3 months ago
Co Creator: 
224
15
Posted On: August 10th 2026, 07:02 pm
Tagged Users:
TALES FROM LADAKH - PT IIII, Morning at Thikse Monastery.
For three days, I rose before sunrise, sped down winding roads and sprinted in the rain up what felt like an endless mountain of stone steps. Desperately hoping to witness the Monk’s morning Puja before I left Ladakh - Only to find, after arriving breathless and eager, that I had missed my chance.
In Tibetan Buddhism, a puja is a sacred ceremony involving prayers, offerings, chanting, and rituals - often performed collectively at sunrise by all of the monks in the monastery.
The first day, I was too late. The monks were filing quietly out of the temple right as I rolled up.
The next, there were no monks at all. They had all gone to a nearby village but would supposedly return the following day.
I started to feel like maybe the universe was saying “this sacred ritual just isn’t for you”.
On the third and final morning, as I lunged up the hill, through a flowing river of rain, absolutely humbled by the Himalayan altitude I heard the echoes of chanting in the distance and started to laugh.
I couldn’t help but be reminded of Charlotte on Sex And The City being rejected three times before the Rabbi would finally accept her as a convert.
“OK Universe, I see you”. I thought with a wry smile. I just needed to prove I was willing to work for it.
As I kneeled, barefoot on the floor of the temple, I closed my eyes, and felt my entire body vibrate as their chanting bounced off damp walls that had been painted more than 1,000 years before.
I’m not a traditionally religious person - but in that moment I understood in a way I never have before, the importance of hope.
Whether you believe in prayer, or manifesting, wishing on stars, or the power of positive thinking - there is something undeniably potent about putting our collective energy towards a positive future, with love and compassion for all.
#ladakh #thikseymonastery #buddhism #natgeoindia #nikoncreators
For three days, I rose before sunrise, sped down winding roads and sprinted in the rain up what felt like an endless mountain of stone steps. Desperately hoping to witness the Monk’s morning Puja before I left Ladakh - Only to find, after arriving breathless and eager, that I had missed my chance.
In Tibetan Buddhism, a puja is a sacred ceremony involving prayers, offerings, chanting, and rituals - often performed collectively at sunrise by all of the monks in the monastery.
The first day, I was too late. The monks were filing quietly out of the temple right as I rolled up.
The next, there were no monks at all. They had all gone to a nearby village but would supposedly return the following day.
I started to feel like maybe the universe was saying “this sacred ritual just isn’t for you”.
On the third and final morning, as I lunged up the hill, through a flowing river of rain, absolutely humbled by the Himalayan altitude I heard the echoes of chanting in the distance and started to laugh.
I couldn’t help but be reminded of Charlotte on Sex And The City being rejected three times before the Rabbi would finally accept her as a convert.
“OK Universe, I see you”. I thought with a wry smile. I just needed to prove I was willing to work for it.
As I kneeled, barefoot on the floor of the temple, I closed my eyes, and felt my entire body vibrate as their chanting bounced off damp walls that had been painted more than 1,000 years before.
I’m not a traditionally religious person - but in that moment I understood in a way I never have before, the importance of hope.
Whether you believe in prayer, or manifesting, wishing on stars, or the power of positive thinking - there is something undeniably potent about putting our collective energy towards a positive future, with love and compassion for all.
#ladakh #thikseymonastery #buddhism #natgeoindia #nikoncreators
Comments (15)
3 months agonicholamrg
Ash the portraits especially are phenomenal!!!!! I love your work. Perfectly capturing a very special experience. 👏👏👏
More posts
