a search for nothing

This morning I decided to take my friend Ivan up to Kopan Monastery. We set out around 1100, in the mid day heat. About half way there a boy with a tray of caged birds stopped us and asked us if we would like to buy a cage...it would be good karma to set them free. We paid 500 rupees each for a cage of 4 baby birds and thought it would be nice to set them free at the monastery. So off we went carrying our cages of birds. At the very top of the monastery there was a flat grassy spot...so there we set our caged birds free...and received some good karma for doing so. We sat at the edge and looked out at the stupa below and the northern kathmandu valley. He asked me what I was searching for here in Nepal. I only had to think a minute, and I told him...nothing, absolutely nothing. I told him that I felt if you were searching you would never find and if you were content you wouldn't have to search. Being content doesn't come from searching, just from being. He thought my theory was "interesting". With that, he pulled out a gift he had promised me the first day we met. It was a leaf and a piece of bark from THE Bodhi tree in India where Buddha sat and achieved enlightenment and found peace. Now that in itself is enlightening. A true treasure.

We had lunch at the monastery cafe, really great food, about $4 for both of us. We sat with a "retired" Brazilian ophthalmologist who was searching. He called himself a "vagabond" This old physician told me that going to Everest was "ego" BUT trekking to Kailash (holy mountain in Tibet)was "spirit". That may very well be..."an interesting theory".

We decided to keep going on to another monastery which I thought was about 15 minutes away, but after 15 minutes walking along a hillside footpath we discovered we were an hour away. It was hot, my arms were red from the sun, so we made the "group" decision to go back to Shechen.

We got back to our "neighbourhood" in about 45 minutes, he went to the supermarket and I headed down the familiar alley to the monastery. I found the "tin house" woman in the same spot as this morning. She almost hugged me...not exactly the norm for Hindus in Nepal! Her son translated that she wanted me to come and visit her at her house this evening. My gift of food was completely altruistic, it would be bad karma to take that back so I graciously declined, although I did say i had passed their house and looked for them.

So now its 1833 and I should eat and shower and go to bed...yup early but I have to if I want to be up walking with the pilgrims at 530! My arms are red and my feet are blistered from the stupid decision to hike the dusty roads in my sandals 2 days running. Worth the blisters?...every last one.