Monday 3rd May 2010
7.45am
Outdoor dining table, Korean monastery
Lumbini, Nepal
So me and Martin discussed lot of things about Germany over lunch yesterday; food, films, culture, all that kind of thing. It turns out he knows well (being from Munich) several of the places I visited during the world cup 4 years ago.
In our room we have been joined by a Dutchman, much older than us.
This morning is very sunny.
I went to the library yesterday afternoon and read about the relationship between Buddhism and science and how various Buddhist concepts can be proved by science and are not contrary to it. There is a lot of harmony between the two.
The only sticky point I have found id the teachings on the soul. Buddhism, although there is in some quarters some dispute, claims there is no soul, so my question is (like some other peoples I guess) who inherits good and bad karma from one life to the next?
I didn't go into the town yesterday but Martin tells me the Maoists scheduled protests have begun. They rolled into town on their motorbikes and closed all the shops. Maybe this might continue for a couple of days. Incidentally I saw thousands of Maoists on a street protest/march in Kathmandu during my short stay there.
I got talking yesterday to one of the Korean girls here.
She was here when I was here before and must have must have been here now for weeks and weeks. Like me she is spending lots of time learning about Buddhism. The only difference is that she is learning for an hour or two each day direct from one of the monks, while I on the other hand am learning from books.
The pace of life is obviously slow here. Construction takes forever. The central canal running north to south through the park, which I walk along to reach the library, is lined not only with trees, grazing cows and prayer flags, but also piles of red bricks, the kind used to build council houses in England. The canal is incomplete with no water in it and the paths on each side unfinished. The number of workers seems small and day to day it is hard to perceive and changes; the lack of activity keeps the area peaceful at least.
Today I may pop into town to buy a new pen. I'm excited about heading back to India. I hope my cheap Olympus camera - which requires real film! - is up to the job of helping my through the next 4 weeks.
This morning I'll read more about Buddhist ethics, a chapter or two about the last Mughal and if I have the mental energy some of Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
Incidentally I think we do have soul, or a soul of some kind, an evolving consciousness perhaps that continues life after life. Something that we only become aware of upon reaching Nirvana. But it may not be eternal.
Today I may pop into town to buy a new pen. I'm excited about heading back to India. I hope my cheap Olympus camera - which requires real film! - is up to the job of helping my through the next 4 weeks.
This morning I'll read more about Buddhist ethics, a chapter or two about the last Mughal and if I have the mental energy some of Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
Incidentally I think we do have soul, or a soul of some kind, an evolving consciousness perhaps that continues life after life. Something that we only become aware of upon reaching Nirvana. But it may not be eternal.