What country is Nepal: description, information and interesting facts. Religion of nepal, nepal religion What is the faith in nepal

But due to recent events in the country, Nepal has ceased to be a kingdom, and Hinduism has ceased to be the official religion. May 2006 Nepal became a secular country. Islam, Christianity, and Bon are also practiced in Nepal. Tharu practice animism, part of the Kirats worship ancestors.

It is impossible to briefly write about in Nepal without oversimplification. According to dry statistics, Nepal is 80% Hindu and 10% Buddhist. And in life, Hinduism and, two world religions, are so intertwined in Nepal with each other that it is impossible to separate them. The Nepalese religious mosaic can be understood if we look into the religious history of the country. The ideas of early Hinduism and Buddhism have little in common with the religions of today. Religious concepts were created through the fusion of various religious schools, theories and trends. Animism, Tantrism, Shaktism, Lamaism had a strong influence on the main creeds.

In the middle of the 1st millennium BC. The Kirati tribe, who professed Buddhism, came to Nepal from the east, and Buddhism became the dominant religion here for eight hundred years. Its influence waned when other peoples invaded the valley around 300 AD. Hinduism, the religion of these newcomers, has since become the official religion of Nepal. The change from one dominant religion to another was peaceful and painless, many of the shrines of Nepal are equally revered by both Hindus and Buddhists. This is explained by the fact that Hinduism has never had a complete theological system; it easily absorbs other cults, recognizing new deities as incarnations of its ancient gods. In practice, religion in the country is a strange mixture of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, complemented by a pantheon of tantric deities and animism, an ancient spiritual religion that originated in Tibet. This is the memory of ancient times, when people made up a harmonious whole; the gods of the universe manifested themselves in everything, and people easily communicated with the gods on a daily basis. The Nepalese still consider their ancient temples and sanctuaries not as a cultural heritage, but as sacred places where gods and people come into contact with each other.
Nepal is called the "land of festivals" for a reason. The most important of these are the Tihar Light Festival; Dasain is a celebration of the victory of good over evil; colorful, truly Rabelaisian festival. Religious in Nepal is not folklore, not absurd entertainment for tourists. These are solemn and sacred ceremonies under the auspices of gods and people. Nepalese with equal zeal participate in the festivals of both religions and honor the shrines of both faiths.

Hinduism.

Modern Hinduism includes a lot of different metaphysical systems and points of view, often mutually contradictory. Each believer chooses one or another belief that is most suitable for him. Nepal has an endless pantheon of gods and goddesses, their incarnations, manifestations and aspects. The European mind with great difficulty can cover these concepts and subtle differences, especially since Hinduism has up to 33 million gods ...
Temples are dedicated to the main gods, altars are dedicated to less significant ones. One of the temples is the sanctuary of the monkey king Hanuman. Immediately after birth, they say, Hanuman grabbed it, mistaking it for an edible fruit, and the god Indra barely managed to take away the luminary from the gluttonous baby. The epic “Ramayana” tells how the selflessly noble and powerful Hanuman - he possessed such strength that he tore off the hills from the earth and - helped the god Rama to rescue his bride Sita from captivity. In India and Nepal, monkeys are considered, if not direct descendants of the divine Hanuman, then at least his relatives. The Nepalese believe that they understand human speech and know how to talk - they just hide it so that they are not forced to work.
In Hinduism there is no priesthood in the usual sense for us. Brahmins who perform the duties of priests do not take any special vows, live an ordinary life in the world, run a household and have a family. People who have renounced the world and devoted themselves to one of the Hindu gods are called. They lead an ascetic life, and the people consider them sages. It is to the sadhus, and not to the brahmin priests, that the Nepalese usually go with their sorrows or when some decision needs to be made. Everyone brings something with him - sadhus have no other sources of existence.

