11.16.19 Back to Xianggelila

Ancient Tea Horse Caravan Trail
Randoms from Xianggelila
Back to the not so high country, Emma and I had another beautiful day to wander the Ganden Sumstelling/Songstam Lin monastery area.
We circumambulated the exterior walls of the complex and found elders doing the same, pausing at spots where sacred trees provided shade, smiling to us in a generous, kind way that reminded me of my paternal grandmother’s welcoming face.
A paved side path lead up to another sacred hill festooned with hundreds of prayer flags. The path itself was painted with the series of meditative symbols found in the monastery, such as the dharma wheel, and the Shrivasta or Eternity Knot, which was prominent on the temple entrance curtains, decorated our the curtains in our room and is the symbol of enlightenment, auspiciousness, unity, harmony and perfection of the wisdom of Buddha.
Our last circumambulation was another walk around the lake in front of the monastery. As with the first time around days prior, a cat came up to me, climbed onto me and made itself comfortable, purring and moving its head, as cats are so wise to do, to guide my hands to the next preferred massage spot.
An empty barley drying rack resembled a huge, sculptural chair, worthy of Storm King or Tippet Rise.
Across from the temple was an outdoor gym, where I found a place to massage my calf muscles, and which we saw most used by older folks. We determined that the prevalence of squat toilets motivated people to stay strong and flexible