Travelers to Buddhist and Hindu countries might find a review of AUM valuable, as it exemplifies many of the fundamental tenets of these faiths.

The symbol of AUM (also spelled “Om”) consists of three curves, one semicircle, and a dot; these are symbols of each person’s self and his potential:

• The large curve (in the lower left corner of the image) symbolizes the waking state.  Perhaps it is best to think of this curve as symbolic of the “ego”, our outward persona, the person we think we should be, that identity that we consciously associate with the “self”.
• Moving clockwise, the upper curve (upper left corner) symbolizes the unconscious state, that part of the “self” that is hidden to the one’s consciousness but is equally part of the “self”.
• The middle curve, which extends from the center to the right side, symbolizes the dream state. This dream state, positioned vertically between the conscious and unconscious elements of the “self”, serves as a means to connect the two, a means for the conscious and unconscious to interact.  This is certainly what we do when we dream…the unconscious becomes conscious, affording a more complete view of the “self”.
• The semicircle or crescent symbolizes symbolizes illusion, specifically in this case, the illusion that the self exists as a separate entity at all.  Notice that the crescent separates the dot from the other three curves.  It is this illusion that separates the individual from becoming one with his infinite self, beyond boundaries.
• The dot signifies the infinite, absolute self, hidden from the individual by illusion; this is what the Eastern faiths of Hinduism and Buddhism consider God.   Dispelling the illusion and becoming one with this infinite self is the ultimate experience of life and the experience of the divine.

One of our favorite descriptions of AUM, which touches on many of the symbols described above, can be found in Joseph Campbell’s book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces“.  Campbell breaks down each of AUM’s three phonemes, a, u and m:

• The A representing the realm of waking experience: “cognitive of the hard gross facts of an outer universe, illuminated by the sun, and common to all”.
• The U representing the realm of dream experience: “cognitive of the fluid, subtle forms of a private interior world, self-luminous and of one substance with the dreamer”.
• The M representing the realm of deep sleep: “dreamless, profoundly beautiful” (the person unified with the unconscious and the greater self).

For Campbell, the most profound element of AUM is not the sound, however, but the silence: “The silence surrounding the syllable is the unknown: it is called simply ‘the fourth’.  The syllable itself is God as creator-preserver-destroyer, but the silence is God Eternal, absolutely uninvolved in all the openings-and-closings of the round.”

Experience the silence!

Learn More with Approach Guides Cultural Travel Guidebooks

Religion: Buddhism

Buddhism began as a rebellious offspring of Hinduism in India, “Hindu Protestantism”, if you will, and migrated out of India to the rest of Asia via the Silk Road and other trade routes. This guide seeks to provide a framework for understanding the faith and help readers gain an understanding of this religion’s rich, global cultural legacy. Learn more about Buddhism…

Religion: Hinduism

This document is designed to provide a comprehensive background on the history of the Hindu religion, a discussion of the primary Hindu gods (and how to recognize them), the central tenets of the faith, the history of and thoughts espoused in the primary Hindu religious texts, the relevant religious symbolism, and the primary related religious movements. Learn more about Hinduism…

Below is an article we wrote for The City Traveler, an online magazine written and edited by experienced travel journalists for readers who love exploring the world’s great urban places.

Beijing’s quiet hutong neighborhoods are about as close as you can come to experiencing what everyday life was like in the city more than 700 years ago.

Narrow lanes or alleys that traditionally consist of several squat buildings (homes, stores, public restrooms, etc), hutongs are built so closely together that they form a nearly continuous wall, broken only by doorways leading into a residential area or store.

Residences in the hutong are typically courtyard houses (siheyuan), which contain several buildings grouped around one or more open air courtyards. These courtyard homes, which traditionally housed several generations of a single family, functioned as a very private and personal mini “walled city”.

The remainder of this article can be viewed on The City Traveler‘s website.

We were recently nominated to participate in Tripbase’s “3 Best Kept Travel Secrets” game by our travel friends, Dave and Deb, Canada’s Adventure Couple at The Planet D and Monica at A Pair of Panties and Boxers.

“The aim of this game is to unite travel bloggers in a joint endeavor – to create an amazing list of top travel recommendations across the globe to share with the entire online travel community.” – Katie from Tripbase.com.

