Evadari si evadati… pe drumuri de munte

Pornind din nou la drum catre o noua aventura cu cei de la Evadeaza cu Noi, ma simteam plina de entuziasm si voie buna chiar daca nu dormisem prea mult in ultimele zile si a trebuit sa ma trezesc la 5. Dar stiind ca urma sa ma intalnesc cu oamenii minunati din acest grup care se mareste cu fiecare tura la care particip, ma umplea de energie. Evadeaza cu Noi are ceva special nu numai datorita numelui sau a excursiilor pe care le ofera, dar si datorita oamenilor care merg. Sau poate ar trebui sa spun, mai ales datorita oamenilor care merg. Cu fiecare iesire descopar oameni interesanti, haiosi, pusi pe sotii, porniti sa se simta bine si sa uite de stresul cotidian, de munca, de probleme… si emana asa o caldura si energie buna, incat se creeaza ceva magic. Am descoperit oameni cu care am multe in comun, oameni de la care am multe de invat, oameni cu care am ajuns sa ma vad si sa vorbesc nu numai in ture, ci si cand suntem acasa. Evadeaza cu Noi este un spatiu in care pot fi eu, in care ma simt excelent si pentru asta, le sunt foarte recunoscatoare si le multumesc mult.

Ultima tura in care am fost cu ei a fost weekendul acesta, in Bucegi. Am plecat, dupa cum spuneam, dis de dimineata la drum cu microbuzul si cu soferul simpatic, care merge cu noi in ture, nu doar ne conduce unde avem de ajuns. De data aceasta au fost si cateva masini in afara de microbuz, atatia amatori de excursie au fost, incat nu am incaput cu totii in microbuz. Dupa povesti haioase, rasete si voie buna pe drum, am trecut de Rasnov si am ajuns la Cabana Himalaya, unde ne-am cazat. Am mancat si ne-am pregatit de plecare la Cabana Malaiesti.

Am ajuns mai repede decat ma asteptam si chiar daca ne-a plouat putin, a fost nesemnificativ, avand in vedere ca in suflet era cald si bine. Am intalnit un grup pe drum care mi-au lasat un gust amar, nu credeam ca voi gasi pe un traseu montan asemenea specimene… dar na, aerul mitocan a inceput sa migreze de la oras si spre munte. Trecand peste acest aspect, din nefericire, la Malaiesti nu am avut parte decat cateva minute de intreaga panorama, plafonul de nori fiind foarte jos. Mai fusesem la Malaiesti de cateva ori, asa ca stiam imprejurimile, insa fiecare moment aduce alte senzatii si impresii, ca atare, mi-ar fi placut sa am o privire de ansamblu mai de durata, sa ma bucur mai mult de frumusetea naturii. La coborare am facut foarte putin, nimerind ca tovarasa de drum o persoana foarte interesanta cu care am descoperit ca “impart” multe lucruri in comun si m-am bucurat mult sa putem sta de vorba doar noi. Ajunsi inapoi la cabana am avut timp sa dormim putin inainte de cina care a fost delicioasa, dupa care am avut parte de cantece de munte si chitara. Ne-am bucurat de cantece atat inauntru cat si langa rau, la foc, unde am stat pana ni s-a facut frig si am revenit in casa la si mai multa voie buna. Am inceput sa jucam jocurile deja traditionale la serile Evadeaza cu Noi si recunosc ca preferatul meu este “Varcolacii”. Este foarte, foarte haios si mi se pare ca aici oamenii se dezlantuie si mai mult si le descoperi partea pusa pe sotii.

A doua zi a fost plina de activitati care mai de care mai interesante. Ne-am impartit pe grupuri si ne-am tot rotit de la un atelier la altul – tras cu arcul, echitatie, tiroliana peste rau, escalada la panou, tehnici de prim ajutor si tragere la tinta cu arma de airsoft. Toate au fost interesante iar instructorii simpatici. A fost o zi in care am invatat multe, ne-am distrat copios, am invins temeri si am descoperit ca putem mai mult decat credeam. Spre deosebire de sambata, vremea a tinut cu noi si nu a plouat, chiar daca au fost si momente in care soarele s-a ascuns si vantul ne-a mangaiat putin, dar ne-am bucurat din plin de culorile cerului si de crestele din departare.

