The unexpected disruption inherent to plans made in India held true to form in the first group outing from McLeod Ganj. We had been told of our audience with the Karmapa a few days previous to leaving with the intent that we would have time to research his role in the world of Tibetan Buddhism as well as time to collect the clothing and ceremonial details appropriate for such an audience. However, the flexibility extolled in the program description demanded legitimacy when the audience was shifted one morning earlier and the news delivered the night before. Besides the incredible variability of plans made in India, the hospitality of my host family and the surrounding community was also evident in the time leading up to the event. Not only was I offered a ceremonial kata to present to the Karmapa, I was supplied with a traditional chupa to wear—which my host mother assisted me in fitting the next morning. A chupa is traditional Tibetan garb. For women, it consists of a blouse-like shirt underneath a floor-length wrap dress with more fabric in the skirt tied around the waist. For married women, the outfit also includes a handmade silk pandin or apron consisting of three panels of horizontal stripes, On the taxi ride to the monastery, the difference between the community of McLeod Ganj and the lower Dharamsala could be felt on many levels. The temperature was higher, the demographics were clearly more Indian than Tibetan, the traffic was stronger, and the pace of life was much faster.
Arriving at the monastery, we were shown to a waiting room where our passports were given in exchange for sweet tea and friskings, yes ! We were joining a group of students from U of Michigan for our an audience with His Holiness, and once everyone was checked in, we were hustled upstairs to wait outside the small receiving room. The combination of heat and nerves had a silencing effect on our group. We presented donations and our ceremonial katas and then sat for some q-and-a with a very young (22/23 years old) His Holiness. The UM students asked a few questions that the Karmapa struggled with as they dealt with the future following His Holiness the Dalai Lama's death, a sensitive topic for anyone in the Tibetan or Buddhist world. All in all, he seemed a little disinterested in their questions. The feeling we got was that, faced with a group of similarly-aged American travelers, he would rather, as my friend Steph put it, "crack a coke and talk about rock and roll." He actually said that he was jealous of our ability to up and leave whenever we wanted, a statement which cracked my heart just a little. Following a photo with our little PSU group and H.H., we were escorted out. As we were leaving the room, he started to say something, but then, as we kept walking, I only heard, "oh, you are going." I only wish we had stayed to hear what he wanted to say! Blast! The experience was definitely bittersweet.
A surprise awaited us when we returned from our excursion to the Karmapa's monastery. Back in McLeod Ganj, our trip organizer Lindsay told us that the next day, thanks to the shared past of the leader from the UM group, we would be having a private audience, with His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. If it wasn't already at this point, this trip hit the surreal. We were unprepared for the question aspect of our meeting that morning, so we wanted to construct an appropriate question to ask, if we were given the chance. The rest of the day was spent thinking of questions--kind of mentally procrastinating thinking of the importance of this meeting to come.
15 May
The morning of our audience, where I could have been extremely nervous, I felt somewhat empty and calm. I had volunteered to take some tokens from my host family to have blessed, and they responded exuberantly, plying me with several prayer beads, pendants, and a few other small items. Chupa-ed, we went to the Namgyal temple, where many Indian tourists proceeded to demand our photos with there friends and families. *Side note: apparently, this country's goal is to have me in as many family photo albums as possible. Space Oddity.
We were then escorted through security and taken to a reception room where one empty chair faced about 30 others. Obviously His Holiness would rather Western travelers sit in chairs and shoes than have any chance of discomfort on our part. It wasn't until Asia and I were sitting in the front row about 6 feet from His Holiness' chair that the nerves hit me. The room became silent, broken after a couple minutes by H.H.'s secretary coming in and after giving us a brief glance, saying, "Relax. He's not coming for another ten minutes."
We heard his laugh before we ever saw him. The UM leader, Garreth, was asked to personally greet him at the door and you could tell by his reception that H.H. cared deeply for him. He walked in, saw Garreth, cocked his head and laughed at him before embracing him. He spoke to us fluidly about our generation and our role in the future, as well as the challenges faced by his people in the international arena, and his insistence on investigations into the reality of life in Tibet was very strong. When he asked for questions, ours came second to UM. Previously in the morning when we had fine-tuned ours, the group had graciously decided that I would be the one to ask it if the occasion should arise. When it came time, I was shaking, but his demeanor allowed for direct eye contact, and he took the question into consideration before answering. During his answer, he consistently kept eye contact to make sure I understood what he was saying. A mind-blowing experience to say the least. After a couple more questions from the UM students, he allowed a few photos with the whole group and then blessed the tray of tokens. We were ushered out and used the rest of the day to process the experience.
