Chorten and Himalayas
Ladakh, India
We climbed up steep steps to the top of the monastery. I could see the red cloths fluttering in the wind and the chorten’s golden spire gleaming. In the back were the Himalayas hunkering down on the horizon, ready for the winter snows.
Chorten remind me of reliquaries: containers to hold sacred objects. In the Roman Catholic church relics are objects related to Jesus and the saints. In Buddhism, relics relate to Buddha and venerated monks. Maybe they are saints as well. I tried to pay attention to our guide as he explained Buddhism. I kept relating it to Catholicism but to him there was no relation. There was, but he didn’t get it.