It is very difficult for foreigners to understand Hinduism because of the huge pantheon of gods, until they present them as pictures representing the many attributes of a god. One omnipresent god usually has 3 physical forms: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer and creator. Vishnu, often depicted flying on Garuda, the bird-man, boasts 10 incarnations, including Rama, Krishna, Buddha ... Shiva can be called a thousand names, but these are his manifestations (manifestations). Shiva is probably the most revered in Nepal as the destroyer and creator. He travels the world on a bull and holds a trisul (trident) in his hand. Often Shiva appears as a phallic lingam, his creative role. Shiva is also known as Nataraj, the god of dance who shook the cosmos and created the world. Sometimes Shiva is depicted as a wandering sadhu-hermit, overgrown and in rags, smoking hashish - in a word, the shame of the pantheon!

The son of Shiva with the head of an elephant, is very loved and popular in Nepal. This is the god of luck, wisdom and prosperity, the patron of male potency. The gods are everywhere - inside the temples and nearby, the gods are not formidable, but supportive, winking, in a word, like painted toys!

But are there living gods? Nepal has everything. This is a living virgin - Kumari. And again the paradox: the king, himself the incarnation of the god Vishnu, received a blessing from Kumari, a girl of 5-6 years old, the chosen goddess from a Buddhist family. The goddess is chosen from girls aged 5-6 years, guided by very complex criteria. A girl remains a goddess until, for whatever reason, she loses at least a drop of blood. After that, she is given a good dowry, but marrying a retired goddess is not so easy - it is believed that she will be overshadowed by all sorts of misfortunes. The Kumari cult is a vivid example of the interweaving of two religions, as well as extreme religious liberalism and the breadth of views of the Nepalese.

A real crucible of religions. The mixing of religions is most evident in the Kathmandu Valley. Don't be surprised if you find images of Hindu gods in Buddhist temples or Buddhist images in Hindu temples. The Shivaistic symbol of fertility - the lingam, located in the yoni - is revered by Buddhists as "flaming in a sacred source." Hindus regard the lingam and yoni as the main elements of male and female energy. In the most sacred Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, the Shiva lingam is covered with a Buddha mask once a year! In Swayambhunath (a Buddhist complex), Hindus worship the deity Swayambhu as Shiva, although Swayambhu is for Buddhists. The male deity Lokeshvara/Machendranath is a mixture of Shiva, the holy Machendranath and the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Female deity / revered by Buddhists as Tara.

Buddhism.

Strictly speaking, Buddhism is not a religion (there is no idea of ​​God in it), but a philosophical system and a moral code. The Buddha developed the "rule of the middle way", i.e. moderation in everything. In Nepal, Buddhist teachings were strongly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, which absorbed elements of Bon shamanism and especially Tantrism, a legacy of medieval India. In Nepal, the Vajrayana, or "Roll of Thunder Path", is prevalent, emphasizing meditation using mantras and mandalas, direct experience, and esotericism.

Of all the holy places for Buddhists, and there are a great many of them in Nepal, the most revered temple complex in, a small town near the Indian border. According to legend, it was here that in 700 BC. On the day of the full moon in May, on the shore of a lake under the shade of a sprawling tree, Queen Maya gave birth to a son, Siddhartha, whose name is translated as “fulfilled his destiny.” The appearance of the boy was accompanied by many signs, and in order to interpret them, one hundred and eight sages gathered in Lumbini. They announced that Siddhartha would become either a great ruler or a teacher like no other on Earth. The prince achieved full enlightenment over the years and became the first Buddha, the founder of a new religion.
The fact that the Buddha was born in Lumbini is evidenced by the inscriptions on the column, installed 300 years after his death by King Ashoka. It was through the efforts of Ashoka that Buddhism spread to most of South Asia.

Despite the fact that Nepal was the birthplace of the Buddha, Buddhism came to the country from the northeast, from the territory of modern China. To this day, Chinese Buddhist temples and operate in Nepal. Above the entrance to one of the temples, Chinese characters are inscribed instead of Sanskrit script, and the pot-bellied Buddha statues that adorn its interior are clearly made in Chinese, and not Indo-Nepalese style. The manufacture of traditional Buddha figurines is especially developed in the city of Patan, the second largest after Kathmandu. The main materials are soft volcanic and bronze. This work is painstaking, and ordinary Nepalese cannot pay big money for figurines. Good luck is considered when an order comes from European Buddhists or from monasteries.

