Meditation Informs Healing Facilitation

Present Inner Dilemma (around spiritual teachers)

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You may also want to take this post in sections – I wrote a long one…

Ever spoken with a mentor or teacher or someone you respect and hold dear, and then a few days (weeks, months) later had another teacher recommend what seems like a relatively opposite direction from the first? Let me explain..

I mentioned in my previous post how blessed I feel, having multiple mentors and elders in my life who are often called spiritual teachers. And it is true, I have met some incredible teachers. But if we seek advice from multiple spiritual teachers, and if these teachers come from different lineages and traditions, is it possible that their advice might start to (seem to) pull us in multiple, difficult-to-follow-all-at-once directions? Oh, and if we have a strong intuition, or a body that we have developed a stable and kind relationship with, then we might start to feel that our intuition is also throwing some additional, separate advice into the cauldron… At present, this seems to be going on for me.

One Tibetan Lama recommends, do as much of the preliminary practices as you possibly can. If pain arises, then stop or do another practice which might help mitigate the discomfort. Push push push! But kindly… Another highly respected Lama suggested a couple of practices for me to add into my daily routine, which seem appropriate (but might be difficult to put into practice because they require extra time). And then a third teacher says that I should be gentle and kind first and no matter what happens, I should enjoy the practice I am doing. This advice has also been woven into the recommendations from Tibetan Lamas, but it stills seems a precariously tight rope to walk – push but only so hard, rest but only for so long, be kind yet diligent… In reflecting on the above material, I am struck by the importance of knowing myself – am I using one teachers advice in a lazy fashion to avoid or put off doing what another recommends? Am I actually pushing too hard and needing a slight reprieve?

Here is a list of advice from my teachers, which you might say, is a spiritual Bucket List (linking this to my recent posts):

1) Finish School

2) Learn (to speak) the Tibetan language

3) Push through the Preliminary Practices (and complete them)

4) Do a couple of (additional) brief practices, daily if possible

5) Get a job so that finishing school is easier (no brainer)

6) No matter what, enjoy what you are doing, and if not, then rest and practice quality self care

7) Choose one or two Zapchen exercises that I enjoy and do them for a few minutes a day

8) Practice restraint, stop ingesting poison

And now a bit of commentary on these suggestions:

1) If you have read many of my previous posts, you may recognize that I bring an astrological perspective along with me wherever I go. So to throw in an astrological wrinkle: At times, I often feel that being a Pisces with Neptune square my natal Sun (8th house of other people’s money and values) from the 5th house (creative expression, fun-loving-spontaneity, children), along with having Saturn in my natal 2nd house of material possessions and values, creates the phenomena for myself where I don’t have much in the way of material ambition or attachment to valuable “things.” Yes you just read that correctly – I have gone through life, at least on the material level, living quite below the poverty level, however perhaps reflected in my being a Leo Rising, I hide my impoverished nature behind a proud, refined public front. And I am actually quite content living below my means, or at least I was… Therefore I feel that going through school and pushing myself in a “worldly” direction works to counter my natural tendency of meditating first (naturally transcending material / bodily needs, whether for good or bad). Of course there needs to be balance in this regard too.

Also, being the type of person whose “right brain” (hemisphere) is more dominant – intuitive, creative, abstract orientation quite refined, etc, I believe 1) has to do with discovering inner mental balance for myself and not to mention developing marketable skills in the world so I can become financially stable and therefore be of more benefit to others.

2) When I study the Tibetan language for many hours on end, I push through some enormous resistance and I hate the process as it is unfolding – seriously, it can be excruciating. After I push through the resistance and complete a big project however, I feel complete, unconditional bliss arise, sometimes lasting several hours. So I know that whenever I learn Tibetan, whether it is in this lifetime or the next, I will be a happier individual. I also know that the Geshe who recommended this to me was extremely skillful and clairvoyant (when he died or dissolved back into the mandala, he exhibited signs of accomplishment). As a result, I am looking forward to putting his advice into practice.

3) Nearly every Tibetan Lama I have attended teachings from, has said that the Preliminary Practices (the Ngondro) are the most important practices of all. And if I understand these Lamas and their teachings correctly, I believe that in the beginning we have to prepare our body and mind to be able to receive and grok the higher teachings / practices and without doing so, we can cause harm and dangerous confusion to arise if we push through the advanced practices without being ready. So the preliminaries are very important.

5) is pretty obvious – if you are in debt, then get a job to get yourself out of debt and back on the moving forward track! (I skipped four on purpose.)

6) But the dilemma arises when we come to number six… I am trying to discover a good balance between practice, work, self care and if there is any time left over, play. Okay, so I work 40 plus hours a week and then I need a few hours a week to unwind, massage my aching legs and feet, so that time is taken care of. When I am at work, I try to maintain right view and if I have some down time, I will recite a few mantras or remember contemplations on emptiness, but work has been very busy as of late (waiting tables) and trying to keep a spiritual mentality in a bar setting is challenging for me.

My body, due to several little health problems, can only take but so much (I know what you might say, “Kirby you are young, so just push through these complaints!” and I would respond by getting very perturbed at your suggestion and mentally blocking anything else you say out, because you don’t understand my situation and are ignorant if you think you do, while saying what you just said). Therefore, with what little time and energy I have left, how much Zapchen do I practice, how much meditation, how much time do I spend going for a brief hike? That is where I am lingering these days, but thankfully, in addition to receiving clear messages from my heart (intuition), I work with the I Ching, so I am also receiving confirmation of the choices I make.

7) For anyone who does not know what Zapchen is, I would highly recommend experiencing it first, before trying to “figure it out” and certainly before judging it. However, in a nutshell, Zapchen exercises are little things we can do (with proper motivation and intention) to move toward lasting well-being, resting in alignment and moving to a state of spontaneous re-orientation toward a relaxed yet alert state. Julie Henderson is the creator of Zapchen Somatics, and she has done an exquisite job blending light-hearted exercises with empirical science to produce a complete toolbox of vital exercises for well-being. One of her teachers, His Holiness the Drukpa Kyabgon has gone so far as to say that the Zapchen exercises, when done under the supervision of a qualified teacher, can be as potent as the Ngondro practices. Anyway, now that my sales pitch is over, back to my spiritual bucket list.

I tend to do some stretching and some light Zapchen exercises when I wake up. This does several things for me – it clears my head (eliminating the need for coffee), it awakens and enlivens the chi / life-force energy – allowing me to feel full and charged in very little time, and it inspires joy. Sure, there might be one or two mornings where I have celebrated a little too hard the night before, when resistance and irritation will arise, but more often than not, this brief obstinacy does not last long. So this is an easy one to check off my list.