Ca de obicei, timpul a trecut prea repede si a fost momentul sa ne luam la revedere de la munti si oamenii primitori de la cabana, intorcandu-ne energizati acasa, cu amintiri frumoase si sufletul plin de bogatia descoperirilor din tura. Ca de fiecare data, abia astept urmatoarea iesire, pana atunci insa planuind sa ne mai vedem nu numai la vizionarea de poze, ci si la alte activitati pe care le-am planuit in spatiul urban. Le multumesc tuturor pentru cele doua zile frumoase petrecute impreuna si mai ales lui Marius si Sebastien, fara de care n-ar exista aceste iesiri.

Urmatoarele evenimente organizate de Evadeaza cu Noi le puteti gasi aici: http://www.evadeazacunoi.ro/calendar.html

La Golf

De ce oare noaptea te simti cu totul alta? De ce-i atat de tulburator sa fii treaza in timp ce toti ceilalti dorm? Tarziu… e foarte tarziu. Si, cu toate astea, din clipa in clipa te simti tot mai lucida, de parcat incet, foarte incet, aproape cu fiece rasuflare, ai luneca intr-o lume noua, fascinanta, mult mai atatatoare si mai rascolitoare decat lumea zilei. Si de unde vine senzatia asta ciudata ca iei parte la o taina? Usor, misterios, te plimbi prin camera. Iei un obiect de pe masa de toaleta si-l asezi la loc, fara nici un zgomot. Si toate lucrurile, pana si piciorul patului, te cunosc, iti raspund, iti impartasesc taina…

Ziua, nu-ti prea indragesti camaruta. Nici nu te gandesti la ea. Intri si iesi, usa se deschide si se tranteste, dulapurile scartaie. Te asezi pe marginea patului, iti schimbi pantofii si pleci iarasi, grabita. Un plonjon in oglinda, doua ace in par, putina pudra pe nas si iar la drum. Dar acum… pe neasteptate ti-a devenit draga. Ce camaruta dulce si nostima! Si-i a ta. Ce placut e sa ai lucrurile tale. A mea – numai a mea!

- A mea pe veci?

- Da.

Buzele li se intalnira.

Nu, desigur, asta-i cu totul altceva. Ce absurditate. Ce prostie! Totusi, fara voie, Beryl avu viziunea clara a doi indragostiti aflati in mijlocul camerei. Bratele femeii cuprind gatul barbatului; el o strange la piept. Iata ca-i sopteste: “Frumusetea mea, mica mea frumusete!” Beryl sari din pat, alerga la fereastra joasa, ingenunche pe prag, cu coatele rezemate de pervaz. Dar noaptea minunata, gradina, fiecare tufis, fiecare frunza, pana si gardul alb, pana si stelele frematau de taina. Clarul de luna era atat de luminos, incat florile apareau radioase, ca in plina zi; pe terasa scaldata in argint se alungeau umbrele brancutelor, minunate frunze prelungi ca tecile de crin, cu flori invoalte. Arborele de manuka, incovoiat de cat il batusera vanturile de miazazi, parea o pasare tinandu-se intr-un picior, cu o aripa intinsa.

Dar, cand Beryl privi spre tufaris, i se paru ca ramurile s-au intristat.

“Suntem niste copacei fara glas, cu bratele inaltate in noapte, implorand nici noi nu stim ce”, soptea tufarisul indurerat.

E-adevarat, cand esti singur si te gandesti la viata e intotdeauna trist. Nu stiu de ce, dar toata agitatia si toate celelalte te parasesc dintr-odata si te simti ca si cum in miezul tacerii cineva te-ar striga si ti-ai auzi propriul nume pentru prima oara.

- Beryl!

- Da, sunt aici. Eu sunt Beryl. Cine ma cheama?

- Beryl!

- Vin.

E atat de trist sa traiesti singura. Desigur, ai cunoscuti, prieteni, o sumedenie; dar altceva doreste Beryl. Ea simte nevoia cuiva care s-o descopere pe adevarata Beryl, pe cea necunoscuta de nimeni, si care sa-i ceara sa ramana asa, pentru totdeauna. Simte nevoia unui iubit.

“Ia-ma din preajma tuturor acestor oameni, dragostea mea. Sa fugim departe. Sa ne traim viata, o viata noua, numai a noastra, o viata care sa inceapa cu noi. Sa ne aprindem singuri focul in soba. Sa ne asezam impreuna la masa. Sa stam indelung de vorba, in noapte.”

Si gandurile apropae ca sfarseau cu: “Salveaza-ma, dragostea mea. Salveaza-ma!”

“… Haide, haide! N-o mai face pe mironosita, draga mea. Cat esti tanara trebuie sa te distrezi. Asta-i sfatul meu.” Si un hohot de ras prostesc insoti nechezatul strident, nepasator al doamnei Kember.

