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Immersion in a new and foreign World
Two Buddhist monks from Ladakh
dive for new experiences – on of them being a ride on a stationary
bicycle
Guenzburg:The Lamas, very talented artists, spontaneously helped the German couple
with their work by cooking for them and taking care of the transport
of their luggage across the mountains to the remote villages so
the Germans could work with the disabled children. Together in
Ladakh, they had been joking about the
chances of the monks visiting them in Germany “one day”.
Because of this reasons the German couple was very surprised,
when they received a phone call in November: The Buddhists were
in Munich, a sponsor had paid for the flight. The Kostials picked up the monks and started
a very intense Program for several days. At first the Lamas spent
a few hours at the “Boys-High school” in Guenzburg.
The youths had successfully organized a sponsoring run for the
poor and handicapped children in Ladakh
last summer. The monks thanked them for their help and told them
about their own country, about the hard life in the mountains.
The students had many questions: What do the monks eat, do they
have their own families, did they go to school, what hobbies they
have (could not be answered because their no such conception in
Ladakh) and how their day is being run.
One question came up again and again: “Does a monk learn martial
arts?” which the Lamas negated. One young boy asked persistently
to hear the monks pray. Lama Padma and
Lama Sonam surprised us all with their
readiness to speak a sincere prayer for long life in their local
language. This very simple and earnest prayer left a lasting impression
on all present. As a farewell gift the Lamas presented the headmaster
with a Kathak, a Tibetan shawl. The afternoon found the Lamas visiting the County Hospital with Prof. Dr.
Dr. Bernhard Widder at his neurological
clinic. Very impressed they viewed the rooms of the hospital and
found themselves very attracted by the stationary bikes in the
rooms of the physiotherapy. They tried them at length without
showing any sing of sweat or tiredness. The next morning the monks visited the fourth grade of the elementary school
in Leipheim.
One school class in Lingshed
have pen pals with the children in Leipheim.
Letters were passed on, stories were told, autogramms
given and addresses exchanged. Another highlight for the monks was the visit at the neurosurgical clinic
(County Hospital). Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Richter, himself an avid
Himalayan traveller, received them and showed them his clinic.
With great interest they viewed his impressing pictures he took
all over the Himalayan in the hallways. Short time later they
followed an invitation from the shoe house Frick in Guenzburg,
where they were presented with sturdy winter boots. Many interested
people
Every evening of their visit was spent with a reception in the house of
the Kostials meeting many interested
people of the county of Guenzburg. |
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