In the Himalayas, and especially in Nepal, there are a lot of geomantic points-centers that give strength and energy to those who visit them. Three outstanding religious complexes - the Hindu Pashupatinath and the Buddhist Swayambhunath - are just a part of the numerous energy centers of the Kathmandu Valley.

In the middle of the 1st millennium BC. in Nepal from the east came the Kirati tribe, who professed Buddhism, and for eight hundred years Buddhism became the dominant religion here. His influence waned when the Newar people invaded the Kathmandu valley from India around 300 AD.

Hinduism- the religion of these newcomers - has since become the official religion of Nepal. The change from one dominant religion to another was peaceful and painless, many of the shrines of Nepal are equally revered by both Hindus and Buddhists.

This is explained by the fact that Hinduism has never had a complete theological system; it easily absorbs other cults, recognizing new deities as incarnations of its ancient gods.

hindu god can act not only in the form of another deity, but also a person. For example, the Nepalese king is considered the incarnation of Vishnu, one of the main Hindu gods. And the goddess Kumari exists only in the guise of a living girl.

Temple- home of Kumari. The goddess is chosen from girls at the age of three or four, guided by very complex criteria.

A girl remains a goddess until, for whatever reason, she loses at least a drop of blood. After that, she is given a good dowry, but marrying a retired goddess is not so easy - it is believed that marriage with her will be overshadowed by all sorts of misfortunes.

AT Hinduism there is no priesthood in the usual sense for us. Brahmins who perform the duties of priests do not take any special vows, live an ordinary life in the world, run a household and have a family.

People who have renounced the world and devoted themselves to one of the Hindu gods are called sadhu. They lead an ascetic life, and the people consider them sages. It is to the sadhus, and not to the brahmin priests, that the Nepalese usually go with their sorrows or when some decision needs to be made. Everyone brings something with him - sadhus have no other sources of existence.

Hindu pantheon huge. Temples are dedicated to the main gods, altars are dedicated to less significant ones. One of the temples is the sanctuary of the monkey king Hanuman.

Immediately after birth, legend has it, Hanuman seized The sun, mistaking it for an edible fruit, and the god Indra barely managed to take away the luminary from the gluttonous baby.

In the epic Ramayana"It is told how selflessly noble and powerful Hanuman- he possessed such strength that he tore off hills and mountains from the earth, - he helped the god Rama to rescue his bride Sita from captivity.

In India and Nepal monkeys they consider, if not direct descendants of the divine Hanuman, then at least his relatives.

The Nepalese believe that monkeys understand human speech and can talk - they just hide it so that they don't make them work. It must be said that the relatives of Hanuman, who live in abundance in Nepal, lost the strength and nobility of their great ancestor.

One of the two supreme Hindu deities - god Shiva- dedicated pashupatinath temple. This is not even a temple, but a vast temple complex, located near the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on the banks of the sacred river Bagmati.

Every day, crowds of pilgrims flock here not only from all over Nepal, but also from neighboring India. To perform a puja, an offering to the formidable Shiva, is the duty of every believer. Most sacrifice roosters, which can be bought right there near the temples.

Having stood in a long line, the believers hand over the birds to the attendant - he cuts their throats and irrigates the altar with sacrificial blood. Some give goats as a gift to Shiva.

Immediately nearby, you can wash the carcass in order to take it home later - after the ceremony, the Nepalese use the meat of sacrificial animals for their intended purpose, that is, for food.

Every Hindu dreams of being escorted on his last journey precisely in Pashupatinath, although there is a place for a funeral ritual at every temple standing on the river bank.

