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Thursday, March 31, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Liz is delirous
Things she has said in the past day:
Remember when it was cold? I don't.
The next guy who tries to sneakily take my photo as he walks by, I'm gonna rip his camera out of his hands...(later) I just feel like my face is gonna pop up on a billboard.
We did a lot of bargaining on our walk from the Taj...that shirt started at 500 and by the end it was 50. (Elephant Keychains: 6 for 500 to 12 for 100, magnet: 450 to 70. We didn't buy anything, even from the guy selling whips. What?)
How come we can't book train tickets a week in advance because the trains are always full?
...because there are a billion people in India, Liz.
Remember when it was cold? I don't.
The next guy who tries to sneakily take my photo as he walks by, I'm gonna rip his camera out of his hands...(later) I just feel like my face is gonna pop up on a billboard.
We did a lot of bargaining on our walk from the Taj...that shirt started at 500 and by the end it was 50. (Elephant Keychains: 6 for 500 to 12 for 100, magnet: 450 to 70. We didn't buy anything, even from the guy selling whips. What?)
How come we can't book train tickets a week in advance because the trains are always full?
...because there are a billion people in India, Liz.
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Train, really
We got kicked off of sleeper class, which we weren't supposed to be on anyway since we only paid 60 rupees per ticket. That is two meals worth of three and a half hour train ride.
Liz and I are currently squished, standing by the bathroom in what seems to be a car entirely filled with men. Men sitting on the floor by the open door, men standing everywhere, men jumping on the runners as the train leaves the platform. Thankfully, the doors are open and there's a breeze. File under: things that are impossible to describe in words.
Liz and I are currently squished, standing by the bathroom in what seems to be a car entirely filled with men. Men sitting on the floor by the open door, men standing everywhere, men jumping on the runners as the train leaves the platform. Thankfully, the doors are open and there's a breeze. File under: things that are impossible to describe in words.
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Live blog: train
Photos of Delhi and Taj coming, but Liz and I hopped on a train back to Delhi from Agra. We got invited as guests to sit with a man, his wife, and their approximately five children. There are nine people plus us in a six man compartment. Dude just came by handing out bread and jam, and someone is selling rattles and throwing them on the ground. A beggar boy is sweeping the floor.
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Friday, March 25, 2011
Good morning
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Made it!
Apparently the government bus drops you off in Delhi at 510 am. Who knew? It's teatime,
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I'm excited that they're mixed up
It's 219 am. We are eating mixed up goldfish to the tune of on a boat. Thanks, Julia's aunt!
According to Elizabeth, we've almost died around 18 times, including one time when the side of our bus touched the side of another bus. She says, "hi, Mom and Dad."
It is now 222 am. Over and out.
According to Elizabeth, we've almost died around 18 times, including one time when the side of our bus touched the side of another bus. She says, "hi, Mom and Dad."
It is now 222 am. Over and out.
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Thursday, March 24, 2011
The bus
Hey Bev! Talk to you when you wake up. Also, Nellie's mom, I loved your comment. More photos to come of both Nellie and Julia when we meet up with them.
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Live blog: SPRING BREAK
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Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Live blog: HHDL drive by
Not the kind with a shooting. Elizabeth and I were stopped on our way out of class by a mass of people lining the street, waiting for HHDL's motorcade. People have cameras and katas. A cow almost just ran us over. It is the only thing allowed in the street.
It's unclear if we'll have to wait ten minutes or an hour to see the car, but I hope it's short because I want to pick up my bright pink and green pants and shirt from the tailor.
Movement!
It's unclear if we'll have to wait ten minutes or an hour to see the car, but I hope it's short because I want to pick up my bright pink and green pants and shirt from the tailor.
Movement!
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Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Ice cream
Random thoughts:
Butterscotch is way better than chocolate ice cream.
Tibetan medicine instructs you not to eat cool things, like fruit, ice cream, and salad, at night, because night is the time of the cool moon and you will throw your bodily elements out of whack. (Tibetan Medicine is whack, in a good way.)
Booking train tickets in India is beyond time consuming. I'm beginning to think it's a better bet to just get on whatever train you want to be on and go.
There were 14 people in my shared jeep back to McLeod today. A normal sized jeep.
Greatest phrase of the day: "do you want a piece of gum from America?"
I decided on a research project: analyzing messaging and advertising from the Kalon Tripa candidates. This got so much better than it already was when I started collecting posters today and noticed that one of the candidates compares himself to Dumbledore in a flyer. Even more excited than before.
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Thookpa
It's time to write about food.
Today's weather was chilly again, so it was really nice to come home to thookpa. Thookpa (pronounced with an aspirated t) is a traditional Tibetan noodle soup often eaten in the winter. It's pretty heavy and filling, but it really warms you up, which was why I was happy to see it tonight.
Amala makes fresh skinny noodles for thookapa on her very own hand noodle crank that lives on the porch. After they dry, she makes the soup with mutton, onions, carrots, cabbage, and celery (Dane- there may be other things that go into this but I am not allowed to help make dinner). From what I can tell, everything goes into a pressure cooker, and comes out piping hot. The broth is yellow and thick, but not creamy, and the meal is always served in a bowl with chopsticks and chili. Chili is my favorite part of every meal: amala pounds the chili's herself, then adds onions, sometimes cheese (the best with eggs and fried bread in the morning), and this huge black spice that looks like a peppercorn but is apparently some type of Tibetan herb.
Since I can't help with dinner, pala and I usually talk before the meal. Often we talk about Buddhism or politics or current events, and he tells me that education is the most important thing one can have. Like most Buddhists, he doesn't see the value in material things, but thinks education is the key to all locks, first and foremost the Tibetan independence issue. He also likes to talk about current events and had me explain how a tsunami occurs and shared his thoughts on Lybia and Egypt.
Amala brings dinner and the chili (the chili has its own special bowl, and she makes fresh chili about three times a week) to the table. I often sit on my bed, which doubles as a couch, and Amala and Pala sit on the couch or the chair. Sometimes during dinner we continue to talk with Amala, and sometimes we watch television. Pala likes to watch the news, both Indian news programs and BBC and CNN, while amala likes Hindi soap operas. Indian commercials are totally ridiculous and fascinate me. Amala always tries to feed me a second helping. I try to clear the table, but amala never lets me wash the dishes because she thinks the water is too cold. I hate leaving dirty dishes in the sink (thanks, dad! ) but I agree with her because it is pretty cold by this time (we eat between 8 and 9 pm). After dinner amala and pala always encourage/force me to eat fruit, so I normally have a banana. If the tv wasn't on before, amala tunes in to the soap at this point, except when her brother David Copperfield (no joke) visited, because he doesn't like soap operas.
Any leftover food is either eaten for breakfast or given to the dog, Khatook, who found his/her way back to the ranch tonight. As pala put it, "our mission was not a success." I'm kind of happy to have the fluffball back.
Today's weather was chilly again, so it was really nice to come home to thookpa. Thookpa (pronounced with an aspirated t) is a traditional Tibetan noodle soup often eaten in the winter. It's pretty heavy and filling, but it really warms you up, which was why I was happy to see it tonight.
Amala makes fresh skinny noodles for thookapa on her very own hand noodle crank that lives on the porch. After they dry, she makes the soup with mutton, onions, carrots, cabbage, and celery (Dane- there may be other things that go into this but I am not allowed to help make dinner). From what I can tell, everything goes into a pressure cooker, and comes out piping hot. The broth is yellow and thick, but not creamy, and the meal is always served in a bowl with chopsticks and chili. Chili is my favorite part of every meal: amala pounds the chili's herself, then adds onions, sometimes cheese (the best with eggs and fried bread in the morning), and this huge black spice that looks like a peppercorn but is apparently some type of Tibetan herb.
Since I can't help with dinner, pala and I usually talk before the meal. Often we talk about Buddhism or politics or current events, and he tells me that education is the most important thing one can have. Like most Buddhists, he doesn't see the value in material things, but thinks education is the key to all locks, first and foremost the Tibetan independence issue. He also likes to talk about current events and had me explain how a tsunami occurs and shared his thoughts on Lybia and Egypt.
