NAMASTE …“The light within”
The first time that I became aware of the word NAMASTE and learned of it’s significance was when my friend Douglas and I visited a dear friend who was married to an Indian man named Praveen.
She is American by birth but spent 8 years living in India when she and her husband first married. Although the bulk of their married life had been in the United States they still retained their Indian way of life. I had gotten to know her very well and was used to taking my shoes off whenever I was at her house. I had also enjoyed many an evening sampling delicious Indian fare and learning how to eat “Indian style”.
However, when I visited with Douglas I was intrigued to see that both he and our host, Praveen, put their hands together, made a small bow to each other and murmured “namaste”. When we were alone I asked Douglas about it and he said it is a salutation used in the Hindu religion. Evidently it can mean many things but to Douglas it meant “I honor the Spirit in you which is also in me”.
Now both Douglas and Praveen have passed on but every time I see a person using the namaste greeting it reminds me of them. The four of us (Douglas and I and Praveen and his wife) shared many hours together and even a weekend trip once.
It was just one more example of how life’s experiences have taught me that we are all so different … but, at the core we are all the same.
posted by Ginnie at 11:20 AM
6 Comments:
Isn't it wonderful what we can learn from other cultures? My daughter-in-law is Japanese and I love her parents dearly. They speak no English and we speak no Japanese so we play charades a lot if one of our children aren't around to interpret. We have pictures of our little grandson holding his tiny hands together in prayer, or reverance, position in a Shinto shrine. It warms my heart.
Ginnie, have a great trip driving South. Yes, we are the same and our genetic makeup solidified that as well. Interesting stuff being done on the human genome.
that was lovely... thank you for sharing..
Mr. kenju and I learned that phrase through some of our studies. I like it very much and mr, kenju cannot come in contact with someone from India without saying it.
A cyber Namaste to you.
This is a lovely jesture. It focuses on the meeting of two people and recognizes the other's humanity. I find it gentle and respectful.
I have an email friend who ends every email with the word Namaste She begins her email addressing me as Dear One, which is also very touching. I think we have a very special relationship for two people who have never met and yet share confidences.
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