Posted by: JPEG May 4, 2009
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...........as continued!
12. Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche wrote a short pilgrimage guide to Maratika in which he accepts the presence of Hindus but goes on to assert that Buddhists alone possess a true and deep understanding of this place: “Outwardly it is the blissful play of Shiva and Umadevi. Inwardly it is the place of Chakrasamvara. Secretly it is the celestial mansion of the deities of immortal life and most secretly it is the pure land of great bliss, the absolute Akanishta realm†(reproduced in Sherpa 2000, pp. 7-8). Therefore he is saying that the interpretation of Shiva here is the mostexoteric of many more significant levels. He goes on to discuss such methods by which Buddhists can bring Hindus to a deeper understanding: “As all individuals have their own perceptions it is not right to harbor wrong views and speak maligning words. We should practice pure vision, accept their views, perform praises, and thus we shall establish karmic links which will lead them to conversion. Calumniating gods is the basis of misfortune. By narrating stories the mind can be clarified. I have said this at the very outset to create trust in non- Buddhists, Buddhists, and ordinary people, and moreover to refute arguments about this holy place†(reproduced in Buffetrille 1994, pp. 59). Chatral Rinpoche envisions a subtle and civil dialogue that will eventually “convert†Hindus to a
Buddhist understanding in Maratika. Meanwhile it does not attack the validity of Hinduism and interpretation of Shiva in this place, just the superficiality of it. Hindu perception of the Halesi god as Shiva is an understanding of god in a lower state of mind.
Buffetrille refers to the Myth of the Submission of Shiva to illustrate this mentality. He says that in this process “there is no murder but a subtle transmutation and possible liberation for every being, since even such a hostile
being as Shiva can obtain illumination and become Buddha†(Buffetrille 1994, pp. 53). Meanwhile, the lamas in Halesi practice patience. They distribute prasat to all the local Hindu children who come flocking during a Buddhist puja for no other reason than the free treats. And even though these same kids sometimes disturb them in their meditations for the sake of childish amusement, the monks never respond with hostility. Currently the only Buddhists in Halesi are those lamas, mostly from Solu District, that come to study and live in the monastery.
Naturally, those Hindus in the greater community have a similar attitude about the scope and presence of Buddhism in Halesi. Hindus expressed the belief that Buddhism is a branch of Hinduism. They are in fact one religion. But also implicit in this wording is the foundational character of Hinduism. Ujan Giri Naga
Baba says that this place is a relatively new spot for Buddhist belief. It only became significant to Buddhists in the past 2,500 years. Padmasambhava is recent whereas Shiva was here before the world. Shiva created the world and its people. Hindu dharma is the biggest of all dharmas, he says. In Hinduism this current age is called the Kaliyug. It is a period of worldly and religious decline prior to total collapse. Though he believes in the Buddha, the fact that Buddhism evolved in a period of inescapable degradation makes it seem somewhat insignificant.
However in the spirit of cooperation that characterizes Halesi today, the Baba expresses his equal love for both Hindus and Buddhists. The only casual complaint about Buddhist spiritual activities that I ever heard is that they hang prayer flags in some places that some feel should be left without, around the temple for example. Other Hindus I met were eager to have their pictures taken with the colorful flags as a background.
13. The Social Dialogue
Issues in the sphere of religious matters are just one side of the Buddhist impact upon coming to Halesi. The Buddhists have also had a large impact on Halesi’s society, aside from the old contestation of their very presence. Though Hindu and Buddhist spiritual relations may be at ease, these social impacts are not quite as innocuous. Many Hindus today say that it was jealousy that drove those in their community to fight against Buddhists in years past. The Giri family was jealous for their power and the average Hindu was jealous because the Buddhists
were so relatively wealthy. Most Hindus today say that that fighting was misguided and wrong. But the Buddhist power and wealth has had lasting and continuing effects in the Halesi economy and the public psyche.