8) Finally, last but not least, and actually, the item on the list which should come first (seriously!). I say it should come first because in the basic teachings of Buddhism, throughout all schools and all traditions, we need to eliminate the causes of suffering in order to create the causes for lasting happiness. Therefore, we need to discern where we venture off the path, practice restraint and get our butts back on the path as soon as possible – in other words, figure out where and how we are ingesting poison and put a stop to that first. Then we can walk the path with more ease.

Well, those words sure sound good, clear and easy to (mentally) understand. But when you have some bad habits as deeply ingrained as I do, walking the talk is very challenging. Therefore, I am only able to talk the talk at the moment. I am still eliminating the sources of poison in my life. I am tired to swinging between the extremes of blissful elation and angry depression – so having vacillated for some time now, I am finally practicing restraint. In the past, when I really pushed hard, and did hundreds of prostrations (virtuous activity), I would notice an equally potent move in the opposite direction (away from virtue). So now I am doing less, but my pendulum is almost done with its annoying swinging. So that is all good!

So I guess the answer might lie in seeking out ONE teacher and then following their advice over the advice of others once you are sure you want to work with them. Or, you can bounce ideas off several, which is what I seem to be doing, all the while trying to follow the advice of one root lama / teacher. If you are intelligent and discerning, then you will notice that your authentic teachers’ advice all leads to the same place. I hope this sheds light on a curious topic.

meditation or confusion? clarity through gurus, heart teachers

Thank goodness for spiritual teachers. In this post, I discuss my personal struggle with my afflictions, and how, through fortunate karma, I can avoid certain pitfalls due to cultivating sincere heart relationship with spiritual mentors.

If it were not for a qualified spiritual path, which I have been blundering down or attempting to tread for several dedicated years now, I fear I might be a blubbering mass, curled up in the fetal position; or, more realistically, I might be going through life as I was a decade ago – knowing something better was “out there,” feeling that my lifestyle was off somehow but not knowing how to possibly go about resolving those looming inner dilemmas.

Thanks to my positive karma however, or as Julie Henderson would say, thanks to the momentum which is coming forward through the force of all my past lives and bodies and habits (I’m paraphrasing), I actually have a standard to measure myself against and a worthwhile goal to constantly hold and strive for – that is attaining clarity, compassion and altruistic wisdom awareness for the benefit of all sentient beings – known and unknown, seen and unseen.

I know, I can be hard on myself (primary pitfall at the moment). But that is not all that I find myself continuously falling back on to cause myself more routine misery. Yes, when I am stretched and stressed, I resort to glass-is-half-empty type thinking, for instance, what is the worst case scenario and how can I prepare for it (because it is obviously about to happen)? Ouch! In addition to this bad and erroneous habit (once you begin to realize, both on a mental attitudinal and psycho-somatic level, that there are many beings who sincerely care about you, then things become easier – less to defend against and less to icily hold on to), I have other afflicted reactions to life’s incessant obstacles: in the past, and somewhat in the now, I tend to obsess – my mind can out-worry anybody, I am certain. Oh – and I am very good at deluding myself, and then projecting that delusion outward and affecting others (ever get the feeling that delusion and confusion just follow you around no matter where you go? well then the cause might actually be YOU). Finally, for the sake of brevity, I am still working through expression of anger issues and coming out of my pleaser / placation / shape shifter roles.

So what happens when I speak with my spiritual teachers? Just thinking about hearing the sound of my root lama’s voice (Drupon Thinley Ningpo) or the loving, melodious (if occasionally direct and semi-wrathfully compassionate) sound of Julie Henderson’s voice, moves me toward a relaxed, don’t-worry-be-happy state. As I mentioned above, knowing that there are at least a dozen (whom I have met in this lifetime) men and women who care about me unconditionally makes a huge difference – and then when I am able to mention what I am going through, whether in my mental habits, or my meditation practice or really life in general – it feels very good to be contained and witnessed and held.

Often times, my teachers know what I am going through even as I work through the words to articulate the process. Khenchen Rinpoche, Konchog Gyaltsen, has startled me on several occasions now as he read my mind, yes I am sure of this – I had not mentioned that I was contemplating escaping to India (to pursue a young woman) but clear as daylight, without much provocation he just blurted out, “you should finish school. Usually girlfriends get in the way of finishing school.” My jaw would have dropped if I had realized how far ahead of me he was thinking in MY process. Whoa!!! There was also the time, when I first attended retreat with Khenchen, having asked him at multiple opportunities what I should do with my life, he finally replied with, “you should go back and finish school.” Okay – this is bordering on the extraordinary! First of all, this implies he knew I was taking a break and that I had previously completed some school. And now he sees that I should finish… Uhhhh… Yes, he is simply amazing. As are other teachers.

Drupon knew, without my telling him, that I was doing guru devotion wrong. He pointed out that I needed to see the guru (for me that would be him) as the great, primordial guru Vajradhara (Dharmakaya) rather than any ordinary human form. Although he did mention that it would be okay to visualize His Holiness on the crown of my head. I’m not sure if he was just being self-effacing or serious. Either way, I put his advice into practice directly – no need to over-analyze it. Just do it. (Drupon Thinley Ningpo is one of the spiritual directors of the Tibetan Meditation Center in Frederick, Maryland and he is one of the retreat masters for the North American Centers of the Drikung Kagyu.)

Julie Henderson, who I have the good fortune of checking in with several times a year, is an example of a Western teacher with similar extraordinary intuitive skills. I think she has gotten a whiff of my habitual harsh-toward-self tendencies, but that does not explain how she knew another piece of my process. There was a time when I was deliberating about telling a young woman how I felt about her (long story shorter, this young woman is from the U.S. but is presently spending most of her time in Southeast Asia, so I preferred to have this conversation with young woman in person, but I was still trying to back out of that, internally) and Julie somehow sensed this and came right out with, “Kirby, if you love someone, you have got to tell them! You must tell her how your heart expands with joy and warmth when you spend time with her.” She went on to communicate that if I was on the path of opening my heart, then that meant opening my heart to someone else. And that there was no time to waste. Basically she was articulating a primal essence which was hidden deep within my heart, hidden because I had never had the courage or the warm-loving-support required to unlock it. Wow! (Julie Henderson is the creator and primary teacher of Zapchen Somatics – Embodying Well-being, she holds advanced degrees in German, Theater, Psychotherapy and Somatic Therapies. She has been recognized as an authentic spiritual teacher – a Khandroma – by many Tibetan lamas in the Nyingma and Drukpa lineages, and one of her teachers is His Holiness the Drukpa Kyabgon.)

