En Route to Enlightenment

What is happiness？ It’s dif- ferent for everyone. For me， prestige and money don’t do the trick – endless desire fuels eternal dissatisfaction. For me， happiness comes from hard work， making a difference and enjoying every moment possible with my family.

I love traveling both for business and pleasure， so the fact that I’ve traveled to 80 countries may have been the reason I was appointed chief advisor of Zhejiang Business Travelers Club. I’m delighted to be so honored.

I want to share my experience traveling in Nepal.

During my stay in Katmandu， the capital， I learned that it is an ancient city with a history of over 1，000 years. It is amazing to see a downtown area of less than seven square kilometers with more than 250 pagodas and temples. In total the whole city has 2，700 temples， both big and small.

Swayambhunath is a World Cultural Heritage site with a history of some 2，000 years. Its lofty pagoda makes it one of the most sacred places for Buddhists in the world. Some of its many elegant statues rest atop huge rocks， others over windows. According to our tour guide， material for the wood carvings over the windows was carefully selected for quality. Artisans did not carve until it had been dried after 18 years of soaking. That’s how the statues survived weathering of a millennium. Admirable for sure， these cultural legacies are also enlightening.

Another impressive place of historical interest is 1，500-year-old Great Stupa in Katmandu. Although not a World Cultural Heritage site， the towering stupa， which enshrines the sarira of Solemn Buddha， still amazed me. My heart was thrilled upon seeing crowds of devoted Buddhists circling the stupa， spinning prayer wheels or bowing to the ground and “kissing” the earth with their foreheads. Embraced by temples on every side， I became engulfed in the smoke of burning incense.

Wandering around such a sacred place， I completely disagreed with what I was told before I came： It’s supposed to have fresh air and a beautiful environment. What I saw was a 1，000-year-old city with nar- row， zigzagging streets and bumpy， muddy roads. Everything seemed shabby： motorcycles， used cars and trucks. Dust from the traffic mixed with the coiling incense in the air， blackening the sky – I could hardly open my eyes. “How do people live a life like this？ Are they happy？” I couldn’t help but ask myself.

Then， I discovered another characteristic of the city： There were no steel bars on doors and windows， and both dwellings and stores were left wide open. Everything was visible through the windows： There were no luxurious furniture or decorations. Neighbors visit each other frequently like family.

Such community reminds me of my hometown in the 1970s， when people lived in great harmony regardless of wealth. People greeted each other on the street， whether strangers or acquaintances. Someone would come to help a crying child. No one worried much about running out of salt when cooking because the neighbor was always ready to lend some. It was common to share dishes amongst neighbors no matter who cooked.

My trip to Nepal was enlightening. People from various cultures find happiness their own ways. Money really does not buy happiness. Incessantly wanting more is only greed. Stay down to earth and enjoy what you have. Happiness will follow.