Los chorten habitan a sus anchas en los terrosos caminos de Ladakh. Como centinelas de adobe vigilan mi paso a la salida y entradas de los pueblos, con su aire sereno. Los hay modernos, recién blanqueados, con la llama dorada refulgiendo al sol, pero también muchos, la mayoría, decrépitos a punto de derrumbarse, soportando el paso del tiempo de mala manera y mimetizándose con los montones de tierra.
Originalmente contenían las reliquias o restos de algún santón local, pero actualmente muchos de ellos se elevan como monumento de oración y plegaria budista sin que oculten hueso alguno en su interior. Podemos encontrarlos por todo el arco tibetano, con diferentes formas, tamaños o nombres, pero stupas similares a fin de cuentas.
Dicen que representan los cinco elementos purificados de la naturaleza y que cada parte en su estructura refleja cada una de estas potencias: la base cuadrada representa la tierra, la cúpula representa el agua, el cono representa el fuego, el loto y la luna creciente en la parte superior representa el aire y, por último, el sol que corona el conjunto representa el ether.
(Ladakh, agosto de 2006)
CHORTEN (LADAKH, INDIA)
Chortens live at ease in the dirt roads of Ladakh. As dried mud sentinels, they watch my way at the exit and entrances to villages in a serene air. Some are modern, newly whitewashed, with the golden flame glowing in the sun, but many, most of them, are decrepit about to collapse, enduring hardly over time, blending into the earth mounds.
Originally contained the relics or remains of a local holy man, but now many of them are raised as a Buddhist monument for prayer without a bone hidden within. They can be found along the whole Tibetan arch in different shapes, sizes and names, but similar stupas in the end.
It's told that they symbolize the five purified elements of nature and that each part in their structure reflects each of these powers: the square base symbolizes earth, the dome symbolizes water, the cone symbolizes fire, the lotus and the waxing moon at the top symbolize air and, finally, the sun crowning the whole symbolizes ether.
(Ladakh, August 2006)
(c) Copyright del texto y de las fotos: Joaquín Moncó
********
CHORTEN (LADAKH, INDIA)
Chortens live at ease in the dirt roads of Ladakh. As dried mud sentinels, they watch my way at the exit and entrances to villages in a serene air. Some are modern, newly whitewashed, with the golden flame glowing in the sun, but many, most of them, are decrepit about to collapse, enduring hardly over time, blending into the earth mounds.
Originally contained the relics or remains of a local holy man, but now many of them are raised as a Buddhist monument for prayer without a bone hidden within. They can be found along the whole Tibetan arch in different shapes, sizes and names, but similar stupas in the end.
It's told that they symbolize the five purified elements of nature and that each part in their structure reflects each of these powers: the square base symbolizes earth, the dome symbolizes water, the cone symbolizes fire, the lotus and the waxing moon at the top symbolize air and, finally, the sun crowning the whole symbolizes ether.
(Ladakh, August 2006)
(c) Copyright del texto y de las fotos: Joaquín Moncó
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario