I came to the top of a ridge and saw Tengboche Monastary, and these young monks practicing their Tibetan script. One of them recognized the object in my black gig bag; he did an “air guitar” gesture.

So I brought out the guitar and thought, hmm, what's an appropriate song to play for a group of Buddhist monk novitiates high in the Himalayas? I decided on Cat Stevens' song “Moon Shadow”; the lyrics seemed Buddhist-y in a Hallmark sort of way.

That song got a good reception, and so Marcus, the guy from New Hampshire I'd been hiking with, said, “Let's see if they have any requests.”

“Jingle Bells,” one of the monks suggested. So, Jingle Bells it was.

I thought about how the Buddha had proclaimed that the key to overcoming suffering in this life is to overcome desire. So for a final number, I played the old Elvis song “All Shook Up” just to be perverse.

Click here for an enlarged shot.

All images ©2002-2003 by Dietrich Neuman