Milk

as Parvatamma offers up her own daughter to Yellamma, she helps perpetuate her culture’s worship of this horrendous goddess.

The experience—that was the word! and it began to fall into place. In fact, none of the great founded religions, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, none of them began with a philosophical framework or even a main idea. They all began with an overwhelming new experience, what Joachim Wach called “the experienc

Spirituality and religion originate in a particular kind of felt experience. These experiences are typically short-lived, surprising and uncontrollable, but they seem, to the person having them, to be highly significant and attractive.

A private world of women, guarding their sanctuary. Nuns in sackcloth living in huts near a riverbank. That’s what it reminds him of.

Your namasté had that tone I’ve come to know, a hushed respect as if you were speaking a prayer, like you were in the presence of the lord of death.

went in to see what was going on, and I found that it was the lamas who were the source of all the hilarity. I asked the translator, “What is happening with these monks?” He said, “The bubbling of the milk has made them so happy.” I was astonished.