fay and eddie you were front of mind when I realized I was visiting a japanese temple: "na mu myo ren ge kyo". The abbott beat a drum as he chanted, accompanied by devotees also beating on two enormous drums or their own small handheld tamborine-style drum. Hypnotizing. Incense, sedating. As the chanting came to a close a large "singing" bowl was struck; its tone lingering long after. Young children came bounding in at the conclusion, wishing namaste, hands in prayer, grins beaming, knowing a sweet would be offered by the abbott. Visited my first ever Tibetean temple, turning prayer wheels, marvelling at the mystical deities painted at the entrance, the 100,000 budda figurines inside, the towering buddha statue with third eye. Took a pic of a maroon draped monk chatting on a cell phone, saffron robes hung to dry. Also visited a Chinese temple. Each is so very different from the next. Sampled a banana lassi from a street vendor. Street dogs at the ready for scraps. Returned to the guest house in one big puddle. Clothes damp with sweat, ankles itchy with mosquito bites. Another simple meal; vegan as it turns out. Then story telling with the good doctor. He's behind a school project that sees that the area's poorest children, girls especially, receive a free education. Funded by generous patrons of his guest house. Too much detail to go into here. Suffice it to say how so little for us western folk can make such a dramatic positive impact here. Will be visiting the project tomorrow. Anyhow, a long day planned, with an early start. So, nighty nite.