For anyone following along here. I talked to Loralyn today and she had made it safely to India. She, in theory, left India for London and is in the air as we speak. She is supposed to land at Heathrow at about 11:55 pm our time, so unless she blogs from the airport we probably won't hear from her until tomorrow afternoon when she lands.
She sounded quite well but very tired. It is impossible for her to sleep at the airport as she is sitting with all of her bags and they pop in every few minutes announcing boarding and make sure that you hear them.
Her next flight is about 9 hours so hopefully she will get some rest on the flight! And I think she is pretty sure there will be very few more coach flights on these long trips. Very uncomfortable for such a long time in the air.
She has one bag that is quite oversize. The maximum amount of total inches l+w+d is like 62 and her bag is 96ish. So far she didn't have any trouble on JetLite but lets hope Brittish Airways doesn't give her any problems either! Looks like a $200 penalty if she has to pay for the large bag! Ouch!
Tim
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
My friends
Dechen and I were teasing each other. Got a good shot of her while playing keep away with my camera. I had to put my camera in my bra to keep her from deleting this picture.
Dechen's father and I. He thought it was so great that I could take a photo of both of us.
Ani and I. She is such a treasure! She loves it when I call her my friend!
This is the 'other' Dechen. She always wears this shirt. So cute! Although she was embarrassed at how grubby she was.
My friend, Ani!
September 29, 2008 8:45 p.m.
Last night in Nepal. At least for a while. What a trip! To sum it up into 2 words… beyond imagination! So many new experiences, so many lessons! I will leave the wrap up of the trip write up for later.
Today was a whirlwind day of course! Got up late, said goodbye to Tom who was leaving today, headed into Boudha.
I ordered some pictures for Lama-la and the monks. I then hit the net real quick like for a chat with Tim. Then I tried to find a suitcase around the Stupa, no luck.
I ran back to the monastery and tried to pack a bit better. Not much luck or hope for getting it all neatly packed away, but I could do it… maybe. Lama-la, Dechen, and I headed out. They went into the Home Ministry complex for their passport renewals while I sat in the truck and knit on Anna’s hat. I finished it up while I waited for them.
Then Dechen and I headed back. We nabbed Anna and had lunch together. We were supposed to eat at a fantastic momo restaurant, but it was closed!!! So we went to another place and their momos were not very good. My stomach has been cramping since then.
Anna and Dechen returned to the monastery and I decided to do some last minute errands. I went and picked up the photos. I then had coffee and waited a bit for my shirts to be ready. It was absolutely pouring by this time. I decided to stop and buy an umbrella and I found a super large bag to replace my duffel. I hope there isn’t a size limit on your bag sizes… this thing is huge! Ani has been joking that she’s going to come to the U.S. with me in my bag. She could definitely fit into this one. I really don’t want to pay extra for an oversized bag! Like really don’t want to! Money is all gone. I mean, all gone!
I headed back to the monastery and repacked my stuff. Now I have room for an entire store more of things… hehehe. Which is good as Lama-la has been throwing gifts at me left and right. And it means that I will have to carry fewer bags. But this bag is so hurkin’ I’m not sure how I will carry it at all. It’s like 2 feet wide by 4 feet long!
I wove in some ends on some hats I had knit and then went down for puja. Puja got started really late as the monks were late in returning back from their other puja
I gave Lama-la the hats and Dechen told me that Lama-la would bless my thangkas first thing in the morning so that I could finish packing them.
Tomorrow I hope to get up early. Pack a few more things. I’m all packed except for last minute things like toothpaste, electronics, etc… Have Lama-la bless my things. Get on the net and chat with Tim for a bit. Then come back and say my goodbyes. And then head to the airport where I will begin my stress-free event-free journey home. Amen!
Today was a whirlwind day of course! Got up late, said goodbye to Tom who was leaving today, headed into Boudha.
I ordered some pictures for Lama-la and the monks. I then hit the net real quick like for a chat with Tim. Then I tried to find a suitcase around the Stupa, no luck.
I ran back to the monastery and tried to pack a bit better. Not much luck or hope for getting it all neatly packed away, but I could do it… maybe. Lama-la, Dechen, and I headed out. They went into the Home Ministry complex for their passport renewals while I sat in the truck and knit on Anna’s hat. I finished it up while I waited for them.
Then Dechen and I headed back. We nabbed Anna and had lunch together. We were supposed to eat at a fantastic momo restaurant, but it was closed!!! So we went to another place and their momos were not very good. My stomach has been cramping since then.
