Happy New Year 2026 !
What an incredible journey in 2025—from the heights of Mount Kailash to the sacred roots of the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya, India. It was a tough year, but also a kind one.
2025 asked much of me—but it returned clarity.
This was my first trip to India, for a meditation retreat that brought me an unspoken joy and a new kind of quiet inside. Meeting fellow soul-searchers on the path, breathing through the cold, and even participating in the beautiful generosity of serving food to the monks and nuns (thank you, Teresa, for allowing me to participate).
The photo no 3 is near the Bodhi Tree. Standing there, tears suddenly filled my eyes without warning. This is where the Enlightened Buddha reached awakening 2,500 years ago, and standing near this ancient tree made me realize how underrated the word grateful truly is.
I thought I knew what it meant.
But here, I was left without words—humbled by the truth. This is the light that walked with me all these years—through moments when the path felt not just unclear but closed, and even when resources were scarce.
There, it reminded me of what has always been carrying me.
India has taught me something amazing: that even in the most crowded, chaotic spaces, there is always a quiet spot—to sit, to contemplate, or to meditate. The energy from the earth here feels like enough to untangle the noise, to breathe cold air, to watch the busy mind, or simply to find clarity.
We only need to be willing!!
And here, I learned discipline in the cold, stillness in the noise, patience in the body aches, and finding warmth from within. And I learned that the work itself is the path—a call to return to discipline, again and again.
This isn’t an end. It’s a gentle beginning.
Let’s continue the path: chop wood, carry water
#MountKailash #Meditation #buddhism #theartofmentalrest #beyondnumbersbypaxcis #SpiritualJourney #BodhGaya #SelfDiscovery #InnerPeace #buddhism #Awakening #Mindfulness
Special thanks to Chris, Teresa, Kit, and Yen.
A huge thank you to Kit for these photos! Phones weren’t allowed inside, so I’m grateful to have these moments captured through his lens.
