7/9/07 Ech Mod
On the day of my friend’s birthday, one of the few weekend days that I actually had plans, my ech (mom) decided to take me to the ‘ech mod’. I had no idea what this was, but I made sure I’d be back in time and went anyway. I realized it was something to do with Buddhism and that is all that I knew. My ech, her son, and I set out for the ech mod, which literally translated means ‘mother tree’. This was my first visit outside of sukhbaatar and my eyes were glued to the beautiful countryside. We drove down a dirt rode, turned down another dirt road, and then another dirt rode. I haven’t quite figured out the direction system in Mongolia yet. Anyway, it was obvious when we had arrived. We drove up to this large tree that was blocked off by Mongolian holy scarves and a wall made out of packs of soil or rice, or something. We walked through the entrance, and after asking for permission, I started snapping pictures. The smell of this holy spot was terrible, but it didn’t take me long to figure out what it was caused by. As I snapped photos, I watched my ech and her son take out a bottle of vodka, a bag of rice, and a bottle of milk from their bag. The proceeded to walk around this enclosed area and kind of spray the contents of their bag onto this tree, covered in blue scarves. I put down the camera and joined in the activity. I walked around and through this tree throwing rice onto it’s scarf covered branches. My ech flicked milk on the scarves, and the son flicked vodka. Years of this practice was obviously the cause of the rancid smell of this holy tree. When looking, it is obvious which scarves have been there a while and which were recently tied on. After about 5 minutes and 3 laps around the tree, we got back in the car with our leftover supplies and drove to another tree….I cannot remember which family member it was…..either the child…or the younger sibling. It was much small, had no leaves, and only the bottom was covered in scarves. After practicing the same rituals as at the ech mod, we climbed back in the car and arrived at the second ech mod. I’m not real sure why there are 2 ech mods, but with my limited Mongolian, it was easier to just listen than ask questions. On the way to the second ech mod, I tried to ask why these trees were holy, but I received an obvious answer…..ask Unro (my English speaking doo…younger sister) when we get back. The second ech mod was large with more blue scarfes. We walked around it 3 times, tossed the remaining of our rice, milk, and vodka on it and headed back in the car to go home. During this whole ritual, my ech was telling me how good I was for tossing the rice. I’m not exactly sure what this specific ritual means, but I assume it is like an offering. When I got home I asked Unro about the significance of these trees. She couldn’t explain much, but she basically told me that a long time ago a lady died there (pregnant, I think). Not trying to confuse her, I took this answer and proceeded to my friend’s birthday celebration.
During this experience with the ech mod I was quite fascinated. I don’t know the full significance of these trees, but it really seemed like an appreciation for nature. These trees were in the middle of the beautiful countryside. I’m not sure if it was a forest, but there were other trees around. In my limited explanation, my ech told me it is bad luck to move the tree. I think of the quote from a Nelly Furtado song, “I see G-d in the earth and the trees”. The phenomenon of nature is something that is very difficult to grasp without believing in a higher power. I think whether a person believes in a higher power or not doesn’t really matter, but one can not deny nature and science. I thought it was really neat to see the appreciation Buddhists have for nature. I once asked a friend if he was religious, he responded, “I believe in nature”. I think this was a brilliant answer and is as simple as you can get, and completely makes sense. The earth’s energy is something that can not necessarily be explained, but it also can not be denied. There is something that makes this world go round and work as it does, it is this energy that is the basis of my belief in anything.
There is an energy between people and nature that is only obvious when out in physical nature. I think it is key to realize this connection even when in the concrete maze and planned out mass that we live in the U.S. In Orange County, for instance, even though every tree was planted and ever grassy area rolled out, the natural ways and energies of the world are still evident. In Long Beach and LA, where the greenness is limited, I think the natural energy is almost more obvious. The different aspects of these cities and all the different people bumping into each other create an energy that draws people’s attention and locks them in.
