Choden from Tibet
Choden is the name of a little girl who lived on the mountains of Tibet.
Choden loved to go with her family picking mushrooms of different sizes and shapes, high on the mountains, after thunderstorms.
Choden used to prepare a delicious barley soup with mushrooms, cooking it together with her mummy and her grandma and always was a cheerful and affectionate child.
Many times, before going to sleep, the little girl used to walk outdoor and to watch the stars twinkling in intensely luminous clusters, apparently so close that one could easily imagine to touch them.
Choden used to think of visiting distant worlds up in the sky, one day.
Choden grew up into a beautiful and compassionate lady, married a gentle and strong Tibetan man and had many splendid children. She became an expert not only in cooking the barley soup, but she was the “queen of the momos”, the Tibetan dumplings. She used to cook dumplings with vegetables or meat for family and friends and everybody found them so yummy!
Choden became the sweet grandmother of vivacious grandsons and never travelled outside Tibet.
When she was almost one hundred years old, she died.
She saw an effulgent light and heard a voice, “Choden, what do you prefer: becoming part of the universe or living another life?.”
“I would like to live another life... but how, where, with whom?,” she replied.
“Look around you,” said the voice.
Choden saw beautiful, multiform galaxies of dazzling light and said: “There... there, I can see a galaxy of a milky, snowy light. I would go there.”
“Now, look at the stars and the planets in that galaxy and choose where you want to go,” the voice continued.
The choice was very difficult, but then Choden noticed a star whose planets included one that was green and blue and she chose that. The voice continued: “On that planet there are many different nice creatures, which one would you like to be?”
Choden was very attracted by magnificent lions, charming swans, coloured butterflies... but when she saw a child running happy in a large meadow, she decided to be a person.
“Look, Choden, there are many different kind of people. Which one do you want to be?”
Choden saw people whose skin was dark brown, others with light brown shades; others’ skin was more yellow... and they were eating different dishes, speaking different languages and praying in a different way...
She saw someone saying hello in a very familiar way and she wanted to be one of them.
“And now, in which area of the planet do you want to live?”
Choden saw towns, villages, squares, seas, valleys, rivers, but was attracted by big mountains.
“Now, choose your parents among those couples aiming to have a baby.”
Chosen saw and heard many couples who were inviting her to become their child. Choice was really hard to make.
At the end, Choden saw a woman who was cooking super-delicious smelling momos and was singing with a melodious voice. Choden also saw a loving man going towards her and tasting a momo. She saw them both laughing and hugging each other with love.
Choden chose them.
The voice eventually wanted to know if she wanted to be a boy or a girl. Choden wanted to be a girl.
On the mountains of Tibet a beautiful baby girl was born and she enjoyed eating momos, since when she was only a six-month-old.
