Category Archives: Blog

A few weeks ago, on my way back to Oman from Bhutan, I had the opportunity to stop in Nepal and explore Pashupatinath Temple — a sprawling Hindu temple complex dedicated to the god Shiva. Pashupatinath Temple is one of the seven monument groups in UNESCO’s designation of Kathmandu Valley as a cultural heritage site. Fortunately, the main temple buildings of Pashupatinath survived the earthquake intact — though many other architectural treasures in Kathmandu were destroyed.

As we entered the complex, my guide pointed out a cremation ceremony taking place on one of the funeral pyres on the banks of the Bagmati River. “After the earthquake,” he said, “there were so many dead bodies that families had to wait in line for days to cremate their dead.”

While only Hindus are allowed into the main temple, all of the other temple buildings are open to non-Hindus. Strolling through the temple’s sacred sculptures and shrines, we passed by several male and female sadhus — ascetic yogis who have renounced the world to make liberation from death and rebirth their sole goal. Upon exiting, my eyes were drawn to the brightly colored powders being sold in stores and stalls on the side of the temple…

I stood at your doorstep where everything was deserted,
And there was no answer to my call
In a place once frequented by so much love
There is now only ruin, silence, and loneliness…

— Moussa Hussein, 13th Century Omani poet

Since several of my students this semester are writing their final papers on Toni Morrison, I’ve been re-visiting her work — and just came across this video…

O Marvel! A garden among the flames!
My heart has become capable of any form:
it is a meadow for gazelles and a monastery for monks,
a temple for idols and a Ka’ba for pilgrims,
the tables of the Torah and the scrolls of the Qur’an.
I profess the religion of love: wherever its caravan turns on the way,
that is my belief and faith.

— Ibn Arabi (d. 1240)

As a young man, Ibn Arabi — the great Muslim philosopher whose tomb I visited in Syria — studied with several spiritual teachers. Sufis refer to him as al-Shaykh al-Akbar — the Greatest Master. Ibn Arabi discusses some of his own mystic masters in his book on the Sufis of Andalusia — including a wise woman named Fatimah:

She lived in Seville. When I met her, she was in her nineties. Looking at her in a purely superficial way, one might have thought she was a simpleton, to which she would have replied that he who knows not his Lord is the real simpleton. She used to say ‘Of those who come to see me, I admire none more than Ibn ‘Arabi’. When asked the reason for this, she replied, ‘The rest of you come with part of yourselves, leaving the other part of you occupied with your other concerns, while Ibn ‘Arabi is a consolation to me, for he comes with all of himself. When he rises up, it is with all of himself, and when he sits it is with his whole self, leaving nothing of himself elsewhere. This is how it should be on the Way.’

If you visit Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, be sure to explore the monasteries encircling the massive mandala too…

Watching numerous race issues erupt at Harvard — from the controversial seal and hate crime at Harvard Law School to the dropping of “house master” titles in the dorms — I’ve found myself reflecting back on when I taught at Harvard and pushed my students to see the vestiges of slavery all around them. For example, I took my Egyptomania students on a field-trip to the nearby Mt. Auburn Cemetery to analyze not just Egyptian Revival funerary monuments but also the sphinx pictured above — erected to commemorate the end of slavery and the Civil War. Carved into the side of the Sphinx are these words: “AMERICAN UNION PRESERVED / AFRICAN SLAVERY DESTROYED / BY THE UPRISING OF A GREAT PEOPLE / BY THE BLOOD OF FALLEN HEROES.”
Whenever my Harvard students would visit me during my office hours in Warren House, I would show them the trapdoor hidden in the hallway directly outside my office door — which was intended to hide fugitive slaves fleeing north on the Underground Railroad. Every time I passed over that trapdoor myself, I was reminded that slavery’s violent and painful past is quite literally hammered into the hallways of our most hallowed and elite institutions — from Harvard to the White House. In recognition of slavery’s brutal history and present legacies, some are now calling for the creation of a national memorial to tell the truth about slavery and its victims and supplement the opening of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture next year…

Today in Oman, I headed to the beach in Muscat with my chihuahua for some seaside meditation and a sandy stroll…

When we arrived at the beach, we were both in a contemplative and quiet mood in the wake of a trying week…

But after soaking in the soothing sound of the breaking waves, our spirits stirred awake, and we could begin our day with eyes wide open and a smile…

A few weeks ago, I had the honor to speak with His Majesty, the Dragon King of Bhutan, about disability in Bhutan and Oman at the Royal Palace — where I gave a talk on this same topic before an audience of scholars, activists, monks, and students at the International Conference on the Gross National Happiness Index. My talk brought together disability studies, spirituality (Buddhism & Islam), traditional Tibetan medicine, shamanism, and human rights. Two of the main organizations in Bhutan helping people with disabilities while also promoting disability awareness are Draktsho and Ability Bhutan Society — whose patron is Her Majesty Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck. Here is a short documentary produced by Her Majesty to raise awareness about disability in Bhutan — enjoy…

I spent a whole day exploring the archaeology of medieval mosques, wells, and houses at the ancient site of Qalhat in Oman. Since the legendary 14th century traveler Ibn Battuta once visited this city on the sea too, I came one step closer in my quest to visit all of the places that he wrote about seeing. I was grateful for the opportunity to photograph the archaeology and landscape features at the site, and I enjoyed learning more about its Persian-influenced architecture and fascinating history…

In a major human rights triumph, Mongolia just became the latest country to abolish the death penalty. In the words of Roseann Rife, East Asia Research Director at Amnesty International: “Mongolia has set an example which we hope will quickly ripple across Asia. The countries that continue to execute have been shown a clear path to follow to end this cruel and inhumane punishment.”

A few weeks ago, I stopped in Nepal on my way back from Bhutan to witness and assess earthquake damage at heritage sites like the Boudhanath Stupa. As you can see from the “before” picture propped up against the stupa above, there was significant earthquake damage to the site — which is now being repaired. While I was exploring Kathmandu in the midst of the fuel crisis, my attention was diverted from the structural damage of temples and monasteries to the distressing and dangerous humanitarian crisis caused by the constitutional crisis and Indian blockade. With winter looming in the Himalayas, UNICEF is now sounding the alarm that children will be the most affected by the shortages of daily commodities and life-saving medicines caused by the blockade. I witnessed first-hand how many people in Nepal are suffering as a result of the blockade — and I’m sincerely hoping a resolution can be reached before the cold sets in soon…

I explored several islands off the coast of Oman today, and found the perfect little private beach to enjoy with friends.

Kayhan Kalhour, one of my favorite musicians from Iran (who has 4 Grammy nominations to his name), is one of several prominent musicians who have recently had their scheduled concerts in Tehran abruptly cancelled by forces hostile to Rouhani’s government and leadership…

Since I travel internationally with my chihuahua, I was interested in this recent NYTimes article which looks at how traveling is becoming more pet-friendly thanks to an increasing number of global resources for travelers with pets…