Anna and Dechen returned to the monastery and I decided to do some last minute errands. I went and picked up the photos. I then had coffee and waited a bit for my shirts to be ready. It was absolutely pouring by this time. I decided to stop and buy an umbrella and I found a super large bag to replace my duffel. I hope there isn’t a size limit on your bag sizes… this thing is huge! Ani has been joking that she’s going to come to the U.S. with me in my bag. She could definitely fit into this one. I really don’t want to pay extra for an oversized bag! Like really don’t want to! Money is all gone. I mean, all gone!
I headed back to the monastery and repacked my stuff. Now I have room for an entire store more of things… hehehe. Which is good as Lama-la has been throwing gifts at me left and right. And it means that I will have to carry fewer bags. But this bag is so hurkin’ I’m not sure how I will carry it at all. It’s like 2 feet wide by 4 feet long!
I wove in some ends on some hats I had knit and then went down for puja. Puja got started really late as the monks were late in returning back from their other puja
I gave Lama-la the hats and Dechen told me that Lama-la would bless my thangkas first thing in the morning so that I could finish packing them.
Tomorrow I hope to get up early. Pack a few more things. I’m all packed except for last minute things like toothpaste, electronics, etc… Have Lama-la bless my things. Get on the net and chat with Tim for a bit. Then come back and say my goodbyes. And then head to the airport where I will begin my stress-free event-free journey home. Amen!
Flight Home (from Tim)
So, for anyone who is interested. I talked to Loralyn last night, my time, at around 8. She was in a bit of a dither over suitcase space. Might be some trouble if she can't buy bigger ones. That is one of her main missions, and getting her tools blessed by Lama Wangdu.
I checked on her flight and all are ontime. As of right now, at 5:36 pm our time, she has less than 9 hours left in Kathmandu, on this visit. (You will return baby!)
Following is a breakdown of her gruelling flight schedule:
Leave Kathmandu at 240Pm local time 1:55 am Seattle time
Arrive in DELHI INDIA 355Pm local time 3:10 am tuesday Seattle time
Leave Dehli at 210Am local time Wednesday 1:40 pm Tuesday Seattle time
Arrive in London 655Am local time Wednesday 11:55 pm Tuesday Seattle time
Leave London at 1255Pm local time 5:55 am Seattle Time
Arrive in Seattle at 230Pm and we are on the same day and time...hehe.
Send her energy for peaceful flights and that she gets some rest! She has some killer layovers. Especially the one in India where she will be back in her prison for 10 hours!
But when she gets home she can rest! Yeah, right...that'll happen.
She gets home on Wednesday, Thursday is healing circle, Friday is game night with CBMC, Sunday is a COAST meeting, Tuesday is YAD201, Wednesday is the counseling class, then the next weekend she goes away for a planning retreat. She comes back from that and....maybe takes part in some D&D for PPD on Friday and or Saturday, Drumming circle, another counseling class, then the next weekend she flies to Virginia for a week...ok enough. I get tired just typing it and I am sure you get the idea. What an amazing woman I am married to!
Just two days left....two days! And she will be in my arms....
Tim
I checked on her flight and all are ontime. As of right now, at 5:36 pm our time, she has less than 9 hours left in Kathmandu, on this visit. (You will return baby!)
Following is a breakdown of her gruelling flight schedule:
Leave Kathmandu at 240Pm local time 1:55 am Seattle time
Arrive in DELHI INDIA 355Pm local time 3:10 am tuesday Seattle time
Leave Dehli at 210Am local time Wednesday 1:40 pm Tuesday Seattle time
Arrive in London 655Am local time Wednesday 11:55 pm Tuesday Seattle time
Leave London at 1255Pm local time 5:55 am Seattle Time
Arrive in Seattle at 230Pm and we are on the same day and time...hehe.
Send her energy for peaceful flights and that she gets some rest! She has some killer layovers. Especially the one in India where she will be back in her prison for 10 hours!
But when she gets home she can rest! Yeah, right...that'll happen.
She gets home on Wednesday, Thursday is healing circle, Friday is game night with CBMC, Sunday is a COAST meeting, Tuesday is YAD201, Wednesday is the counseling class, then the next weekend she goes away for a planning retreat. She comes back from that and....maybe takes part in some D&D for PPD on Friday and or Saturday, Drumming circle, another counseling class, then the next weekend she flies to Virginia for a week...ok enough. I get tired just typing it and I am sure you get the idea. What an amazing woman I am married to!
Just two days left....two days! And she will be in my arms....
