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Tag Archives: Buddhist

Tiger Hill, Suzhou

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Canal and bridge, part of the idyllic surroundings in Tiger Hill park, Suzhou.

 

 

 

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Tiger Hill Pagoda or  云岩寺塔; the tower was completed in 961 CE during the Song Dynasty. It is 7 stories tall and leans slightly toward the north, making it one of China’s “Leaning Towers.”

 

 

 

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 The tower leans over 2 meters toward the north; repairs in the 1980s inserted a ring of concrete foundations which stabilized the structure. The tower is a stone and brick version of similar wooden towers. Original curved roofs at each story have disappeared.

 

 

 

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One of the most tranquil spots at the top of the hill is this pavilion, sited to catch the passing breezes.

 

 

 

I took advantage of a slightly warmer afternoon to make my first trip to Tiger Hill, just northwest of central Suzhou. Surrounded by a landscaped park, it is the most popular tourist destination in Suzhou. I planned my outing the week before Spring Festival, when the place will be overrun with visitors. The tranquility of the spot was very relaxing, and afterward I decided to walk the length of ancient Shantang Street, itself a famous tourist destination, from Tiger Hill toward the street’s beginning at the edge of town, a little over 2 miles. It’s a quite relaxing hike, except for the insanely crowded street market at the street’s southern end, and the crowded touristy stretch of restored buildings and shops and restaurants. My feet were killing me, so I took the nearby subway back to the center of Suzhou and then did some shopping.

photo of the day

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Kathmandu – Yatkha Bahal stupa and courtyard

 

Bahals are courtyards that originated as Buddhist monasteries.  Most of the buildings that exist today in bahal courtyards date from the 14th to the present century, but the monasteries themselves are much older than even the oldest buildings. Records and stone monuments and sculptures in the courtyards show that Kathmandu was home to many bahals in the 5th century CE, and the oldest may date to as early as the 3rd century BCE.

John Child, Streets of Silver, Streets of Gold, p. 27

Sacred places

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Here’s a brief selection from the many sacred places and structures I encountered in Kathmandu. Hinduism and Buddhism coexist amicably here, and many sites combine aspects of both. Due to the many Tibetans resident in Nepal, Tibetan Buddhism also has a strong presence.

 

 

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Durbar Square windows

 

 

 

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Durbar Square, another perspective

 


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Swayambunath Stupa – my favorite site. It’s also earned the name of the Monkey Temple because of its, uh, residents. This is the oldest Buddhist temple in Kathmandu.

 

 

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Together again – which one looks more serene, monkey or deity?

 

 

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Swayambhunath gilded detail

 

 

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Stone sculpture, Hindu shrine

 

 

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Boudhanath Stupa, the largest stupa in the Kathmandu valley

 

 

 

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Detail of Boudhanath – the all-seeing eyes

 

 

 

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Boudhanath pilgrims making a clockwise koraor circumambulation of the Buddhist stupa

 

 

 

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Patan Durbar Square – intricacy in stone

 

 

 

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Patan Durbar Square: Sitting around, taking it all in.

 

 

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Jayabageshwari Temple, Deopatan district

hitting the road

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Ganzi, Dontok Gompa, Monastic Student [July 2007]

 Classes have finished, except for two oral English exams that I’ll give this week.  As I complete my fourth year in China, I’m feeling the effects of the long and sometimes difficult process of adapting myself to a new country, and to my life as a teacher.  I’m also looking forward to some heavy-duty travel.

I’ve been planning a trip to Tibet, Nepal, and India for four years; even longer, if you count the years I’ve spent anticipating my first encounter with the Himalaya, living vicariously through books such as Peter Matthiessens’s The Snow Leopard or Jeff Greenwald’s The Size of the World, not to mention Alexandra David-Neel’s My Journey to Lhasa.  Well, it looks like I’m going to get there at long last.

Following the civil unrest in Tibet in the Olympic Year of 2008, all foreigners must now engage a travel agency, and travel through the region with a paid driver and tour guide.  There’s no such thing as independent travel in the Tibet Autonomous Region for foreigners; this may change, but for now I must fulfill my dream via a high-price organized tour.  I’ll join two other people once I get to Lhasa, and our tour is organized by Snow Lion Tours, a Tibetan-owned and staffed company.  You can get an approximate idea of our 8-day itinerary here.

Here’s a general outline of my summer travel plan:  Fly from Chengdu to Lhasa Saturday morning, July 10; spend about 3 days in Lhasa, then travel by 4-wheel drive to Gyantze, Shigatse, Everest Base Camp, and finally to the China-Nepal border at Zhangmu.  From there I’ll take a bus to Kathmandu, and stay there as long as I feel like it.  I’ll make a side trip to Swayambhunath temple, and possibly Pokhara.  Then I’ll go by bus to Varanasi, India.  Depending on the heat and the cost of travel, I’ll venture quickly or slowly onward to Agra and Delhi, finally ending up in Dharamsala, where I’ll visit my friend Phurbu who’s studying English there.  I would dearly love to fit in a trekking trip to Ladakh, but any of the above plans might have to be modified or scrapped due to minor inconveniences such as running out of money or time (whichever comes first).

So there you have it: the dream of a lifetime (Asian version; I have other dreams for other parts of the world). I’ll be posting “from the road” as often as I’m motivated. Ciao.