We live in a world of golden idols and prayer wheels. While sometimes that is literal, other times it serves more as a metaphor. Regardless, we should depend on God alone. Nothing in this world can handle the weight that was intended for God to carry. During my last mission trip, the team traveled to a couple temples. I felt anger, sadness, heartbreak, awe, and sympathy. It was an overall overwhelming and revealing time for me. I felt that God wanted me to share my experiences in the Hindu and Buddhist temples. So I am doing just that! I hope that you can feel what I felt and see what I saw.
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Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple) :
Still overcoming jetlag, a team of 30 + are about to hike 365 stairs in the hot and humid Nepali air mid-summer. We (or maybe just me) were pushing backpacks of the people in front of us to help the person ahead and lean on for support. A few, more athletically inclined people, were yelling motivating words to the slackers. We were tired by the first set of stairs (about 50), but we had to reach the top.
While we trudged our way up, with beads of sweat forming and falling at a steady pace, we were shocked to see children, without clothes, following us up the stairs begging for money and food. Monkeys ran around the statues and entertained us while we were painfully working the second set of stairs. Hundreds of stairs still sat before us. This is the monkey temple in Nepal, a place of worship and prayer. Sounds pretty peaceful and enlightening… right?
Even before reaching the temple, I felt emptiness, like a lack of God‘s presence. We know that he is always with us, but it just didn’t feel like it in the middle of this temple. We saw sorrow and suffering on the face of all (except the tourist) that were there. I personally felt this burden. These people are doing so much and trying so hard, yet they are doing all of it for a lie.
(Disclaimer: I know this seems rude but Jesus says that he is the way the truth and the light, and no one comes to the Father except through him. I am withholding the truth I believe in saying that they are aiming for something that isn’t there. I still love them, but I will unapologetically speak the truth that is Jesus Christ!)
Reaching the top, where the temple was, we say golden, wooden, bronze, and even silver idols on all sides of us, and right behind us were some prayer wheels that circled the center of the temple. All these items and more are used to get the gods’ attention and favor.
Undoubtedly, it was gorgeous! But I could sense this indescribable sense of disconnection.
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~This is the center of the temple. There are four sides of the main stupa, each with a pair of big eyes, one smaller (third) eye and the Nepali number one replacing what would be a nose. No ears are shown because it is said the Buddha is not interested in hearing praise and prayers.~
We saw men and women; children and adults; mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters all spinning prayer wheels which raised the question of why… The people of the Tibetan Buddhist religion spin these consistently and earnestly while chanting prayers, they also use prayer necklaces and flags and pray on set times daily. They do all of this, just for a glimmer of hope that their god will hear their prayers.
One image that stuck in my mind was a young mother crying and praying intensely for her sick boy. She could only wish that the gods found her prayer worth hearing.
This broke my heart. But this is the reality of their faith. They do not have a personal relationship with their god. The people praying aren’t even sure the gods are listening.
While it was a breathtaking sight and the people were so amazing to meet, it was a saddening one too. I felt the burden of the people.
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Pashupatinath Temple (dedicated to the god Pashupati):
Our next temple “run” led us here. Pashupati. Immediately it had a powerful impact. This tradition of Hindus really captures the vibe of the temple from the get-go. There were open cremations taking place across the river, only about a quarter mile from us. They believe that the cremations assist in the soul being released from the body. Hindus believe that for the soul to be reincarnated properly, it must be completely detached from the body, so the sooner the better. It is actually a beautiful tradition. They take such good care of their friends and family by making sure that they are “detached and reincarnated” after death.
On these stairs (luckily way less) there were colorful priests roaming about, average Hindu citizens making a pilgrimage, shop owners selling goods, children begging, and people plagued with leprosy. It was a heartbreaking sight to see.
I don’t want to be super negative so I won’t deny that, while visiting, there were many beautiful sights!
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Here I am with two of those colorfully dressed priests I mentioned before.
I also captured a video of monkeys going absolutely crazy on our way out. They were running on the temple walls and screeching. It was insane!
But it wasn’t all photogenic, smile filled, and fun. While there at the temple, some of the team witnessed, I only saw the gathering, a torture. A young man apparently broke some sacred Hindu rule and was considered a traitor. His punishment was torture and public humiliation.
This was a shock into reality for many of the team. We took this temple lightly, only to be harshly reminded that life without God is hopeless and dark. These men thought that they were honoring the gods by punishing this man.
The temple was amazing but it was also difficult to swallow.
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I know this entire blog seemed negative and down-trodden. But not at all! I appreciate the culture and beauty of it all! The Nepali culture is stunning and captivating. My prayer, however, was to see things the way God sees them, for my heart to break for what breaks His. While, from an outside perspective, these temples and traditions are so fascinating, I am also burdened with the fact that they are separated from their creator. But these experiences have only made me more passionate for missions and more appreciative that I know God personally and intimately.
I wanted to post this blog because I want to share an experience that opened my eyes and also highlight a reason why missions are important to me and to the large scheme of God’s kingdom.
While some things I mentioned may offend and annoy people, I can’t sit back and just let people search desperately for who they are and what their purpose is when I know.
Like I said earlier, we live in a world of golden idols and prayer wheels. Metaphorically and literally.
Many of us are blind to the fact that, worldwide, people are searching for an answer in all the wrong places. We are ignorant to the people spinning prayer wheels, kissing idols, torturing “rule breakers”, worshipping animals, dying as a martyr for a wrong cause, and suffering in general. People are lost and they look to a golden statue for help. They believe 365 stairs can bring them closer to the gods. This is my experience in Nepal, in the temples we visited. My question is: Why would I still sit here? Why are we turning a blind eye to the people who need us the most? I see where God tells us in the Bible to go and make disciples, to go and spread His word. I feel for the lost and broken. So I say, I will get up and go out into the world! This is one (big) reason I am so passionate about mission work.
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I want to be apart of lowering these numbers! The temples were one of my experiences that really motivated me to continue in missions. I hope this sheds some light to the harsh reality. God’s kingdom needs us! If mission work isn’t for you right now, could you please consider either donating or praying for my mission trip (or both!)? Thank you for reading and supporting me! God bless!