Amala brings dinner and the chili (the chili has its own special bowl, and she makes fresh chili about three times a week) to the table. I often sit on my bed, which doubles as a couch, and Amala and Pala sit on the couch or the chair. Sometimes during dinner we continue to talk with Amala, and sometimes we watch television. Pala likes to watch the news, both Indian news programs and BBC and CNN, while amala likes Hindi soap operas. Indian commercials are totally ridiculous and fascinate me. Amala always tries to feed me a second helping. I try to clear the table, but amala never lets me wash the dishes because she thinks the water is too cold. I hate leaving dirty dishes in the sink (thanks, dad! ) but I agree with her because it is pretty cold by this time (we eat between 8 and 9 pm). After dinner amala and pala always encourage/force me to eat fruit, so I normally have a banana. If the tv wasn't on before, amala tunes in to the soap at this point, except when her brother David Copperfield (no joke) visited, because he doesn't like soap operas.
Any leftover food is either eaten for breakfast or given to the dog, Khatook, who found his/her way back to the ranch tonight. As pala put it, "our mission was not a success." I'm kind of happy to have the fluffball back.
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Monday, March 21, 2011
The Way Home
If this video uploads it will be a miracle (I sat at the internet cafe from about 2:30 to six for this masterpiece....overkill? Maybe. Oh well). It shows part of the route to my homestay, and tells a little bit about my host parents. Other fun facts that I did not include in the video:
Amala is 50, Pala is 62-ish
Amala comes from a family with three fathers (this is traditional in Tibetan society. Brothers often marry the same wife to have more men around since the lifestyle is really hard). She only lived with one of them, because one husband died before she was born and another was in the Indian military (they have Tibetan regiments) and stationed away from home.
I would fill this time with writing about the oracle we saw this morning, but I just wrote a 5 page paper on it (in less time than it took the video to upload...welcome to study abroad!) and don't feel like it. It was one of the most authentic things we've seen and one of the legitimately out there crazy things that I feel uncomfortable with on an intellectual level (as in, I think it's weird, and then I feel bad for thinking that. But it is weird, and funny, in a really non-politically correct way).
Anyway, watch the video. (direct link in case the embedding doesn't work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwGi5eiHD3g)
Amala is 50, Pala is 62-ish
Amala comes from a family with three fathers (this is traditional in Tibetan society. Brothers often marry the same wife to have more men around since the lifestyle is really hard). She only lived with one of them, because one husband died before she was born and another was in the Indian military (they have Tibetan regiments) and stationed away from home.
I would fill this time with writing about the oracle we saw this morning, but I just wrote a 5 page paper on it (in less time than it took the video to upload...welcome to study abroad!) and don't feel like it. It was one of the most authentic things we've seen and one of the legitimately out there crazy things that I feel uncomfortable with on an intellectual level (as in, I think it's weird, and then I feel bad for thinking that. But it is weird, and funny, in a really non-politically correct way).
Anyway, watch the video. (direct link in case the embedding doesn't work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwGi5eiHD3g)
Quick updates, and I love my brother
My real brother Derek (not my homestay brother Dawa), who is a freshman in high school, got called up to the varsity baseball team this weekend! He played short and got a hit and I am enormously proud. Derek, I hope mom and dad show this to you, because I love you to the moon and back and I really enjoyed that you think I give good virtual hugs. You do too.
Amala and I brought Khatook, our dog, to the TCV school this afternoon because the dog eats shoes and stairs, but not food. So we gave it away. It was never established if the dog was a boy or a girl because Tibetans get their pronouns mixed up, especially when talking about animals.
It was election day today! The temple served as polling place.
There was also a puja at the temple with more butter sculptures. I will show off my new art knowledge with photos.
My hair has red powder even after I washed it twice. Thanks, Holi. Photos to come.
The train ride back from Mathura can only be described as a tale of anxiety, frustration, bribery, and corruption. At least Liz and I didn't have to physically run on the tracks to catch the train.
I got Amala's life story and spoke to my host sister on the phone.
Full circle, back to my brother.priceless exchange from when my phone actually worked (it currently doesn't make or receive calls...TII):
Me: we're going to see an oracle tomorrow. Do you know what that is?
Derek: kind of.
Me: a guy has a seizure and predicts the future.
Derek: seriously?
Seriously. At 6 am. It was bedtime a long time ago.
Amala and I brought Khatook, our dog, to the TCV school this afternoon because the dog eats shoes and stairs, but not food. So we gave it away. It was never established if the dog was a boy or a girl because Tibetans get their pronouns mixed up, especially when talking about animals.
It was election day today! The temple served as polling place.
There was also a puja at the temple with more butter sculptures. I will show off my new art knowledge with photos.
My hair has red powder even after I washed it twice. Thanks, Holi. Photos to come.
The train ride back from Mathura can only be described as a tale of anxiety, frustration, bribery, and corruption. At least Liz and I didn't have to physically run on the tracks to catch the train.
I got Amala's life story and spoke to my host sister on the phone.
Full circle, back to my brother.priceless exchange from when my phone actually worked (it currently doesn't make or receive calls...TII):
Me: we're going to see an oracle tomorrow. Do you know what that is?
Derek: kind of.
Me: a guy has a seizure and predicts the future.
Derek: seriously?
Seriously. At 6 am. It was bedtime a long time ago.
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Thursday, March 17, 2011
Peace out
Liz and I are going to Mathura for Holi, an Indian festival where people throw paint and colored powder on each other. I'm hoping my camera is powderproof in addition to waterproof and dropproof. Back on Election day! (Aka Sunday...Tibet doesn't even have land, but they have elections on the weekend. Get it together, America)
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Tso pema
Highlights: crawling through very narrow (like, Liz and Nellie couldn't fit with backpacks) caves to "be reborn" as Buddhists, seeing supposed footprints and back prints in rock, seeing meditation caves (pictured), doing Kora with a super old monk who spoke no english but really enjoyed taking photos with us, the lack of white people.
No water in the hotel was slightly a downer, but we made up for it by eating only at dhabas (Indian restaurants that serve only veg or non veg plates for 30 rupees) and enjoying being somewhere where the locals vacation. No one hassled us (and white people always get super hassled) and I got an awesome prayer wheel made of yak bone. And the weather was warm!
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Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tioo part two
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How to grow up
Go abroad.
The end.
Just kidding. But I was talking to my friend Michela yesterday (mikay, I hope you're reading this. Hope you're not embarrassed.) And she said some awesome things.
A little background: Michela and I lived next door to each other freshman year, and thus had a lot of heart to heart conversations. She also is allergic to nuts, mangos, soy, and about a billion other things.
Anyway, she's currently in London having a great time and an abroad experience completely unlike mine (as in, she has her own room with internet and heat and hot water and nightlife and stuff). Regardless, she's abroad and still has to navigate many of the same cultural differences that appear when you leave America, which really opens your eyes to the way you normally live life and the way other people normally live life.
She also said that she feels more like a real person, because she reads for pleasure and watches the news and is more involved in the world. I feel that way too: I read way more here than I normally do during the semester, and I really appreciate the news because it's so scarce (although we have been watching a lot of BBC news because of the tsunami. Pala is really interested, as am I. I'm glued to the tv). Anyway, I feel more connected to the world here. I'm not sure why that is, but Michela agreed, so I have company/validation.
Also, being here forces you to do things by yourself. I do this at home, but it's more apparent here, because I make decisions like "do I brush my teeth with tap water?" (Yes) and "do I drink this iced tea even though I was told only to eat hot things?" (Yes) and "is it safe to take this taxi? Am I going the right direction? Is this guy ripping me off?" (Never really clear until later) All these questions are ones you deal with everywhere (maybe not the food ones), but they are so much more prominent here because it's hard to ask other people what to do. It's great to be a part of the world and live in it and think about things (both news and intellectual things and even everyday decisions) more than usual, even if it is sometimes tiring or more difficult than at home. My friend Kathryn, who is currently in China, said kind of the same thing in an email, about how when you're abroad it's sometimes a victory just to figure out where you live or where to buy cheese or how to ask a question or be polite. She mentioned a book about making multiple places feel like home, which is a super interesting concept to me, since right now I think I could call about 4 places home, and at the same time I've always thought of home as a collection of people, rather than a physical location. More than some place that's comfortable to return to, instead of somewhere simply familiar. I think that's how some places feel like home even if you've never been there before, and how you lose a connection with places you've lived before, and such. I've also heard the theory that home is somewhere where someone comes to pick you up from the airport (Dane, I hope you're reading, and I was happy to see that people picked you up and treated you well in Pittsburgh. I liked it there.)
The end.
Just kidding. But I was talking to my friend Michela yesterday (mikay, I hope you're reading this. Hope you're not embarrassed.) And she said some awesome things.
