DISPATCH: Thursday, Jan. 19
The pyres burned along the banks of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu as the dead were cremated one after another. To the Hindus here, it is part of “samsara” — the ongoing cycle of rebirth (or reincarnation) that they must endure. The skulls of the dead are broken so memories can be released and will not be remembered in the next life, and the bodies are destroyed.
Our team watched the ceremonies at the Pashupati Temple, which is one of the world’s most significant Hindu temples of the Lord Shiva. Shiva, the destroyer god, is one the more than 330 million gods and goddesses within Hinduism, but one of the three biggest along with Brahma (the creator) and Vishnu (the preserver).
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Pashupati Temple in the background, above, where bodies are cremated along the Bagmati River.
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We visited Pashupati, which can only be looked at by non-Hindus from across the river, after touring the Swayambhu temple. Swayambhu is a combined Buddhist and Hindu complex that overlooks Kathmandu. It is also known as the Monkey Temple because it is overrun with monkeys, which represent the god of protection to the Hindu.
These visits were part of our team training as we spent the morning discussing Hinduism and Buddhism in preparation for the work here.
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” — Jesus speaking in John 8:32
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Pastor Tej praying, above, before delivering Nepali Bibles, below.
Pastor Tej made his first delivery of the more than 1,000 Bibles provided by Climbing For Christ through Project Living Word. He distributed 150 to new believers at his church this morning. We will be taking Bibles with us to Dapcha on Friday, when we go to first the church built with funding provided through Climbing For Christ. We are teaching a leadership seminar there and worshiping with the church at Dapcha on Saturday.
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