Just to reiterate, without loving gurus and heart teachers, I would probably be out hiking somewhere, seeking outer serenity (and isolated solitude) because I did not have the tools to properly pursue inner peace and happiness. Meditation without guidance, to me is like being lost, adrift on a vast ocean without directional tools. We might paddle for years, only to discover that we have been going in circles, circles of perpetual dissatisfaction…

Thankfully I have connected with authentic lineages of healing wisdom and hopefully in this lifetime I will make a little bit of forward progress. I have become more active in the world, mixing it up with many different types of people and developing inner resources to be comfortable where I am. And I would say this is due to the kindness of my teachers.

May all beings seek out qualified teachers who can show them a legitimate path to lasting happiness. And then may all beings repay that kindness by sincerely practicing those precious instructions.

In other words, if we feel ourselves swaying in the breeze as it were, waffling between various meditation traditions or spiritual paths, primarily staying on the fringe of the crowd or simply reading books on the subject, then we should start investigating spiritual teachers. Get up close sometimes (when appropriate). Try to find someone we resonate with, who has been recognized as an authentic teacher and who practices what they preach (and preferably whose students do the same). Then we have much more to discover. We can change our mind with proper guidance and dedication and kindness. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

my Bucket List

On my way back from Ladakh, on the plane, I had the good fortune to watch the movie “Bucket List” with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman – where Morgan Freeman’s character (who is reserved, family-oriented and modest) meets Jack’s character (who is entitled, wealthy and spoiled) in the hospital when the two of them are ill. What follows is a comical adventure as these aging characters realize life is short and you have to do what is on your dream list – which one of them calls their Bucket List. I have heard some people say they did not like this movie, but I feel that with the right perspective, one can glean something productive from many movies – even large budget Hollywood types. So I got to writing my own Bucket List. Keep in mind this was written in July 2008, so I will add some hindsight-oriented commentary to the list items. (By the way, I recommend this movie, at least slightly.)

1) Circumambulate Mount Kailash (Kang Rinpoche)

2) See and Tour and Make a Pilgrimage to the Potala Palace

3) Make a Pilgrimage to Drikung Til Monastery in Tibet (the Drikung lineage “Mother Ship”)

4) Visit and Pilgrimage to Dehra Duhn India to see His Holiness, Songtsen Library and Chang Chub Ling

5) Take Dance Lessons (Salsa / Ballroom)

6) Go to a World Cup Soccer Match

7) Have child(ren) and be as good a father / coach as possible

8) Take classes in Ayurvedic / Tibetan Medicine

9) Hike the Appalachian Trail

10) Enter a Co-creating, Dynamic, Growth-oriented Relationship (Marriage)

11) See the Amazon Rainforest

12) Take a nature retreat in Banff Canada

13) Visit Alaska, do some hiking

14) Practice the Buddhist Preliminaries Daily (Ngondro) until complete

15) Earn money so as to practice Generosity

16) Go traveling with Family

17) Explore France, Paris / Alps

18) Buy Land, Build a Green Home, Garden

19) Practice Giving (Dharma, loving-kindness) until my Heart “breaks Open”

20) Visit Mountains and spend time Listening

21) Rest my Body as Mountain

22) Breathe like the Ocean

23) Practice Quality Self Care, Alignment, Zapchen

24) Laugh Often!

25) Lighten Up!

26) Practice Yoga (Svaroopa, Deity, Guru, Breath, etc)

27) Rest Heart As the Sky

So that is my list, at least from 2 years ago. Just a tiny bit of commentary or reflections and therefore changes that I would make today. You can tell I was on a pilgrimage with the first few items. I’m no longer sure I need to do sassy / fast-paced dancing, but it might be fun to stretch myself. I think number 7 and number 10 go well together. I used to do a lot of hiking and outdoors activities. I still enjoy it but it is no longer so mandatory – I am finding peace within, so less need to seek urgently for it without. When I see pictures of Banff I am just blown away by its majesty, so I would like to visit there before I go on to new discoveries (transition in the Bardo realms).

Alaska is the only United State that I have not visited – and of course it is probably the state that is chock full of raw incredible natural sights and wilderness (more reasons to explore). My mother would love to go traveling to Europe with family members, so of course I need to take her up on that! For me, presently, being in a solid relationship is of higher priority than buying land, building home and growing my own food – however that is still in the back of my mind. In Zapchen, Julie Henderson, one of my heart teachers, says that we should rest our Body as Mountain, Breath like the Sea and Heart like the Sky. Yay!

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – highlights and Ladakhi monasteries summary

Okay – wow! I have done a lot of describing 2008 Drikung pilgrimage to Ladakh (our group was from the TMC in Maryland). In this post, I will describe my itinerary back from India, discuss the highlights from the Pilgrimage to Ladakh and go through (attempting brevity) the list of monasteries we saw in Ladakh. Please bear with the lengthy post – it is worth the read – maybe two sittings would be good?

I am so very thankful to have a father who flies a lot for his job, and therefore can occasionally gift me a frequent-flier ticket somewhere in the world as a result. On this occasion, I received “free” tickets to India and back, with just one catch. Uh oh!! The fly-ee (me) must be okay with the itinerary. The trek home was definitely more colorful than the bounces to Delhi. I did planes from Delhi to Frankfurt, to Toronto, to Montreal (yes, my final destination was intended to be Virginia but this was as close as United could get me) then train to NYC, switch trains to Washington DC to meet my sister, spend a night with family and then drive home to Charlottesville.

Actually it worked out very splendidly. Had some pleasant conversations with people on the way to Toronto and then to Montreal. It was very serendipitous – when I exchanged my India rupees for Canadian dollars (to spend the night in Montreal), I had the exact amount needed to stay in the hotel. This blew my mind – when one is practicing the Dharma diligently, very fortunate things can happen. Yay! I think downtown Montreal has suffered quite a bit of urban decay (perhaps as the suburbs improve?). Otherwise it was very enjoyable.

Oh and I was amazed that the thangkas made it back with me (sort of). They were delivered the next day to my hotel and I had to be very persistent as the front desk clerk was “entirely certain!” that there was no such package. I said, look again – but this time look for an unusually-shaped, plastic-wrapped, long-dowels-protruding package. And he came back with it in time for me to make my train! Good good.

Then the rest of the trip was uneventful. Now, on to the highlights from the Pilgrimage! These are not in any particular order. Because you can go back and view the previous posts, I will just say a little about each of these here:

1) meeting His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon at Phyang Monastery – major highlight, only it took time for it to dawn on me how fortunate we were to have tea and cookies with His Holiness – just he and our group. Wow! A Buddha and a King all bundled up into a spontaneously aware, present, skillful and awakened-wise being.