A little background: Michela and I lived next door to each other freshman year, and thus had a lot of heart to heart conversations. She also is allergic to nuts, mangos, soy, and about a billion other things.
Anyway, she's currently in London having a great time and an abroad experience completely unlike mine (as in, she has her own room with internet and heat and hot water and nightlife and stuff). Regardless, she's abroad and still has to navigate many of the same cultural differences that appear when you leave America, which really opens your eyes to the way you normally live life and the way other people normally live life.
She also said that she feels more like a real person, because she reads for pleasure and watches the news and is more involved in the world. I feel that way too: I read way more here than I normally do during the semester, and I really appreciate the news because it's so scarce (although we have been watching a lot of BBC news because of the tsunami. Pala is really interested, as am I. I'm glued to the tv). Anyway, I feel more connected to the world here. I'm not sure why that is, but Michela agreed, so I have company/validation.
Also, being here forces you to do things by yourself. I do this at home, but it's more apparent here, because I make decisions like "do I brush my teeth with tap water?" (Yes) and "do I drink this iced tea even though I was told only to eat hot things?" (Yes) and "is it safe to take this taxi? Am I going the right direction? Is this guy ripping me off?" (Never really clear until later) All these questions are ones you deal with everywhere (maybe not the food ones), but they are so much more prominent here because it's hard to ask other people what to do. It's great to be a part of the world and live in it and think about things (both news and intellectual things and even everyday decisions) more than usual, even if it is sometimes tiring or more difficult than at home. My friend Kathryn, who is currently in China, said kind of the same thing in an email, about how when you're abroad it's sometimes a victory just to figure out where you live or where to buy cheese or how to ask a question or be polite. She mentioned a book about making multiple places feel like home, which is a super interesting concept to me, since right now I think I could call about 4 places home, and at the same time I've always thought of home as a collection of people, rather than a physical location. More than some place that's comfortable to return to, instead of somewhere simply familiar. I think that's how some places feel like home even if you've never been there before, and how you lose a connection with places you've lived before, and such. I've also heard the theory that home is somewhere where someone comes to pick you up from the airport (Dane, I hope you're reading, and I was happy to see that people picked you up and treated you well in Pittsburgh. I liked it there.)
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Things that are impossible to describe
...In Addition to the HHDL effect
How cold it is in the shade and how hot it is in the sun
What the air tastes like, and smells like (ranges from really gross to really crisp)
How close I come to getting run over by cars, trucks, motorcycles, and donkeys
How many stray dogs there are
What prayer wheels sound like when you spin them (my favorite sound here)
What fresh prayer flags sound like when they flap in the wind (second only to prayer wheels. Crisp is the best word to describe this)
How difficult it is to navigate Indian train websites
How frustrating it is to have money turned down because there is a tiny rip in it that you didn't notice before
How to feel uncomfortable around other white people because you think they have no good reason for being here, then remembering they probably feel the same way about you
The amount of tea drunk on a daily basis
How people here integrate religion into everyday life
How much effort it takes to do seemingly simple things, like buy stamps or do your laundry or tell your host parents you're leaving
How to get to my house from the road (I use the term road loosely. Video coming soon)
How cold it is in the shade and how hot it is in the sun
What the air tastes like, and smells like (ranges from really gross to really crisp)
How close I come to getting run over by cars, trucks, motorcycles, and donkeys
How many stray dogs there are
What prayer wheels sound like when you spin them (my favorite sound here)
What fresh prayer flags sound like when they flap in the wind (second only to prayer wheels. Crisp is the best word to describe this)
How difficult it is to navigate Indian train websites
How frustrating it is to have money turned down because there is a tiny rip in it that you didn't notice before
How to feel uncomfortable around other white people because you think they have no good reason for being here, then remembering they probably feel the same way about you
The amount of tea drunk on a daily basis
How people here integrate religion into everyday life
How much effort it takes to do seemingly simple things, like buy stamps or do your laundry or tell your host parents you're leaving
How to get to my house from the road (I use the term road loosely. Video coming soon)
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HHDL teachings day 2
I feel like I did a terrible job explaining what the teachings are actually like, so I apologize. Only seven pages of notes today, but then again it was only a half day teaching. Above is my super official badge to access the upper level. It cost ten rupees. Excellent.
I thought that HHDL's teachings today would just be a continuation of yesterday (I.e. Pick up at nature of the mind and such). Instead he began by talking about the difference between material wealth and mental wealth/happiness. It emphasized why Buddhist thought is important and I think it would resonate with a lot of people. It kind of confirmed why it is awesome to listen to him even when Buddhist philosophy is hard to accept and apply generally.
He then went on to discuss the nature of the self and emptiness, but the part that I got the most out of (looking back on my notes...I feel really nerdy) was his explanation of the nature of mind.
For Buddhists, the mind is a compassionate and loving entity,and delusions and ignorance cause our hatred and suffering. They have good explanations for how this happens, but I had not been satisfied with any answer as to why the nature of mind is loving. It seems to me that mind could just as easily be evil, since we have to train it to be positive.
HHDL tried to answer the question "how does one live an honest or honorable life when the world is so full of evil?" By talking about the news. The news focuses on distasted and destruction and downfall because, according to Buddhism, compassionate people are taken for granted. This much is obvious in our daily lives. HHDL said we take compassion for granted because we realize it is natural. This struck me as really good reasoning both for why we take things for granted and also for the loving nature of the mind.
Also, Liz and I got there really early and got seats where we could both see the tv and have a view of HHDL's profile in the temple. That made the teachings much more enjoyable, and it was still super fun to see him walk by so close. It is impossible to describe the lightness he exudes and the reaction of all the people, especially the Tibetans, when he is around.
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Tuesday, March 15, 2011
One Hundred Posts: The Dalai Lama's Teachings
It's fitting that the 100 post mark describes HHDL's first teachings, given that this is a pivotal moment in the program and is the reason that some people came. And also because it's really cool.
(I do have more to say about our weekend trip, but I'll put that on hold because I know HHDL is a huge draw. With good reason.)
Background: Dawa left to go back to school today, so before I left at 8 (an hour earlier than normal), I gave him a "I heart NY" hat and a kata to wish him safe travels. He really did make my homestay experience super enjoyable and I was sad to see him go, since I'll have no one to walk the dog with and he won't make fun of me anymore (he is super sarcastic and always makes ridiculous comments when I ask questions. Then I believe him and look like a fool). Anyway, he really liked the gift and I gave him a hug and it was a good time to see him (and Amala) so happy. I may still get married off, but that’s a different issue.
Liz and I walked over to the temple around 8, and there was already a huge throng of people there. Monks were hawking books outside, momo sellers were everywhere, and generally there was a lot of commotion. We met Julia and Sam in the security line for foreigners (there are two separate lines) and got our bags checked and underwent patdowns that rival those in US airports if you refuse the body scanner. They didn’t do a great job of bag checking, because I realized I got my apple peeling knife (10 rupees!) in the temple.
Since we registered beforehand, we walked to the upper level of the temple (the temple has two levels, but the main level is the upper one) and found seats with the rest of our program. HHDL sat in the main temple, and we sat in the open air part surrounding the temple on the same level. Thai people got to sit in the temple with him because they paid for the teachings to occur. The area was sectioned off, with places for monks, Tibetan natives, and specific foreigners (like, Koreans, etc.) in a way that I couldn’t really make head or tail of. There were big tvs broadcasting HHDL’s podium, but I was sitting behind a tree (in the middle of a temple…welcome to India) and so couldn’t see the TV. No worries, though, because…
HHDL rolled up the stairs literally five feet in front of me! Everyone got up to bow/prostrate/whatever, and there he was walking up the stairs! The place was packed and had Indian security with rifles in place along the stairs and at the corners of the building, but even those guys put their hands together in respect towards HHDL.
Then everyone sat back down on their cushions, at some point monks came around with butter tea and bread, and we listened to HHDL talk. He spoke in Tibetan, but there’s simultaneous translation to many languages, so we listened to English over the radio. Occasionally he would break into English so then I would take my headphone out and listen to his voice, which is so awesome. I took 20 full pages of notes on Buddhist philosophy, and as frustrated as I have been at philosophy class while I’ve been here, I must say that I felt like I had a really good grounding in a lot of the things he spoke about. If you would like a detailed account of the philosophical lecture, contact me, but I think most people would rather I skip ahead to key quotes and other random stuff.
