The Dalai Lama

I arrived in Dharamsala and immediately took a bus to Mcleod Ganj, the part of Dharamsala that holds the official residence of the Dalai Lama. I had heard that you can see his teachings for free (rather than the $150 I'd seen to register online). So, I dropped my stuff at a guesthouse and headed out to find out where to sign up. It wasn't very hard to find the line of (mostly foreigners) waiting to register at the last minute to see the teachings. I got my registration card and spent the rest of the day figuring out what is where. When I found the temple, I saw the are filled with blankets and pillows, some marked with people's names. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to pick a spot, so I decided to keep the meditation pillow that I just bought with me, and I'd find a spot in the morning.

I woke up early and headed for the main temple. I found a free place to sit and watched the people trickle in. Tibetans, Indians, and foreigners from all over the world found their places and awaited the arrival of the Dalai Lama. Some of the foreigner groups found their designated signs which read, "Japanese translations", "Korean", "spanish/portuegese", etc... People did their cora (not sure how you spell it, but it's when they walk 3 times around the temple usually with prayer beads and uttering mantras under their breath). I could see the "om mani padme hum, om mani padme hum" coming out of the lips of people from all over the world. I sat and observed. The leader of the Southeast Asian group (the people who payed $150) started chanting a beautiful matra over the speakers as the place FILLED. There were people everywhere. A person in this place can not be in need of the "personal space" that we cherish so much in the U.S.

Finally, the chanting stopped and people started to slightly rise in hopes to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama. He entered the temple accompanied by security and a few monks. You could feel the excitement in the air. He walked into the temple and took his seat. Everyone stood out of respect and once he sat down, most of the monks, nuns, and others around me performed their 3 prostrations to the Dalai Lama and to the giant Buddha behind him. We sat down and I got ready with my radio to listen to the English translation. He started with a few prayers and then with an buddhism introduction in ENGLISH. I was surprised, and so were the tibetans around me. I handed my radio to the Tibetan nun next to me as she frantically wondered what he was saying. She became my learning partner throughout the 3 days, as we shared the radio, tea, and tibetan bread. The Dalai Lama talked in English about some basic buddhist ideas including; detachment, love and compassion, helping others, the fact that you don't have to be a buddhist to gain from buddhism, quoted the buddha on finding your own truth, and shared a few jokes of his own. He then explained that he is not confident in his English and switched to Tibetan as he went through a 2 day teaching on the Bodissatva (sp?). The book he was teaching about it a book that explains how to reach "Bodhiccitta" (sp?), which is basically a state of being that is like a stepping stone to attaining enlightenment. The first day was intense. He covered a lot of material and some very complex ideas. It was hard for me to follow everything, but I also found myself drawn to his teachings. I am not a Dalai Lama follower. I have not watched any of his teachings on Youtube and have never read any of his books. However, I must say; some people come with a certain presence that draws others to them. He has a very light (as in the weight) state of being. I left the teaching with questions and a little bit of confusion, and at the same time a feeling that I had just recieved a teaching from a very smart person. In a way, I felt lucky to have learned from him, as you feel lucky when you realieze you have recieved a really great professor. Only, he is teaching about life.

While heading out of the temple at the end of the first day, I ran into a foreigner who I'd met at a restaurant the night before. He asked me what I thought of the teachings and I explained to him that it was a lot of information. He informed me about a review at a nearby meditation center, where I'd be able to ask questions. I ate and rested a little, then headed for the review session. The walk was absolutely beautiful! At the foothills of the Himalayas, Dharamsala is made up of breathtaking views of massive "hills" filled with trees. I made it to the review and asked a few questions and gained more of an understanding of what the Dalai Lamas teachings are all about.

Day #2 of the teachings started out in the same way as day #1. As I saw the people finding their seats, I realized how lucky I was that I happened to end up in a seat with a clear view of the Dalai Lama. People sit in the same seat for the whole teaching, but most foreigners (including myself) didn't know this ahead of time. So, people would switch around and the monks and nuns would say nothing. There was one lady (australian, I think) who seemed pretty frustrated and chose not to be quiet about her state of being. Maybe she needed the teachings more than others. For day #2, I felt like the Dalai Lama had really become my teacher. I had more of an understanding of the teachings, and found a copy of the text in English so I could follow along better, and I guess there was slightly less amazement. I still felt lucky. I once again attended the review session. I found myself a bit frustrated with some of the teaching and there was a section that I really wanted to dive into. I didn't get the chance. (i will explain a little about this in another post)

Day #3 of the Dalai Lama teachings was very different. It was full of people taking laypersons vows, and vows of refuge in the 3 jewels of buddhism. It was filled with blessings from the Dalai Lama, red strings, and red blindfolds. It followed with a slew of white (khataks, in Mongolian) prayer scarves, which I had learned in Mongolia were for teachers. I almost left early, but something kept me there. In the end, I was glad I had stayed. I had moved my seat closer to the door and had watched as everyone made their prostrations and accepted their blessings. I took a few blessings and vows of my own, keeping within my own sense of being. (ie: no vows of celibacy or not to drink alcohol for me) It was actually a very beautiful ceremony and I now wear my red string, which have been blessed by the Dalai Lama on my wrist as a reminder of the teachings and blessings that I recieved.



After the ceremony, I headed out with the rest of the blessed mob and ran into the same friend at a coffee shop. I sat there and debated if I was going to start my 10 days of silent Vipassana meditation that day. I didn't feel ready and felt like I had a lot of opportunities for learning in Mcleod Ganj and I didn't want to be in 1 place for 10 days. I bailed. Looking back, I think it was the right decision.