After the farewell ritual in the temple, male relatives on a stretcher carry the deceased to the ghatami - a stone platform for cremation, on which a funeral pyre is laid in advance. Only the son of the deceased can set fire to the fire, so the absence of sons in the family is considered a terrible misfortune.

Hindus believe that the soul of a person after death moves into a new shell - into a plant, animal or person.

Whether the new incarnation will be favorable or unfavorable depends on karma- that is, the sum of good and bad deeds committed in a lifetime. So that nothing interferes with the resettlement of the soul, there should not be a trace of the former body shell on the earth - the muddy waters of the Bagmati carry the ashes to the Ganges, sacred to Hindus.

Buddhists also cremate their dead, but some - distinguished during their lifetime by special holiness - are mummified and placed in sanctuaries - stupa.

This word is translated from Sanskrit- the language of sacred Buddhist texts - as a "crown" or "heap of earth". The Boddhanath Stupa in Kathmandu was built in the 3rd century BC. and has since been updated several times. The eyes on the gilded wall of the temple are not an element of decor.

It is believed that they themselves look at the believers Buddha. Also, these bright flags hung everywhere serve not for decoration. They contain mantras - prayer appeals to Buddhist saints.

Of all the holy places for Buddhists - and there are a great many of them in Nepal - the most revered temple complex in Lumbini, a small town next to the Indian border.

According to legend, it was here that in 700 BC. On the day of the full moon in May, on the shore of a lake under the shade of a sprawling tree, Queen Maya gave birth to a son, Siddhartha, whose name is translated as "fulfilled his destiny."

The appearance of the boy was accompanied by many signs, and one hundred and eight sages gathered in Lumbini to interpret them. They announced that Siddhartha will become either a great ruler or a teacher, which has not yet happened on Earth. The prince achieved full enlightenment over the years and became the first Buddha, the founder of a new religion.

That Buddha was born in Lumbini, according to the writings on the column, installed 300 years after his death by King Ashoka. It was through the efforts of Ashoka that Buddhism spread to most of South Asia.

Despite the fact that Nepal- the birthplace of Buddha, Buddhism came to the country from the northeast, from the territory of modern China. To this day, Chinese Buddhist temples and monasteries operate in Nepal.

Above the entrance to one of the temples, instead of the Sanskrit script, inscribed Chinese characters, and the pot-bellied Buddha statues decorating its interior are clearly made in Chinese, and not Indo-Nepalese style.

The art of making traditional Buddha figurines is especially developed in the city of Patan, the second largest after Kathmandu.

The main materials are soft volcanic stone and bronze. This work is painstaking, and ordinary Nepalese cannot pay big money for figurines. Good luck is considered when an order comes from European Buddhists or from monasteries.

Monasteries in Nepal often have a greater impact on people's lives than government agencies. The advice received from a monk is strictly followed.

Anyone familiar with sacred texts and fulfilling religious precepts can become a Buddhist monk. If desired, the monk is free to leave the monastery at any time and return to the world.

The life of a monk is spent in meditation, reading sacred books and prayers. Each uttered prayer brings a Buddhist closer to nirvana - the final deliverance from earthly suffering.

Behind prayer each revolution of prayer wheels, which are installed in all Buddhist monasteries, is also counted.

It remains to be hoped that the prayers we whispered as our plane fell over Himalayas into the next air hole, will also be counted to us at the time of rebirth. After all, this aircraft belonged to an airline named after the founder of Buddhism.

AT Nepal objects of art, classical and modern, are used in daily religious practice. Unique creations are easy to find in temples and other religious sites. Understanding the intricacies of various religions allows you to fully appreciate the art of Nepal. Nepal is the only country in which Hinduism is recognized as the state religion, but Buddhism, Islam and many other religions are also common here. What they all have in common is daily religious expression. In the morning, people gather in temples to offer offerings and puja to the gods.

Hinduism.

The word Hinduism appeared in the 19th century to define the basic beliefs of the Aryans - immigrants who left Central Asia in 1500 BC. and local people in India.
Main ideas: the heavenly law governs the state of the world, a person is aware of and respects the heavenly law. Lead your life in the proper manner of a Hindu, observe the rules and all the rites, adopt the birth caste. The caste system determines the code of conduct and performance of rituals, affects all aspects of life: occupation, eating, weddings, etc.
Hindu principles. Drachma - religious law and moral code, acting on which you can get enlightenment. Karma is the balance of the present life and the reaction of the past. A life properly lived will bring rebirth into a better life. Samsara is a cycle of reincarnations determined by karma. Moksha - liberation from samsara, in which the individual unites with the universal time space of the past and future, the final clarity, i.e. Nirvana.
Each deity has different names, different symbols, attributes, manifestations. The main Hindu gods are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Brahma is the creator of the universe. Attributes - a rosary, a source of holy water, a ladle and books. Brahma is usually represented as having four heads, which allows him to observe the world. The number of existing statues of Brahma is small.
Saraswati, the wife of Brahma, is the goddess of knowledge and music. She is often depicted playing a veena (a seven-stringed musical instrument) with a rosary and a book, seated in a lotus on a peacock or swan, often with a crescent moon on her forehead. Buddhists worship her as a form of Manjushri, the wisdom of the Bodhisattva.
Vishnu is the guardian of life and peace. Attributes - shell, disk, lotus and wand. The incarnation is Garuda, the mythical bird-man. It often appears in some of the following forms:
Narayan, which means "one who investigates all branches", or universal knowledge.
Buddha, the ninth reincarnation of Vishnu.
Rama, the warrior who saved his wife Sita from Ravan, the demon king of Ceylon.
Krishna, the embodiment of masculinity, was bewitched by milkmaids and cowherd boys, with whom he frolicked. The forms Rama and Krishna are most popular in India.
Shiva - destruction and restoration. Attributes - trident, tambourine, tiger skin, lingam (phalos). The incarnation is Nandi, the buffalo.
Pashupati, owner and protector of animals, especially cattle.
Bairav, a form of Shiva who seeks to destroy everything, including evil. Usually his statue is black, with a necklace of human skulls.
Hanuman, monkey god. Symbolizes loyalty and willingness to help. Associated with successful military operations, Rama helped in the fight against King Ravana, who imprisoned his wife Sita for 12 years.
Ganesh (Ganapati), one of the most popular gods in Nepal. Unerring, charitable, and of great power, he can decide the outcome of any human enterprise. Son of Shiva and Parvati. Once Shiva found Parvati with her lover, and deciding that Ganesh was not his son, he tore off his head. At the request of Parvati, Shiva promised to restore life to Ganesh, for this he would behead the first living creature that he met in the forest. He saw an elephant, cut off his head, rushed back and put it in place of the head of Ganesh. Ganesh is usually dressed in red, four-armed, the body is covered with layers of sandalwood. The incarnation is a shrew, sometimes a rat or a mouse, therefore, all these animals are sacred.
Parvati, Shiva's wife. Benevolent manifestations: Devi, Yuma, Shakti or Annapurna (bringing abundance). Evil Manifestations: Kali, Durga and Bhagavati

Buddhism.

Based on the reflections of Gautama Siddharta (GAUTAMA SIDDHARTA), also called Sakwamuni (after the sage from the Sakwa clan), who later became the Buddha (enlightened).
The philosophical doctrine and code of conduct is based on three jewels: the Buddha himself, the Dharma (Buddha's teaching), and the Sangha, the Buddhist society.
The Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal, in 544 B.C., the son of a raja (so-called wealthy landowners) who were looking for the cause of human misfortune. As a result of experiments and travels, he achieved enlightenment through meditation in Bodh Gaya.
Dharma is the doctrine of four truths discovered through meditation:
1. Existence is misery.
2. Everything in life brings suffering: birth, satisfaction of vital needs and death. The beginning of suffering is in the needs and desires of people and the desire to possess material values ​​(illusion of feelings).
3. Unhappiness is born from selfish desires and passions.
4. Selfish desires can be eliminated by renunciation desires in the following eight main ways:

1. Correct recognition (with regard to the law of causality).
2. Right thinking.
3. Correct speech.
4. Right action.
5. Right life.
6. Correct work.
7. Right vigilance and self-discipline.
8. Correct concentration.