Tim
Sunday, September 28, 2008
September 28, 2008 8:45 p.m.
Well, my time is short here. Very short! I am missing so much of this place already!!! Today I was thinking about home and this place. I was talking a while back with one of my teachers about how I didn’t think I could move away from Washington. He had said that we lived in a unique area where we were cradled between the ocean and the mountains. This is the first time in my life where I feel that same cradled feelings, except this time I am being cradled by mountains on all sides.
I have not seen the actual Himalayans. It is the wrong time of the year for that. The fog/clouds are hiding the true mountains behind the mountains you see in so many pictures. I am sure they are breathtaking!
This morning as I was doing kora, just a refresher for those who have forgotten kora is when you say prayers or mantras while walking around the Stupa, a large procession joined up with me. This procession was led by monks playing trumpets and then a long line of monks following.
After I finished kora, Tinley (the Tibetan teacher) joined me for coffee as I waited for the power to come on so I could get on the net. Tinley said that the monks had just finished their summer retreat and this procession was a way to announce they were completed. It was wonderful to walk with the monks.
I returned to the monastery to find that Tom had been by and had grabbed Ani to extract 2 teeth that were very infected. I watched as Kunga and Dechen’s father placed incense, mantras, and mandala offerings within statues. I then helped Dechen package up the tsog. Then it was lunch time and Tom joined us.
I then went out with Tom as he did some quick shopping. He is hoping to return home tomorrow. We met up with his lama, Lama Kunga. He was a very nice man and spoke English to some extent. There was another monk with them named Tenzing. He spoke English very well.
Tom had a huge ziplock bag full of toothbrushes he wasn’t sure what he was going to do with so I made the comment that he could hand them out while shopping. He thought that was a great idea and gave me the task of handing them out. It was so much fun!!! It felt so wonderful to hand them out to children. I had a gaggle of kids following me for quite a while. They were very excited by them.
I decided to remain in Boudha as Tom headed off to do some other tasks. Bad idea! Tim had mentioned that he would like some Free Tibet items. Well, the monsoon rains kicked into high gear. At home, this would be flash floods! Many of the shops had packed up a lot of their stuff so I didn’t have a whole lot to choose from. I got him a couple embroidered t-shirts, a couple flags, stickers, and a magnet. I then ran to my café and got a mocha as I waited for the rains to calm down a bit.
I then ran back to the monastery as it is a bit of ways off and I didn’t want to hike through the rains in my tank top. I finished watching the movie I had started the day before while working on a hat for Anna. I hope I can finish it in time. I’m not even 1/3rd of the way done with it yet. I hope to knit on it a bit more.
Then during dinner Lama-la was asking some questions, like who is from what lineage. He asked if I was from Ngingma (sorry about the spelling). I answered “I’m from Lama-la.” He thought that was pretty funny.
I may or may not be on the net tomorrow. Lama-la is doing puja elsewhere tomorrow morning and Dechen asked me to ride with them, she’ll drop him off and she is going to get her passport renewed. Then we are going to get momos. Yeah! Tomorrow evening my shirts will be finished.
At some point I need to have Lama-la bless them and the thangkas. And I need to give my dana (offering) for inviting me to stay with him. I have to finish packing as well. Wish me luck! Not sure I’m going to be able to pack it all! And I remembered tonight I have more stuff than I remembered as I have my damaru, bell, dorje, wooden tea cup that Lama-la gave me and a few other things in the gompa that I need to pack. Gompa is the ritual area.
Have I told you how much I love Tibetan puja? They begin the puja by blessing their instruments each time. I love that!
Tomorrow is my last day here. Oh my goodness! I don’t know where the time went! I still haven’t taken down the photos to get printed yet. I have to do that tomorrow some time. If I don’t I will have to have them printed at home and pay a fortune for it. I am only printing a couple for the monks. But I said I would so I really need to do that.
I reviewed my flight information. Ugh! I have a 10 hour layover in Delhi and a 6 hour layover in London. Not good! And none of my flights are scheduled for when I should be sleeping to get back on U.S. time so that stinks. I think it is funny how I’m leaving London around 1 p.m. and land in Seattle around 3 p.m. and my flight is almost 10 hours long.
Anywho, it is getting late here and I have to get up early. I won’t be knitting any tonight, just some mantras and then to sleep for me. 4:30 a.m. comes awfully early!
I have not seen the actual Himalayans. It is the wrong time of the year for that. The fog/clouds are hiding the true mountains behind the mountains you see in so many pictures. I am sure they are breathtaking!
