Just Something to Think About.

I have been recently contemplating quite often the differences between life in the West and life here (at least for my daily life at the monastery). This experience of living in a simple Monastery in the third world has given me much more appreciation for a lot of basic things that we have in the modern developed West. For example, stable electricity, clean and filtered running water, Western toilets, double beds, electric stoves, clear roads (only a few potholes here and there); instant access to the internet (basically ALL the time) and basic infrastructure (ie. the monks here incinerate their garbage! But there are public and private garbage disposals systems here as well).

We kind of take all of this for granted in the West, but it's because of stable infrastructure, technology and wealth that we're able to have all of this; and it's very humbling when; for example; you're in the internet cafe and the power just turns off. Or just taking a cold shower (which is pretty alright during a hot summer day; but come winter?). Or just having a stable internet connection and NOT having to dodge potholes and cars while strolling down the road (oh wait, we DON'T walk on the roads in the West - we have sidewalks! ha!).

On the other hand, don't let this seem like I'm only saying how great we have it. There's quite a few things we can learn from developing third world countries, ones like Nepal. Expanding on my previous post, the people here face more challenges; yet seem just so much more content and satisfied with their lives than we do at times. Perhaps it's just a symptom of being that much closer to the frailties of the human conditions; that leads one in the third world to easily appreciate what they DO have (ie. family, decent food, shelter, basic sanitary health, the opportunity for education).

Personally, I'm enjoying my time in the monastery. It's nice to have a set schedule. Wake-up at 5 (or sleep in til breakfast at 7); blog/plan, lunch at 11, classes at 1 and dinner at 6. It's a pretty consistent schedule that has room for free time. But I do sorely miss home and Canadian life as well! Sigh, the paradox!

Anyway, here's a few random pics:

Me in front of a Hindu Temple @ Durbar Square (Patan). It was so Hindu; that I wasn't able to enter inside of it.

Durbar Square, Patan.

A few of class 3-4 monks helping with Dinner Preparation.

Yep, they're a bunch of Cows, just wandering the streets. Since Hinduism is quite prevalent in Nepal, the Cow is considered to be a holy animal and thus are NOT to be killed. They eat Buffalo meat here, poor little Buffalos!