Episode 086: Puja Deja Vu

Posted by on Jun 18, 2008 in All Podcast Episodes, HD Episodes, Season 2, Tibet 2007 | Comments Off on Episode 086: Puja Deja Vu

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I wasn’t sure Scott and I were going to be able to be a part of a puja ceremony since we have so little time at BC, but we lucked out! The team living “next door” to Brian and Justin invited us to be a part of theirs.

It’s easy to look at a puja ceremony and think that it may just be performed as a photo op for tourists but this is just not the case out here. See, the puja ceremony is a way to show respect to the mountain and ask for it’s forgiveness and protection. These gigantic Himalayan peaks are not just mountains to this local culture…they are deities. Climbing them can easily be considered an act of disrespect and the puja helps to let the mountain know you mean it no harm.

This can be a concept that is very foreign to most Westerners as we feel it is our right to climb any peak that we would like to try and summit. Period. That just is not how it’s done out here.

Besides, who WOULDN’T want to join in a puja ceremony as they are not just religious in nature but also a great deal of fun? Beautiful views, mysterious Tibetan Buddhist chanting, incense, food, chai and the company of fellow teammates.

I highly recommend them.

Jon Miller

Total Running Time: 27:47

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