After traveling for three very long months and visiting a grand total of 18 cities in India, we finally prepare to depart from Ladakh, and Mother India herself. But before we go...
Read MoreShanti Stupa, Leh, Ladakh
Stories about finding your heart and soul around the world.
Filtering by Tag: Buddhist
So You Want to Visit A Tibetan Buddhist Monastery? Part 2
Ancient Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries are a wonder to behold in real life, and as I wrote last week, there are a number of them to see in Ladakh, India.
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Giant 40 foot Buddha sculpture at Thiksey monastery, Ladakh, India
So You Want to Visit A Tibetan Buddhist Monastery? Part 1
If there's one thing Ladakh is famous for, it’s ancient Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.
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Emerging from a Trance: The Oracles of Matho Monastery in Ladakh
I'm squished shoulder-to-shoulder in a crowd of native Tibetan Ladakhi people, packed neatly next to fellow onlookers. We are all patiently waiting to hear a mystical proclamation about the future. Today, of all days, two oracles—Tibetan monks who have been meditating in an isolated trance for the past year—will emerge from their stillness in order to predict the future of the village.
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The Ellora Caves of India
Sightseeing certainly has its limits. But when you're in the middle of India and you don't know if you'll ever return, no matter how hungry or tired, you see the sights that are there to be seen.
Today on the blog, I'm picking back up in India—where I last left off in the story of our extended vagabond journey around the world.
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An ancient 24-foot reclining Buddha inside the Ajanta caves
A Buddhist masterpiece: The Ajanta caves of India
We've flown north, through Mumbai and then east to Aurangabad to visit another impressive art historical site—the 2,000-year old Buddhist caves of Ajanta.
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Holy men sitting by the Ganges river in Varanasi
How to find something to believe in: the search for a guru in India
Searching for a guru is trendy in India, especially if you're a Westerner. I've begun to theorize that this eternal quest is driven by what is lacking back home in the West––a culture with belief in something more meaningful than the self.
India is the perfect place to visit, then, because spirituality is so omnipresent in a non-preachy sort of way. I should have known of its importance months prior to arrival, simply from the visa application. Halfway down the form I was required to check a box indicating my religious affiliation. For the record, agnostic and atheist weren't even listed as options.
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