2) attending the Cham dances (Tibetan Buddhist ceremonial monastic dances which occur once a year at major monasteries) at Lama Yuru Gompa. I am glad we spent several days at Lama Yuru – it has an incredible history involving Naropa and other great past masters. And more recently, it has served as a retreat center as the Drikung Kagyu lineage was re-building in exile. His Holiness the Chetsang Rinpoche, Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen, Drupon Samten and many more did retreats under excellent masters like Kyunga Rinpoche – and one who we attended, Lama (Drupon) Jorphel. Met Togden Rinpoche (a Mahasiddha) and Bakula Rangdrol Nyima Rinpoche (a Lama Yuru Tulku) – great teachers and practitioners.

3) being present for an authentic Ladakhi Oracle as she went into trance (with her apprentice), answered questions and did healings on locals. Whoa – very intense, potent, unexpected. A pleasant surprise which came of being with the right guide at the right time (Namgyal of Yama Treks).

4) a glimpse behind the scene looks into Ladakhi lifestyles – we were shown into the private quarters of several guest houses, including Bakula Rangdrol Nyima Rinpoche’s house in Leh. Sampling authentic Ladakhi food was unusual and an added surprise.

5) crashing a huge Ladakhi wedding! Awesome – the hosts’ generosity when they did not know us (the only Westerners present amid hundreds of Ladakhis) was truly incredible and touching.

6) touring His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Ladakhi Palace. This was a nice bonus to be in Ladakh for the celebration of H. H. the Dalai Lama’s birthday. And then to spend it with Tibetans was special.

7) spending half a day in the less-than-obvious Drikung Kagyu Institute bookstore in Manjukatilla (north Delhi) India. Tsondu Senge and Yeshe (Senge?) were very generous hosts.

8) receiving teachings on Tibetan medicine from a Ladakhi (Tibetan) Amchi (doctor). Then receiving very affordable private sessions with her as she dispensed advice and Tibetan medicine. I found this very educational in addition to being helpful.

9) nearly losing my breakfast every time I looked out the car windows as we traveled several hours each way along precarious, enormous-drop-offs-cliffs en route to the Nubra Valley. But you know, I must say that I fully believe this: “the more difficulty you go through to get to your pilgrimage destination, the greater the reward.” Now don’t go and do anything foolish of course – we had professional drivers who played mantra CDs all day for protection (we needed them!). 🙂 The route to the restricted Nubra Valley includes the Kardung-la Pass – the highest motor-able “road” in the world. Oh and we rode camels in the Nubra Valley – two humps.

A list of monasteries we visited. Each monastery though really has its own special twist and novelty. Nearly every monastery we visited had incredible murals, protector shrines and a shrine to Guru Rinpoche and more:

Lama Yuru – large, beautiful, exotic, remote monastery in Western Ladakh. Incredible myths and history – if you can attend the Cham dances and stay in the large, on-grounds guest house, then you are very fortunate. Camping was not bad either. If you are a Drikungpa, this is a big pilgrimage site (outside of Drikung Thil, Tibet and Dehra Dun, India).

Hemis Gompa (Drukpa) – a secret (hidden in the mountains), large, very wealthy monastery that even has its own museum. I heard from many people that they have a massive celebration for their Cham dances. This monastery probably has the largest Guru Rinpoche shrine (and statue) I have ever attended. This monastery was protected from several ransacking attacks as it is well-hidden in the mountains – most monasteries are visible from long distances as they are on top of hills / mountains. Hemis however is well placed deep in a twisting valley – having a hermitage higher up on the mountain.

Tikse Gompa is definitely high on my list because they have one of the largest Buddhist statues of Maitreya in the world. When you see an enormous, friendly picture of a colorful crowned Buddha statue – it is likely to be this one (see photo above). I have seen it all over. When you visit Tikse, you can also visit Stakna (Tiger’s nose) Monastery in the same day – well worth it as Stakna is on a large rise which looks out on 360-degree, vast, snow-mountainous views.

I am putting Chemray Monastery next, as we drove by it on our way to Tak Thog Gompa (the exclusive Ladakh Nyingma monastery) and Chemray looks like it could be its own little Buddhist City. Seriously – its large hill is just covered with monastery buildings. Along with Hemis, Chemray seemed like a very wealthy monastery – many large, beautifully painted shrine rooms and meditation halls. A Guru Rinpoche shrine that is well worth the visit. Tak Thog can be seen in the same day – then you will have a day full of Padmasambhava statues and shrines and potency!

Phyang – one of the monasteries that is close to Leh (Spituk is closer) and worth a little half day trip. We attended His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon here. A beautiful Drikung Kagyu monastery.

On the way to Lama Yuru, we visited the village and monastery of Temisgam. This was very unusual in that the monastery was no longer active – only one monk was “stationed” there year-round to maintain it and accept visitors / tourists. It was still incredibly beautiful and well worth a visit. Walk around on the ancient iron catwalks while you are there which will allow you to see the many prayer wheels which the wind is turning. There is also a Nunnery at Temisgam – a very interesting visit.

We visited two monasteries in the Nubra Valley – Deskit (Diskit) Gompa and Samstanling (Gompa) Monastery. Deskit had the most history of the two, and it has a VERY fascinating story associated with its Protector Shrine – as in don’t make any promises or vows you can’t keep kind of story. Samstanling (Samten) Monastery was very nice as well – it had an enormous amount of intricate carved wood used in its shrines and all over – doorways, balconies, railings, etc. Also, we had the great fortune to meet Bakula Rinpoche’s young present incarnation here in Sumur. Deskit has a beautiful, huge outdoor seated Buddha, I think Maitreya, which was under construction while we were there. It should be finished by now and would be gorgeous – looking out over the Nubra River Valley.

The Likir and Alchi monasteries can be seen on the same day. I was sick unfortunately so I only saw a part of Likir and then missed the Alchi portion. Likir has a huge outdoor Buddha statue – very shiny gold and precious! Alchi has some of the oldest Buddhist artwork in the world and therefore I heard it was a little dark (to preserve the ancient murals). You may want to bring your own flashlight – not too bright though. However its murals are very unique in that they have a distinct Kashmiri influence (Muslim artists painting a Buddhist monastery?) 🙂 Great!

Shey Palace was practically a monastery with an enormous Buddha Shakyamuni Statue and shrine. It is a nice visit with delicious restaurant food down below in the village. The second palace we visited was Basgo – also not active – it housed a huge seated Maitreya statue (I think Maitreya). When you go there, the affect of the weathering is vivid and direct – you cannot miss how fast the rest of the non-maintained sections are melting and crumbling away.

His Holiness’ (the Dalai Lama) palace in Leh is also rather monastic, for obvious reasons! Plus there is the large, one-roomed temple next door. If you are a practitioner and in Ladakh – try to get here. Well worth the trip.

The Head Oracle or Shaman of Ladakh is actually a monk or lama. He is a Sakyapa and he resides at the only Sakya Gompa in Ladakh – the Matho Monastery. I was sick for this day as well, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. I heard that women are not allowed in one shrine room (maybe having to do with divination). Not sure if it is just women on their cycle not being allowed in… (what?!) But I wished I could have seen it nonetheless!