If there is any anxiety about Buddhist activities in Halesi, it is a vague fear that they might buy up the whole place, explained one of my informants. He feels it is necessary that Buddhists convince the people otherwise. They have bought a lot of land around Halesi, including a lot of high ground. One hillock opposite the entrance to the Lower Cave is draped in prayer flags. It is very rocky, and there is talk in town that these rocks, which can be found in other areas of Halesi, are specially suited for making cement. But the Buddhists bought this hill from its owner after discovering that there was a large man-eating snake inside it, explained Dorji Sherpa. If the hill was broken up to make cement the snake would be released and only bad things could follow. This hill is called Chetmadorji Rhi
and is one of three holy hills in this area, says Dorji.
The Buddhist buying of land, aside from baring some economic ventures as cement making, has inflated the price of all land in Halesi. Because initially Buddhists paid such high prices for the land that they bought, now nobody will sell for cheap. They have set a precedent and the prices in Halesi are nearing those of land in Kathmandu, said one informant. Though Buddhists do buy a lot of land with conservation in mind, buying is not one of the big activities in Buddhist dharma. It is giving. Some of the very first social work initiated by the Maratika Lama was to build paths in the town. At first some Hindus said that it was because he was feeling guilty for having taken guthi lands and having built the monastery in a Hindu holy place. But as the pattern of giving continued the
complaints stopped. On a more practical side, this growing association of Buddhism with monetary benefits may have played a very large role in the disappearance of the Hindu resistance to the Buddhist presence. Buddhists give according to their ability. The more that they can give, the more merit they can accrue by alleviating the hardships of others. In Buddhist pujas, as mentioned earlier, a large pile of food is amassed for offering to god.
After receiving god’s blessing it is distributed, not kept for oneself. It is the act of giving that is important. The average monk in the Maratika monastery is not wealthy. But many Buddhists, particularly those visiting from far away, are.
One day in the temple I was offered a five-hundred-rupee note by a Buddhist pilgrim visiting from Sikkim. I felt silly and wrong accepting it in front of all these kids who habitually begged me for money, to who I always said I couldn’t give. This woman was far from the wealthiest Buddhist to visit Halesi. Reincarnate Lamas visiting Halesi are particularly famous for their charity. Locals say that when these big Lamas come they call for all the people in the town to line up and share their needs. The Lamas have stacks of money on hand and assistants that can run
to the stores and make purchases. Though they are practicing their dharma with good intention, people in Halesi say that these practices are directly responsible for creating a culture of begging among the town’s individuals and organizations. All agree that begging was not a problem until reincarnate lamas began visiting Halesi. Now for visitors, one man said, Halesi might seem like a place where only beggars live. In the main square of town near the temple there are always many adults sitting, waiting for visitors to flock upon with greetings, stories of hardship, and requests for help. Another man said that begging is like a bad habit. They don’t understand that everyone who comes here is not of the same means and the same purpose. People do not just come to give. One man approached me to ask for money to help finish the roof on his house. We later learned that he had received thirty five thousand rupees from a visiting lama and his house was already re-outfitted with a brand new tin roof. Aid also comes to villagers in the form of easy jobs for inflated prices.
14. The idea that the coming of Buddhists might provide some employment for the people of Halesi was recognized by Buffetrille in 1994 when he said that the “presence of the lama has brought work opportunities to the poorest, mainly as porters for Buddhist pilgrims†(Buffetrille 1994, pp. 23). These days many wealthy Buddhists come in to Halesi by helicopter. Even though the landing pad is only a couple hundred yards from the monastery, a local who acts as porter for that distance can easily expect a thousand rupees for the job, said my friend. And
if they offer to give a tour they might receive three or four thousand more. Doing standard manual labor in Halesi it takes three hours to earn fifty rupees, the price of a single meal. The inflation of wages when working for the Buddhists is enormous. It is ironic that these days, if not back in Buffetrille’s time as well, these seemingly spectacular work opportunities and gifts are actually forming a barrier to the economic success of these poor people in Halesi. When my Nepali assistant and translator was trying to leave Halesi to make the trip back to Kathmandu she had difficulty finding a porter to carry her bag. My friend said that if I were leaving there would be a line of potential porters competing to assist me. When the time did come for me to leave I never asked for a porter since I planned to carry my own bags, but I still had several offers. Rather than working as hard as
they would need to for an average Nepali employer, these people are waiting for a visitor who they think will basically hand the money over for nothing. Prem Shrestha, a prominent businessman in town, says that he always needs help in his shop. Even though there are many people lazing around town, they never come.
