As you may remember, Lungta is the name of prayer flags in Tibet and Nepal. Lungta means “Windhorse” and refers to how the wind can carry the prayers that are printed on the prayer flags into the universe. Livyer is a Newfoundland term for making a life or making a place so I combined the two to form the theme for our autumn explorations. I wanted to explore how Buddhism was experienced and expressed in different places/cultures/sides of the Himalayas. Our travels took us to seven different countries (China, Mongolia, Nepal, India, Bhutan, Thailand, and Sri Lanka) and over 22 mountain passes. We spent over 75 days trekking and walking and visited well over 60 monasteries and other sacred spaces.

Words are failing me right now for putting the pieces all together and for sharing lessons from the journey but I want to put a wee bit of closure on the fall.

It was amazing. It was deep. It was so fascinating to see how Buddhism was lived, practiced, and embodied in so many places. I see that my Buddhist path needs more walking, more study, and more meditation but I’m grateful for the time and all of the experiences we had in learning more… whether it be the profound hopefulness felt in a monastery in which people have meditated for 800 years or the graceful flutter of a prayer flag over a pass. I used much of what I had learned to get over those 22 passes and to work with my mind as the path steepened. Know that I have more stories to share as I find the words (and comb through the thousands of photographs we took) and I promise that I will (perhaps in my next book), but for now I’m turning my attention and mind towards winter, skiing, and exploring my home country for the next bit of time in an adventure we are calling “Ski-a-Rail.” We’ll most likely be returning to Nepal in the spring to continue our studies but for now-I’ll push pause and go for a ski.