Kari

Kari is his nickname and it means "white" in Nepali. Most Nepalese have an olive/tan complexion so his friends attributed the nickname to Kari's lighter skin. Some of Kari's childhood friends moved to London and he decided to move there too after completing his studies in Buddhism. He is currently on a three-week leisure trip in NY City. He has been captivated by the Brooklyn Bridge and already made two treks across the bridge during this trip. Since he still has another 10 days or so before heading home to London, I see plenty of time for a third hike.

I went back to his comment about studying Buddhism in Nepal and asked him what is the primary goal/mission of his religion. He said that Buddhists veer away from causing harm to others; achieve a state of happiness by promoting cooperation and respect for one another and by seeing others achieve success. The "other" also includes people who cause harm or provoke spiritual upheaval upon the Buddhist believer. I can see why Buddhism is not the opium of the masses in the Western World. In the US, only a very small percentage of people are Buddhists.

My exposure to Buddhism is limited to (1) a college course I took about the Beat Generation and how Eastern religions like Buddhism influenced the writers of that generation, (2) visiting the ornate temples and golden Buddhas in Bangkok, and (3) watching older Korean ladies chanting/praying to Kwanseum Bosal in almost every Korean melodrama of the 80's and 90's. Kwanseum Bosal is known as the Goddess of Compassion & Healing in Korea, like the equivalent of the Virgin Mary to Catholics. The ladies in the melodramas would chant prayers to Kwanseum Bosal over and over again in hopes that the Goddess would take away all their heartaches and headaches. I could never make out what they would chant after calling out to KB but it didn't matter, you could hear the passion in their prayers. Surely, someone had to feel compassion for these devoted ladies. I don't understand most of Buddhism's principles but I do respect the Buddhist's eagerness to please, help, understand and respect others.

Ironically, Easter is Kari's favorite holiday - it is not the religious aspect of this holiday but the food and good times with his friends that make it the perfect celebration. Easter is definitely one of my favorite holidays too, both for heavenly and earthly reasons.