HHDL quotes that I heard with my own ears:
(* = in translation)
“You come here to learn something new!”
“If a fox were to leap like a lion, it may break its back.”*
“Buddha statues cannot speak to us – it is the story that really teaches us.” *
“Ultimately you yourself are master/creator.” *
[English English English]… “You speak English, don't you?” (in response to murmurings from the Thai people)
He stopped at 11:30 and broke for lunch, once again walking out right in front of us. I didn’t leave the temple; our friend Pemala (from Sarah) led us to a secret bathroom with no line – clutch! A bunch of us had oranges and rice crackers for lunch, then Cynthia and Britain brought back some bananas, and we just generally lounged and talked to the people around us. Claudia found some fellow Venezuelans who were pretty cool.
He came back after lunch to finish the teaching. Overall, HHDL touched on freeing oneself from suffering by cultivating boddhicitta (wish for all sentient beings to be happy) through method and wisdom. He talked a lot about meditative concentration, and studying, and the different minds, and how the self exists, and emptiness, and attachment/the nature of suffering, and how phenomena actually exist. Text analyzed: “The Stages of Meditation.”
Thoughts on the teaching:
HHDL’s voice is amazing.
It is really weird to listen to Tibetan in one ear and English in another. Additionally, as a translator you have so much power and/or pressure.
HHDL talked about religious tolerance and the fact that all religions work towards a harmonious world. He argued that each religion preaches to be good to one another, and only the reasoning behind it differs. I.e. theistic religions rely on God to persuade adherents to be good to one another, while Buddhism uses karma to argue that you make your situation through cause and effect. Buddhists argue that their system is more logical, but I’m not sure I agree. Also, one could argue that submitting to God/self-sacrifice is less selfish than simply being good so as to improve one’s own lot in life. This is probably a really Western argument but I think it’s worth mentioning.
HHDL is pretty short but always looks super happy and has a great laugh and is clearly just the kind of person you want to be around. He also has a sense of humor, given that he said other monk in attendance were more learned than him because he only had 13 years of study and they had 15 or 20.
Two major points of emphasis: real study and real practice. By real study, he was really into people digging into the texts and analysis, and practice he meant applying the principles of Buddhism to your life, each and every day.
The teachings were surprisingly physically exhausting: sitting cross-legged is hard, and it’s even harder to sit up straight for long amounts of time, but if you don’t your back hurts. Plus it’s mentally exhausting to listen to a fuzzy radio with a billion and a half people around. But it was absolutely worth it.
(I do have more to say about our weekend trip, but I'll put that on hold because I know HHDL is a huge draw. With good reason.)
Background: Dawa left to go back to school today, so before I left at 8 (an hour earlier than normal), I gave him a "I heart NY" hat and a kata to wish him safe travels. He really did make my homestay experience super enjoyable and I was sad to see him go, since I'll have no one to walk the dog with and he won't make fun of me anymore (he is super sarcastic and always makes ridiculous comments when I ask questions. Then I believe him and look like a fool). Anyway, he really liked the gift and I gave him a hug and it was a good time to see him (and Amala) so happy. I may still get married off, but that’s a different issue.
Liz and I walked over to the temple around 8, and there was already a huge throng of people there. Monks were hawking books outside, momo sellers were everywhere, and generally there was a lot of commotion. We met Julia and Sam in the security line for foreigners (there are two separate lines) and got our bags checked and underwent patdowns that rival those in US airports if you refuse the body scanner. They didn’t do a great job of bag checking, because I realized I got my apple peeling knife (10 rupees!) in the temple.
Since we registered beforehand, we walked to the upper level of the temple (the temple has two levels, but the main level is the upper one) and found seats with the rest of our program. HHDL sat in the main temple, and we sat in the open air part surrounding the temple on the same level. Thai people got to sit in the temple with him because they paid for the teachings to occur. The area was sectioned off, with places for monks, Tibetan natives, and specific foreigners (like, Koreans, etc.) in a way that I couldn’t really make head or tail of. There were big tvs broadcasting HHDL’s podium, but I was sitting behind a tree (in the middle of a temple…welcome to India) and so couldn’t see the TV. No worries, though, because…
HHDL rolled up the stairs literally five feet in front of me! Everyone got up to bow/prostrate/whatever, and there he was walking up the stairs! The place was packed and had Indian security with rifles in place along the stairs and at the corners of the building, but even those guys put their hands together in respect towards HHDL.
Then everyone sat back down on their cushions, at some point monks came around with butter tea and bread, and we listened to HHDL talk. He spoke in Tibetan, but there’s simultaneous translation to many languages, so we listened to English over the radio. Occasionally he would break into English so then I would take my headphone out and listen to his voice, which is so awesome. I took 20 full pages of notes on Buddhist philosophy, and as frustrated as I have been at philosophy class while I’ve been here, I must say that I felt like I had a really good grounding in a lot of the things he spoke about. If you would like a detailed account of the philosophical lecture, contact me, but I think most people would rather I skip ahead to key quotes and other random stuff.
HHDL quotes that I heard with my own ears:
(* = in translation)
“You come here to learn something new!”
“If a fox were to leap like a lion, it may break its back.”*
“Buddha statues cannot speak to us – it is the story that really teaches us.” *
“Ultimately you yourself are master/creator.” *
[English English English]… “You speak English, don't you?” (in response to murmurings from the Thai people)
He stopped at 11:30 and broke for lunch, once again walking out right in front of us. I didn’t leave the temple; our friend Pemala (from Sarah) led us to a secret bathroom with no line – clutch! A bunch of us had oranges and rice crackers for lunch, then Cynthia and Britain brought back some bananas, and we just generally lounged and talked to the people around us. Claudia found some fellow Venezuelans who were pretty cool.
He came back after lunch to finish the teaching. Overall, HHDL touched on freeing oneself from suffering by cultivating boddhicitta (wish for all sentient beings to be happy) through method and wisdom. He talked a lot about meditative concentration, and studying, and the different minds, and how the self exists, and emptiness, and attachment/the nature of suffering, and how phenomena actually exist. Text analyzed: “The Stages of Meditation.”
Thoughts on the teaching:
HHDL’s voice is amazing.
It is really weird to listen to Tibetan in one ear and English in another. Additionally, as a translator you have so much power and/or pressure.
HHDL talked about religious tolerance and the fact that all religions work towards a harmonious world. He argued that each religion preaches to be good to one another, and only the reasoning behind it differs. I.e. theistic religions rely on God to persuade adherents to be good to one another, while Buddhism uses karma to argue that you make your situation through cause and effect. Buddhists argue that their system is more logical, but I’m not sure I agree. Also, one could argue that submitting to God/self-sacrifice is less selfish than simply being good so as to improve one’s own lot in life. This is probably a really Western argument but I think it’s worth mentioning.
HHDL is pretty short but always looks super happy and has a great laugh and is clearly just the kind of person you want to be around. He also has a sense of humor, given that he said other monk in attendance were more learned than him because he only had 13 years of study and they had 15 or 20.
Two major points of emphasis: real study and real practice. By real study, he was really into people digging into the texts and analysis, and practice he meant applying the principles of Buddhism to your life, each and every day.
The teachings were surprisingly physically exhausting: sitting cross-legged is hard, and it’s even harder to sit up straight for long amounts of time, but if you don’t your back hurts. Plus it’s mentally exhausting to listen to a fuzzy radio with a billion and a half people around. But it was absolutely worth it.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Guest post: nya chik, nya nee
(Michelle touched a cobra - not a king cobra)
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Weekend trip
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The lake
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Saturday, March 12, 2011
10 March: let's march
I have no photos from HHDL's speech or the march because you are not allowed to bring cameras or cell phones into the temple area when HHDL speaks. However, grandpa requested that I describe my encounter, so I shall. (I Already finished the starburst. Thanks! I should note that grandma and grandpa's package contained only food. Not even a note, just food.)
Background: Chinese People's Liberation army invaded Tibet in 1949. 10 March 1959, the Chinese govt invited HHDL to a performance without bodyguards. Tibetan laypeople surrounded his palace to make sure he didn't go, which turned into protests against chinese occupation. HHDL fled to india soon after.
Tibetans now celebrate uprising day on March 10, although the chinese don't recognize this day. In India, HHDL gives a political speech, then there's a freedom demonstration. Yesterday Liz and I went to the temple with Dawa but then left him outside to get a radio. This was a mistake, given that we didn't even try to tune in to the english translation. We ended up going in around 8 am, and got seats with a partially blocked view with pretty much everyone else in the program.
