Wayfarer's window!

Knotter's son...in some  photoshopped pictures  This one's from the local paper: 

Your faltering walk, The gibberish way you talk, Is our heart's delight! I give you my hand, You are learning how to stand, You make me feel grand!

Bodhgaya, the place of Buddha's enlightenment, is now a town of temples. The best part is that an area just about a sqare mile, one is able to take a complete tour of south and south east asia. All Buddhist nations are represented by temples in its architectural style in Bodhgaya. While there are temples represententing Thailand, Myanmar, Veitnam, Cambodia, Bhutan, Tibet, China and Japan; in  my last visit I was able to capture only a few in my camera. Hope you will enjoy the photos just the same!

The rivers Sarayu and Falgu, in India are hidden rivers which flow beneath a layer of sand most times of the year. In the monsoon, following rain in its catchment areas, leads to its sudden flooding. However, soon after the rains, all that is left of the river is a balnket of sand. Mythology has it that both these rivers are cursed, but for any thirsty person, he has to dig jsut a liitle to find the waters flowing! There is this hidden river, where all you see is sand, they say the water runs beneath, which only the thirsty find...... It swells in the monsoon, it comes in flowing floods But in the heat of summer, has been serving a curse of gods. Dry as a bone you can see it, and still the cities thrive, Along its banks you can see, nature bounteous and alive! I have had my moments with you, Falgu Oh river of plight, For despite your apparent barenness, you have given to me delight!  upstream Falgu river  Mid stream dry Falgu river Down stream dry Falgu river...

Again and again and again my mind goes back to the hill town which is my home. There, every day presented the wonders of creation in myriad wonderful ways. I would be up to see the sunrise paint the northern mountains, and would be entralled to see how quickly the clouds would rise from the valleys and bring in the rains. The weather would again change into cloudless skies before the darkness of the night would cover us up. Iremember seeing a film which drew upon the constantly changing weather of the town and contrasted them with the fickle nature of human feelings (Kanchenjungha, Satyajit Ray). I may have been so much like the little boy who sings the Nepali song. While this poem does not delve into human emotions and swinging moods, it does describe the scenes of nature that I would witness each day  and be overwhelmed by. Psalms 121:1  ¶<<A Song of degrees.>> I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2  My help cometh from ...

  Psalms 136: 1  ¶ Howduw la- Yahweh , kiy - Towb ! Kiy lª| owlaam chacdow . 2   Howduw lee-' Eloheey haa'ªlohiym ! Kiy lª| owlaam chacdow . 3   Howduw la-' Adoneey haa'ªdoniym ! Kiy lª| olaam chacdow . Knotter's prayer: Lord,I am all knotted up, and sometimes the knots suffocate even me. You, Sovereign Lord, whose Hand is in my life, un ravel me, soothingly, as only You can. My All becoming God , become my Hope in distress, my Light in darkness, my Rock when I falter and fall. Almighty God of enduring strength, who can pluck me out of your Hand?  The destiny that You have carved is there forever, unchanging, guarded, for the best... And as I walk along, untying every tedious knot, being released of hurt, pain, shame and uncertainty, my all becoming God , be for me even my faith and strenght for today. and hope for tomorrow! I look with hope tomorrow, for my God is with me. Amen.

The new year begins for me with the 13th Psalm. A short psalm of lament. In this Psalm, the situation and the mood rapidly changes with every two verses. What begins as failure and a "flat-on-the-face-fall" in the first two verses, changes in the middle verses to a spirit of compusure and knee-bent-prayer. The final two verses describe a victorious mood where God  enables the psamist to rejoice and dance. Below is my own rendition of the 13th Psalm. I am also drawn to the passage in Isaiah 61:1-3 which heralds the new year with God's promise of restoration and is surprisingly similar to the 13th Psalm. Verse 2a speaks of the proclamation of the year of the Lord and verses 2b and 3 go on to show the change from mourning to comfort, from ashes to beauty, from a spirit of heaviness to garments of praise. Finally the song at the bottom sums it all..for I am trading my sorrows for joy..... Blessings and similar changes in the lives of all my readers for the new year! ...

"I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me" Psalm 13:6 The road I leave behind has been full of surprises. I am reminded of a story I read this morning of an old woman's cracked pot.This pot leaked water all the way as the woman carried it from the water source to her home. Once the pot grew despondent and unhappy at its underperformance. It was sorry that it could never carry the entire water home. Then the old woman showed it its path where the spilled water had led to the growth of a trail of flowers and herbs. The bottomline of the story went "So, to all of my cracked pot friends, I love you, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!" So here is cracked-pot's own collection of flowers and herbs...and may be a little remembrance of the waters spilled by. I reflect on the two years gone by in this city. Often alone but never lonely. I look at all the good things that the year has given. Th...