Spinning the Prayer Wheels in Kagbeni
November 18th 2009: Day 12 of Circuit
It’s no wonder I got a great night of rest last night. Following the previous day’s grueling journey over the pass, my body was spent. Every joint in my body was aching and stiff, and as I lay in my bed this morning, I could tell that it was cloudy and cold outside, and so I opted to remain warm in bed for a while longer.
When I finally pushed myself to get up, my happiness was shattered instantly by the oppressive cold. Open the door, a harsh mountain wind blows in my face. Before me lay desolate brown landscape meets grey clouds. Very depressing.
Today’s hike to the Tibetan village of Kagbeni took us through barren desert hills where nothing grows. It’s astounding people live here.
Tonight as I roamed around town I came across Buddhist prayer wheels. They are found in all Buddhist villages, and usually they just strike me as just a noteworthy cultural thing. Tonight though, as I ambled slowly around the town I found myself spinning every one of the wheels with a heart-felt prayer in mind. There was a deep yearning in my heart, and to God I kept whispering, “Show me everything. Bless me with wisdom. Lead me where I need to be.”
Show me the way to help me understand this peculiar existence. Teach me about love, about loneliness and suffering, about God’s infinite love and intentions. Grant me this opportunity to grow everyday. To learn from everyone I meet. To be come a student of life. To observe myself and come to know a better way of being. And with one last twist of the prayer wheel, I smile and thank God for the blessing of being in the Himalayas.
On my iPod, I have “Every Grain of Sand” playing on infinite repeat.
” I h ear the ancient footsteps, like the motion of the sea
Somtimes I turn, there’s someone there, other times it’s only me.
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.”
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