Dar vezi ca-i ingrozitor de greu cand n-ai pe nimeni. Esti in voia soartei. Nu pot deveni deodata dura. Si-apoi vesnica teama de a fi considerata lipsita de experienta si imbacsita de prejudecati ca mironositele astea de la Gold. Si… si-i atat de fascinant sa stii ca exerciti atractie asupra oamenilor. Da, intr-adevar fascinant…

Vai, de ce oare, vai, de ce nu vine “el” mai repede?

“Daca o sa continui sa traiesc aici”, isi spuse Beryl, “nu stiu ce-o sa se intample cu mine.”

“Dar ce te face sa crezi ca nu va veni?” sopti batjocoritor un firicel de glas dinlauntrul ei.

Beryl nu-i dadu ascultare. E cu neputinta ca ea sa fi asteptat in van. Alte fete, poate, dar ea nu. E imposibil sa gandesti ca Beryl Fairfield, fata asta adorabila, fermecatoare, n-o sa se marite niciodata.



Katherine Mansfield – “La Golf” din volumul “Garden Party”

Le Prophète

Alors un maçon s’avança et dit, Parlez-nous de Maisons.

Et il repondit et dit:

Bâtissez de vos rêves une retraite dans le désert avant de bâtir une maison dans l’enceinte de la ville.

Car de même que vous avez des retours au foyer en votre crépuscule, ainsi le voyageur en vous, celui qui est toujours loin et seul.

Votre maison est votre plus grand corps.

Elle grandit dans le soleil et dort dans le silence de la nuit; et ell n’est pas sans rêves. Votre maison ne rêves-t-elle pas? et en rêve, ne quitte-t-elle pas la ville pour le bosquet ou la colline?

O si je pouvais cueillir vos maisons dans ma main et comme un semeur les éparpiller dans les forêts et les prés.

Fasse que les vallées soient vos rues et les verts sentiers vos ruelles, que vous puissiez vous chercher l’un l’autre à travers les vignes et ramener les senteurs de la terre dans vos vêtements.

Mais il n’est pas encore le temps de ces choses.

Dans leur peur, vos aïeux vous ont rassemblés trop près l’un de l’autre. Et cette peur durera encre un peu de temps. Encore un peu de temps les murs de vos cités sépareront vos foyers de vos champs.

Et dites-moi, peuple d’Orphalese, qu’avez-vous dans ces maisons? Et que gardez-vous derrière ces portes fermées?

Avez-vous la paix, la tranquille impulsion qui révèle votre puissance?

Avez-vous des souvenirs, ces voûtes brillantes qui surplombent les sommets de l’esprit?

Avez-vous la beauté, qui détourne le couer des objets faits de bois et de pierre pour l’orienter vers la montagne sainte?

Dites-moi, avez-vous cela dans votre maisons?

Ou n’avez-vous que le bien-être, et la convoitise du bien-être, ce désir furtif qui entre en invité dans la maison, puis y devient un hôte, et puis un maître?


Oui, et il devient dompteur, et avec fourche et fouet il fait des pantins de vos plus généreux désirs.

Bien que ses mains soient de soie, son couer et de fer.

Il vous berce jusqu’au sommeil uniquement pour hanter votre chevet et se gausser de la dignité de la chair.

Il se moque de vos sens qui son bons et les couche dans de l’ouate comme des vases fragiles.

En vérité, la convoitise du bien-être tue la passion de l’âme, et suit en ricanant ses funérailles.


Mais vous, enfants de l’espace, vous les inquiets dans le repos, vous ne serez ni capturés ni apprivoisés.

Votre maison ne sera pas une ancre mais un mât.

Elle ne sera pas un voile étincelant qui couvre une plaie, mais une paupière qui protège l’oiel.

Vous ne replierez pas vos ailes afin de pouvoir franchir les portes, ni ne courberez vos têtes pour qu’elles ne heurtent pas les plafonds, ni ne craindrez de respirer de peur que les murs ne se fendent et s’écroulent.

Vous n’habiterez pas des tombes construites par les morts pour les vivants.

Même faite avec magnificence et splendeur, votre maison ne saurait contenir votre secret ni abritrer votre désir.

Car ce qui est infini en vous habite le château du ciel, don’t la porte est la brume du matin, et don’t les fenêtres sont les chants et les silences de la nuit.

Khalil Gibran

Are we living or simply following?

