Shul

Shul. A Tibetian word. Meaning: A mark that remains after that which has made it has passed by.

I love words that can be used on the physical, literal, as well as the metaphorical plane.

In so many aspects of life, we see these marks, left behind after that which have made them have passed by. The lingering light after the sun has set. The tears we shed after we say goodbye. The leaves that lie on the ground after they have fallen. That ache in our hearts when we think of nostalgic things. The moments of silence after each breath.

These marks are all around us, surrounding us. And it is such a beautiful feeling to know that all these can be encompassed within a single word: Shul. A mark that remains after that which made it has passed by.

And what of the marks within us? The seeds inside us, the dormant tendencies which shape our personalities and characters, aren’t they marks left behind by our ancestors, culture and traditions, experiences and upbringing? And we ourselves are creating more of such marks, as we interact, create, speak, listen, and leave traces of ourselves, marks which will continue in the form of seeds planted in things and people, even after we have passed.

In that way, I feel this word alludes to the continuity that is Life. The overarching concept of Life which doesn’t end with the expiration of a physical body, for it continue in other forms, in the marks – Shul -we leave after the body which has made them has passed.