Moving On

New town, new internet cafe. At this one, in the hill station of Shimla, the keyboard actually resembles one we might see in the States, no sticky keys, a rather quick connection, no need to constantly refresh the language option to English. However, your blogger is still challenged with parts of this technology and at this cybercafe, it's a challenge to edit the last post and remove the double of the Tibetan woman sweeping the walk. When I figure that one out, I will switch photos; until then, I wish to catch up on the last of Norbulingka and my stay at McLeod Ganj.

My Norbulingka visit was coupled with a visit to the Gyuto Monastery (the larger monastery as the one I teach at in McL). I was there to see Karmapa, a young lama who, along with HH the Dalai Lama, is known world-wide as a great leader. However, Karmapa was "out of town" when I arrived. Nonetheless, the monastery was delightful. I happened to be there when the monks were chanting. The energy in the temple was definitely ethereal and was a good chance for some quiet meditation and reflection on the part of the sentient beings like me, who happened to be there at the time.

Monasteries, as spiritual as they may be, are also part of the day to day routine in the life of Buddhists. These Indian taxicab drivers, waiting for a paying customer, are playing cards outside of the monastery as I pass. They were kind enough to allow me to take their picture and delighted in seeing themselves on camera.



Here is a closeup of the temple. Pictures are not allowed to be taken inside, but one can feel the presence of peace and love even from the outside. Unlike the small, very old and run-down Gyuto Monastery in McL where I teach, this one is very modern, clean and well kept. The monks at "my" monastery are out "doing puja" all day long to earn money for the larger monastery. This means they spend time with families, saying prayers for long life, health and safety. As you can see, they must do a good job with puja, as this monastery is just gorgeous.



After visiting Gyuto, I returned to Norbulingka. Here are a couple of shots of the Thanka painting studio. The artists here also work quietly, while plugged into their mobiles. There's a definite hush to the room, even when they are working together, poring over a book looking for ideas for the background setting of a painting.


The paints are made of ground rocks and leaves, so they are natural. It is important for each part of the thanka to be part of the universal energy. Most of the artists sit on the floor to work, thus the small easels as seen above.

In this shot, taken along the way back to Norbulingka, there's a huge ox sleeping in a mud puddle at the bottom right. I couldn't figure out why his back was wet until I got closer and saw his clever idea for keeping cool on this very hot day. Using his tail to swish water on his back, he knew to "lay low" and hang out in the shade of his owner's house as well.


On the way back to the institute, I couldn't help but snap a picture of clothes drying on railing. During the monsoon, some folks have to hang clothes out for a week waiting for them to dry. It makes for a VERY boring and sometimes slightly smelly wardrobe.


In the Norbulingka temple, one can take pictures. Here is one of the murals painted on the wall behind the Buddha statuary. Each intricate painting tells a story from the scriptures of Buddha, not unlike what one might see in a stained glass painting in a church. However, the paintings are very detailed. Some parts of each image can be merely centimeters. The effect is breathtaking. With my attention to detail, it takes me a very long time to feel like I've even gotten a brief look at the entire wall. Different murals adorn each wall, so there's a lot to learn.


Back to the Dalai Lama temple on Sunday of that week, I spent a few hours there. Many visitors as well as local people go there each day to pray, circummabulate (the Tibetan spelling; is that correct?), which means to walk around the inner temple three to five times, saying prayers along the way, offer prayers, food, money and kartas (scarves offered in blessing) to the Buddha and other deities. The temple, unlike the rest of town is cleaned regularly. Here's a picture of a man sweeping, as happens several times a day. Notice the broom. It is made of dried rice sheaves.


Here's a shot of local folks and monks circummabulating. Prayer beads are usually worn by all Buddhists, either as a bracelet or tied to one's clothing. Many women come daily to do this prayer walk. The sign in the temple (the upper floor is where this takes place, among the swinging monkeys) directs people as to the direction in which to walk. Generally speaking, walking meditations take place in a clockwise direction.

All's well that ends well. This blog is about two weeks behind. Much has happened since Norbulingka, but I did want to finish up with information about this fabulous place. I did have a minor meltdown (ask my sons) leaving McLeod Ganj and thought of "throwing in the towel" and coming home, baby that I can be. McLeod Ganj, with its very gentle Buddhist influence is almost like a cocoon for India novices like me. Going out into "India proper" was a bit of a shock, but I'm recovering now and looking forward to filling you in on the end of my teaching and my travels after that.

If you have the inclination, please check out this website: www.thetibetpost.com for a feature article under science and environment about my conversation class and the fabulous letter they composed to the TSO (Tibetan Settlement Office) and Indian Municipality about the litter problem in McL! Tibetans may be in exile, but they still have a voice!

I've kept the internet guy (who plays the best music I've heard in a long time) up long enough, so I'll sign off for now and say, "Ta ta!" ("Goodnight" in Hindi).