Finally, Spituk monastery, last but not least, was the last monastery I saw before leaving. It is famous for being both a Hindu and Buddhist Monastery – as its Protector Shrine (Gonkhang) has a significant Shiva Statue / presence. A curious, slightly urban monastery as it is just a few miles from Leh.

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – Manjukatilla

Farewell Ladakh! I woke up at 5 am, to catch the customary “butt crack of dawn” flight (as a friend of mine was in the custom of crassly describing ungodly-early events… don’t worry, the literary content improves from here on out). Thankfully no problems flying out of Ladakh, and I must say, if I thought the flight in was incredible, which it was (is!!!), the flight out was equally breath-taking. I say this because I was lucky enough to catch the sun rising over the Himalayas, with a “bird’s eye view” as it were. WOW!?! And then seeing the snowy, jagged edges poking up through the occasional clouds is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Landed in Delhi, where, if I had not been met by Peter Sonam again – the less-than-tall but incredibly kind-hearted Tibetan guide for the Indian segment of our journeys – I might have had an aneurysm. Let’s just say that the airport in Delhi, despite having been upgraded (now the hawker / taxi-drivers have to wait in a slightly restricted area), they still use every trick in the book to get you to come with them. But there was Peter holding a sign with my name on it – very special!

Well I now had over 36 hours until my flight out of India, so Peter checked in with me to see what I wanted to do. I had already been told about Manjukateela (spelled: “Manjukatilla”), so I did not require much persuasion to go there. Affordable hotels, people speaking Tibetan, some fun shops to explore – “hey why not?” And of course there is always the unplanned for, extracurricular adventure that you can never plan for. I had a couple of these present themselves.

First, let me briefly explain my experience of this Tibetan slum.. I mean “settlement.” I would never say slums unless I meant it, and I mean no derogatory slight again Tibetans, but you may get the idea here in a minute. We pulled off the crazy-busy highway (all roads in Delhi seem busy and / or crazy, and the road near the settlement was no exception) into what seemed like a small pull-off. At first, I thought we were having car trouble and that the driver needed to take a look. Because there was no way there were any hotels nearby… Uhhh well… Not so fast. Peter told me we had arrived! Haha! Good joke! But then he got out and started unloading my backpack.. Well I carried my pack and he insisted on carrying my duffel. We walked through what could have easily been someone’s backyard (my point is, this entrace to Manjukateela was extremely casual – no sign saying where we were) and then entered a small tight avenue bordered on both sides by large sandy-brick buildings. This tight thoroughfare was the main path of the settlement. The little side “streets” were even more claustrophobia-inducing. There were little shops on either side of the main “street” and many vendors hawking trinkets, food, religious items and more.

Peter told me he would take me to a hotel that was both affordable and that offered A/C. Well, he got one part of that right. And bless Peter Sonam’s heart, he is obviously a very busy man who is doing his best to be a good father as well. But this hotel did not seem to have any A/C rooms. I’m not complaining though! For 400 rupees a night ($10 U.S.), I have no foot to stand on for complaints. My room consisted of two beds, a funky contraption in the window which LOOKS like an A/C unit, but which only seems to blow air across dripping water, which I guess cools it a little, and a side table. I had a separate bathroom which was nice. Slight tangent: New Delhi is probably more hot than anywhere else in the world during the month of July. I am from Virginia, where the temperatures can peak in the low 100’s (degrees Fahrenheit) and the humidity is extreme. Yeah, well India proved that to be a drop in the bucket. I would take Virginia’s weather any July over Delhi’s – at least the threat of malaria has not made it to the mid-Atlantic States yet. (When I landed in Delhi at 1 AM, the temps were at least 90 degrees with high humidity. Yes, one AM…)

Oh, and did I mention that the hotels in Manjukateela operate illegally? Yeah, luckily I found out later that the Indian government turns a blind eye on the settlement’s “hotels” which are not able to pay the taxes (I think that is the reason). I’m hoping it is not because they are unable to pass sanitation standards! Somehow India still benefits from having the settlement there, so a deal has been struck: we don’t see you, provided you don’t go and do anything really stupid..

Yes, this is where I landed for a short stint of my pilgrimage. Oh – and by the way, in case I forget to mention this – I would stay in Manjukatilla again at the drop of a hat. Maybe I would choose a different month, but I enjoyed my stay and I look forward to exploring it further. So, to continue, the main “street,” which shifts – sometimes slightly wider, more often than not, narrowing or forking to become two tiny paths around a building – probably extends a mile from one end of the settlement to the other, at most. At the far end from where I entered, there is a pleasant Buddhist temple, which I explored that afternoon with new found acquaintances as well as a monastery, which seemed to be locked, temporarily.

I stayed in a hotel which was near the entrance. As I mentioned, it was affordable and adequate. Plus I could turn on the strange box in the window to create a loud dripping / blowing noise which truly distracted from the heat (and eventually you get used to the high temps!). 🙂 Downstairs, the hotel had a delicious restaurant where I ate several meals – including Tibetan dumplings, known as momo(s).

The balcony near my room looked out over a river, which was lined by tiny farms and little shacks or tarps which had been put up to shelter people. It seemed to be a poor area, plus there was quite a bit of refuse scattered between the hotel building and the river. I’m not sure, but I think there was a wall between the hotel and the shanties.

I met an intelligent and lively couple from France in the restaurant, and we had a pleasant conversation. I shared what little I know about Tibetan Buddhism with them, and then they asked to be shown around the settlement. It was my first time, so we all just went exploring. We found the above mentioned temple and monastery, plus numerous shops, vendors and beggars. Afterward, they wanted to explore Delhi before they were off to Ladakh – so I shared some about my experiences up north. I was exhausted from all of my adventures, so I chose not to go with them. Chance of combating disease-ridden mosquitoes + testing out unknown public transportation + crossing Indian equivalents of hyper-busy interstate highways = Kirby wants to rest and not think about it! Had I been more resourced, I definitely would have gone exploring, but as it was my adrenals needed a healthy break.

This is getting long, so I will wrap up shortly. Across the tiny alley (side street) from my hotel, I happened to stumble in after the French couple left, was a treasure: the Drikung Kagyu Institute of Manjukatilla. Imagine! An entire (very small) bookstore dedicated to the tiny lineage of Tibetan Buddhism that I practice, being right across the street from my hotel. What are the odds?! In the entire Manjukatilla complex there was only one other bookstore that I found and it was very general. Well guess what?