Everyone marched in to tibetan music (i bet you didnt know tibetans played bagpipes!) There was the Tibetan national anthem, and a prayer, and then a representative from the Tibetan govt spoke. A senator and his wife were there (help on the name? Robert someone, I think. He has a Himalayan foundation, apparently). HHDL eventually spoke, and it was cool to be able to see him in person and hear his voice (surprisingly strong and clear), but of course he spoke in Tibetan. I followed along in the English packet given out.
His speech touched on a lot of things, but perhaps the most important and interesting was HHDL's announcement that he will devolve all political power with the coming elections. That part of the speech made the BBC world news later that evening, which i didn't expect.
Afterwards, I did Kora around the temple, and saw Lopsang Sengey also doing Kora. I nodded to him and he returned the nod-it is awesome to have a political candidate return your gesture, no matter where you are. He was there by himself and didn't seem to be campaigning or anything, which seems strange given that it's ten days before the election. Different than american politics.
Then everyone gets together to scream slogans, wave flags, and march down to the courthouse in lower Dharamsala. There were cameras and film crews everywhere, and if you are a Tibetan who wants to return to Tibet it is not in your best interest to show your face at the rally.
Even though we started late, we found a shortcut and ended up in the middle of a group of Young Tibetans chanting in Tibetan, english, and Hindi. Walking with them through day to day Indian life made me really uncomfortable, especially because some of the slogans called on the US and UN to step in and help Tibet.
Standing in the middle of all those people screaming forced me to think about difficult things. Partially I don't feel that I know enough about the Tibet issue to really have an opinion on whether or not Tibet should be its own country, although if they want to be free and china agrees, that would be great. More than that, though, I felt personally attacked from the chants and I realize that there are many more implications than just Tibetan freedom if the US or UN get involved. It's the same question the EU and NATO face in Lydia, or did two days ago (I haven't kept up).
Global politics is really hard, and there's a difference between what I think all people deserve (i.e. Basic human rights) and how I think people should go about getting them. I wish I could say that in all situations you should always work towards getting people basic human rights as soon as possible, but unfortunately to live in the world the game doesn't always work like that. Pissing off China might help Tibetans, but would necessarily further US goals generally. One could argue that people and countries should revise their goals, and that's a fair point, but right now the best way to work towards change is from within the system, not by destroying the system.
In other words, I kind of missed the boat by being a philosophy major and should have been an ir dual, because I think it's interesting to figure out what the best system is and what people deserve (philosophy), I think it's important to make sure people actually get as much of what they deserve as possible (politics).
So the march kind of stressed me out, but Cynthia-la bought me, Nellie, Craig, and Liz lunch at India Coffee Shop, which is a chain from the 40s that rocks and if you are in india you should go to as many as possible. The food was great.
Afterwards I finished the movie water (thanks for the rec, Grandma! ) which is informative on widows in India but also really sad, so it goes along with the theme of the day. Then Dawa and I and a family friend participated in a candlelight vigil, which was my favorite part of the day. We walked through the streets with candles, singing a prayer that helps all people cultivate compassionate and loving minds. The candles also help departed minds find their way to their next bodies, even though I felt like I was carrying a candle in remembrance of Tibetans tortured and killed by Chinese. It ended at the temple with another prayer, and then calls for a free Tibet.
Amala made tomato soup, which is my favorite kind, and I learned there is no word in Tibetan for tomato, both of which cheered me up, but overall march 10 was one of the most difficult days I've had here.
It really forced me to think about things that affect the people around me on a day to day basis (Dawa wants to go to Tibet) but also about what I value more: freedom of speech? Feeling comfortable? My own interests? Is it reasonable to hang back from working towards a free Tibet because it might hurt US economic interests in China? Is it even ethical to produce things in China given the working conditions? On some level I'm appalled by my own answers, and feel really uneducated about basic issues. On another level, I feel like I'm letting myself off the hook if I say that, and that feels terrible. And if no one really knows what's going on in Tibet, can we afford to err on the side of caution as opposed to the side of doing too much and getting into trouble politically, economically, generally? Is that reason enough to ignore human problems?
It made me think of the piece "always go to the funeral" (http://www.npr.org/templates/text/s.php?sId=4785079&m=1). I believe you should always go to the funeral, or do what you can, but what counts as what you can here? What you can do, or what you're willing to do? It's unclear to me which is better.
(I Can't believe I wrote this whole thing on my phone.)
Background: Chinese People's Liberation army invaded Tibet in 1949. 10 March 1959, the Chinese govt invited HHDL to a performance without bodyguards. Tibetan laypeople surrounded his palace to make sure he didn't go, which turned into protests against chinese occupation. HHDL fled to india soon after.
Tibetans now celebrate uprising day on March 10, although the chinese don't recognize this day. In India, HHDL gives a political speech, then there's a freedom demonstration. Yesterday Liz and I went to the temple with Dawa but then left him outside to get a radio. This was a mistake, given that we didn't even try to tune in to the english translation. We ended up going in around 8 am, and got seats with a partially blocked view with pretty much everyone else in the program.
Everyone marched in to tibetan music (i bet you didnt know tibetans played bagpipes!) There was the Tibetan national anthem, and a prayer, and then a representative from the Tibetan govt spoke. A senator and his wife were there (help on the name? Robert someone, I think. He has a Himalayan foundation, apparently). HHDL eventually spoke, and it was cool to be able to see him in person and hear his voice (surprisingly strong and clear), but of course he spoke in Tibetan. I followed along in the English packet given out.
His speech touched on a lot of things, but perhaps the most important and interesting was HHDL's announcement that he will devolve all political power with the coming elections. That part of the speech made the BBC world news later that evening, which i didn't expect.
Afterwards, I did Kora around the temple, and saw Lopsang Sengey also doing Kora. I nodded to him and he returned the nod-it is awesome to have a political candidate return your gesture, no matter where you are. He was there by himself and didn't seem to be campaigning or anything, which seems strange given that it's ten days before the election. Different than american politics.
Then everyone gets together to scream slogans, wave flags, and march down to the courthouse in lower Dharamsala. There were cameras and film crews everywhere, and if you are a Tibetan who wants to return to Tibet it is not in your best interest to show your face at the rally.
Even though we started late, we found a shortcut and ended up in the middle of a group of Young Tibetans chanting in Tibetan, english, and Hindi. Walking with them through day to day Indian life made me really uncomfortable, especially because some of the slogans called on the US and UN to step in and help Tibet.
Standing in the middle of all those people screaming forced me to think about difficult things. Partially I don't feel that I know enough about the Tibet issue to really have an opinion on whether or not Tibet should be its own country, although if they want to be free and china agrees, that would be great. More than that, though, I felt personally attacked from the chants and I realize that there are many more implications than just Tibetan freedom if the US or UN get involved. It's the same question the EU and NATO face in Lydia, or did two days ago (I haven't kept up).
Global politics is really hard, and there's a difference between what I think all people deserve (i.e. Basic human rights) and how I think people should go about getting them. I wish I could say that in all situations you should always work towards getting people basic human rights as soon as possible, but unfortunately to live in the world the game doesn't always work like that. Pissing off China might help Tibetans, but would necessarily further US goals generally. One could argue that people and countries should revise their goals, and that's a fair point, but right now the best way to work towards change is from within the system, not by destroying the system.
In other words, I kind of missed the boat by being a philosophy major and should have been an ir dual, because I think it's interesting to figure out what the best system is and what people deserve (philosophy), I think it's important to make sure people actually get as much of what they deserve as possible (politics).
So the march kind of stressed me out, but Cynthia-la bought me, Nellie, Craig, and Liz lunch at India Coffee Shop, which is a chain from the 40s that rocks and if you are in india you should go to as many as possible. The food was great.
Afterwards I finished the movie water (thanks for the rec, Grandma! ) which is informative on widows in India but also really sad, so it goes along with the theme of the day. Then Dawa and I and a family friend participated in a candlelight vigil, which was my favorite part of the day. We walked through the streets with candles, singing a prayer that helps all people cultivate compassionate and loving minds. The candles also help departed minds find their way to their next bodies, even though I felt like I was carrying a candle in remembrance of Tibetans tortured and killed by Chinese. It ended at the temple with another prayer, and then calls for a free Tibet.
