Buddhist holy land Nepal

 

Buddhist holy land Nepal

 

Agudemba rode a donkey to Lumbini in Nepal. Old Lavani, the owner of a local small restaurant, received Agudemba very warmly.

The very hospitable old Lavani said to Agudumba:

Buddhists around the world know that the founder of Buddhism is Gautama Buddha. Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini in southern Nepal as early as the middle of the first millennium BC. Therefore, if you want to understand the Buddha, you should approach Nepal and Lumbini.

Old Lavani introduced the history and geography of Nepal to Agudengba.

Nepal is located on the territorial border of South Asia, India and China and has a population of approximately 30 million. The name "Nepal" was first recorded in texts from the Vedic period of the Indian subcontinent, the era when Hinduism was established in ancient Nepal.

Parts of northern Nepal are intertwined with Tibetan culture. The centrally located Kathmandu Valley is intertwined with Indo-Aryan culture and is home to the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala. The Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by merchants in the valley.

Nepal is a particularly beautiful place in the world. Although it is one of the smallest countries in Asia, it is very well-known. Thousands of tourists visit Nepal every year to witness the beauty of nature and culture. Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and the country's largest city.

Nepal's national border is rectangular, running slightly northwest-southeast, with a width of about 850 kilometers from east to west and a width of about 200 kilometers from north to south. The land area is 147,181 square kilometers. The altitude decreases from the lofty mountains bordering China in the north (above 4,000 meters above sea level) to the south. The central part (1,000 meters to 4,000 meters above sea level) is mountainous. The southern area near India has lower altitudes (below 1,000 meters), until some The terrain is plain and mostly dense woodland.

The Himalayas have become the natural border between Nepal and China. Including Mount Everest (called Sagarmatha in Nepal), 8 of the world's 10 highest peaks are in Nepal.

The most important aspect of Nepali culture is religion. The main religious belief is Hinduism, and there are also minority groups who believe in Tibetan Buddhism, Islam, etc.

"Harmony and understanding" prevail in Hinduism and Buddhism. Previously considered the holiest Hindu temple in the world, Lumbini in Nepal provides a unique place of pilgrimage not only for Indians but also for Buddhists in Nepal, the birthplace of Buddha Gautama Buddha.

Nepal is one of the ancient countries in Asia. In ancient times, there were many countries in Nepal. In the 6th century BC, Nepalese people had settled in the Kathmandu Valley. Before the 12th century, Waji of Kusha, the brother of King Ganak of India, came to Nepal and became the king of Nepal. Later, he established the Gopal, Ahir, Giladi, Lichavi and other dynasties.

Around 563 BC, Sakyamuni was born in the ancient Kapilavastu Kingdom of Lumbini in today's Nepal. Sakyamuni's teachings are called Buddhism.

The Tibeto-Burman Newars are considered to be the indigenous people of the Kathmandu Valley, but not all of them are oriental races, and many are Aryans.

The 17th century was the "golden age" of the Newars. Nepal under the Malla dynasty was an extremely important trade hub between Tibet and the plains of North India. At that time, Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur were independent, and competition between the three cities was fierce.

The Gurkhas rose up in the mid-17th century and established a small kingdom along the Gandaki River in the west, which was the predecessor of the Shah Dynasty. In 1768, Prithvi Narayan Shah unified Nepal, ending the separation of the three cities in the Kathmandu Valley.

The Newar language spoken by the Newars, who belong to the yellow race, is a Tibeto-Burman language. It has been the official language and literary language of the region since the 12th century. Later it was replaced by Nepali. Nepali language belongs to the Indo-European language family.

The powerful Gorkha invaded Tibet twice in 1788 and 1791, but was eventually repelled by the Qing Dynasty. This is known as the "Battle of Gorkha" in history. After the war, Gorkha reconciled with the Qing court and became a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, and paid tribute to the Qing emperor. After the British East India Company occupied India, it gradually moved northward, often invading small countries such as Jemengshung and Bhutan. However, Gorkha and the Qing Dynasty have always maintained good suzerain-vassal relations to curb British aggression. Since the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the country's power had weakened. The Qing court was plagued by internal and external troubles and had no time to pay attention to foreign vassals. The Kingdom of Nepal was established during the Shah Dynasty and later allied with the British Empire under the rule of the Rana dynasty. The country was never colonized but served as a buffer state between the Chinese Empire and British India. After the Anglo-Nepalese War in the early 19th century, Nepal ceded territory to British India and formed an alliance with it.

Old Lavani also introduced his small restaurant to Agudengba, which has authentic Nepali specialties. The scenery here is also very beautiful and it is a famous Buddhist tourist destination.

There are many local or other festivals celebrated in Nepal and there are festivals almost every day of the year. These festivals may be associated with the memory of the souls of the dead, herald different seasons, mark the beginning or end of agricultural cycles, state events, or family celebrations.

During the festival, Nepal has bathing rituals, worshiping different gods and goddesses, visiting temples, observing fasting and hosting banquets.

After a Nepali dies, a Brahmin presides over the ceremony, wraps the body in white cloth, cremates it within 24 hours, and throws the ashes into the river. Nepalese people pay attention to observing mourning after the death of their parents. After the death of their parents, they have to shave off all their hair, wrap themselves in white cloth, and start fasting. The so-called observing mourning means abstaining from food and sexual intercourse for 13 days. After that, they are not allowed to participate in entertainment, drinking, or enter temples for one year, and they can take off their mourning clothes after one year.

Old Lavani said to Agudengba:

There are many tourists visiting Lumbini, Nepal. For many people, traveling is a dream and a place that must be touched in life. Nepal’s scenery, humanities, and beliefs attract waves of people like a fascination. However, when traveling to Nepal, in addition to being ready to go, you also need to know some common sense about Nepal’s customs and customs.

The old man Lavani said with a smile: All devout Buddhists should go to Lumbini, the birthplace of Sakyamuni, to understand the history and culture of the ancient Kapilavastu Kingdom in Nepal and practice the teachings of Sakyamuni.

Old Lavani called his daughter and asked her to sing the Nepalese Sherpa love song "Dhading". Old Lavani said: Sherpa people, meaning "people from the east" in Tibetan, live scattered on both sides of the Himalayas, mainly in Nepal, with a few scattered in China, India and Bhutan. Their language is Sherpa. The Sherpas speak Tibetan.

Old Lavani said:

Everyone who has been to Nepal will have heard the song "Resham Firiri". On the streets mixed with spices and dust, in the palace where doves are flying in the sunset, and among the clear and majestic snow-capped mountains, you can listen to this most popular song in Nepal. Classic love songs, follow your thoughts and drift to the distance you have always longed for.

Old Lavani asked his daughter to sing this famous love song "Resham Firiri":

 

The kapok is blooming,

When did you bloom?

The flowers fall like white birds flying down,

The white bird keeps flying.

You may be very tired,

Do you want to stop and rest?

Or do you prefer to fly?

Far, far away?

Life has its ups and downs,

Just like a butterfly flying up and down.

No matter what difficulties there are in life,

I am willing to fly with you.