Buddha Purnima: Shekhar Kapur shares anecdotes from his meeting with a monk

The filmmaker took to his social media, and recalled his encounter with a monk while he was trekking in the Himalayas, and how that one conversation changed his life and 'his journey began'.

He wrote, "Today is Buddh Jayanti. Budh in Sanskrit means 'the enlightened one'. 'The one that is aware'. I was trekking alone in the Himalayas, and came across a Monk that was meditating in his Cave, it was freezing, and yet he barely had any clothes on. His eyes closed. It was like a strong 'Do not disturb' sign. 'Aren't you feeling cold?' I finally had the courage to ask him".

He shared, "Of course I had so many deeper questions and kicked myself for asking the stupidest question. 'I was not aware of the cold'. He laughed. But now that you've asked me, yes, it is cold'. And he closed his eyes again. With a slight smile on his face. The kind of smile you have when a child asks you a question. And you know there's another one coming. 'Are you enlightened?' I asked. He looked at me with a deep gaze. His eyes seemed to change colour. I have no idea how long the gaze lasted".

He continued, "I was suddenly aware that the sun had set. And the stars were out .. or was I just imagining it all ? 'Shekhar', I asked myself back, 'Are you not feeling the cold? How long had I been sitting there beneath his gaze? 'Are YOU enlightened?' The Monk asked me suddenly. I stuttered. 'I don't even ... know what it means?' I managed to say. 'Go back to where you came from. Open your heart to love. When you find love everywhere you look, you'll know that love came from your heart. From within yourself. Let it flow everywhere, outward. 'It's when your love flows back inwards.. that's when pain, desire, selfishness take over. let your love flow outwards. The Monk closed his eyes. I suddenly realised how cold it was. I suddenly realised it really was night. How was I going to find my way back? My journey began", he added.