The stupa here is more than just a monument, to many it is the birthplace where dharma met the modern world - from east to west, west to east, this structure has been the cornerstone of Kathmandu and to its many yearly pilgrims it signifies hope and possibility.
Reaching into the sky it opens my mind in a way no other place can, like the air being finally brought back into a vacuum of space, the calm and serene nature of its shadow on the ground fills me with peace. I am home.
Walking amongst your broken walls, strewn here and there as they have fallen, the sight brings tears to my eyes and a weight to my heart. Though your glorious warmth and glow continue to fill my heart with hope, I am hurting inside by the way your surroundings have crumpled, leaving me with only my memories of past experiences to tide me through.
This city has been to hell and is only now beginning to see the road back - its many buildings, monuments and heritage literally thrown to the ground in a split second of nature’s aggression and power. The aftermath of this tragedy has yet to fully sink in, and in my heart I know that once it does I will fall, I will more than I am willing to fall, for my attachments and memories in this place run deep.
Wandering through a space I have always considered to be the holiest of holy, the most powerful of the powered, the radiant light in the dark - the energy is still there, never diminished. Regardless of what has befallen this space, with its deprivation, devastation and debris, one thing remains perfectly clear to me. The stupa stands alone, in a graveyard of fallen monuments, a city and its buildings turned to dust, the stupa stands alone.
I am comforted by the stability and infallibility of this glorious masterpiece, a testament to the ever turning of the dharma, and the unstopping courageous nature of the people that call this country home. This stupa will continue, this space will continue, the city will be rebuilt, the memories can fade as we can make new ones. The most important of things is the spirit within, and this I can attest is as strong as the day it was made.
As the sun sets over Swayambhu, my heart is heavy but my mind is clear. A simple moment in its wake and I am new again, tossing aside the wreckage of my memories, forgoing the comfort I expected and letting the reality sink in. My memories can fade as I will make new ones, the spirit will continue as it always has. This place will endure as it is as strong as it ever was. I am home.
Reaching into the sky it opens my mind in a way no other place can, like the air being finally brought back into a vacuum of space, the calm and serene nature of its shadow on the ground fills me with peace. I am home.
Walking amongst your broken walls, strewn here and there as they have fallen, the sight brings tears to my eyes and a weight to my heart. Though your glorious warmth and glow continue to fill my heart with hope, I am hurting inside by the way your surroundings have crumpled, leaving me with only my memories of past experiences to tide me through.
This city has been to hell and is only now beginning to see the road back - its many buildings, monuments and heritage literally thrown to the ground in a split second of nature’s aggression and power. The aftermath of this tragedy has yet to fully sink in, and in my heart I know that once it does I will fall, I will more than I am willing to fall, for my attachments and memories in this place run deep.
Wandering through a space I have always considered to be the holiest of holy, the most powerful of the powered, the radiant light in the dark - the energy is still there, never diminished. Regardless of what has befallen this space, with its deprivation, devastation and debris, one thing remains perfectly clear to me. The stupa stands alone, in a graveyard of fallen monuments, a city and its buildings turned to dust, the stupa stands alone.
I am comforted by the stability and infallibility of this glorious masterpiece, a testament to the ever turning of the dharma, and the unstopping courageous nature of the people that call this country home. This stupa will continue, this space will continue, the city will be rebuilt, the memories can fade as we can make new ones. The most important of things is the spirit within, and this I can attest is as strong as the day it was made.
As the sun sets over Swayambhu, my heart is heavy but my mind is clear. A simple moment in its wake and I am new again, tossing aside the wreckage of my memories, forgoing the comfort I expected and letting the reality sink in. My memories can fade as I will make new ones, the spirit will continue as it always has. This place will endure as it is as strong as it ever was. I am home.
