Equilibrium at 5° from the equator
Autumn. Cold November. 5 minutes to midnight. Boeing 777 takes off into the night sky. Beyond the horizon were the granite embankments of St.Petersburg…
The airliner easily touches the edge of the Earth. The island of Ceylon. Sri Lanka. Colombo sounds in Sinhalese Kola-amba-thota – «harbor with deciduous mango trees». From the shore of the fishing village of Unawatuna to the Pole, the boundless ocean is poured. Turquoise vibrations, reefs, palms. The hot sand burns his feet. The charming temptation of monotony. Blissful charm of the Sri Lankan paradise. Waves of the Indian Ocean caress the shore. On a high hill, facing the rising sun, Buddha rises.
Bas-reliefs, drawings, statues of elephants in Buddhist temples. The elephant is a sacred symbol of spiritual knowledge, prosperity, wisdom and patience. The Lankans told an amazing legend about Queen Maia, who once had a dream. A white elephant with six white tusks came down from the Golden Mountain, each corresponding to six dimensions of space: up, down, forward, back, to the right, to the left, and announced the conception of the boy of the Buddha Guatama, the future ruler of the world.
On the mountain Rumasala stands a beautiful snow-white pagoda, a gift of Japanese Buddhists, a symbol of harmony, unity and peace. The son of King Suddodan and Queen Maya – Prince Siddharth, whose name means «the fulfillment of all desires» looks into the azure distance. Immediately after birth, he made seven steps in each direction of the world. With my right hand I pointed to the sky, my left hand to the bottom, to declare the purpose of my birth. «Above and under heaven, I am revered.» The three worlds are filled with suffering, from which I will bring liberation.»
The art of creating mudras is the language of fingers and hands. Abhaya mudra, a symbol of the fearlessness of the Buddha – raised right hand with fingers outstretched on the unfolded palm. Kataka is wise – the left hand of the Buddha, bent half, supports the monastic cloak on the shoulder.
Quiet whisper of the rain. Falling drops shake Krishna’s favorite flowers on the tree of life – plumeria. Late in the evening, fishermen leave the shore. Like fireflies in the ocean, the lights are burning all night on the bars of fishing boats. On the path in the tropical jungle resting monitor. Among the lianas, wild monkeys jump along branches of tall trees.