The Abode of Snow

 

“The good shine from afar Like the snowy Himalayas. The bad don’t appear Even when near, Like arrows shot into the night.” (Buddha – Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.) This is a view of the Tibetan Plateau in the Himalayas very early in the morning. For those who know me it might be funny to know that I took this picture from the plane which was taking me from Delhi to Leh in Ladakh, as I have a strong flight phobia since I am a child… The word "Himalaya" means "home (or abode) of snow", it comes from Sanskrit hima "snow" and alaya "abode". Sanskrit himá "frost, snow" is also cognate to Latin hiems "winter" from PIE (Proto-Indo-European language) ghyem-. As words, the expression "Himalaya Range" is therefore similar to the Spanish-based mountain range called the Sierra Nevada. Everything is so connected…