In Romania, this month has started as the  Month from Hell. A hell of our own making.  A child apparently has been killed by dogs in one of the capital’s parks. I say apparently because it is not clear and I dare say it never will be, what exactly happened. Also, his brother was bitten, but managed to escape. But I repeat, after two weeks, we still don’t know the truth.  The incident happened it would appear 1 km away from the bench where granny was apparently watching over them. And now more contradictory statements follow like the granny saying they were gone for an hour, oh, I did look for them, while I was still looking for them one of my grandsons came back and told me what happened. So you see, to me at least, it is still not clear what happened. You can find all sorts of articles on the Internet saying this and that.

I agree it is a tragedy, a child died, I can not even imagine the parent’s pain. But since that day, Romania has been surrounded by a murderous aura. We need to kill all stray dogs and it has to be NOW! The media, as always in Romania, blew everything out of proportion in the channels’ race to see who has more ratings, in the reporters’ mad dash to be noticed and now we have citizens killing, torturing, slaughtering dogs. The images I see every day will haunt me forever. Even the country’s president stated: Humans are above dogs! I dare say there is no human and no animal that is above God that created us all and in His eyes, we are all alike, being made from the same energy and with the same love. We have no right to kill them.

Since most of the stray dogs started appearing on the streets when in the communist era the houses  where knocked down to build buildings, the owners of dogs that lived in houses and then moved in flats, abandoned them on the streets. Like any other species on Earth, they have this basic instinct to reproduce. So there you have our stray dogs today. Along the years incredible amounts of money have been appearing on paper for stray dogs – for sterilization, for buildings shelters – things that only remained on paper because the money went… to those “smart” people who were able to fill their pockets. So, again, nothing happened! The dogs kept multiplying, not enough adoptions were made – and you know what? Most dogs are adopted outside Romania, in countries like the UK, Germany and Holland. Of course, some Romanians have even up to three stray dogs in their apartments, some who live in houses and have big yards, have even more than five. But these are the lucky dogs.

In Romania – I don’t know about other countries, but I know about mine – dogs are kicked, beaten and tortured every day. And now, in more  recent days, they are being tortured-killed-butchered!!!!! by those well-meaning citizens that apparently want to protect their children from the beasts. I repeat – the images I see everyday of how the dogs are killed and the screams I hear in the youtube postings – we have videos, can you imagine that? – are absolutely shocking and will mark you forever. And all in the name of this apparent modern time we’re living. It’s just an excuse for these bipedal beings that have no rational thinking and no kind of feeling whatsoever to satisfy their need for violence and blood. This is how they manifest. They are no more than basic animals without any hope of ever gaining some kind of wisdom and rationality.

Beside these beings I live every day. And I get scared. This massacre can not possibly continue and yet it does. We could have found – long ago – solutions for the stray dog problem. Because it has become a problem. And no, I do not want any people to be killed by dogs – if that is what really happened – I simply don’t want more suffering, I don’t want violence, I don’t want to be afraid of living beside these “human” beings. Because if today they tortured and killed a dog while grinning, who is to say what they will do tomorrow to their fellow human beings since they have found this thirst for blood or maybe it was just always there, dormant.

Many people say on Facebook, on Twitter, in articles, on blogs… that maybe all this stray dog problem has come at a very good time for our leaders to take our mind off the mining problem – Rosia Montana and maybe it is so, I do not know. If it is so, they have not quite succeeded. Protesters are still in the streets every evening-night and they still want to be heard.

In our thrist for blood and excuses to fulfill this desire to kill, we have forgotten about the human criminals. The ones who rape, the ones that kill, we have forgotten about the statistics that show us that more children are being killed, beaten and tortured by their own parents than children being bitten or killed by dogs. But we do nothing and say nothing about those kind people. Well, you know, that’s normal, I mean, it’s absolutely normal in a society for humans to torture and kill other humans and we just imprison them and feed them and keep them warm in winter while at some point, they’ll get out and do some more damage. This is normal, we have gotten used to this. Now, I am not saying we should kill the killers, I am just saying we are a bunch of hypocrites. We have forgotten about all the other problems – the fact that we barely have enough to live a decent life, that old people die in hospitals for lack of care or medicine or money or that they don’t have enough to live by because the pensions are just not enough, the fact that our hospitals are in a very bad shape, the fact that the economy is not going as it should etc. No! Now we only want to kill dogs.

People that love dogs are desperately trying to save them by adopting them themselves or by taking them in as foster dogs while trying to find loving owners. And we are running out of time because they are being taken to shelters where apparently we have 14 days to take them back, but I doubt they even wait that long.