He says that there is a lot of work all over town, but these people are not willing to work for normal wages because of the precedent of easy wages set by visitors. Despite all the begging, there are no truly destitute people in Halesi. All people own land that they can work and a home that they can return to. But their needs are imbalanced because of the sporadic nature of their work schedule. The same man that received thirty five thousand rupees for a new roof on his home later approached me to buy him some rice. He said that his family was hungry and there was no food at home.
Buddhists look at this persistent poverty in the face of many opportunities to escape it as a characteristic of karma. A visiting lama from Tibet said that in their last life these beggars may have been wealthy men and women, but did not pay attention to dharma. Now they are reincarnated as poor people in a holy place. It is a way of forcing them to face their sin. Prem Shrestha framed his argument using the term ‘luck’ instead of karma. If it is your fortune to be poor than you will always be poor, he says. To him it makes sense that these poor people are born in a holy place like this. The poverty of these people is in God’s hands he said. Even if you break your head for these people you cannot raise them up. Prem Shrestha says that most of the poor people around here used to own a lot of
local land. They sold it and squandered the money. They should be well off but instead they are struggling. However, this discussion of karma and luck does not discount the significance of the interaction between Buddhists and the villagers that is the topic of this section. Most villagers say that this is the main instigation
for begging in Halesi.
................to be continued!
12. Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche wrote a short pilgrimage guide to Maratika in which he accepts the presence of Hindus but goes on to assert that Buddhists alone possess a true and deep understanding of this place: “Outwardly it is the blissful play of Shiva and Umadevi. Inwardly it is the place of Chakrasamvara. Secretly it is the celestial mansion of the deities of immortal life and most secretly it is the pure land of great bliss, the absolute Akanishta realm†(reproduced in Sherpa 2000, pp. 7-8). Therefore he is saying that the interpretation of Shiva here is the mostexoteric of many more significant levels. He goes on to discuss such methods by which Buddhists can bring Hindus to a deeper understanding: “As all individuals have their own perceptions it is not right to harbor wrong views and speak maligning words. We should practice pure vision, accept their views, perform praises, and thus we shall establish karmic links which will lead them to conversion. Calumniating gods is the basis of misfortune. By narrating stories the mind can be clarified. I have said this at the very outset to create trust in non- Buddhists, Buddhists, and ordinary people, and moreover to refute arguments about this holy place†(reproduced in Buffetrille 1994, pp. 59). Chatral Rinpoche envisions a subtle and civil dialogue that will eventually “convert†Hindus to a
Buddhist understanding in Maratika. Meanwhile it does not attack the validity of Hinduism and interpretation of Shiva in this place, just the superficiality of it. Hindu perception of the Halesi god as Shiva is an understanding of god in a lower state of mind.
Buffetrille refers to the Myth of the Submission of Shiva to illustrate this mentality. He says that in this process “there is no murder but a subtle transmutation and possible liberation for every being, since even such a hostile
being as Shiva can obtain illumination and become Buddha†(Buffetrille 1994, pp. 53). Meanwhile, the lamas in Halesi practice patience. They distribute prasat to all the local Hindu children who come flocking during a Buddhist puja for no other reason than the free treats. And even though these same kids sometimes disturb them in their meditations for the sake of childish amusement, the monks never respond with hostility. Currently the only Buddhists in Halesi are those lamas, mostly from Solu District, that come to study and live in the monastery.