I drank a lot of Tibetan tea and caught up on Drikung Kagyu lamas from the owner, Tsondu Senge. He is a very kind-hearted, attentive and generous man! He had his family members keep bringing tea for us. I purchased several books and upon doing so, he threw into the “package” several beautiful religious trinkets (I say trinkets for lack of a better word) – for instance little double vajra key chain, etc etc. He also gave me a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama holding hands with the Drikung Holinesses under a picture of Milarepa – very precious indeed! Thankfully his English was very good (because my Tibetan was and is still not up to snuff!).

It was a very small world. It turned out Tsondu Senge’s brother had gone to secondary school with Khenchen Rinpoche, Konchog Gyaltsen (the first Tibetan lama who I took refuge / Bodhicitta vows with), so they were good friends and hence Tsondu laa had many stories to share about (any) this or that Drikung lama and where he was at the moment. He was very connected (not that it is an extensive lineage). But I must have chatted with him for three or four hours. I had questions about the numerous texts he had in his shop – about half of which were in Tibetan. I asked what had been translated into English, what people were working on. I asked about the Thangkas he had – which deity was holding what implement, etc. Plus he had incredible Drikung statuary which I was too light in the pocket to afford – gold statues of 4-armed Mahakala, Achi Chokyi Drolma and Jigten Sumgon.

So there I was, in a little Dharma paradise, in the Tibetan “settlement,” resting and waiting for my flight back to the West.

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – final day in Leh

Well believe it or not, several potent variables came together and I experienced some strong emotions on this last day in Ladakh. In one way I was very happy and full, having experienced multiple, extraordinary events and energetically charged, serene monasteries.

Oh – side note in case I forget to mention it – if you are traveling to Ladakh on your own, as in without a travel company’s advice or guidance, schedule your return trip out of Ladakh a day early. That is what I did, and I was very thankful for having done so, because I would have missed my international connection in New Delhi otherwise. This is due to high winds coming over the Himalayas – these force the “normal” flights to only come in by 9 AM and take off by 6 AM. If a particularly bad wind day comes up, the handful of daily flights are canceled. Apparently this happens several times a month, even during the summer. So… you can either take your chances or leave an extra day for R & R in Delhi.

Nothing too outlandish on this day, but a few curious glimpses into Leh’s mundane lifestyles. First, I had wanted to hang out with my new-found Tibetan friends, but apparently they don’t set up their tables when there is a Tibetan holiday or Day of Mourning – I later found Tamding sitting elsewhere with dozens Tibetans having a meeting / tea. Afterward, he told me it was a day off because a nasty Chinese attack had occurred on that date in recent history (somewhere around July 7th to the 9th?). So that was strike one.

On the way back from trying to find Tamding, I stopped in a roadside tea stall. Which may not have been the greatest idea… I ordered a ginger tea, for my stomach, which turned out to be black tea with a touch of ginger flavoring. After witnessing the gentleman’s (I’m making an assumption here) sanitation or terrible lack thereof, I drank just a touch of it and prayed I would not get even more sick than I had been. Strike two. I had wanted to people-watch but I went back to the Guest House for a brief nap. Instead I listened to a monk performing what sounded like protector practice in the family shrine room (I was outside in the sitting room), I assume it was protector practice because there were many instruments played – cymbals, the drum and bells.

I did a little practice, lay down and did some reading, only soon thereafter to discover a fuming, steamy, red-hot resentment welling up in my belly. No, believe it or not, I was not sick. Rather, I was Pissed Off and I know not what at. That feeling stuck around for a little while – strike three! It might have been the fact that no matter where I went (restaurants / guest houses) I could only order food in Ladakh that was incredibly spicy (for my sensitive taste at the time). That was starting to rub me the wrong way. The feeling might have just been a visceral manifestation of my desire to get the heck out of the country – several things were starting to grate on me:

1) mentioned the spicy food above, where at every restaurant I went to, knowing my issue with spicy food, I would ask, “please show me what is not spicy.” The waiter would point to a few things. Proceeded by me asking them if they were sure! I would choose what seemed to be the most innocuous but then later leave the restaurant breathing fire, again… and again…

2) I was getting tired of every (!) Kashmiri / Pakistani shop keeper telling me I was their friend and asking if I wanted to come into their store. It effectively made trying to get into the bazaar in Leh, where I would be subject to more of the same, like running a gauntlet – several times daily… normally I am a cool cucumber but by this point I was having difficulty (in case it was not obvious). Luckily I had the natural boundary set up of having an empty wallet.

3) these few days in Ladakh without the containment of the pilgrimage group were like being on a retreat where you know it is “working” because every one of your vices and buttons are coming up and being pushed. I was doing a little practice each day but not pushing too hard. Maybe I was doing too much nonetheless, maybe it was just enough.

And finally, on a separate subject, Ladakhi’s incredible hospitality: last night Stanzin Phuntsok (Tenzin in Tibetan, Stanzin in Ladakhi), the shop owner and Thangka painter from a shop in Leh came by to drop off my already purchased Thangkas. He had wrapped them up and I was very happy with my purchase. About the hospitality, the Guest House owners did not know Stanzin from Adam, seriously – he had to ask me very specifically where the Guest House was located because he had never been there before, but nonetheless, they offered him butter tea. He declined. They pushed a cup into his hand any way, as he was attempting to walk out the door. He said he had somewhere else to be. 🙂 I love it. The same thing happened with Namgyal (the owner of Yama Trekking – a very generous and excellent guide), except, because they knew Namgyal, the server / helper-14-year-old body, Sonam blocked the door and they “forced” Namgyal to sit and have tea. It was very comical.

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – compassion or pity?

Just to make certain I portray both sides of the road here. In past posts, I briefly touch on the poverty that you will notice when you travel to Ladakh, but previously, I did not mention much in the way of specifics.

Okay, for those readers interested in my take on some of the suffering that goes on, read on. I think my inability to digest and process all of this information led to my being sick some of the time – when I was with the pilgrimage group, it was easier to turn a cold shoulder to. However, when I was on my own in Ladakh, everything was vividly in front of my face. I was reminded constantly of how easy we have things in the West.

One day, the group saw the cutest puppy playing in a field. It was very fluffy and cute indeed. However, when I was alone and walking up the street one day, I saw that it was nosing after every little thing in the same field, obviously searching for food. It continued doing so in the street until I got close. Then, when I tried to slowly approach it, despite my being good with animals, it got frightened and ran away. So much isolation and fear at a young age – ouch!

Then, while I was attending the Dalai Lama’s birthday celebration, I saw a beggar woman, who was very short – maybe 4 feet tall. And this little woman had a tiny screaming baby. Oh my word! If I had had some extra spending money at that point, I would have given her some (and then possibly had all the beggars descend on me). But it was heartrending to hear that child. And then to think that it might, hopefully not, have been her child? Hard to process… Ooph!