I haven’t cried so much in a long time. Before, when I would hear about foreigners talking badly about my country and its people I would get upset because I would think – hey, don’t talk like that! We’re not all that bad. But now, I truly think, we are all that bad and that we deserve whatever’s coming. We have become a nation of killers and savages. Instead of evolving, we have regressed. This country makes me sick. The media makes me sick, our leaders make me sick and now a whole part of the country’s residents make me sick.

We are saving our children from dogs? We are mutilating their spirit! We are teaching them it’s ok not to feel love for other beings on the planet, that it’s ok to kill! I truly feel like moving from the city, going in an isolated place in the hills with my family or just leaving the country entirely in a hope of escaping mass murder.

I have been shocked by the reaction of some of my acquaintances when I dared express my opinion about saving the dogs. They practically bit my head off. And I am not the only one who gets this treatment. The whole nation has gone into an uncontrollable hysteria. When will it end and how? Will it ever end?

I do not want to live in a country like this! Why couldn’t we have just love between us and everything that is instead of violence and pain and terrible suffering?

These days, I am deeply ashamed to be a Romanian. I never thought I would say it. It is such a beautiful country with wonderful traditions, culture and talented people. I truly love it, but now I can not stand to be among its people because unfortunately, more than half of them are not rational beings.

Are we really living or are we simply following? Do we always need to be told what to do? Do we like to be manipulated so much? Can we not think for ourselves? Lots of people react like this – oh, if it says so on TV, then it has to be true! oh, if it says so in the paper, it has to be true! oh, if the president of the country says so, then it must be true! We do not think anymore – if we ever did – we just follow.

We are on a steep slope, declining rapidly. As human beings.

I thought I had no more words to express what I feel, but I find there are still some left. May God watch over us and give Light and Love over this country that somehow seems lost. May we someday forgive ourselves for what we have done. May we someday learn to love. May we someday learn what it means to be human. May we bring peace on this Earth!

Nara

I think it would have been nicer if I had written about the places I visited in Japan in the order I visited them and maybe not more than a year after, but there you go. I want to write about one of my favourite places – Nara.

We went to Nara after leaving Osaka, heading for Kyoto, our final destination. We took a train and stopped in Nara. I really liked the train we took and I think that in the two weeks we were in Japan, we took so many trains that I think we covered pretty much all of the types. Of course, the most comfortable is the Shinkansen, way more comfortable than the plane seat, even though we flew Qatar Airways and they really have class. But the train I like the most was the Trans-Kyushu Limited Express that took us to Aso. It was an older type of train and the route it takes is just out a fairy tale. If you have the chance, you should take this train and enjoy the wonderful scenery.

So, coming back to Nara, we only had one day to visit it and Fushimi Inari Taisha wasn’t in the guide’s plan, but some of us really wanted to stop and see as much as we could. About Fushimi Inari Taisha in the next article.

The first permanent capital of Japan was established in the year 710 at Heijo, the city now known as Nara. As the influence and political ambitions of the city’s powerful Buddhist monasteries grew to become a serious threat to the government, the capital was moved to Nagaoka in 784. Nara is located less than one hour from Kyoto and Osaka. Due to its past as the first permanent capital, it remains full of historic treasures, including some of Japan’s oldest and largest temples.

Well, maybe the first thing you notice in Nara are the deers. There are thousands of them. According to local folklore, deer from this area were considered sacred due to a visit from one of the four gods of Kasuga Shrine, Takenomikazuchi-no-mikoto. He was said to have been invited from Kashima, Ibaraki] and appeared on Mt. Mikasa-yama riding a white deer. From that point, the deer were considered divine and sacred by both Kasuga Shrine and Kōfuku-ji.Killing one of these sacred deer was a capital offense punishable by death up until 1637, the last recorded date of a breach of that law. After World War II, the deer were officially stripped of their sacred/divine status, and were instead designated as National Treasures and are protected as such. You can buy special crackers to feed the deers, but they have no problem searching your pockets, your bag, whatever is more handy.

To me, they looked really sad.  But anyway, they really are not scared of humans, after so long and are truly used to the modern ways:

though they can be pretty insistent when asking for food, so it would be better if you don’t annoy them, or else:

First, we went here on our way to Tōdai-ji. It was really really crowded, but the trees were in full bloom and it was one of the rare sunny and warm days we had, so everything was beautiful.

We didn’t go inside the temple, saw only the front yard because as usual, we were “on the run”.