So here are our Cultural Travel  Secrets:

China’s Spirit Roads: Jianling Tomb

A unique element of the Chinese funerary complex, is the “Spirit Road”, a line-up of statuary that leads to an imperial mausoleum. One of the most striking elements of the Spirit Roads (some which date back to 450 CE) is that they can be up to 1 kilometer long and comprised of hundreds of statues. There are several Spirit Road sites that can be visited easily by tourists, however, our favorite is found just North of X’ian and required a short hike to reach. The Spirit Road of the Jianling tomb, made for the Tang Emperor Suzong (reigned 756-762), is difficult to find given its position in the middle of terraced farmland, but worth it once you get there due to the fact that the figures are all partially covered in soil.  The Tang championed realism in all of their sculptural depictions; they are drawn from real life and reflect specific individuals, rather than general types.

Spirit Road Figure - Jianling Tomb (outside X'ian)

Cairo’s Northern Qarafa (cemetery)

Numerous emirs and sultans built there funerary complexes here in Cairo’s Northern Qarafa (cemetery). Our favorite is the funerary complex of Sultan Qaytbay (1472-74), which offers a supreme example of the sophisticated use of overlapping arabesques and geometric patterns to decorate dome exteriors.  This dome represents the high point of the Bahri Mamluke Dynasty’s (1250-1382) architectural legacy.  Our Approach Guide to Islamic Cairo offers additional information on this and other must-see sites in Islamic Cairo.

Dome of the Funerary Complex of Sultan Qaytbay (Cairo)

Sanfelice’s Baroque Staircase in Naples

18th century Neapolitan Rococo architecture is best illustrated in the work of Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675-1748), who is known for his striking staircases. We especially love the Palazzo della Spagnuolo. Via dei Virgini, 19.  Sanfelice’s stairway in this building is distinctive for its height, the large size of its perforations, and the movement of the design. This is a great example of how architecture of the Baroque keeps your eye in movement: notice in this picture how Sanfelice skillfully draws your gaze upward, giving the structure a lightness that would otherwise not exist. Our Approach Guide to Italy: The Italian Baroque offers travelers additional information on this and other architectural gems throughout Italy.

Palazzo della Spagnuolo (Naples)

We were recently nominated to participate in Tripbase’s “3 Best Kept Travel Secrets” game by our travel friends, Dave and Deb, Canada’s Adventure Couple at The Planet D and Monica at A Pair of Panties and Boxers.

“The aim of this game is to unite travel bloggers in a joint endeavor – to create an amazing list of top travel recommendations across the globe to share with the entire online travel community.” – Katie from Tripbase.com.

So here are our Cultural Travel  Secrets:

China’s Spirit Roads: Jianling Tomb

A unique element of the Chinese funerary complex, is the “Spirit Road”, a line-up of statuary that leads to an imperial mausoleum. One of the most striking elements of the Spirit Roads (some which date back to 450 CE) is that they can be up to 1 kilometer long and comprised of hundreds of statues. There are several Spirit Road sites that can be visited easily by tourists, however, our favorite is found just North of X’ian and required a short hike to reach. The Spirit Road of the Jianling tomb, made for the Tang Emperor Suzong (reigned 756-762), is difficult to find given its position in the middle of terraced farmland, but worth it once you get there due to the fact that the figures are all partially covered in soil.  The Tang championed realism in all of their sculptural depictions; they are drawn from real life and reflect specific individuals, rather than general types.

Spirit Road Figure - Jianling Tomb (outside X'ian)

Cairo’s Northern Qarafa (cemetery)

Numerous emirs and sultans built there funerary complexes here in Cairo’s Northern Qarafa (cemetery). Our favorite is the funerary complex of Sultan Qaytbay (1472-74), which offers a supreme example of the sophisticated use of overlapping arabesques and geometric patterns to decorate dome exteriors.  This dome represents the high point of the Bahri Mamluke Dynasty’s (1250-1382) architectural legacy.  Our Approach Guide to Islamic Cairo offers additional information on this and other must-see sites in Islamic Cairo.

Dome of the Funerary Complex of Sultan Qaytbay (Cairo)

Sanfelice’s Baroque Staircase in Naples

18th century Neapolitan Rococo architecture is best illustrated in the work of Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675-1748), who is known for his striking staircases. We especially love the Palazzo della Spagnuolo. Via dei Virgini, 19.  Sanfelice’s stairway in this building is distinctive for its height, the large size of its perforations, and the movement of the design. This is a great example of how architecture of the Baroque keeps your eye in movement: notice in this picture how Sanfelice skillfully draws your gaze upward, giving the structure a lightness that would otherwise not exist. Our Approach Guide to Italy: The Italian Baroque offers travelers additional information on this and other architectural gems throughout Italy.