The Sangha is a Buddhist society. It was originally used to refer to a society of monks, but later this concept expanded. Show the path to enlightenment.
About 100 years after the death of the Buddha, society came to controversy regarding the path to enlightenment. The traditional Theravada Buddhist school follows the original teachings of the Buddha. The Mahayana school adopted some changes regarding the path to enlightenment (Zen appeared).
A bodhisattva is a person who has achieved enlightenment, but instead of going to nirvana, he chose to teach others to achieve enlightenment.
Tantrism.
The spread of the Akhayan school began in the first century AD. on the outskirts of India. Hindus and Buddhists were in contact with the animist religions and adopted some of their beliefs and exercises: yoga (physical exercises necessary to control body functions), mantras (multiple repetition of magical syllables). Ultimately, it transformed into Lamaism, which is also widespread in Nepal. Such methods serve the purpose of shortening the road to enlightenment.
Prayer Flags and Prayer Drums take prayers to the sky. Prayer wheels are rotated clockwise to send mantras into the sky. Usually it is a copper cylinder with prayers written in Sanskrit. Inside the drum is a parchment on which the Tibetan spell OM MANI PADME HUM is repeatedly printed. Some translations of this mantra:
- Oh, the jewel hidden in the lotus.
- One particular interpretation of this incantation is the same prayer of the Bodhisattva Padmapani: O Padmapani, give me the jewel in the lotus, which is a blessing in attaining nirvana through the teachings of the Buddha.
- A more general interpretation: O jewel resting in the lotus, the Buddha's teaching remains pure in our minds and souls.

The vast majority of Nepalese are Hindus; there are many Buddhists here, because in the south of Nepal, in the village of Lumbini, according to legend, the Buddha was born. Hindus often pray in Buddhist temples, as well as Buddhists in Hindu ones. There is no clear division between Buddhism and Hinduism: they are very closely intertwined, and the believers themselves do not come into conflict with each other, as well as with representatives of other religions. Tolerance and religious tolerance are the defining features of the Nepalese mentality.

Hinduism

Nepal is the only country in the world where Hinduism is the official religion. At the same time, Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, the oldest religion on the planet, was born on the territory of this particular state. Statistics claim that 80.6% of Nepal's population is Hindu. However, according to unofficial data, there are much more Hindus in the country, however, not all of them profess this religion in its pure form, as they practice elements of Buddhism, animism and some local beliefs.

One of the characteristic features of Hinduism is the deification of people: for example, in special temples in Kathmandu and some other large cities of Nepal, Kumari live - living incarnations of the goddess Taleju, who were worshiped by the Nepalese king himself. By the way, before the establishment of a republic in Nepal, he was also a living deity - he personified the god Vishnu.

The worship in Nepal is carried out by brahmins - representatives of a special caste, who, however, are not priests. They do not take vows and live an ordinary life outside the temples - they start families, are engaged in cattle breeding, agriculture, crafts. But wandering yogi sadhus, on the contrary, are revered as sages who are alien to the worldly. They are ascetics, spending many hours in meditation, traveling from temple to temple, living on alms.

The pantheon of Hindu gods is extensive, but temples are built only in honor of a few of them - Shiva, Vishnu, Rama, Sita, Parvati, Lakshmi. The most revered by Hindus around the world, the Pashupatinath Temple, dedicated to Shiva, stands in Kathmandu; believers dream of ending their earthly journey here in order to be reborn in a better incarnation. Pujas are performed in the temples - sacrifices, during which the brahmins kill the animals (goats, sheep, roosters) brought by the Nepalese so that drops of their blood fall on the altar, and then give the carcasses to the owners - the meat can be cooked at home and eaten.