Amala made tomato soup, which is my favorite kind, and I learned there is no word in Tibetan for tomato, both of which cheered me up, but overall march 10 was one of the most difficult days I've had here.
It really forced me to think about things that affect the people around me on a day to day basis (Dawa wants to go to Tibet) but also about what I value more: freedom of speech? Feeling comfortable? My own interests? Is it reasonable to hang back from working towards a free Tibet because it might hurt US economic interests in China? Is it even ethical to produce things in China given the working conditions? On some level I'm appalled by my own answers, and feel really uneducated about basic issues. On another level, I feel like I'm letting myself off the hook if I say that, and that feels terrible. And if no one really knows what's going on in Tibet, can we afford to err on the side of caution as opposed to the side of doing too much and getting into trouble politically, economically, generally? Is that reason enough to ignore human problems?
It made me think of the piece "always go to the funeral" (http://www.npr.org/templates/text/s.php?sId=4785079&m=1). I believe you should always go to the funeral, or do what you can, but what counts as what you can here? What you can do, or what you're willing to do? It's unclear to me which is better.
(I Can't believe I wrote this whole thing on my phone.)
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Friday, March 11, 2011
Just kidding
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Thursday, March 10, 2011
Excitement
Majorly exciting things :
Tomorrow is uprising day, so we got class canceled, and instead will see His Holiness the Dalai Lama (HHDL for future reference) speak and then participate in a march!
Yesterday a Tibetan activist came to speak to our class, and he was super interesting and really motivating to organize. Learning about methods of activism and how Tibetans have been influenced by indian politics and american ideas is way cool.
My pala gave me a newspaper article on the Kalon tripa election. It's in the Times of India. I find exile politics fascinating, and the election fascinating, and am a gov nerd at heart as much as a try to deny it. I think I'm going to do my research project on the elections and the role of the Kalon tripa and maybe messaging the candidates used, because this is the first competitive election ever.
I went to get water in the temple after class today. There was no water but there were a bunch of monks in awesome hats doing a fire puma, with one monk sitting up higher and putting things into a fire and all the other monks chanting.
We're going to a spiritual lake this weekend.
WE BOOKED PLANE FLIGHTS FOR SPRING BREAK!
Tomorrow is uprising day, so we got class canceled, and instead will see His Holiness the Dalai Lama (HHDL for future reference) speak and then participate in a march!
Yesterday a Tibetan activist came to speak to our class, and he was super interesting and really motivating to organize. Learning about methods of activism and how Tibetans have been influenced by indian politics and american ideas is way cool.
My pala gave me a newspaper article on the Kalon tripa election. It's in the Times of India. I find exile politics fascinating, and the election fascinating, and am a gov nerd at heart as much as a try to deny it. I think I'm going to do my research project on the elections and the role of the Kalon tripa and maybe messaging the candidates used, because this is the first competitive election ever.
I went to get water in the temple after class today. There was no water but there were a bunch of monks in awesome hats doing a fire puma, with one monk sitting up higher and putting things into a fire and all the other monks chanting.
We're going to a spiritual lake this weekend.
WE BOOKED PLANE FLIGHTS FOR SPRING BREAK!
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Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Stags are bomb dot com, even in Tibet
Backtrack to Friday. We woke up really early and went to the Sherab Ling monastery, which is about an hour and a half away, to watch a ritual dance where monks become gods and then vanquish an evil spirit in effigy to protect everyone for the coming new year.
We got there, there was some type of warm up act (of course) and we had tea and capse (obviously) and then they began. They rolled out huge statues of the protector deities, and then little monks in costumes ran around, then the big processional began. All the gods you see below came out two at a time and danced. Finally each of them used a weapon on the spirit (shown below).
Their costumes are ABSOLUTELY beautiful. There were probably thirty of them dancing around the room.
Then the STAG came out to dance around.
(video upload)
Finally, he killed the weakened evil spirit. I showed the video to my host dad, who said that we clearly didn't have an expert stag dancer, but third time's the charm. He took a long time to kill the spirit. Skip to around 2:30 in the video.
(sidenote: there is supposed to be another video here, but it's taking FOREVER and a half and I can't sit here anymore because I don't even have April to talk to anymore. If you're in Europe this is a great time to talk to me.)
Then the monks put katas on all of the gods and the statues and eventually all the gods had a backwards processional back into their lair. The whole thing was really moving and the air was electric. My favorite parts were all of the dancing (so energetic!) and the horn after the stag finally destroyed the spirit. Those horns have an AWESOME sound. I also have some close up pictures of the costumes and stuff but I don't want to break the internet.
We got there, there was some type of warm up act (of course) and we had tea and capse (obviously) and then they began. They rolled out huge statues of the protector deities, and then little monks in costumes ran around, then the big processional began. All the gods you see below came out two at a time and danced. Finally each of them used a weapon on the spirit (shown below).
Their costumes are ABSOLUTELY beautiful. There were probably thirty of them dancing around the room.
Then the STAG came out to dance around.
(video upload)
Finally, he killed the weakened evil spirit. I showed the video to my host dad, who said that we clearly didn't have an expert stag dancer, but third time's the charm. He took a long time to kill the spirit. Skip to around 2:30 in the video.
(sidenote: there is supposed to be another video here, but it's taking FOREVER and a half and I can't sit here anymore because I don't even have April to talk to anymore. If you're in Europe this is a great time to talk to me.)
Then the monks put katas on all of the gods and the statues and eventually all the gods had a backwards processional back into their lair. The whole thing was really moving and the air was electric. My favorite parts were all of the dancing (so energetic!) and the horn after the stag finally destroyed the spirit. Those horns have an AWESOME sound. I also have some close up pictures of the costumes and stuff but I don't want to break the internet.
Punjabi suits
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Losar: seriously, these photos will clog your arteries
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Losar: so much butter
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Losar two: butter!
They're huge. And made entirely by hand by monks. It's insane, and insanely beautiful.
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Losar 1
To the right is a huge butter sculpture, and then a table with food offerings to the deities.
The first day of losar I got woken up by people outside screaming losar tashi delek! And shooting off fireworks. We went back to sleep until six, when we then got woken up to drink chang, or rice beer. Everyone had chang except for nima, the 8 year old cousin.
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Sonam!
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Competition
While playing, she started cheating and I got really annoyed because I am competitive and beating an eight year old at spit matters to me. Then I took a deep breath and tried to apply the Buddhist outlook I have been learning to my card game.
It's strange to think that ultimately, competitiveness and ambition and striving don't really matter. I watched BBC news with amala and pala tonight and saw for the first time footage of the uprisings in Lybia. Rebels are fighting for a cause they truly believe in, and are willing to die for it, and pala and I are talking about how if people realized their attachment to material things they wouldn't need to live in this world to be happy. I like Buddhist ideas, but it's so hard to reconcile them with the outside world and how other people often think.
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Monday, March 7, 2011
Shennanigans
Tonight, I came home at nine to meat momos on the dinner table. After dinner my eight year old host cousin and I taught each other dances and performed for the family. This behavior is totally out of character for me and was a lot of fun. Best kind of activity to come home to: momos and silly dances.
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Saturday, March 5, 2011
Losar tashi delek
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Living conditions
I live in a mansion.
Seriously.
We have three rooms: a big front room, a kitchen, and a bedroom. The bedroom is about the size of a north quad dorm room, and contains the shrine/altar, closets for clothes and blankets, and two bed for amala and pala. It also has a tv.
The kitchen, though skinny, is probably 8 feet long, with two gas burners, a sink, and six feet of counter space. We also have a fridge (a total luxury here) that is about four feet high.
The main room functions as the living room, kitchen table, and bedroom for me and Dawa. There are two beds that serve as couches during the day, then an actual couch and two chairs, with a table in the middle. Everyone eats breakfast and dinner around the table. There is a flat screen tv on the wall (not made by sharp, dad) across from the actual couch ( the one that no one sleeps on)-I told you it was a mansion.
There is also a covered balcony, which I use to read and drink tea, and access to a pretty big roof, both of which look out over the valley and the mountains. We have our own bathroom just outside the front door with flushing squat toilet (a great invention), a washing machine (greater invention), and a geezer, the greatest invention known to man, woman, dog, or cold blooded creature. A geezer, in addition to being a nickname for an old fogey, heats water. So you can take a hot shower. Whenever you want. That's right, hot water comes out from above my head just fifteen minutes after I flip the switch! Lap of luxury.
