Killer Nights

Chapter 27: Days on a Long Journey

Human beings have a tendency to consider things on high to be holy and sanctified, which is why we worship people and things that are so high above us as to be out of reach.  This is also why people like to use the word “high” to positively describe an individual’s characteristics, hence terms like high-born, high-class, and high-fashion.  According to that logic, the holiest place in the world should be Mt. Everest, even though the air is thin there and the temperature quite cold.

The Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, located at the foot of the Drolmari Mountain in Shigatse, Tibet, hosted the annual Buddha Festival.  Millions of Buddhist pilgrims congregated here with their holy hada cloths in hand.  They came here on this holy day to offer these clothes to their holy Buddha.  Then they prayed for protection from evil and peace for all mankind.

“Zema, kherang ga rey choe doe duk?” warmly greeted a middle-aged Tibetan lady.  (Translation: “Girl,...