September 10, 2006, Diraphuk Gompa on the Kailash Kora, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet

Gentle murmurings, soft, subtle, almost lost, camouflaged by a Himalayan breeze and squawks from goraks (Tibetan ravens).

I sat and watched, quietly, trying not to disturb, not to invade their sacred space.

The mother and daughter prostrated repeatedly - standing, then kneeling, then flat on their stomachs, hands pointed toward the distant peak, then back up again - chanting quiet prayer the entire time. Dozens of times they did this on a small patch of gravel, unaware and uncaring of anything but their focused devotion. My joints ached just watching, while my spirit cried with envy.