16 May
Bing Bang Boom. Big days. Definitely hard to process all these happenings. Following the surprise audience with His Holiness, Saturday proved to include an experience equally soul-rocking. We took a trip to Jamyang Choling nunnery, where we would see His Holiness--again!?!--presiding over a graduation ceremony of several nuns. The energy-sapping heat of day might have contributed, but I feel like I lost an hour during the whole proceedings, starting with the doors opening and His Holiness chanting along with the nuns; the sounds they made would shake anyone. They provided us with butter tea and a rice mix because it is believed that without nourishment, the body and mind cannot absorb the teachings of the Buddha. He spoke for quite some time, and presided over the graduation, a momentous occasion for the nuns. Recognizing the group of foreigners, H.H. actually asked if there were any interpreters in the audience. Luckily, one man was kind enough to translate for some of our group. He discussed the progression of monastic scholars to Geshe-la status (beyond a PhD) and how nuns do not have their own designation of this status and whether they should have one under a different name. I found this out later as I was too far from the translator, but the experience was incredible and I cannot forget the sounds of the collective mantras. A luncheon provided by the nunnery followed the ceremony, but the heat made it almost unbearable and we were much more comfortable back in the hills. Just to keep things exciting, we would be heading out the next morning for an overnight trip.
17 May
Our nausea-inducing drive led us about 6 hours east, through the old kingdom town of Mundi up to Tso Pema (Lotus Lake), a holy site for both Hindus and Tibetans. The story varies depending on the storyteller, but the version my host family tells is intriguing:
King Mundi had a daughter that wanted to marry a certain man but her father disapproved, thinking the man was too simple and poor for his daughter. Turns out this man was Guru Rinpoché, soon-to-be Buddha who would eventually bring Buddhism to Tibet. This was unknown to everyone at this point. To prevent this marriage, Mundi hid his daughter in a cave at the top of a mountain. Passing by, Guru Rinpoché saw her and entered the cave. There, he provided her with a Buddhist teaching and he meditated for some time. A passing shepherd saw them both inside and ran off to tell Mundi. Upon hearing this, the king demanded that the shepherd bring him to the cave and, if there was no man with his daughter, the punishment of the shepherd would be death. At the cave, King Mundi saw Guru Rinpoché and had him captured. He charged two attendants with the task of burning G.R. alive and that death would be their punishment if they failed to do so. Left with G.R., they attempted to light the pyre but the wood would not take flame. They begged G.R. to save their lives by allowing himself to be cremated. He sacrificed his life for theirs and died. A lake formed and he was reincarnated through a lotus in the lake as Buddha.
The lake is filled with fat fish that fight at the surface with mouths open, begging like seagulls for food. There are two monasteries and a Sikh temple (with amazing prayer broadcasts) as well as a HUGE golden sculpture of Guru Rinpoché sitting in a lotus. The second day, we went to the top of the mountain, where we entered the meditative cave and ourselves meditated. Following our meditation in front of a rock-carved likeness of the Buddha, we climbed higher and participated in an incense-burning, flag-hanging puja. The hillside was practically covered with prayer flags at various stages of life and color. I spoke with a visiting nun from a nunnery in Dehra Dun and again was struck by the variation in life; she was 19 and had joined one year previous.
The time at the lake had provided a nice break from the constant barrage of people in McLeod Ganj. Unfortunately the drive back kicked off some time of sickness for Asia and myself which completely drained me of my strength--and fluids--for a day or two. Had to take Tuesday off from school to try and recover. Wednesday and Thursday included classes on the mind, emptiness, and the wheel of life.
22 May
No classes on Friday, so we went to Norbulingka Insitute, a Tibetan school for traditional cultural preservation through visual arts. The institute provides free 3-year courses for Tibetans interested in learning handicrafts such as thangka painting, stitching, metallurgy, and wood-carving. The work the students were doing was stunning. I befriended a fox-like pup as soon as we arrived and she/he (not sure) decided to be our personal tour guide/guard while we were there. Love it. Took pictures mostly of the flora and fauna (foxdog) while there.
Back in McLeod Ganj, began to feel lightheaded and had some chest pains. The night ended very early for me.
23 May
Apparently I plan to become friends with the staff at Delek Hospital, as it seems my body is wanting to try any variation of illness. After some disturbing sputum and a fever, went to the hospital yesterday to discover I have tonsilitis. More antibiotics for me. I really am thankful for the healthcare here. The entire cost of a hospital visit, plus a chest x-ray and medications: USD 10.00
After a post-hospital nap that calmed my fever (along with some meds), I went with my host family to the river ~20 minutes away to do some washing--the water truck hadn't come that day, so no water at home. Again, it was nice to get out for a little breather, especially because my mom wouldn't let me help at all.
A neighbor couple (one Tibetan, one German) invited the neighbors and some friends to a nice dinner, so I went with the family. After the festive dinner, we all walked home and proceeded to have a mini dance party in the courtyard. I'm pretty sure they were keen on just seeing the crazy American girl dance, so after much supplicating and physically pulling me off my bum, I obliged to much clapping and laughter. Just here for entertainment purposes, I suppose. What fun!
24 May
REST DAY. Just hanging around and catching y'all up. Weather is storming loudly, which I love.
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