Weekend 2 / Masodik hetvege: Gampola (pics / kepek)

...3 oraval kesobb keltem, es Gampolaba indultam, egy Kandy-kozeli faluba. Indra, az egyik betegem, akivel az elso heten baratkoztam ossze, kedvesen meghivott egy Arm's Giving (karnyujtas) ceremoniara. Ez egy buddhista hagyomany, ami akkor szokas, amikor valaki a csaladban meghal: a csalad meghivja a papokat es szerzeteseket ebedre es ajandekot adnak nekik. Ugy hiszik, hogy az adomanyozas jo karmat hoz es a papok segitsegevel ezt a karmat az elhunyt embernek tovabbitjak, hogy a kovetkezo elete pozitiv karmaval induljon. Diohejban. Elsetaltunk a falu buddhista templomaba, ahol Indra es nehany csaladtagja elmagyarazta a szokasokat es eloszlattak nehany ketelyemet. Pl. szabad Buddha szobrairol es kepeirol fotokat kesziteni, sot, pozolni is szabad mellette, de nem szabad tiszteletlenul pozolni, pl a kezedet a buddha vallara tenni, vagy hattal allni neki, amikor a kep keszul.

...to get up 3 hours later and head to Gampola, a village near Kandy. One of my patients, Indra, with whom I made friends on the first week, invited me kindly to an arm's giving ceremony. This Buddhist ceremony takes place after someone dies: the family invites the priests and monks, offer them lunch and gifts and the good karma gained by these generous gifts and food is channelled to the person who passed away so he may have a good life when reborn (in a nutshell). We walked to the temple and they explained the Buddhist traditions and customes. It's ok to photographs pictures and statues of Lord Buddha and even pose with him, as long as you face him and not away from him, showing him your back.

Ez a haz hatso kertje.
This is the house's back garden.


A boseges es finom ebed utan Indra fia es menye elvittek a kozeli hegyre, Ambuluwawara, ahol vegre lattam kilatast, nem csak felhoket! A folyot, hegyeket, rengeteg zoldet es egy kis kodot. A hegy tetejen van egy nem regen epult kert, ahol hindu, kereszteny, buddhista templom es iszlam mecset all, a 4 vallas (jelenlegi) bekes egyutteleset szimbolizalva.
Ez a nap volt a legjobb az eddigi sri lankai elmenyeim kozott, rengeteget tanultam, lattam, nevettem veluk. A vegen haza is vittek, meglatogattak a lanyukat Kandyben.

After the ample and delicious lunch, Indra's son and his wife drove me up to Ambuluwawa mountain where I could finally get a view of what's around us - river, mountain ranges, lots of green and some mist... On the top of this mountain there is a garden with a Christian church, a Hindu temple, a Muslim mosque and a Buddhist temple, attesting the four religions existing (now) peacefully in Sri Lanka. The view is wonderful around the place and there are a lot of things to see and do in this park. I learned a lot from Indra's family about Buddhism and Sri Lanka and had the most wonderful time here - and I love every day in Sri Lanka :) They even drove me back on their way to their daughter's and we had more chats and laughs all the way home.