Naturally, those Hindus in the greater community have a similar attitude about the scope and presence of Buddhism in Halesi. Hindus expressed the belief that Buddhism is a branch of Hinduism. They are in fact one religion. But also implicit in this wording is the foundational character of Hinduism. Ujan Giri Naga
Baba says that this place is a relatively new spot for Buddhist belief. It only became significant to Buddhists in the past 2,500 years. Padmasambhava is recent whereas Shiva was here before the world. Shiva created the world and its people. Hindu dharma is the biggest of all dharmas, he says. In Hinduism this current age is called the Kaliyug. It is a period of worldly and religious decline prior to total collapse. Though he believes in the Buddha, the fact that Buddhism evolved in a period of inescapable degradation makes it seem somewhat insignificant.
However in the spirit of cooperation that characterizes Halesi today, the Baba expresses his equal love for both Hindus and Buddhists. The only casual complaint about Buddhist spiritual activities that I ever heard is that they hang prayer flags in some places that some feel should be left without, around the temple for example. Other Hindus I met were eager to have their pictures taken with the colorful flags as a background.
13. The Social Dialogue
Issues in the sphere of religious matters are just one side of the Buddhist impact upon coming to Halesi. The Buddhists have also had a large impact on Halesi’s society, aside from the old contestation of their very presence. Though Hindu and Buddhist spiritual relations may be at ease, these social impacts are not quite as innocuous. Many Hindus today say that it was jealousy that drove those in their community to fight against Buddhists in years past. The Giri family was jealous for their power and the average Hindu was jealous because the Buddhists
were so relatively wealthy. Most Hindus today say that that fighting was misguided and wrong. But the Buddhist power and wealth has had lasting and continuing effects in the Halesi economy and the public psyche.
If there is any anxiety about Buddhist activities in Halesi, it is a vague fear that they might buy up the whole place, explained one of my informants. He feels it is necessary that Buddhists convince the people otherwise. They have bought a lot of land around Halesi, including a lot of high ground. One hillock opposite the entrance to the Lower Cave is draped in prayer flags. It is very rocky, and there is talk in town that these rocks, which can be found in other areas of Halesi, are specially suited for making cement. But the Buddhists bought this hill from its owner after discovering that there was a large man-eating snake inside it, explained Dorji Sherpa. If the hill was broken up to make cement the snake would be released and only bad things could follow. This hill is called Chetmadorji Rhi
and is one of three holy hills in this area, says Dorji.
The Buddhist buying of land, aside from baring some economic ventures as cement making, has inflated the price of all land in Halesi. Because initially Buddhists paid such high prices for the land that they bought, now nobody will sell for cheap. They have set a precedent and the prices in Halesi are nearing those of land in Kathmandu, said one informant. Though Buddhists do buy a lot of land with conservation in mind, buying is not one of the big activities in Buddhist dharma. It is giving. Some of the very first social work initiated by the Maratika Lama was to build paths in the town. At first some Hindus said that it was because he was feeling guilty for having taken guthi lands and having built the monastery in a Hindu holy place. But as the pattern of giving continued the
complaints stopped. On a more practical side, this growing association of Buddhism with monetary benefits may have played a very large role in the disappearance of the Hindu resistance to the Buddhist presence. Buddhists give according to their ability. The more that they can give, the more merit they can accrue by alleviating the hardships of others. In Buddhist pujas, as mentioned earlier, a large pile of food is amassed for offering to god.
After receiving god’s blessing it is distributed, not kept for oneself. It is the act of giving that is important. The average monk in the Maratika monastery is not wealthy. But many Buddhists, particularly those visiting from far away, are.