Palazzo della Spagnuolo (Naples)

The Tibetan faithful at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa. Prayer beads are used by both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists.

The use of prayer beads, or japa malas, in both Buddhism and Hinduism speaks to a historical connection between the two faiths; however, Buddhist japa malas typically contain a lesser number of beads than the Hindu japa malas’ 108 — it is usually a divisor of 108. There many potential explanations for the significance of the number 108, however, none alone appears offers a definitive explanation.

The beads are typically made from the seeds or wood of the Bodhi tree (a.k.a. “ficus religosa” or fig tree; this is the tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment) and are typically used as counters, thereby enabling the faithful to keep track of recitations of mantras or prayers, prostrations, circumambulations and so forth.

The large bead on the strand is symbolic of the wisdom that allows one to recognize emptiness (sunyata) and the bell-shaped bead surmounting it is symbolic of “emptiness” itself (the bell is always a Buddhist symbol for emptiness; its ringing is the sound of emptiness).

A few words on Buddhist philosophy: “Emptiness” signifies that everything one encounters in life is empty of absolute identity, permanence, or an in-dwelling ‘self’ (anatta).  All things are connected and mutually dependent, in a constant state of flux, transforming and becoming (rather than self-centered and fixed).  The Buddhists believe that only when this abandonment of “self” occurs can the transcendent state of enlightenment be achieved.

How to Use Buddhist Prayer Beads

A mantra is said as each bead is spun (in turn) in a counterclockwise direction (similar to circumambulation of the stupa).

The rotation through the beads is also typically done in a counterclockwise motion beginning at the first bead after the large central bead. This large bead is used a counter, signaling that one full rotation of the beads (108 mantras) has be achieved. This process is of 108-bead cycles is repeated countless times.

Learning More

This excerpt is from our ApproachGuide to Religion: Buddhism, which provides travelers with a framework for understanding the faith and help readers appreciate Buddhism’s rich, global cultural legacy.  Read more

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Taking a break on the Great Wall of China

One of the most quintessential places to visit in China is the Great Wall located north of Beijing – it is everything that you expect and more. We went to the Great Wall one August morning to find it enveloped in a fine mist and completely to ourselves.

To get a similar experience, we recommend avoiding the overly touristy and Disney World-like Badaling (70 km NW of Beijing) and going to Simatai (110 km NE of Beijing), where you can follow the Great Wall to Jin Shan Ling. Compared to the Badaling portion of the wall, the Simatai – Jin Shan Ling portion is unrestored and offers a more authentic feel.

Your driver will most likely try to persuade you to start at the opposite end (Jin Shan Ling), which sits 300 meters higher than Simatai (making your walk more downhill than up), but hold your ground for two reasons:

1. its safer to go up the sharply inclined and unrestored parts of the wall
2. everyone walks the other direction, so you will have the Wall completely to yourself for most of the hike.

Oh…one last tip…avoid the weekends.

For another account on what to avoid when setting out to visit the Great Wall, see Donna Hull’s excellent baby boomer travel blog, My Itchy Travel Feet.

Where to Eat and Sleep

• At the end of the day, return to Beijing for a rest at Hotel Lu Song Yuan, a charming hotel set inside an old courtyard house.
• Later, treat yourself to the BEST Peking Duck at Beijing Da Dong (SE corner of Chang Hong Bridge and 3rd Ring Road; +86 65822892) They serve the best duck we ate in all of China. The skin is super crispy but not overdone and the meat is lean and tender. They serve it with cucumber, radish, scallion, plum sauce, sugar (for dipping the skin) and garlic (which adds complexity to the dish).
• At least once while you are in Beijing, try the Noodle Loft (No. 20 Dawang Road, Chaoyang District) for a totally unique noodle dining experience. The traditional noodle joint features an open kitchen where the handmade noodle dishes are made to order. Seriously delicious.

Suggested Reading

In addition to our cultural travel guidebooks to China, we highly recommend several books that can be purchased directly from Amazon. These books helped form the foundation of our knowledge and serve as references that we return to again and again.

• A History of Chinese Civilization
• Buddhist Art and Architecture (World of Art)
• The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama
• China: Fragile Superpower