Prayer flags and good karma

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Well a left off last time promising to tell you about the prayer flag hanging. I found it really interesting. Buddhists hang prayer flags all over the place; they are always in blue, red, green, yellow and white and they make even the dirtiest scabbiest houseing look cheerful. They are printed with various prayers and images and they believe that each time they flutter in the wind they gain good merit for a future reincarnation. The flags are left to disintergrate when the threads are taken by the wind up to the realm of the Gods. The nuns were hanging them on the hill so they could catch the most wind possible. They were hanging them all around the Hindu temple, Mungla Mati, which I think is pretty indicative of Indian attitudes towards religion. They don't simply tolerate others religions, they celebrate them; the suggestion that you wouldn't hang religous symbols of one faith at another faith's building would seem very strange to them. The nuns also wrote their names on the flags as this is thought to bring good merit for them personally. Being the confirmed athiest I am I happily jumped on the bandwagon and wrote my name on a few (well you never know, if Buddhists turn out to be right come judgement day I'd like to have a bit of something on my side!) So even when I'm back home there will be a little piece of Claire fluttering away on the top of a hill in a small rural Indian village....how poetic.

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