In my journal I wrote that the wild animals seemed to be happiest, if I might anthropomorphize a moment. The dzos we saw (hybrid yak / cows) in Nubra Valley were rampant and playful, chasing each other around the streams. Jumping lightly despite carrying such bulky bodies.

Back in Leh, there were several occasions when car horns would spook cows and they would run into parked vehicles or slip as they stepped in the deep gutters. On one occasion I passed a cow whose tail was dripping blood. Sure, these instances could happen anywhere, but I guess I was hypersensitive by the end of my time in Ladakh – spiritually full and emotionally overwhelmed.

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – Spituk Monastery

July 7th, 2008 – I was sick. I wrote in my journal that I lay in bed (or near the head) from 10 pm to 4 pm with a break for breakfast. Ugh! I tried to motivate myself to go out and grab lunch but to no avail.

July 8th, I took the initiative, despite still feeling a little under the weather, and I went out to see Spituk Monastery (Gompa) – it is the monastery on the hill which you see as you land at the airport. It is above both the civilian airport and an Indian air force base. I truly appreciate how the spiritual life overlaps the military presence in India. Back to the story, Spituk is a Gelugpa Gompa, fairly large with two sections (two buildings with large and smaller shrine rooms) plus a protector shrine up some steep stairs. I found it unusual considering the protector shrine has images of Shiva – therefore it is considered both a Hindu and Buddhist monastery (at the time, I had difficulty rectifying this, however now I realize Shiva is also a protector of the Gelugs and the Dalai Lama – Yay! We can share deities).

First I will describe the Gonkhang (Protector Shrine) as there were more Hindu pilgrims there than Buddhists (me). I assumed they were Hindu because they tended to have a red dot between their eye brows. But I could be off. This was a very fancy, and therefore very well off, protector shrine. There was plush carpet in the entrance room, fabric on all the walls and the ceiling, and monks were handing out little spoonfuls of blessed food (forgot what it was and did not write it down – but I recall it being spiced and flavorful) and the protector deities were all covered. If you stand facing the statues, then there are a few masks behind you – a nice touch.

In the monastery, there were many little shrines – 21 Taras, Shakyamuni and attendants were in one of the main halls, 1000 arm Chenrezig, 16 Arhats, 8 close disciples of the Buddha and tiny statues of Bodhisattvas. There were dogs running around, along with a mother cat and her kittens. In the primary meditation hall, the Dalai Lama’s throne was very ornate, along with Bakula Rinpoche’s (just a touch lower of course). Bakula Rinpoche’s previous incarnation was very politically active, and he was one of the few monks / politicians – he was an ambassador to Mongolia (from India). We had the great fortune to receive blessings from the current incarnation while we were in the Nubra Valley – only thing is he was about 4 years old at the time – probably a few years away from politics.

I happened to walk into the other meditation hall accidentally. Later I realized it was kind of cordoned off. There were a few monks in there carrying on – laughing and talking and one was working on a sand mandala when I walked in. However, once they realized I was a tourist or Westerner (not sure which or both) they all quieted down and started moving things around the mandala’s table. They were working on the outline – done in pencil first – before the sand goes down. They told me it was to be a Yamataka mandala. I wish I could have seen it.

This monastery has a nice view of the large Indus River Valley, where Leh and the airports are located. From the monastery you can see many tiny buildings, villages and houses. I would recommend seeing this monastery if you have some extra time, as the protector shrine is a bit unusual, however I thought other monasteries had more to offer in terms of statuary. Plus this monastery is only 15 minutes from Leh.

On a side note, the taxis in Ladakh do very well. Not because they stiff you, but because they are unionized – at least the ones dealing with travel agencies are. Therefore the drivers do well and you know what to expect to pay, even if the price is a little steep. It will be steep everywhere you go in Ladakh.

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – winding down

There is something abundantly satisfying to the pace of life in Ladakh. I did my laundry by hand, again, and it feels so good to be physically involved in my well-being. The day after the Dalai Lama’s birthday was a tidying up day – needed to get some things taken care of. Wrote postcards, spent some leisure time reading, ate a huge breakfast, filled my water bottles at the purified water station and then went to the post office. One note – you must assert yourself at times in Ladakh, which of course makes sense, I was still in India. There was a line in the post office.. however.. half the people who entered paid no attention to it! Therefore I eventually saw this pattern, held my own and got to the front for stamps, which cost, wait for it!….. Eight rupees. Hold on a second! For less than 20 cents U.S., I can send a postcard from Ladakh to anywhere in the United States? Wow!! If you count all the stops, I bet it travels 12 – 15K miles… Of course, sometimes things get lost in the mail, or delayed for a few months – only to arrive way after you do… But for eight rupees I could scarcely believe my luck. However, in glancing through my journal, this was actually a surprisingly full day, so onward!

I met with Tamding and then his brother, who showed me their apartment. Oof! In Tibetan, Tamding described it as being large and adequate. Well I would say it was more on the adequate side. It had a dirt floor, cement walls and wooden rafters, with a single “window” and door. The lock was on a hook on the door (no doorknob). They shared a large communal bathroom which I was a bit scared to enter (to be frank). In the apartment, they (Tamding, his wife Drolkar and his brother Chopha) had put down mats, put up a thangka and other decorations so I found it quite pleasant. Note, I would definitely be more of a social butterfly if I lived there. 🙂

Anyway, I gave Chopha a Craniosacral session. It was good for me to share my skills. Although it was a little exhausting (remember my anxiety and adrenals were running loop-de-loops) and I did not speak to him about an exchange, so I felt a little disappointed. But overall glad to be gifting some bodywork in Ladakh.

Then he and I went to his table in a Tibetan market and he showed me his CD’s for sale. I listened to about a dozen of them before deciding on a few. In the process, several foreigners came by. Two of them stood out – two Israeli women tried to strike a bargain, but neither side would budge so they did not purchase any CDs. I mean hey – with me standing right there, not bothering to talk them down, why should they acquiesce to the bargain hunters? Or maybe I should learn to ask for the bare minimum in the future and see what happens.

Visited Namgyal again (not sure why), where I met a Canadian woman who looked really familiar. Went through the rigamarole for exchanging money – beware and bring your money from Delhi! They charged a five percent commission. Finally I rounded out my day by visiting the Amchi, the Tibetan doctor, again.

She repeated several pieces of advice from the previous visit, however, she also mentioned some new advice. What blew me away is that she had not touched my wrist for three seconds when she stated, matter of factly, “no more apple juice. Don’t drink anymore!” Wow that was quick and it must be so obvious in my pulses. The same thing happened previously to another pilgrim – she yelled at him for drinking apple juice. This time she told me, to remedy my extreme Loong (Tibetan word for WIND) and Lung (the English word for the organ which manages respiration) disorders, I needed to avoid the following: roasted food, salty food, spicy food, apple juice, heavy exertion like running, cold water (I should drink warm water), anything which requires me to breathe hard, dessert type foods (ah no more sweets), caffeine and finally she recommended I keep my chest warm – no going out unprepared.

