Beer, Buddha, and Baseball, Part Two

Beer, Buddha, and Baseball: Day Two

Buddha Day, AKA Saturday

It was another beautiful day in Colorado. After a morning at Target with Angie, Jack, and Alex and a quick lunch at Chick-Fil-A, Angie and I headed to the Shambala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO. Shambala is a Buddhist retreat center focusing on meditation, yoga, and other contemplative practices. Angie and I were headed there to see the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya.

The day was absolutely gorgeous. As we joined the other folks waiting for the Stupa tour, I realized I'd made a big mistake. No sunscreen. Everyone else was slathering themselves with the stuff, and all I had was some lip gloss with an SPF of 20. Not only was it very sunny, but we were also much closer to the sun, being up in the mountains and all. I'd just have to take my chances.

We began the trek up to the Stupa past fields and trees. I can only imagine how beautiful it will be when summer arrives.
We stopped to pick up our guide in front of this "shrine". Various visitors have left different offerings here for the Buddha. According to the guide, it just sort of happened. It isn't a formal shrine. There were all sorts of interesting things left there.

Chapstick. Dolls.
Watches.
From there we could see the Stupa.

Our guide explained how it was built and we watched a short movie. Then Angie and I parted from the group to experience it on our own. We started by circumambulating the Stupa, which means to walk clockwise around it.

The gates were beautiful. The bright colors really appealed to me. Perhaps the inspiration for a sock project?
Inside, the Stupa was cool and peaceful. A large Buddha statue looks over the room.

Perhaps these hands are suited for knitting?

Another standing Buddha watches over the entrance to the Stupa.


You can read more about the Stupa at the link above. I'm sure it explains the architecture and symbolism better than I could. Angie and I visited the gift shop and then headed home. We had a nice dinner in her backyard while we watched the boys play on the new playset Greg had assembled that day. After the little ones headed to bed, us adults stayed up and enjoyed some wine and adult conversation. Then it was off to bed to prepare for another exciting day...at the Denver Zoo! Coming Tomorrow: Biology Day

Comments

Anonymous said…
Sounds like you had a blast!
May 21, 2008 at 10:02 AM
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