Tōdai-ji - Eastern Great Temple -  is a Buddhist temple complex. Its Great Buddha Hall - Daibutsuden - houses the world’s largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu.  The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara”, together with seven other sites including temples, shrines and places in the city of Nara.

The beginning of building a temple where the Tōdai-ji complex sits today can be dated to 728, when Emperor Shōmu established Kinshōsen-ji  as an appeasement for Prince Motoi, his first son with his Fujiwara clan consort Kōmyōshi. Prince Motoi died a year after his birth.

During the Tenpyō era, Japan suffered from a series of disasters and epidemics. It was after experiencing these problems that Emperor Shōmu issued an edict in 741 to promote the construction of provincial temples throughout the nation. Tōdai-ji (still Kinshōsen-ji at the time) was appointed as the Provincial temple of Yamato Province and the head of all the provincial temples. With the alleged coup d’état by Nagaya in 729, an outbreak of smallpox around 735–737, worsened by consecutive years of poor crops, then followed by a rebellion led by Fujiwara no Hirotsugu in 740, the country was in a chaotic position. Emperor Shōmu had been forced to move the capital four times, indicating the level of instability during this period.

In 743, Emperor Shōmu issued a law in which he stated that the people should become directly involved with the establishment of new Buddha temples throughout Japan. His personal belief was that such piety would inspire Buddha to protect his country from further disaster. Gyōki, with his pupils, traveled the provinces asking for donations. According to records kept by Tōdai-ji, more than 2,600,000 people in total helped construct the Great Buddha and its Hall. The 16 m (52 ft) high statue was built through eight castings over three years, the head and neck being cast together as a separate element. The making of the statue was started first in Shigaraki. After enduring multiple fires and earthquakes, the construction was eventually resumed in Nara in 745,[8] and the Buddha was finally completed in 751. A year later, in 752, the eye-opening ceremony was held with an attendance of 10,000 people to celebrate the completion of the Buddha. The Indian priest Bodhisena performed the eye-opening for Emperor Shōmu. The project nearly bankrupted Japan’s economy, consuming most of the available bronze of the time.

The original complex also contained two 100 m pagodas, perhaps second only to the pyramids of Egypt in height at the time. These were destroyed by earthquake. The Shōsōin was its storehouse, and now contains many artifacts from the Tenpyo period of Japanese history.

This is the imposing Nandaimon, the Great Southern Gate, just wanted you to see how small the man in the centre of the picture is compared to it. The existing Nandaimon  is a reconstruction of end-12th century based on Song Dynasty style.

And the flag, so the pack wouldn’t get lost:

Then you have the guardians:

And so you’ll get an idea of how big they are:

The dancing figures of the Nio, the two 28-foot-tall guardians at the Nandaimon, were built at around the same time by Unkei, Kaikei and their workshop members. The Nio are an A-un pair known as Ungyo, which by tradition has a facial expression with a closed mouth, and Agyo, which has an open mouthed expression. The two figures were closely evaluated and extensively restored by a team of art conservators between 1988 and 1993. Until then, these sculptures had never before been moved from the niches in which they were originally installed. This complex preservation project, costing $4.7 million, involved a restoration team of 15 experts from the National Treasure Repairing Institute in Kyoto.

The next gate you have to pass:

And then you see it:

The gardens that surround it:

The Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden) has been rebuilt twice after fire. The current building was finished in 1709, and although immense—57 m long and 50 m wide—it is actually 30% smaller than its predecessor. Until 1998, it was the world’s largest wooden building. It has been surpassed by modern structures, such as the Japanese baseball stadium ‘Odate Jukai Dome’, amongst others. The Great Buddha statue has been recast several times for various reasons, including earthquake damage. The current hands of the statue were made in the Momoyama Period (1568–1615), and the head was made in the Edo period (1615–1867).

This left me breathless. It wasn’t just the size of the statue, but also the atmosphere in this place, it was so warm and peaceful even though there was an amazing numer of people. I found a nice bench in a corner and just sat there with my eyes closed, just feeling that incredible space.

Several smaller Buddhist statues and models of the former and current buildings are also on display in the Daibutsuden Hall. Another popular attraction is a pillar with a hole in its base that is the same size as the Daibutsu’s nostril. It is said that those who can squeeze through this opening will be granted enlightenment in their next life.There were more statues in the temple:

 

 By the way, I bought more bells here.  :D  Yes, I know, I’m a maniac, but I just love their sounds. I think I bought 5, but I gave 2 as presents, so I was left with just 3.  :D  (Oh, and I bought more – different models in Beppu and Miyajima. I’ll take a picture of them someday and show them to you.)