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – H. H. the Dalai Lama’s birthday in Ladakh

We visited Ladakh in June / July of 2008, which was tragically after the Chinese crackdown on Tibet. This was the year of the Chinese Summer Olympics, so there was more attention on China (and Tibet) and people tried to take advantage of this. Anyway, what does this have to do with Ladakh? Well, if Tibetans are suffering in Tibet, they are suffering everywhere – Tibetans in exile have a strong sense of solidarity for their country-people. Therefore, His Holiness’ birthday was commemorated in Ladakh but I would not say celebrated. There were no dancers and aside from long life prayers for the Dalai Lama, there was very little singing if at all. It was still an enjoyable experience however.

I went with Tamding and Chopha. They hailed a taxi, whose driver looked at me (white, obvious Westerner, probably a touch naive) and demanded more money. Therefore some negotiations arose, luckily it seemed that Tamding was up to the challenge and got his desired rate. It was a few miles to the east of Leh, passing through a couple of villages and near some military installments. I knew the place, having passed it on multiple occasions heading toward monasteries in that direction (Chemray, Stakna, Hemis, etc). When there is no Tibetan holiday occurring, it is just a large empty field, with multiple stupas (see my photos), an obvious temple and audience building (it has no walls in the front), and then a little beyond that, slightly hidden in the trees is His Holiness’ Ladakhi palace.

Wow – as I mentioned in an earlier post, going to His Holiness’ palace in Ladakh is almost like going to a monastery, and of course it makes sense that it is a definite pilgrimage site – although I don’t believe there is often public access to it. Therefore, if you are ever in Ladakh on July 6th, go and visit! You will not be disappointed. Unfortunately I did not take any photos of the palace… (duh! I think I was caught up in the rush of pilgrims and the novelty and privilege of entering one of the Dalai Lama’s palaces).

We were dropped off in front of the palace, having planned to arrive an hour or two early (which according to laid back “Tibetan time”, could be different!) before the speeches were set to start. There were already lines out the door, with children running around, people climbing trees to hang fresh prayer flags, with the majority of people seeming to be of Tibetan origin, however there were a few Westerners dotting the landscape. We joined the line of pilgrims entering the palace.

Incredible or breath-taking just barely come close to describing His Holiness’ northern palace (in Ladakh). I may have been slightly affected by the discernible devotion which was practically pouring out of every pilgrim’s pores, including my own, but it is a beautiful building. The palace has three floors with shrines on each. Downstairs is the Dalai Lama’s throne room or reception room. There is a shrine with many statues of Gelugpa masters. The stairs seemed a little narrow, however if there were not hundreds of pilgrims slowly meandering in line, up and down them, I’m sure they would do fine. I recall there being a separate 21 Taras shrine, a shrine with Shakyamuni Buddha as the prominent figure and then upstairs, ahhhh…. I still sigh. There is a gorgeous 1000-arm Chenrezig statue, which is about eight feet tall – life-like. I found it fitting that the statue of Chenrezig was featured and in a venerable location in the palace of Chenrezig’s emanation.

The building is made of glass and wood, which seemed imported. It was a lighter colored wood than I was used to seeing in Leh. All the glass allowed ample lighting into the rooms, which seemed to glitter with all the golden statues and exquisite thangkas (paintings). Oh – and if that weren’t enough, the line also proceeded up a few stairs to an elevated room that had a tiny bed – seriously, it was two feet by four feet or less, no way His Holiness did any comfortable sleeping. I was told this was the Dalai Lama’s “bedroom” but I am now even more convinced that His Holiness does not need to sleep. It had all glass walls, so attendants or anyone else on that top floor could see into it. Aside from the bed, it was very spartan in its furnishings. There was a small shrine against one wall and a chair, and that seemed to be it.

We wandered down the few hundred yards path, through the trees with fresh prayer flags flapping in the breeze, toward the plain I had seen earlier, which was now full of Tibetans. There were several large Tibetan tents set up, along with dozens of smaller ones. We also went through the second temple, which is near His Holiness’ audience area. This was very pleasant, if a little less well decorated than the palace. However, there were statues of Tsongkapa and a couple of large thangkas – I guess I was a little spoiled from visiting the palace first.

Then we sat in the grass, chatting with other Tibetans. There were about 60-plus monks present, and they chanted prayers for a long while – I asked and Tamding thought they were doing long life and aspiration prayers for His Holiness. Finally, early in the afternoon, some dark, official looking cars drove up. Senior monks and government officials got out and, after a bit of who-is-the-most-senior-monk-shuffling happened, they gave speeches. One was the Dalai Lama’s representative in Ladakh – he talked about the tragedy occurring in China and how the Tibetans were concerned for their country-people’s safety and well-being.

We wandered around for a little while longer and then I got antsy. I asked Tamding if we could go soon and it seemed he was also ready to leave. They got a good laugh out of me however, when I tasted some of the spiciest Tibetan corn noodles I have ever laid my hands on. Tamding ordered a bowl for me and for himself. There was a group of Tibetans around me watching my eating process, and after I put the first bite in my mouth I knew why. Oh my word! I think the spicy peppers must have been the 2nd most plentiful ingredient – more than the water in the broth I am sure 🙂 Tamding later told me the recipe – corn noodles, soy sause, kefir, saipan (spiciness) and sugar. Very simple and yet very potent. My taste buds were complaining for the rest of the day – wait, what taste buds?

I saw many beggars and people who appeared to be suffering at the Dalai Lama’s birthday commemoration. I had to develop a lot of compassion or ignore them. I suspect that they receive some form of charity at these events. We drove back to town without further incident.

The rest of the day was spent playing cards with Sonam – the small, 14 year old boy who acts as server, porter, cleaning person and gardener. He also sings some uplifting Ladakhi songs – high pitched voice but soothing nonetheless. Sonam calls Angchuk and Chorra his parents despite the fact that they are not. I wonder if he is adopted – I can easily see the Cinderella dynamic going on. Or he may just work in the big city during the tourist season and then head back to his village during the rest of the year.

I was doing a little bit of practice on these days off as it were. However, one distraction arose when I met the daughter of the house. Whoa.. I must say that in Ladakhi women you can find a mixture of several beautiful lineages – Persian, Baltistani, Indian and Tibetan – and the resulting blend is enigmatic and elusive, on top of enticing. But I digress. She speaks very clear English but it seemed that she did not want to say too much – not that she was shy, but rather it did not seem customary for her to speak with the guests. So that was that and I was able to go back to reading and resting. Altogether, a good day.