This morning as I was doing kora, just a refresher for those who have forgotten kora is when you say prayers or mantras while walking around the Stupa, a large procession joined up with me. This procession was led by monks playing trumpets and then a long line of monks following.
After I finished kora, Tinley (the Tibetan teacher) joined me for coffee as I waited for the power to come on so I could get on the net. Tinley said that the monks had just finished their summer retreat and this procession was a way to announce they were completed. It was wonderful to walk with the monks.
I returned to the monastery to find that Tom had been by and had grabbed Ani to extract 2 teeth that were very infected. I watched as Kunga and Dechen’s father placed incense, mantras, and mandala offerings within statues. I then helped Dechen package up the tsog. Then it was lunch time and Tom joined us.
I then went out with Tom as he did some quick shopping. He is hoping to return home tomorrow. We met up with his lama, Lama Kunga. He was a very nice man and spoke English to some extent. There was another monk with them named Tenzing. He spoke English very well.
Tom had a huge ziplock bag full of toothbrushes he wasn’t sure what he was going to do with so I made the comment that he could hand them out while shopping. He thought that was a great idea and gave me the task of handing them out. It was so much fun!!! It felt so wonderful to hand them out to children. I had a gaggle of kids following me for quite a while. They were very excited by them.
I decided to remain in Boudha as Tom headed off to do some other tasks. Bad idea! Tim had mentioned that he would like some Free Tibet items. Well, the monsoon rains kicked into high gear. At home, this would be flash floods! Many of the shops had packed up a lot of their stuff so I didn’t have a whole lot to choose from. I got him a couple embroidered t-shirts, a couple flags, stickers, and a magnet. I then ran to my café and got a mocha as I waited for the rains to calm down a bit.
I then ran back to the monastery as it is a bit of ways off and I didn’t want to hike through the rains in my tank top. I finished watching the movie I had started the day before while working on a hat for Anna. I hope I can finish it in time. I’m not even 1/3rd of the way done with it yet. I hope to knit on it a bit more.
Then during dinner Lama-la was asking some questions, like who is from what lineage. He asked if I was from Ngingma (sorry about the spelling). I answered “I’m from Lama-la.” He thought that was pretty funny.
I may or may not be on the net tomorrow. Lama-la is doing puja elsewhere tomorrow morning and Dechen asked me to ride with them, she’ll drop him off and she is going to get her passport renewed. Then we are going to get momos. Yeah! Tomorrow evening my shirts will be finished.
At some point I need to have Lama-la bless them and the thangkas. And I need to give my dana (offering) for inviting me to stay with him. I have to finish packing as well. Wish me luck! Not sure I’m going to be able to pack it all! And I remembered tonight I have more stuff than I remembered as I have my damaru, bell, dorje, wooden tea cup that Lama-la gave me and a few other things in the gompa that I need to pack. Gompa is the ritual area.
Have I told you how much I love Tibetan puja? They begin the puja by blessing their instruments each time. I love that!
Tomorrow is my last day here. Oh my goodness! I don’t know where the time went! I still haven’t taken down the photos to get printed yet. I have to do that tomorrow some time. If I don’t I will have to have them printed at home and pay a fortune for it. I am only printing a couple for the monks. But I said I would so I really need to do that.
I reviewed my flight information. Ugh! I have a 10 hour layover in Delhi and a 6 hour layover in London. Not good! And none of my flights are scheduled for when I should be sleeping to get back on U.S. time so that stinks. I think it is funny how I’m leaving London around 1 p.m. and land in Seattle around 3 p.m. and my flight is almost 10 hours long.
Anywho, it is getting late here and I have to get up early. I won’t be knitting any tonight, just some mantras and then to sleep for me. 4:30 a.m. comes awfully early!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
September 27, 2008 8:05 p.m.
I am blogging only for my baby tonight. Why? Because I know he counts on my blog, otherwise I would be asleep right now. It is so hot right now and I am so worn out. Beyond exhausted. Delirious I believe.
And I didn’t get up till 6:45 a.m. and I took a half hour nap this afternoon. And I didn’t do much all day. And my stomach is hurting!!! Doubt I have travel sickness. Just think something I ate didn’t quite agree with me. Time will tell though.
Got up, went to the internet café, ordered a mocha and hashbrowns. Definitely not like mama makes them. Hehehe. More onions and bellpeppers than potatoes and it was sautéed almost like a stir fry… Good though. Then um… I think I did something but I don’t remember.