One day in the temple I was offered a five-hundred-rupee note by a Buddhist pilgrim visiting from Sikkim. I felt silly and wrong accepting it in front of all these kids who habitually begged me for money, to who I always said I couldn’t give. This woman was far from the wealthiest Buddhist to visit Halesi. Reincarnate Lamas visiting Halesi are particularly famous for their charity. Locals say that when these big Lamas come they call for all the people in the town to line up and share their needs. The Lamas have stacks of money on hand and assistants that can run
to the stores and make purchases. Though they are practicing their dharma with good intention, people in Halesi say that these practices are directly responsible for creating a culture of begging among the town’s individuals and organizations. All agree that begging was not a problem until reincarnate lamas began visiting Halesi. Now for visitors, one man said, Halesi might seem like a place where only beggars live. In the main square of town near the temple there are always many adults sitting, waiting for visitors to flock upon with greetings, stories of hardship, and requests for help. Another man said that begging is like a bad habit. They don’t understand that everyone who comes here is not of the same means and the same purpose. People do not just come to give. One man approached me to ask for money to help finish the roof on his house. We later learned that he had received thirty five thousand rupees from a visiting lama and his house was already re-outfitted with a brand new tin roof. Aid also comes to villagers in the form of easy jobs for inflated prices.
14. The idea that the coming of Buddhists might provide some employment for the people of Halesi was recognized by Buffetrille in 1994 when he said that the “presence of the lama has brought work opportunities to the poorest, mainly as porters for Buddhist pilgrims†(Buffetrille 1994, pp. 23). These days many wealthy Buddhists come in to Halesi by helicopter. Even though the landing pad is only a couple hundred yards from the monastery, a local who acts as porter for that distance can easily expect a thousand rupees for the job, said my friend. And
if they offer to give a tour they might receive three or four thousand more. Doing standard manual labor in Halesi it takes three hours to earn fifty rupees, the price of a single meal. The inflation of wages when working for the Buddhists is enormous. It is ironic that these days, if not back in Buffetrille’s time as well, these seemingly spectacular work opportunities and gifts are actually forming a barrier to the economic success of these poor people in Halesi. When my Nepali assistant and translator was trying to leave Halesi to make the trip back to Kathmandu she had difficulty finding a porter to carry her bag. My friend said that if I were leaving there would be a line of potential porters competing to assist me. When the time did come for me to leave I never asked for a porter since I planned to carry my own bags, but I still had several offers. Rather than working as hard as
they would need to for an average Nepali employer, these people are waiting for a visitor who they think will basically hand the money over for nothing. Prem Shrestha, a prominent businessman in town, says that he always needs help in his shop. Even though there are many people lazing around town, they never come.
He says that there is a lot of work all over town, but these people are not willing to work for normal wages because of the precedent of easy wages set by visitors. Despite all the begging, there are no truly destitute people in Halesi. All people own land that they can work and a home that they can return to. But their needs are imbalanced because of the sporadic nature of their work schedule. The same man that received thirty five thousand rupees for a new roof on his home later approached me to buy him some rice. He said that his family was hungry and there was no food at home.
Buddhists look at this persistent poverty in the face of many opportunities to escape it as a characteristic of karma. A visiting lama from Tibet said that in their last life these beggars may have been wealthy men and women, but did not pay attention to dharma. Now they are reincarnated as poor people in a holy place. It is a way of forcing them to face their sin. Prem Shrestha framed his argument using the term ‘luck’ instead of karma. If it is your fortune to be poor than you will always be poor, he says. To him it makes sense that these poor people are born in a holy place like this. The poverty of these people is in God’s hands he said. Even if you break your head for these people you cannot raise them up. Prem Shrestha says that most of the poor people around here used to own a lot of
local land. They sold it and squandered the money. They should be well off but instead they are struggling. However, this discussion of karma and luck does not discount the significance of the interaction between Buddhists and the villagers that is the topic of this section. Most villagers say that this is the main instigation
for begging in Halesi.
................to be continued!