I was so sorry we only had half an hour to admire this unique place, next time, I’ll stay at least an hour. And now, on to Kasuga Taisha - Nara’s most celebrated Shinto shrine. It was established at the same time as the capital and is dedicated to the deity responsible for the protection of the city. Kasuga Taisha was also the tutelary shrine of the Fujiwara, Japan’s most powerful family clan during most of the Nara and Heian Periods. Like the Ise Shrines, Kasuga Taisha had been periodically rebuilt every 20 years for many centuries. In the case of Kasuga Taisha, however, the custom was discontinued at the end of the Edo Period.

Beyond the shrine’s offering hall, which can be visited free of charge, there is a paid inner area which provides a closer view of the shrine’s inner buildings. Furthest in is the main sanctuary, containing multiple shrine buildings that display the distinctive Kasuga style of shrine architecture, characterized by a sloping roof extending over the front of the building.

Kasuga Taisha is famous for its lanterns, which have been donated by worshipers. Hundreds of bronze lanterns can be found hanging from the buildings, while as many stone lanterns line its approaches. The lanterns are lit twice a year on the occasion of the Lantern Festivals in early February and mid August.

And this is where we separated as a group and we each went our separate ways, settled to meet at a certain hour at the train station. I went with two sisters that were on the same visit as much as possible lenght as me.

And we came across Kōfuku-ji - The Five Storied Pagoda which is a National Treasure. The temple is the national headquarters of the Hossō school and is one of the eight Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Kōfuku-ji has its origin as a temple that was established in 669 by Kagami-no-Ōkimi, the wife of Fujiwara no Kamatari, wishing for her husband’s recovery from illness. Its original site was in Yamashina, Yamashiro Province (present-day Kyoto). In 672, the temple was moved to Fujiwara-kyō, the first planned Japanese capital to copy the orthogonal grid pattern of Chang’an. In 710 the temple was dismantled for the second time and moved to its present location, on the east side of the newly constructed capital, Heijō-kyō, today’s Nara.

Kōfuku-ji was the Fujiwara’s tutelary temple, and enjoyed as much prosperty, and as long as the family did. The temple was not only an important center for the Buddhist religion, but also retained influence over the imperial government, and even by “aggressive means” in some cases.When many of the Nanto Shichi Daiji such as Tōdai-ji -declined after the move of capital to Heian-kyō (Kyoto), Kōfuku-ji kept its significance because of its connection to the Fujiwara. The temple was damaged and destroyed by civil wars and fires many times, and was rebuilt as many times as well, although finally some of the important buildings, such as two of the three golden halls, the nandaimon, chūmon and the corridor were never reconstructed and are missing today.

And around it, there is this:

And then, there I am, about to east something really good with chestnuts.

And we went walking and also did some shopping. We found the most wonderful store selling antiques. I bought a really nice bowl for my exboyfriend because he loves antiques and for me I found these very cute bowls, I bought three for 100 Yen each which is a real bargain, I practically felt I got them as a gift. And just so you’ll have an idea about the prices, my ex’s bowl cost a few thousand Yen compared to my 100 Yen. The friends I was with bought dolls, beautifully made. I think we browsed that store for more than 40 minutes.

The store had an outside display too and as I was browsing, I saw them and quickly took a photo.

We also stumbled on a Koto concert. The Koto is national instrument of Japan. Koto are about 180 centimetres (71 in) length, and made from kiri wood (Paulownia tomentosa). They have 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the width of the instrument. Players can adjust the string pitches by moving these bridges before playing, and use three finger picks (on thumb, index finger, and middle finger) to pluck the strings.

Continuing to the train station

Nara is a city in which you absolutely have to stay for more than a day as we did. There are so many things to see and it’s just a very beautiful place with an air that to me, spoke of the old Japan, a place where you can really feel history unfolding.

This is the train we took to Fushimi Inari Taisha. Till the next article, I leave you with this image.

Iluzii – Aventurile unui Mesia reticent

Acesta

este testul

care iti permite sa afli

daca misiunea ta pe Pamant

s-a incheiat:

Daca esti inca in viata,

nu s-a incheiat.

Astazi am citit “Iluzii – Aventurile unui Mesia reticent” de Richard Bach. Cartea mi-a fost recomandata  de medicul stomatolog la care merg si cu care schimb impresii despre cartile citite si ne mai recomandam carti intre timpul necesar anesteziei sa isi faca efectul si intarirea materialului cu care lucreaza. Eram terorizata de cabinetele stomatologice inainte, acum ma duc cu drag.

