Idols in Repair

Yesterday I was out walking around the Stupa looking for a man of peace.  I was praying and looking for familiar faces of people that I might have met before.  I sat to take a rest near to a pack of monkeys and after getting caught between two monkeys in a squabble I decided it was time to move on.  Then I met an older ethnic Tibetan man who was taking a rest from worshiping and praying at the Stupa.  He was very friendly looking so we began to have a conversation.  After some small talk, we decided to go for tea together.  He looked poor, so I offered to buy him some tea and bread and he accepted.  I explained to him how God had provided this food for him and I prayed and asked the Lord to bless our time together.  He also said a lengthy mantra-like prayer before he began to eat.  We began to talk more and I asked him several questions about his prayers and worship.  I asked about who his God was and what he received from doing his worship everyday.  I asked if his worship was able to remove his sins.  I pointed out to him how the Dalai Lama, monks and rinboches are just men like us.  Then I was able to share my story with him.  He listened intently, but because he spoke no English and I speak broken Tibetan, I am not sure how much was communicated.  Many of his responses were typical Tibetan Buddhist responses that I have ran across in my evangelistic encounters (i.e. “Oh, yes, that is very nice!” and “ Oh, yes, it is the same way in Buddhism.”).  As we parted ways, he asked for me to pray for him.  Later in the evening, while I was waiting near the Stupa for the t.v. cable technician, I ran into this old man again.  He was doing his evening worship this time.  I asked him to come with me to a place nearby where there are three large, golden idols of Buddhas.  We sat before these three idols and I asked him to explain what each of them were.  Then I explained to him why I do not worship them.  I told him that these idols have eyes but do not see, ears but do not hear, mouths but do not speak, noses but do not smell, hands but do not feel, and feet but do not walk (Ps. 115:4-8).  I then told him about how much different the Most High God was compared to these idols.  He seemed to grasp this concept but it didn’t seem to phase his worship of them.  We agreed to meet again someday.  He asked for me to pray for him again.