…I have lost my train of thought, so I’m going to stop with a simple observation…
THE WORLD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS…
On the day of my friend’s birthday, one of the few weekend days that I actually had plans, my ech (mom) decided to take me to the ‘ech mod’. I had no idea what this was, but I made sure I’d be back in time and went anyway. I realized it was something to do with Buddhism and that is all that I knew. My ech, her son, and I set out for the ech mod, which literally translated means ‘mother tree’. This was my first visit outside of sukhbaatar and my eyes were glued to the beautiful countryside. We drove down a dirt rode, turned down another dirt road, and then another dirt rode. I haven’t quite figured out the direction system in Mongolia yet. Anyway, it was obvious when we had arrived. We drove up to this large tree that was blocked off by Mongolian holy scarves and a wall made out of packs of soil or rice, or something. We walked through the entrance, and after asking for permission, I started snapping pictures. The smell of this holy spot was terrible, but it didn’t take me long to figure out what it was caused by. As I snapped photos, I watched my ech and her son take out a bottle of vodka, a bag of rice, and a bottle of milk from their bag. The proceeded to walk around this enclosed area and kind of spray the contents of their bag onto this tree, covered in blue scarves. I put down the camera and joined in the activity. I walked around and through this tree throwing rice onto it’s scarf covered branches. My ech flicked milk on the scarves, and the son flicked vodka. Years of this practice was obviously the cause of the rancid smell of this holy tree. When looking, it is obvious which scarves have been there a while and which were recently tied on. After about 5 minutes and 3 laps around the tree, we got back in the car with our leftover supplies and drove to another tree….I cannot remember which family member it was…..either the child…or the younger sibling. It was much small, had no leaves, and only the bottom was covered in scarves. After practicing the same rituals as at the ech mod, we climbed back in the car and arrived at the second ech mod. I’m not real sure why there are 2 ech mods, but with my limited Mongolian, it was easier to just listen than ask questions. On the way to the second ech mod, I tried to ask why these trees were holy, but I received an obvious answer…..ask Unro (my English speaking doo…younger sister) when we get back. The second ech mod was large with more blue scarfes. We walked around it 3 times, tossed the remaining of our rice, milk, and vodka on it and headed back in the car to go home. During this whole ritual, my ech was telling me how good I was for tossing the rice. I’m not exactly sure what this specific ritual means, but I assume it is like an offering. When I got home I asked Unro about the significance of these trees. She couldn’t explain much, but she basically told me that a long time ago a lady died there (pregnant, I think). Not trying to confuse her, I took this answer and proceeded to my friend’s birthday celebration.
During this experience with the ech mod I was quite fascinated. I don’t know the full significance of these trees, but it really seemed like an appreciation for nature. These trees were in the middle of the beautiful countryside. I’m not sure if it was a forest, but there were other trees around. In my limited explanation, my ech told me it is bad luck to move the tree. I think of the quote from a Nelly Furtado song, “I see G-d in the earth and the trees”. The phenomenon of nature is something that is very difficult to grasp without believing in a higher power. I think whether a person believes in a higher power or not doesn’t really matter, but one can not deny nature and science. I thought it was really neat to see the appreciation Buddhists have for nature. I once asked a friend if he was religious, he responded, “I believe in nature”. I think this was a brilliant answer and is as simple as you can get, and completely makes sense. The earth’s energy is something that can not necessarily be explained, but it also can not be denied. There is something that makes this world go round and work as it does, it is this energy that is the basis of my belief in anything.
There is an energy between people and nature that is only obvious when out in physical nature. I think it is key to realize this connection even when in the concrete maze and planned out mass that we live in the U.S. In Orange County, for instance, even though every tree was planted and ever grassy area rolled out, the natural ways and energies of the world are still evident. In Long Beach and LA, where the greenness is limited, I think the natural energy is almost more obvious. The different aspects of these cities and all the different people bumping into each other create an energy that draws people’s attention and locks them in.
…I have lost my train of thought, so I’m going to stop with a simple observation…
THE WORLD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS…
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