Na Mu Myo Ho Renge Kyo

I have noticed that at times, many states in India are identified with one certain thing, for example, think of Rajasthan you think of palaces, think of Kerala and you think of lush greenery, think Goa and you think of beaches. Many times, while I travelling I get a feeling of having seen one, having seen all.
Sikkim is generally identified with its ancient Buddhist monasteries and if you were to tour this hilly state, chance is you will end up visiting at least 4-5 monasteries and yet, each monastery has something different to offer. And when I say this, I mean in terms of the whole experience that one has.



The entire monastery compound has 108 dharma-chakras, which the devotees set in motion and they believe that it nullifies their sins. I remember walking around and exploring these compounds and how it would amaze me to see monks, some of them in their preteens, meditating with such peace and tranquillity on their faces, that I felt the need to tiptoe, even if I was far away from them.




‘Na Mu Myo Ho Renge Kyo’ is a Buddhist chant, which talks about the laws and principles of Buddhist life. The monks usually sit in a circle or in two columns facing each other and they endlessly chant this for hours, making the whole building reverberate with their energy. Now I am not a religious person, but I swear when I closed my eyes and chanted with the monks, I actually felt some kind of a tranquil light-headedness.
On a lighter note, at one such monastery, I struck up a conversation with one of the monks, who after asking me my name and age, asked me where I had come from. When I said Bombay, his eyes lit up and he got really excited and said this- “OH! Tum SRK ka dost hai? Movie wala SRK? Usko mere bare mein bataana!”