A Cool America: The Catskills Nature

Tags

Catskill Mountains, frogs, geese, horses, nature, nature photography, New Age, New York, Rail Trail, Russian Orthodox Monastery, Tibetan Buddhism, Upstate NY, wild flowers, wild life habitat, Woodstock New York

I am continuing my series on America’s cool and off-beat spots.

I live in a beautiful part of New York State, the Catskill Mountains. Renowned for its skiing in the winter and hiking in the warmer seasons, it is also home to various colleges, artist and New Age communities, as well as monasteries and spiritual retreats.

If you are ever in the Catskills, don’t miss the famous Woodstock, seat of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. Check out my post with great pics: Woodstock, NY

Definitely visit the Woodstock Buddhist Monastery. Read my post + lots of pics: Woodstock Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

There are many other fascinating places to visit in the Catskills, including the New Age town of New Paltz, Russian Orthodox Monastery and the Peace Village. I am planning some posts about those in the near future.

But today’s post is all about the nature of the Catskills.

Many New Yorkers buy secondary homes in the Catskills because of its gorgeous mountains and unspoiled nature. Overpopulation, overconstruction and incessant traffic are a problem in most of the USA.

But the Catskills remain one of the few relatively pristine corners of the country, still preserving the beauty and charm of a long by-gone era.

Stamford, New York, known as the Queen of the Catskills, is located in the heart of the area.

In the olden days, when a railroad ran through town, well-to-do New Yorkers would vacation at the local summer and winter resorts. Some built grand summer homes. However, with the advent of automobiles, the rail road became defunct, and as fewer people came to Stamford, the town lost its luster, falling on hard times. But in the past twenty years, as buying of secondary homes became popular again, New Yorkers flocked here once more to destress and be with nature.

The defunct railroad has been turned into a nature trail, presently running for miles and miles to the neighboring towns. Dubbed the rail trail, it is my favorite place to hike, do photography and meditate.

I hear that the long-term plan is to revive the defunct rail road and bring big city traffic and commerce back to town. It would be a pity. The rail trail is a way for humans to interact with nature in a peaceful and unobtrusive way, and without creating unnecessary disruption of wild life habitats.

My hope is that the unique natural ecological system that so many people, animals, birds and other creatures can enjoy now won’t be destroyed, as humans attempt to re-assert their dominion over the area.

In Stamford, beautiful nature starts right at my doorstep.

Wild flowers on the rail trail.

Colors of the rail trail.

As I walk, scents of various blooms are intoxicating.

The mighty Delaware River starts right here, in Stamford, as a tiny trickle. It runs through the entire town and along the rail trail.

A cute pink frog from the river, whom I met on the rail trail and who graciously agreed to a photo op.

My favorite pond and its inhabitants.

I was lucky enough to capture him in flight!

My friends, Mr. and Mrs. Goose.

The Catskill Mountains are lovely any time of the year.

Horses on the rail trail.

And more beautiful horses.

A Cool America: Woodstock Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

Tags

Buddha, Buddhism, Catskill Mountains, Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Karmapa, Holy Man, Kagyu, Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, Karmapa, Mecca, Meditation, painting, photos, spirituality, tanghas, Tara, Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist Art, Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, Tibetan statues, visiting Tibetan Buddhist monastery, WOODSTOCK, Woodstock New York

Woodstock, NY has a distinction of being a Mecca for artists, as well as heaven for holistic and spiritually oriented people. As such, it is home to the Tibetan Buddhist Monastery located on Meads Mountain Rd.

One day I am planning on traveling to Tibet, but until then, why not explore a cool piece of Tibet, located practically in my back yard.

The official name of the monastery is Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) and it is the North American seat of His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa. Founded in 1976, the monastery features the traditional teachings of the Kagyu lineage of the Tibetan Buddhism, who’d been teaching spirituality and mediatation since the 10th century. The Monastery is located in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, just above Woodstock.

The Monastery has a number of monks and it hosts meditations, discussions about spirituality and higher consciousness, retreats and other events.

Recently it welcomed  the Dalai Lama, as well as the Holy Man, Gyalwang Karmapa.

Monastery’s outer gate.

The inner gate.

The outside of the monastery.

Fu Dogs protecting the building.

Colorful Tibetan prayer flags are everywhere, surrounding the monastery with benevolent energy.

Tibetan symbols on top of the meditation building: 1. Wheel of life; 2. Stupa; 3. Victory banner; 4. Fruits of abundance; 5. Kalachakra.

Entrance into the mediation hall, painted with traditional Tibetan frescoes.

If you think this is beautiful, you aint seen nothin’ yet! The actual meditation hall is absolutely amazing. A WOW amazing! As someone who collects Asian art, I can totally attest to that! I was sooooo ready with my camera to snap those pics left and right. I was practically drooling! But… the very nice monks politely asked not to take any pictures inside the sacred space. Anyone is welcome to come in and meditate, but no photography is allowed in the meditation hall. So, I went in and sat on one of the pillows. I closed my eyes and meditated for a while. How I wanted to whip out my camera and snatch just a couple of pics of the magnificent Buddha statues towering at 25 feet, of beautiful thangkas and offerings! No one would see me do it, if I was really fast, would they?

But then, I thought of those monks and the trust they put in me, I thought of something intangible that I could distinctly feel in that room. What was it? The presence? Higher conscience?

As a result, my camera stayed in my pocket. I got up and went around the hall, taking in every statue, every piece of art and absorbing the atmosphere. After that, I exited the meditation hall, put my shoes back on and went outside without taking any pictures.

So sorry, no pics of the monastery’s most awesome room. But there are plenty of the rest. Enjoy 🙂

Inside the main building. Notice the floor? This beautiful design is called the mandala. It looks like a flower, specifically a lotus, and symbolizes harmony.

Ah yes, Thangkas… A thangka is a very special art form, particular to Tibet. They are painted by Tibetan Buddhist artists on canvas, using vibrant colors and oftentimes real gold paint. Nedless to say, because of that, they are awfully expensive.

The stroke is exquisitely fine; thangka’s design is usually very intricate, with lots of amazing images arranged in a very structured way around a main image of Buddha, Tara, Avalokiteshvara, or another diety.

The canvas is usually framed with silk brockade and can be hung on the wall, creating a striking senterpiece for any space. However, when not in use, thangka can be rolled up, like a scroll, thus taking up very little space. This to me symbolizes a very Buddhist notion of “traveling light through life.” I collect thangkas and can’t stop admiring the amazing artistry of their creators.

A very interesting fact about thangkas is that despite being truly unique masterpieces, the artists don’t usually sign their names on their creations. It is believed egoic and inapropriate, as all art and creation belongs to God.

Philosophical paintings by Karmapa:

Awakening from slumber.

Inquisitive mind – genuine wisdom.

Dance of illusion.

The thunder dragon.

Union of mind and wisdom.

Pics of the Dining Hall.

The monastery has an extensive shop where one can buy very high quality Tibetan insense (I shop exclusively there), as well as thangkas, Buddhist devotional items, statues, books and other art. It is pretty awesome. Here are some of the images:

The monastery has been conceived as a fully sustainable, green project. Caring for the Earth and all its beings is an integral part of the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice.

Solar panels on the monastery roof.

The monastery is still under construction. They are looking for donations and additional funding.

If you are interested in donating, please visit their website: http://www.kagyu.org/

This is part 2 of my post: A Cool America: Woodstock, NY. Check out part one here!