Photographer Alexei Terentyev is a frequent visitor to Asian countries. This time he tells us about religion in Nepal.

Sacrifice
An animal with an incised throat is carried around the altar by three healthy men in a clockwise direction. Blood drips onto the stones, forming a continuous red path. Blood sticks to the bare feet of those walking, gets on clothes. After making a sacrifice to the animal, the throat is finally cut with a large knife.

Sacrifice is a holiday. Family celebration. If the sacrifice is not connected with the concept of joy, then it loses all meaning. By sacrificing the material, a person acquires spiritual benefits and rejoices in this. This is how harmony and balance are maintained in the world. And the participation of children allows us to preserve the tradition, to pass it on from generation to generation.

Everyone is wearing the best clothes, and the girls are wearing holiday make-up, even the smallest ones who cannot walk yet.

Not far from the temple on the bank of the river is a truck. A small makeshift corral was erected nearby. Here anyone can buy an animal for sacrifice if he does not have his own.
This is how a sacrifice is performed in one of the small towns of Nepal, not far from Kathmandu. However, the ritual is almost the same throughout Nepal and India, where sacrifice still plays an important role in the life of the Hindus.

In the morning after two days of the holiday, the city makes a slightly strange impression. There are not many people on the streets. Only blood stains and mountains of garbage that have not yet been removed remind of what happened. There will be no trace of blood left in two days, and blood sacrifices will replace flowers and pieces of fruit. But the sound of a small bell that accompanies every prayer, starting from 4 in the morning, will remind you that life without a sacrifice is impossible, and you should always treat it like a holiday.
Sadhu- No peace with yourself? Anxiety and fears? Get up every morning at dawn and do yoga. Prayer also helps to cope with the lack of peace in the head at this time, says the Sadhu. Then he repeats the words of the prayer to be learned several times.
We are sitting under a big tree. In the center is a real Sadhu surrounded by people. Mostly locals and two Europeans. The problem with the world in the head is just a European, the local problems are simpler.
Since there were no monasteries and monasticism in the Western sense in Hinduism, the place of monks was occupied by Sadhus - people who renounced all worldly goods and devoted themselves to their chosen religion. Among the Sadhus there were a variety of people who used different techniques and methods to serve God. They always lived only on voluntary donations from the people they helped.

The Sadhu Institute exists to this day both in Nepal and in India. It is very easy to recognize a real Sadhu: he never asks for money, he shares himself. He treats the audience, gives food - prasad, and most importantly - helps with advice, delving into any difficult situations of each person.
Pseudo-sadhu or human factor
On one of my previous trips, I met a Sadhu who was putting on heavy make-up to look like a monkey. A wire tail was attached to the back. Facial expressions and gestures corresponded to the image of the selected animal. With all his appearance, he tried to repeat the image of the monkey god - Hanuman, and he did it well.
Seeing the camera, he joyfully walked towards me, making monkey-like faces and making sounds that were either barking or growling. Enjoying the impression he had made, he explained that today was a big holiday - Monkey Day. And on this day, you need to give good donations to all Sadhus, and especially large donations to Sadhus in the form of a monkey.
In the evening I happened to meet this Sadhu again. Employees of a tourist cafe kicked a man out of the hall with a smeared face, slightly crazy bulging eyes and a large wad of money in his hands. Saying something about the Day of the Monkey, he tried to pester the visitors of the cafe and asked everyone for money.

Many Sadhus that tourists meet are not. These are good actors who dress brightly, put on makeup, walk around naked or in loincloths, sometimes carry boxes with cobras and other snakes, which are shown to those who wish. Their task is to pose for a photo or simply entertain tourists, earning money from it. You can take beautiful and colorful photos with them, but you should always understand that they have nothing to do with real Sadhus.

