The family business is yaks, primarily for transport. The family wealth is the three yaks that live on the ground floor, their body heat warms us up here. This is a Sherpa family in a Sherpa village. Sherpas are about 6% of the Nepalese population, an ethnic minority tracing their origins and language to Tibet. We thirteen trekkers are under 1% of the village population and an ethnic minority therein. We are guests because that hospitality comes with the employment of the yaks, and includes dal bhat and fresh chang for a few rupees per night.

The husband is often gone with the yaks, and the woman, Ama, takes daily care of this shrine to Buddha. Each bowl is emptied, washed, and refilled with fresh water. Evaporation from each bowl goes to entreat Buddha in guiding the rebirth of a particular relative’s soul. Shambu translates for us her love of her traditional culture, both here and in Tibet. Her devotion to Buddha needs no translator.

The Tamang are another, slightly smaller, mountain ethnic minority in Nepal, also tracing their origins to Tibet. They too are Buddhist, but include elements of pre-Buddhist Bön and Tambaist religions. Shambu translates that if they were here, in this room, she would spit in their food, as they would spit in hers were the situation reversed. We, however, are welcome.

The price of hating other human beings is loving oneself less.  Eldridge Cleaver, though it sounds just like Buddha.

George's selection of 66 Phlogs is available in print from People's Press.

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