Lumbini and Buddha

"Baba baba, when are we going to Nepal", my 6 years son asked me yesterday when I was reading a book entitled "Buddha" by Deepak Chopra.

"Next month. Are you excited to visit your birth place?"

"Yes, I am. I will be visiting Hujur baba and Ama in Kathmandu and Hajur Aama in Baglung. I know where Baglung is?"

"Are you sure?" I looked into his eyes and noticed a radiant of excitement.

"Yes Baba, I am sure, I told you!" 

"Then you should be a nice boy. Go, get a book and start reading."

He went out of my room, kicked a small plastic ball onto the wall and said something sounded like "Ronaldo".

He is overtly energetic in kicking ball in the room since last World Cup season. 

After a few minutes, he came to the room with a book " Dangers in the Darkest Hour" by Mary Osborn.

"Baba how did France survive in the 2nd World War?" 

"  Is the book about the World War?" I put my book away and grabbed his book.

" Yes Baba, this is about the world war  second, Germany, France and Nazis."

I was surprised how my little kid could talk about history, war, Nazi. I know that he is the fan of Osborn's Tree House Series. I also know that in a last couple of months he has read a number of chapter books.

I scanned the book quickly. The book has been divided in to short chapter with war stories circled around a few characters.

" Can you read from page 35 -65 for me aloud? I have read up to 35, you see that I folded the page little bit on the right", he asked and slipped into the blanket. 

I started reading the book, read one chapter and closed it. He was not happy with that because he wanted me to read up to page 65.

"Okay, you can read the book later. This is your book, so you have to read it. I am reading my book. Lets talk about your country", I switched the topic.

" Tell me how many members are there in your family, in Baglung?" I asked.

"Hajur Aama, Thulo Baba, Khimu Uncle, Gopal Uncle..ho", he looked at me with confusion.

" You are right. But there are more. Let me tell you".

He stretched his legs and put his hands round my belly. 

" You start counting okay. Hajur Aam, Thulo Baba,thuli aama, maailo baba, maaili aama, saailo baba, saaili aama, Neelam uncle, untie, khem uncle, untie, Gopal uncle untie. Did you count how many?" I paused and confirmed with him.

"Yes, I did. But that is a lot", he said.

Wait, there are still more.

He giggles. " still more!"

"Kalpana sister, my sister", she is the only sister of seven brothers."

"Seven brothers!" He sighed. 

"Yes, and your brothers, Kamal, Anup, Ayush, and other three more brothers. I even forgot their names. And you have five sisters Janaki, Jyoti, Alisha, Bhawana and bhanji."

"Bhanji!" 

"Yes, my bhanji but your sister.

"Did you stop counting?"

I was counting, but I forgot now. There were many.

" Hold on a second baby, there are even more".

"I am not a baby", he objected instantly.

"Okay Big boy, listen I haven't told you about your Mom's family side in Kathamandu."

" I know them", he replied quickly.

" Then tell me the names".

" Hajur baba, Aama, Sita mamu, Seema mom, Sanvi, Sano baba, he told confidently.

"What about Australia?.

" I know, Tonu mama, maaiju and Bidhu bhai. See I know all."

"Good boy. Now you know all your family members, right. Don't forget us. We are also family members, mom, shreya, you and I."

" No, Shreya is not. She was born in Canada." 

" She was born here but she is your sister, isn't she? I poked in his belly."

He giggles a while and said," yes she is".

" Are you buying gifts for each of them?"

" No, you are. You have money, I don't." He picked up my book and started reading the title, "Buddha", Buda hi hi, he giggled again.

" you wanna know who Buddha was, where was he born and what he become. You have to read this book".

"This whole book! He turned the pages. This is a lot. But I can read this book" he said with guts.

" Okay, you can. Listen, we will to Lumbini, when we go to Nepal. Lumbini is the place where Buddha was born. He was a prince of the rich King, named Suddhodan. He had every thing to enjoy in the palace. One day he came out of the palace, saw sick people, old people and dead people. It really hurt him. He was deeply concerned why the people get sick, get older and die. One day, he left the palace, went to the forest and went on penance."

"Baba what is penance", he interrupted me.

"penance is a meditation; sitting in one position in one place for long period of time. He did not eat and drink for days. And finally he was enlightened. He found the truth. He had many followers. He preached them and his followers wrote the book about his knowledge. What is now called Buddhism", I tried to make the story easy so that he can understand. 

" Baba, Buddhist are in China. I read in the book " Great wall of China".

"Okay, there are many people who worship Buddha as a God in Nepal, China, Japan, Burma, Bhutan and some other countries. I will show you the temples in Lumbini which were built by those countries. Many people visit Lumbini every year. They are called religious tourists."

My 3 years old daughter came in the room with her dolly baby beeping"noodle,noodle". She mounted onto the bed and slipped to the brother's side.

" Baba where is my story", she asked in her authoritative voice.

" next, I will write about you, sweetie"

Now, I have some work to do. You guys go to play. Promise you guys don't fight,okay.