It figures that one of the holiest sites in the Southwest is presided over by a formerly homeless dog named Flash. Flash is the resident greeter at Zuni Mountain Stupa, a Buddhist retreat in the mountains of New Mexico.
A stupa is a sacred monument that represents Buddha’s wisdom and compassion. It’s filled with statues and holy objects that represent the Buddha and his teachings, and a gathering places for meditation and prayer.
Plus this. IT’S LOOKING AT YOU, PEOPLE.
Statues of the Buddha surround the stupa.
And in one – a surprise – a bird’s nest!! A great place for the little ones to be safe.
These are Flash’s people, Shirley and Stanley Giser, chatting with a woman in-between meditation sessions at the retreat being held that particular weekend. Big thanks to the Gisers for letting me photograph, by the way!
For someone like me, who has spent much time in meditation and values the connection to source above nothing else, this was a cool place. It was also a totally unexpected stop during an assignment, and a delight to visit. I would have loved to spend time chatting with the Gisers and the folks at the retreat about God, Buddha, the universe, whatever you want to call your divine spark… but I had to move on. Get back to work, etc. Maybe one day I can come back.
Flash takes a moment to meditate on the meaning of life…
2 Comments
Hooray for comments! I’m in love with the main photo. Love. Also, I have another dog… babysitting for Whitney for a week. Junebug. She is rad. You should foster her
She just asked me to foster someone else, named Lacey!