Daca as fi putut, as fi copiat toata cartea lui Richard Bach aici. Atat de mult mi-a placut si mi se pare ca i-as face o nedreptate redand doar un pasaj – citatul de mai sus se afla pe spatele copertii.  Unora poate cartea le va parea o simpla lucrare beletristica, in timp ce altii vor gasi ceva mult mai profund printre randuri si poate ii va schimba, poate ii va ajuta in cautarea sinelui si a adevarului suprem, in a deveni la randul lui/ei “Maestru”.

Este o carte pe care cu siguranta o veti citi la “momentul potrivit”, care cu siguranta va veni singura la voi, atrasa fiind de cautarea Sinelui, in incercarea spiritului de a va reaminti cine sunteti cu adevarat. Am sa inchei aici, parandu-mi chiar ca am spus prea mult. Aceasta este o carte care merita descoperita fila cu fila, nu citind un rezumat.

 

"O experienta personala"

- Ai dreptate, ma priveste doar pe mine, e o experienta personala. Dar trecand prin unele experiente personale, in care te arunci cu capul inainte in prapastie, gasesti pana la urma un tunel secundar sau ceva care da catre un adevar ce nu te mai priveste doar pe tine, ci e universal. Si astfel gasesti macar alinare pentru suferintele indurate. Ca Tom Sawyer, care a trebuit sa sufere intr-o pestera, in bezna, dar care a gasit nu numai calea de iesire, ci si un sac cu aur! Dar experienta mea personala de acum e ca un put de mina sapat vertical si izolat, care merge pana la o adancime unde nu mai exista speranta si care nu se deschide catre lumea nimanui. Asa ca degeaba ma zbat si sufar in bezna in pestera, experienta mea personala n-o sa aiba nici macar o farama de sens pentru nimeni. Nu fac altceva decat sa sap intruna, in zadar, cu rusine. Tom Sawyer din mine e pe funul unui put de mina cumplit de adanc si chiar nu m-as mira sa-si piarda mintile.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

- De data asta chiar ai facut fata cu brio.

- De fapt, tot incercam sa fug si aproape ca reusisem, dar se pare ca realitatea te obliga sa traiesti cum trebuie atunci cand a accepti. Adica, degeaba vrei sa te lasi prins intr-o capcana a inselatoriei, pana la urma tot iti dai seama ca singura optiune e sa o eviti. Cel putin asta am descoperit eu, spune Bird, uimit de sila ascunsa din vocea lui.

- Se poate trai in realitate si altfel, Bird. Sunt oameni care sar ca broastele dintr-o minciuna in alta, pana la moarte.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
 Avea sa se uite in oglinda de indata ce ajungea acasa, iar apoi avea sa foloseasca dictionarul pe care i-l daruise Delcev inainte sa fie trimis acasa de catre consulat. Pe pagina de garda, Delcev scrisese cuvantul “speranta”. Brid voia sa caute “perseverenta.”

Kenzaburō Ōe , castigatorul premiului Nobel pentru literatura in 1994, al doilea scriitor japonez dupa Yasunari Kawabata care primeste aceasta distinctie, prezinta intr- “O experienta personala” o intreaga paleta de simtiri profunde si extrem de intense ale spiritul uman, care pus in fata dramei noii vieti aparute (fiul nou nascut) care de la inceput este condamnata la a fi “altfel” la o prima vedere,  mai intai se afunda intr-o acuta intunecare care pare fara scapare, incercand de fapt sa fuga de sine, de “realitate” si nu neaparat de “drama” care se desfasura in viata lui ca mai apoi sa isi dea seama ca orice scapare – in alcool, in sexul cu o iubita care nu are de fapt nici o semnificatie profunda pentru el, in planuirea calatoriei in Africa – este de fapt iluzorie si complet lipsita de sens. In momentul in care se accepta pe sine, exact asa cum este, gaseste eliberarea si hotararea necesara sa reia firul vietii pe care l-a crezut pierdut pentru totdeauna.

Este a doua carte care ma face sa resimt atat de profund lumea in care se gaseste personajul principal. M-a dus cu gandul la “Ciuma” lui Albert Camus datorita descrierilor intense care la un moment dat te fac parca sa te retragi  intr-o incercare de a scapa de mediul apasator al trairilor si simtamintelor personajelor. Cu atat mai mult raman fascinata de talentul scriitorului in realizarea cadrului perfect care te atrage complet in firele retelei de sentimente intortocheate ale povestirii.