Because it's monsoon season, a lot of the women in Khaniyara have obligations and can't make it to english lessons. Working in rice fields, working construction, or tending to needs at home, our group has dwindled to just a few. Thankfully, Rama, Pooja, and Manju just started classes at the college-so at least they're missing lessons for educational purposes. My time at work has been devoted to helping Jitender write a grant for a library for the women's group and just simply conversing with my friends. We've spent lots of quality time sitting around laughing, playing games, talking, and drinking lots and lots of tea.
My weekend was spent in Mcleod, studying Dharma and doing meditational retreat. How wonderful is it to engross onself in the most peaceful way of life. It's an education, not a religion, say the Tibetan Monks. It's devotion to make oneself a better person-to rid oneself of the suffering of samsara to help both you and others. Tibetan Buddhism is not what I thought it was. It's not the publicized, appealing religion it has become in the west. It's just a wonderful way of living a life of introspection, meditation, peace, and compassion.
Brittany and I ran into a certain special monk 3 times this weekend in various random places in both upper and lower Dharamsala. We sat next to him at a cafe on the Dalai Lama's birthday, then saw him in Katwali, and I saw him again at the Tibetan library. It has been so serendipitous and wonderful. I find myself looking for his face amid the packs of red robes in the streets. But when you look for something it's never there. I know this-but just can't help myself when it comes to our little, peppy friend.
Our cook, Rakesh, had an interesting conversation with me after dinner tonight. He claims to hate the Tibetans. They come to not only Mcleod, but all over the country. Their markets are everywhere, and the Europeans and Americans support them heavily (it's true). They are living lazy, prosperous lives and you can definitely see the difference. Many Indians work their asses off (like Rakesh) and can't afford not only the designer clothes, but cars and bikes and standards of living. Too much of India is in state of extreme poverty. India is complex as it is, and now over 10 million Tibetans are residing in their land, sharing in their limited prosperity. The Buddhas bring tourism and peace and a spiritual essence that neither Rakesh or India itself can dispute. Siddhartha was, after all, an Indian prince. But doesn't India have to worry about India now? With Tibetan exiles comes Chinese agitation-and we Americans know it's not good to piss off the Chinese. Who doesn't need China to survive these days?
Cross-cultural communications. It's funny-I'm in a cross-cultural country: filled with Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Hindus, and Buddhists, that come from a history of British oppression and influence. Yet no matter how well you coexist, your cultures are different. Communicate you may, be in the end, Christian ideals are Christian ideals and a Muslim concept of righteousness is one that begs to differ. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, yea? Aren't we all just fighting for our own perspective of what's right? Am I right by drawing the conclusion that nobody here is fighting for immorality and wrongdoing?
We all want happiness and prosperity. At least we can say we're all the same in that.
my next blog post will start with public hospitals in India. And how I would debatably rather die in a rat-infested sewer than the place that this dear friend of mine had to spend an evening hooked up to a dirty IV with sleeping doctors and nurses (Daniella and I have been playing doctor all day, and we are fairly certain she has a parasite and none of the 6 prescriptions she left the hospital with are the least bit advantageous).
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