Time has flown by these last two years, and this week (Tuesday, January 8, 2008, to be exact) is the second anniversary of my blog. At the time I started blogging, I had no idea I would keep it up, and I couldn't think of anything to title my ramblings. The idea of Namasté is one which I embrace--a recognition of the common divinity in all, a friendly greeting exchanged with honor and respect for the person(s) to whom it is directed. It's both "hello" and "goodbye," "I honor you," "I respect you," and "We're all on this life journey together." Hence, the inspiration for the title of my blog.Also embedded in my understanding of Namasté is the idea of peace and neutrality, in essence, freedom from turbulence of the spirit. I associate the term with joy...with happiness...with deep and free breath...with commonality and similarities in the human experience. Namasté for me means that Gomer Pyle is as great a teacher for me as Albert Einstein...that a cabbage radiates as much beauty as a rose...that anyone or anything that takes us to a greater level of compassion and love is something to be treasured...that we can all live life our own way (as long as we do no harm to others).
OK, enough philosophizing...If anyone would like to submit an idea for Namasté 2007 post of the year, just leave a comment. I'd love to know which entry captured my readers' attention and interest...And again, thanks to all who check in on Namasté from time to time....I'm deeply honored!
NAMASTE..
7 comments:
TWO YEARS?! WOW! That's the best!
Namaste' Tanya, wow imagine my surpise to see someone else embrace such qualities. You might enjoy my site then my main website has even more buddhistmonk pics. I enjoyed reading your blogs :0) thank you. Humbly...metta
Thank you, Metta, for checking out my blog. I appreciate it a lot, and I look forward to seeing your site, but I'll need a web address to get there, I think. So, if you read this, please leave me "directions" on how to find your blogspace / website.
Namasté....Tanya
T, dahlink...just click on her name, and magically, there you go! Love you!
Tanya, Namaste...
Somehow I found my way to your blog by way of googling my great uncle and up popped Cliff Lee's name and your site. Your friend was my cousin and I had not seen him since we were children. His grandfather, Gen John Clifford Hodges Lee was my grandmother's brother. The General was an amazing human being and I would think that his namesake could have been no less.
You asked for your readers to submit an idea for Namasté 2007 post of the year, and so I will give my vote .....
to the Saturday January 20, 2007 blog. You so graciously gave me a glimpse of a member of my family that I had never known as an adult and it was a welcome gift. Thank you. My eyes and heart glisten with your memories of a cousin that I truly would have enjoyed meeting and in a way I did, thru you.
You may be interested in some pics on one of my husband's webpages
http://www.johnfloresgraphics.com/nepal1.html
It is a place where I heard and used and relished and was blessed by and blissed out to all that Nameste means on a daily basis. Altho I had spoken it prior (mostly in Hawaii).... in Nepal I finally "knew" to the depths of my soul the truth that is "Namaste' " and felt it as a joyful essence washing over every cell of my being in that loving place. It is said by all as a greeting and at departure throughout one's daily existance there. One can feel it though the beautiful eyes of the Nepalese people.
I would like to share one of my most favorite memories of a time when I was greeted by "Namaste' ". It was ten years ago on a somewhat narrow rocky ledge of the Jomson Trail about 12 to 13,000 feet up in the Ana Purna region of the Himalayas on the way to a mountain village called Jarkot.
It sits on the edge of the upper Mustang region above the treeline and in late Oct. we would be hiking into the snow by the time we reached our destination that evening. Our group had long ago left us behind to slowly make our way on a clearly marked trail with one of the Sherpas hiking up ahead of us within calling distance just in case. It was very quiet except for the wind and not a soul in sight for what looked to be forever. The air was thin and we were mindful that at this elevation altitude sickness was a possibility, and we were moving slow.
As we were trudging our way up and up and up this winding trail, we could hear someone approaching from below and behind the curve of the path we were climbing.
In this particular spot one had to move in and make room for another to pass and so as we pushed ourselves against the mountainside and turned our heads.....we saw two men moving more than briskly, in fact they were literally running up the trail and quickly passed us. They both gave us broad smiles and waved as they left us in the dust with the singsong remains of their "Namaste'" ringing in our ears.
It took a bit to register what we had just seen because in truth, they carried a rather large sofa on their heads between the two of them. Up there in the middle of a barren area way above the tree line in the Himalayas, days away from cars or trucks, electricity, and phones ...but there was a couch making it's way to someone's home in the villiage of Jorkot!
Now you must know that in Nepal, esp in Katmandu and the lowlands there constantly occured to us a myriad of extraordinary sights and sounds and experiences swirling and fililng all of our senses just about to the limit of endurance. So much so that after a while it became almost commonplace to be dusting our jaws off as we picked them up from the ground and put them back where they belonged time and time again throughout each day. Guess that's maybe why I kept feeling happily dumbfounded the whole trip.
The Himalayas were just as amazing but in a grander more quietly awesome way. It was however just too too much to see that couch bobbing up the mountain, I was beside myself with awe and glee. It still cracks me up!
Later, just after we were again flattened against the side of the mountain by a passing small herd of Yaks and their human, another man came flying past us, smiling as he nodded and sang to us "Namaste!" He had a big overstuffed chair balanced on his head. I remember my husband and I nodding to each other and one of us saying....>"hmmm, matches the couch!"
Namaste (hands together, gently touching brow ) to you ‘Miss Tammy’ and to you Cliff, cuz I know you're checkin' in every now and then to see how your friend is doing.
Beth
Beth,
I'm so glad you found my blog and what I wrote about Cliff. I have had him on my mind so much lately. This Christmas as I hung up the ornaments he and Nancy made almost 30 years ago, I was still struck by the disbelief of his passage. You are lucky to have known Cliff and to be a part of his family.
I'd love to meet you sometime. I still have to write Mary Anne a letter about Cliff. It's been really hard to find the words to express the joy and wonderful memories I associate with him.
Stay in touch...Tanya
I just heard from Tom and I will be writing him shortly. Thank you for putting him in touch with me because I would love to know my cousins and more about my extended family. I too hope we can meet someday.
Beth
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