The most famous place in Nepal where you can take a picture with a Sadhu is the Pashupatinath complex. And here one comes across both pseudo-sadhus and really holy people.
On the banks of the sacred river
Pashupatinath is not only a place to see a Sadhu. It is also the largest Hindu temple complex in the region, dedicated to the god Shiva, and a burial place on the banks of the small river Bagmati, which is considered sacred by Hindus.

Burial on the banks of the sacred river is very important for believers, since not least the reincarnation in the next life depends on the funeral. Therefore, funeral pyres burn here from early morning until late evening.

The sacred river brings together a variety of people. Here they wash the bodies before burning, and then they wash off the ashes and the remnants of clothing here. A little further down the river, entire groups of people live by catching the remains of the burnt. Ritual bathing is also held here. Beggars come here and here you can meet real saints, yogis, hermits.
Two rites
The culture of Nepal would not have been so rich and diverse if Buddhism and Hinduism had not mixed here at one time. Many years ago, it was in Nepal that Buddhism was born, as a result of which there are many Buddhist shrines in the country. It was from here that Buddhism spread to Tibet (where it partially absorbed elements of shamanism - the Bon religion, which was practiced in Tibet at that time) and to the North of India, and then returned from Tibet to Nepal again.

Buddhism was initially calm about any beliefs. Often Buddhists were not embarrassed that the people they taught were simultaneously performing pagan or Hindu rituals. The Hindus themselves are accustomed to a large number of incarnations of their god and perceived the Buddha as another incarnation. As a result, there are a huge number of temples and holy places in Nepal, which are equally significant for Buddhists and Hindus. Moreover, some ceremonies and rituals, as well as temple buildings, have absorbed individual elements of both religions.
Therefore, only at first glance, the scene is surprising when a woman with the image of the current Dalai Lama on her chest first diligently performs a Hindu ritual - sacrifice, and then performs a kora, rotates prayer wheels and approaches a Buddhist monk to say the words of a Buddhist prayer with him.

Tibetans
In Nepal, especially after the aggravation of relations with China, there are a lot of Tibetan refugees. Almost all of them, as well as the indigenous inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Nepal, practice Tibetan Buddhism in its purest form. A very large Tibetan quarter is located near the Boudhanath stupa, a place revered exclusively by Tibetan Buddhists.

Newar Buddhism peacefully coexists with it - a doctrine that combines both Buddhism and Hinduism (the doctrine is named after the people living in the Kathmandu Valley). It would seem that what can Buddhism, which rejects the very concept of God, and Hinduism, with its bunch of gods and deities, have in common? It turns out that these two religions may well merge together and complement each other.

Infinite Paths
In Buddhism, there is an understanding that all people are different (the Buddha himself spoke about this), and each person has his own way. The main thing is where a person is going, whether he made a mistake with the direction, and you can choose any road. This is probably the reason why Buddhists are so tolerant of other religions, such a variety of techniques and ways to achieve Buddhahood. And also the ability to concentrate on the goal and not get too attached to the method of achieving it.

God is one
On a small street among ordinary residential buildings, the entrance to a small Hindu temple was lost. A high square fence, behind it is a bell, statues depicting gods and the temple itself, in front of which rises a statue of a monkey, the god Hanuman, revered in India. Many are dedicated to him in various parts of India and Nepal. It is with him that a respectful attitude towards monkeys, which are considered his direct relative, is connected.
Behind the main building, in the far corner of the courtyard, there is a small residential house. A rope is stretched across the yard with linen fluttering in the wind. A woman sits under a tree and feeds a baby. I smile at her and she smiles back at me a little embarrassed.

The attendant cleans the temple. I say hello. A small conversation ensues. And suddenly he asks what they believe in my country. At first I don’t know what to answer, and then I honestly answer that the majority are Christians, but there are also Muslims, Buddhists and a few people of other faiths. He is silent for a while, and then in broken English he explains that Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism are just different names, but God is always the same in any religion. And it doesn't matter what your religion is called, the only thing that matters is whether you believe in God or not... Then he smiles, says goodbye and leaves.