Let me tell you today how once I spent my whole day with Buddhist monks. It is about that day when I was feeling bored since morning and was thinking what to do? I was in Himachal Pradesh at that time and while scrolling through my mobile, I thought that let's go to Sherabiling Monastery today. I didn't know much and I walked this 8 km. went on the way.
The smiles on Truck
Sherabiling Monastery is 6 km from Beed. It is located far away, this place comes in Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh. The height of the monastery is 1420 meters. So after walking for about 2 hours, I reached here around noon. When he reached here, he saw that Buddhist monks were busy in one or the other work. I sit in one place and start watching their activities.
A senior monk observing all the activites of monks
Seeing everything and talking to some monks, I understood that their daily activity is here. 750 monks live in Sherabiling Monastery and receive the teachings of Buddhism. Monks from the age of 5 to 35 were seen here. After education, some monks are kept here as teachers and some are sent to other places for the propagation of religion.
Washed the clothes and now drying in sunrays
Small monks are playing marbles in this monastery situated in the middle of a pine forest, some children are winning and some are losing. Beyond victory and defeat, everyone is laughing a lot and pulling each other's legs. Some monks are arguing on religious matters, I found their conversation very passionate. These people are also talking about social issues on which everyone is putting their views in front of each other.
Dancing monks
Some monks are sitting in meditation posture in the courtyard and are engrossed in meditation. I am watching them for a while, but they are not bothered at all, while there is so much activity and noise around them, their concentration is being created on seeing them. And on the side some monks are practicing Tibetan Yogasana. A monk told me that yoga and meditation are the two strongest pillars for us and if these two are not balanced then life can be chaotic.
It was a break time when most of them were playing with stones
A little further, when I enter the premises of the monastery, I see a large group of monks practicing Kung-Fu, their postures are so flowing that I just kept watching them. A monk standing nearby told me that entertainment is an important part of life, so here monks also watch TV, listen to western music and dance as if there is a group dancing. I really liked the dancing monks.
Dancing monks
Some monks are cleaning, some are working as gardeners, elder monks are helping younger monks. Seeing all this, I remembered my time when I too had stayed in a monastery for 10 days and had received the basic education of Buddhism. At that time I also practiced meditation and remained silent for 10 days. Today I felt that my time was alive.
It called the focus
When I go out to go back, I see a truck coming towards me, in which many monks are sitting, all the people are having fun shouting. When the truck passes in front of me, it is known that these people had gone to the forest from where they have brought wood for cooking and now these people will empty this truck near the kitchen. Here no one is doing work like work, instead everyone has made work fun.
Going to kitchen to unload the truck
When I move towards the gate, I come to know that it is time for tea and all the people have gone to take tea, some monks are also coming back after drinking tea. And at one place small children are washing their utensils. Elderly monks are walking around here. A child was seen drying clothes in the passing sun. After exiting the gate, I see two monks going in front of the Dhauladhar mountain range having a deep discussion on a particular issue.
Some serious convertations about life
With the setting sun, I come back to my room and after dinner, thinking that today was a good day, I take the right decision to go to the monastery. Now lying down I am thinking that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I will go cycling with my friends and will definitely take everyone to this monastery. The cycling journey will soon be in front of you.
Dhauladhar in backdrop and two monks were passing the life through it
Hope you enjoy my journey. All photos are clicked with Canon 1100D and edited in Lightroom. This English text has been originally translated from Hindi with the help of Google translator.
