Like Jews and Christians, there are various Muslim Jerusalems. While Jerusalem’s 900,000 residents are primarily Jewish, the Old City is over 75% Muslim with some 28,000 Muslims. Their shops may be on land owned by the Greek Orthodox Church or the Roman Catholic Church, but dozens of small souvenir shops or restaurants are Muslim. Besides …
Author: sabbatical2017blog
92. Eastern Orthodoxy’s Jerusalems
Being an Atlantan mainstream Protestant , I’m not use to the variety of Chalcedonian (Greek and Russian) and non-Chalcedonian Christians, or sometimes referred to as the Oriental Christians( Armenian, Syriac, Coptic, and Ethiopian) in Jerusalem. Their use of icons, their liturgical dress, and their languages remind me that Christianity comes in all shapes and sizes …
91. Franciscans as Custodians of the Holy Land
Francis is more than simply a Jerusalem street name. The Franciscans with their brown robes blend into the white, yellow, or tawny colored Jerusalem stone. As the Franciscans of the Holy Land come from 45 different nations, they themselves exhibit the varied skin color of places all around the globe. The Franciscans are markers of …
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90. Modern Jewish Old City Jerusalems
Jews of modern Jerusalem are varied. These varied Jews have created a "sacred geography" of Jerusalem. As a traveler, I only see and understand a fraction of their life. Here are some of my impressions of this Jewish geography with its memories and hopes. I have to begin with the Western Wall. One Israeli …
89. Excuse Me Sir, Do You Know Where I May Find Deodorant?
I awake early as usual. Rather than walking before breakfast, I wait and walk after breakfast. Since I am leaving Delhi’s Aerocity Holiday Inn for my flight to Tel Aviv later this afternoon, I decide that I might as well replace my empty roll-on deodorant. In this compact, highly developed area a mile or two …
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88. Everywhere a Wheel of Life Mandala
I gaze at the Wheel of Life mandala, the Bhavacakra, over and over again in Ladakh. Here it is at Hemis; here it is at Thiksey; here it is at Lamayura; here it is at Alchi. Like a Greek Orthodox Church with required placement of specific Biblical figures on the iconostasis, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery …
87. A Tree Planting, a Conversation, and an Employee
Before I arrive in Ladakh, I am apprehensive. For an ole’ fogey like me, I can not ignore the altitude of 11,000 feet. Don, a friend in Atlanta, even emailed me the Mayo Clinics treatment for high altitude sickness. I plan on slowing down and acclimatize myself to the high altitude for the first …
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86. Motorcycles, Scooters, and Tibetan Buddhists
Over thirty years ago, I rode a Honda motorcycle. While I had no cross-country adventures, I frequently made roundtrips of 200 mile. Since I didn’t have much money, I found the bike cheap and fun, especially in the autumns and springs. Slightly behind or contemporaneous with James Dean, Peter Fonda, and Dennis Hopper, I probably …
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85. Where Are the Hindus in Leh?
When I travel, I remember two things. Since I travel alone, I remember to initiate conversations. If I don’t attempt conversations, then traveling solo would be very lonely. Since I love taking photos and often get mesmerized by what I see, I must remember to ask myself: “What don’t I see?” With these two reminders, …
84. Tibetan Buddhists in Diaspora
Family histories are complicated as evidenced by my family history and Mary, my wife's, family history. Regarding my family history, Chuck and Donna, my brother and sister-in-law, and Charles, Susan, and Melinda, my cousins, helped me recall parts of our family history. On my father’s “Lindquist” side, my Swedish great- grandfather came to this country …
Journeys: Explorations in Body, Mind, and Spirit 