Contrast this with Liz's apartment, which is literally twenty feet and two seconds away. She lives in an 8 by 8 concrete box with a tin roof, no sink, no fridge. Pretty much all that's in the room are two beds, a table, and a huge shrine that takes up half the wall. Her bathroom is downstairs, lacks ventilation, and I think she shares with the entire building. There is no shelf space. Julia has two rooms, and many shelves, but one room has almost no floor space as it is occupied by three beds and a table. She has a big front kitchen, but doesn't have a shower as far as I could tell. Like any place to shower.
In conclusion, I love geezers.
Seriously.
We have three rooms: a big front room, a kitchen, and a bedroom. The bedroom is about the size of a north quad dorm room, and contains the shrine/altar, closets for clothes and blankets, and two bed for amala and pala. It also has a tv.
The kitchen, though skinny, is probably 8 feet long, with two gas burners, a sink, and six feet of counter space. We also have a fridge (a total luxury here) that is about four feet high.
The main room functions as the living room, kitchen table, and bedroom for me and Dawa. There are two beds that serve as couches during the day, then an actual couch and two chairs, with a table in the middle. Everyone eats breakfast and dinner around the table. There is a flat screen tv on the wall (not made by sharp, dad) across from the actual couch ( the one that no one sleeps on)-I told you it was a mansion.
There is also a covered balcony, which I use to read and drink tea, and access to a pretty big roof, both of which look out over the valley and the mountains. We have our own bathroom just outside the front door with flushing squat toilet (a great invention), a washing machine (greater invention), and a geezer, the greatest invention known to man, woman, dog, or cold blooded creature. A geezer, in addition to being a nickname for an old fogey, heats water. So you can take a hot shower. Whenever you want. That's right, hot water comes out from above my head just fifteen minutes after I flip the switch! Lap of luxury.
Contrast this with Liz's apartment, which is literally twenty feet and two seconds away. She lives in an 8 by 8 concrete box with a tin roof, no sink, no fridge. Pretty much all that's in the room are two beds, a table, and a huge shrine that takes up half the wall. Her bathroom is downstairs, lacks ventilation, and I think she shares with the entire building. There is no shelf space. Julia has two rooms, and many shelves, but one room has almost no floor space as it is occupied by three beds and a table. She has a big front kitchen, but doesn't have a shower as far as I could tell. Like any place to shower.
In conclusion, I love geezers.
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Vanquishing evil spirits
This is a picture of our very own evil spirit effigy. In this picture pala is putting a khata on the plate (blessing scarf-what you give to all the lamas, as well as give to people when they leave etc.).
We each put a spoonful of gootook on the plate to symbolize all the evil deeds and spirits that have followed us around for the last year. Then we took a handful of raw dough and pressed it on all the different parts of the body, as well as circled it around the body three times (no pressing it to the forehead, otherwise it'll take your wisdom away! ). This is supposed to rid your body from aches and pains in the coming year.
After we had all done this, pala lit the incense and sent me and Dawa off into the night. Dawa carried the plate and instructed me not to look back. We went down to the road and set the plate on the side of the road (I would say the gutter, but the road and the gutter look the same). Then Dawa twisted together "bombs" which are noisemakers that you can light like firecrackers. He lit them and we ran away, not looking back. The noise scares away the evil spirits and makes it so they won't find you for the upcoming year. Lots of people set off fireworks.
I really liked the idea of kicking off the new year well without bad spirits. Way to go, Tibet.
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Friday, March 4, 2011
Isnt it spring yet?
Namshee pay yakpomindu. Which means the weather is very bad.
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Gootook and dough
This is the traditional losar eve eve (there are two days of eves) tookpa (soup). There are nine ingredients (auspicious number). The dough ball at the middle contains something like a fortune for the new year slash a personality evaluation.
You are traditionally supposed to eat nine bowls, and there is a saying that if you die eating gootook it's ok. (This Doesn't translate well, but it means it's very good. And your rebirth will be good if you die gorging yourself. I think.) Because of the size amala gave us nine ladles instead, which is a crazy amount so kahtook the dog helped me finish mine.
As for the dough balls, Dawa had cotton in his, which means he's a soft boy. Amala and pala both got coal, which means they have black hearts. And me? I got a chili, which means I am firey, or, literally, "have fire coming out of my mouth."
Pala asked if I say "hot things." You win, Losar dough ball. You win.
I can't tell if they are supposed to be joking predictions for the next year or not, because it's also possible to get a sun or stars, which means your future is bright, something that means you're difficult to deal with, or scripture, which symbolizes wisdom.
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Thursday, March 3, 2011
I love dc
Right now my family is sitting watching a Kalon tripa debate on tv. I asked where they were, and pala said Washington. Then I looked closer at the tv, and saw the white house in the background on wide angle shots, and newseum dividers, and realized that I have been in that building. Recently. (If You haven't been, the newseum is worth it, even though it's not part of the Smithsonian and you have to pay. Just go.)
As difficult as the end of last semester was, and as much as I hated juggling work and school at the same time, I love the city and would like to move back to dc at some point. This only confirms that wish, because clearly it's the place to be to do things that make the world go round. I'm also fascinated by politics, even in another language (the only words I'm picking up are "is/are," "it's okay," "I see," and" Tibet." Obama and Russia don't count because they're English.). It's crazy that two weeks ago I was in a room with Lopsan Sengey and asked him a question and shook his hand, and now he's on tv debating. This community is like that, and believe it or not, so is DC, because it's such a small city filled with interesting people and things to do.
Also, I can see blue sky and green grass by the white house, and you probably don't have to wear a hat outside.
As difficult as the end of last semester was, and as much as I hated juggling work and school at the same time, I love the city and would like to move back to dc at some point. This only confirms that wish, because clearly it's the place to be to do things that make the world go round. I'm also fascinated by politics, even in another language (the only words I'm picking up are "is/are," "it's okay," "I see," and" Tibet." Obama and Russia don't count because they're English.). It's crazy that two weeks ago I was in a room with Lopsan Sengey and asked him a question and shook his hand, and now he's on tv debating. This community is like that, and believe it or not, so is DC, because it's such a small city filled with interesting people and things to do.
Also, I can see blue sky and green grass by the white house, and you probably don't have to wear a hat outside.
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Dualism
Things I'm good at:
Drinking tea, eating chili with breakfast, understanding cricket and explaining baseball, wearing lots of layers, talking to people
Things I'm not yet good at:
Doing all the reading, not laughing in class, making momos, finding my glasses
I am seriously terrible at making momos, but I've decided that I would like to have mono making and eating parties because the only way to get better is practice. The ones we're having tonight are onion and cabbage.
Drinking tea, eating chili with breakfast, understanding cricket and explaining baseball, wearing lots of layers, talking to people
Things I'm not yet good at:
Doing all the reading, not laughing in class, making momos, finding my glasses
I am seriously terrible at making momos, but I've decided that I would like to have mono making and eating parties because the only way to get better is practice. The ones we're having tonight are onion and cabbage.
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Chupa girl! and if a tree falls...
Philosophy class was ridiculous. There is a Buddhist school of thought that asserts that if a tree falls where there is no consciousness to perceive it, it does not exist. Oy vey.
I saw so many different animals on the way to school this morning. The next posts will all be photos of them, because I can say all the names in Tibetan!
I am going to make momos with amala.
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Classes
It's about time to give an overview of my classes (I'm still working on how to describe homestay, because it's so awesome and so out of the way I traditionally think of things that it's difficult to put into words. Suffice it to say that I really am enjoying homestay and it forces me to think about a lot of things really differently than I would normally). Classes are much easier to put into context for people not in India.
Tibetan class is just ridiculous. Tibetan has many different scripts, but we're learning the most basic one. You don't pronounce all the letters in the words, there are superscripts and subscripts, and there are things called "particles." If anyone knows what a particle is in English, please fill me in, because it might help. Also, we learn how to say things like "the cat is on the table" in class, which isn't helpful because I want to say things like "I'm going to Stephen's house. What time is dinner? I will be back at this time. Do you think it will rain today?" I normally end up making sarcastic comments, which elicit a "huh?" from Tashi Sonam-la, because sarcasm doesn't translate. I also crack up at least once a class, and have gotten berated for saying things in Tibetan "too harshly" (Tashi Sonam didn't use the word harsh, but he would have if he'd thought of it. Being from New Jersey strikes again). Thankfully, Amala and Pala are teaching me how to say more useful things.
