At the foot of Matajur, on the border with Slovenia, lies the village of Polava. A place with only three permanent residents, but in one of the houses hides 1000 Buddha statues.
Right here, in fact, stands the Buddhist center Cian Ciub Cio Ling obtained inside two houses by Plinio Benedetti.
Approaching the Buddhist faith at the end of the 80’s, he created this center where several monks during the year stay to meditate.
Initially, the place chosen was not this one. It was a place not far away, still in the Natisone Valleys, but the energy of the place was not suitable. At the suggestion of his Teacher, Plinio moved to the foot of Matajur, which means the “Great Mother”. It seems, in fact, that here there is an important concentration of positive energies that allow the best meditative practice.
Since university, my friend Elisa and I have always wanted to visit this place and this year we finally went.
Upon our arrival, we met Plinio’s wife, who introduced us and showed us the first part of the center, with the meditation hall and the apartments where the lamas spend their time when present.
But the real part began when we were initially left alone, until Pliny joined us, before then leading us to the hall of the 1000 Buddhas. What ensued was a dialogue on what are some principles of Buddhist philosophy, related mostly to reflections on life. It was raining hard outside, just as a small storm was brewing within us as we continued our reflections.
Believers or not, it’s one of those experiences that remain with you, capable of opening you up to a confrontation with a different culture, but above all opening your mind to new points of view.