Philosophy class is AWESOME. Partially it's amazing to learn from a real live nun, inside His Holiness the Dalai Lama's temple (our classroom moved when we came up to Mcleod), and partially I really enjoy Buddhist philosophy and am finally feeling like I can ask pertinent philosophical questions. Buddhism asserts the existence of a separate mind (from the brain and the body, while allows for past and future lives), which I have trouble accepting, and also asserts multiple consciousnesses (this is complicated, and about three people reading actual care, so I won't get into it, but I am really interested and so class is really good). We have memorization assignments which I find really difficult while learning and normally end up yelling at Julia while she gives me looks that say "why don't you know this already?" but at the end I feel accomplished and it's made me want to memorize poetry.
Culture class is hit or miss. I really enjoy some sections, and others I sit through (like the one on the day where I could have been making capse at Sarah. Honestly, is that not culture? Whatevs). Today's class was great. We had a guest speaker named John who is an archeologist and scholar of ancient Tibet. Pre 7th century, when Buddhism was imported, most Tibetans practiced the Bon (pronouned bun) religion, which is kind of a pagan religion. He had a lot of cool facts, and told us about how there are sites in Tibet dating back to 800 BC with metalwork, funeral sites, and other stuff. Or like the fact that oral histories record dragon sightings (Sara: they are very auspicious, bringing good luck and fertility) and that according to some stories, the whole wheel of existence rests upon a golden flaming turtle (Megan!). This reminds me of the book with all the turtles stacked up. I really want to read that book now, but I can't remember the name of it, so please help me out. Mostly I like the idea of everything resting on a turtle.
We also met with Ama Ade yesterday, a woman who spent 27 years in Chinese political prison for aiding the Tibetan resistance early in the PRC takeover of Tibet. She spent 3 years with almost no food, and of the 300 women who began the time in prison with her, she was one of four to survive. They ate shoe leather because the Chinese only fed them water and minimal amounts of cornmeal. The other three people survived because they had been given the task of feeding the pigs, and always kept some animal feed for themselves, but Ama Ade was the only woman without any other source of food to live. Her story was amazingly sad and powerful (she had a one year old and a four year old at the time of her imprisonment) and it was a real honor to meet her. The opportunity to speak with so many different types of people and learn about their lives is the real beauty of this program and the best way to learn about the culture, so I kind of wish we just had talks and field trips all the time.
Tibetan class is just ridiculous. Tibetan has many different scripts, but we're learning the most basic one. You don't pronounce all the letters in the words, there are superscripts and subscripts, and there are things called "particles." If anyone knows what a particle is in English, please fill me in, because it might help. Also, we learn how to say things like "the cat is on the table" in class, which isn't helpful because I want to say things like "I'm going to Stephen's house. What time is dinner? I will be back at this time. Do you think it will rain today?" I normally end up making sarcastic comments, which elicit a "huh?" from Tashi Sonam-la, because sarcasm doesn't translate. I also crack up at least once a class, and have gotten berated for saying things in Tibetan "too harshly" (Tashi Sonam didn't use the word harsh, but he would have if he'd thought of it. Being from New Jersey strikes again). Thankfully, Amala and Pala are teaching me how to say more useful things.
Philosophy class is AWESOME. Partially it's amazing to learn from a real live nun, inside His Holiness the Dalai Lama's temple (our classroom moved when we came up to Mcleod), and partially I really enjoy Buddhist philosophy and am finally feeling like I can ask pertinent philosophical questions. Buddhism asserts the existence of a separate mind (from the brain and the body, while allows for past and future lives), which I have trouble accepting, and also asserts multiple consciousnesses (this is complicated, and about three people reading actual care, so I won't get into it, but I am really interested and so class is really good). We have memorization assignments which I find really difficult while learning and normally end up yelling at Julia while she gives me looks that say "why don't you know this already?" but at the end I feel accomplished and it's made me want to memorize poetry.
Culture class is hit or miss. I really enjoy some sections, and others I sit through (like the one on the day where I could have been making capse at Sarah. Honestly, is that not culture? Whatevs). Today's class was great. We had a guest speaker named John who is an archeologist and scholar of ancient Tibet. Pre 7th century, when Buddhism was imported, most Tibetans practiced the Bon (pronouned bun) religion, which is kind of a pagan religion. He had a lot of cool facts, and told us about how there are sites in Tibet dating back to 800 BC with metalwork, funeral sites, and other stuff. Or like the fact that oral histories record dragon sightings (Sara: they are very auspicious, bringing good luck and fertility) and that according to some stories, the whole wheel of existence rests upon a golden flaming turtle (Megan!). This reminds me of the book with all the turtles stacked up. I really want to read that book now, but I can't remember the name of it, so please help me out. Mostly I like the idea of everything resting on a turtle.
We also met with Ama Ade yesterday, a woman who spent 27 years in Chinese political prison for aiding the Tibetan resistance early in the PRC takeover of Tibet. She spent 3 years with almost no food, and of the 300 women who began the time in prison with her, she was one of four to survive. They ate shoe leather because the Chinese only fed them water and minimal amounts of cornmeal. The other three people survived because they had been given the task of feeding the pigs, and always kept some animal feed for themselves, but Ama Ade was the only woman without any other source of food to live. Her story was amazingly sad and powerful (she had a one year old and a four year old at the time of her imprisonment) and it was a real honor to meet her. The opportunity to speak with so many different types of people and learn about their lives is the real beauty of this program and the best way to learn about the culture, so I kind of wish we just had talks and field trips all the time.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Bagsu photos
Sunday in pictures. Quick recap: On Sunday, I woke up, had a great breakfast of freshly made eggs and bread and this Tibetan chili sauce which is a combination of chili and cheese and some round black pellet that my Amala didn't know the English or Hindi word for, but it was great. After breakfast I met up with Julia and Nellie to go for a walk to a waterfall. We found Eddie and Ryan on the way, and walked to Bagsu, which is another town very close to Mcleod Ganj.
Eddie, Me, Nellie, Julia, Ryan at the waterfall. Indian people are not always great at showing things in the background in the photo. Also, I am not taller than any of these people in real life.
Waterfall! We had to walk up a million stairs to get here, but it was really fun. Eddie and Ryan then hiked to the top of the waterfall.
Julia makes great faces
Eddie dunked his head in the water because he ran up the mountain ahead of us. I really like this photo.
Julia also left, so Nellie and I chilled in Bagsu. We saw mongeese! They look like a cross between a ferret and a squirrel. They're kind of far away in this photo, but there are two at the base of the tree.
Then Nellie and I walked around Bagsu. We found a temple, so obviously we had to enter. It was perhaps my favorite so far.
There were four huge cobras surrounding a stone mound, which was clearly sacred because people were pouring water on it.
This was also the first temple we've been in that had other religious figures inside. It made me smile to see the temple promoting harmonious relations.
Jesus. He looks like he has bullet holes, but whatever.
We were unsure who the other three were, but our guesses were Mohammed, Moses, and maybe an important Sikh guru. Unclear.
Now comes my favorite part. There was a huge tiger mouth with stairs leading to a fake cave. You entered the mouth, walked up, and saw:
The mouth is open, and you look through and see more statues and important figures. It's awesome. Nellie almost made me pee my pants because I looked through and then she popped up on the other side of the mouth, since the cave curves around. Very scary.
Once we finished taking photos (these guys wanted to talk a million photos with us), Nellie and I set off for lunch. We tried to find a falafel place, because there are a lot of Israelis in Bagsu and Sam (the guy in the last post with Julia. Sorry, Sam, Julia doesn't feel that it's important to put your name up, but now you're famous!) told us about a falafel place. Unfortunately, they don't start making falafel until March, so Nellie bought me lunch at an Indian daba. Where she got the best soda in all of India (so far):
Beautiful. It started raining, so we wrote postcards until it stopped, then walked back. I made Nellie stop at a lot of tanka shops along the way (the Tibetan painted or fabric applique art that shows Buddhas or mandalas or whatever). Nellie is going back to Norbalinka to get a fabric one. They are so beautiful that I can't even decide which one I want. Right now I'm debating between one with a thousand Buddhas (more Buddhas equals more merit) or a mandala, which is the sacred house of a certain deity. There are also mantra ones, where mantras (prayers) are written in a circle. We saw this great black one with gold writing, with a really colorful Buddha in the middle. If you need room decorations for next year, please send me an email because tankas are beautiful and I would like you to have one.
Packages!!
Were all wearing a million layers cause its soo cold!
That's all
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