Then I came back and started packing up some of my stuff. Kinda worried about getting it all home safely. I still wanted to pick up an item or two, but may need to skip them because of lack of space.
Oh yeah, I went by the tailor and ordered another wool apron, shirt to go under my chukpa, and a silk puja shirt…
I read a bit, did my practice, napped, picked up my thankga, started watching a movie and knit a bit, then went to puja. Ate dinner, now blogging, then sleeping!!! Maybe sleeping before I even get to bed. You never know!
I will tell you more stuff later. Good night!
And I didn’t get up till 6:45 a.m. and I took a half hour nap this afternoon. And I didn’t do much all day. And my stomach is hurting!!! Doubt I have travel sickness. Just think something I ate didn’t quite agree with me. Time will tell though.
Got up, went to the internet café, ordered a mocha and hashbrowns. Definitely not like mama makes them. Hehehe. More onions and bellpeppers than potatoes and it was sautéed almost like a stir fry… Good though. Then um… I think I did something but I don’t remember.
Then I came back and started packing up some of my stuff. Kinda worried about getting it all home safely. I still wanted to pick up an item or two, but may need to skip them because of lack of space.
Oh yeah, I went by the tailor and ordered another wool apron, shirt to go under my chukpa, and a silk puja shirt…
I read a bit, did my practice, napped, picked up my thankga, started watching a movie and knit a bit, then went to puja. Ate dinner, now blogging, then sleeping!!! Maybe sleeping before I even get to bed. You never know!
I will tell you more stuff later. Good night!
Friday, September 26, 2008
September 26th, 2008 8:30 p.m.
I wish I could describe the beauty of this place! There is a primal beauty here. As I do kora in the mornings around this magnificent Stupa, I am often pestered by little boys begging for money and/or food. As I continue around, I see calves and full grown cows sitting next to benches as the old treasures, the men and women who have been aged by grace, sit and talk. I continue around and I see dogs that look like they are barely alive. Being eaten alive by fleas and scabies and who knows what else as their skin barely covers their rib cage. And I continue around as merchants say prayers, light incense, and give offerings in hopes that today will bring enough money for them to feed their families. And I continue around and walk ever so slowly next to a hunchbacked monk who may have one tooth in his head, but is muttering mantras faster than I can even decipher it.
As I walk back to the gompa, I travel along treacherous paths. This morning I walked a path that was less than 12 inches wide with an 18 foot deep hole on one side and a concrete path over 20 feet below me on the other side. I timidly climb this hill, but knowing in great safety that this is not my time to go. Why? Because there is a great peace this place brings to you. It is ok if it is my time, but I know it isn’t. I still do my ‘woohoo’ dance though when I safely make it across the road.
As I write this, an old Tibetan couple sits with Lama-la. I have never seen so many beautiful people in my life. The deep lines in their brown skins. Turquoise dripping from their ears. Maybe some teeth, maybe not. I want to just sit with them. Hold their hands. Like Ako, the old monk that lives here. Oh how my face lights up each time I see him. He is a vision, such grace and beauty!
Tears come as I think of leaving this place. I miss my family, but this place sinks in deep to your soul and I hunger for more of it and I haven’t left yet.
Enough of the whimsy. I was saddened today that I could not be with my baby as I know he struggled. It was a long day at work. He had a bit of troubles there. I know that our finances worry him and I know how much he loves my support and care. On top of that we received some bad news about his oldest son. I know it is throwing him into turmoil. His oldest son is 16 years old and we don’t hear from them very often. His ex-wife does not tell us anything about them and has tried her best to keep them sequestered from us.
Until today, Jake (Tim’s son) was arrested for theft. He is most likely addicted to drugs. This comes to us as a great shocker as we have not heard anything about any hint of anything other than he is a great musician, loves outdoor sports, and is a wonderful, obedient child. I am not saying he isn’t wonderful. He has such a beautiful heart and is truly awesome.
Today as I did kora I prayed that he might open like a lotus flower. That he might find great compassion. That he might… awaken. I pray this for all of my children each day as I do kora, but I had forgotten about my other 2 children. Tim’s boys are my boys. I want to fly to Idaho this minute and hug him. Hold him. To let him know he is loved beyond imagination.
I want to do this for my baby as well! To let him know he is loved! Beyond understanding! To let him know that things might appear difficult, but I have faith. I have faith in him. I have faith in our path. I have faith that this life is a great blessing. I know he knows this, but sometimes it is good to hear again.
I am feeling very philosophical today. Well, everyday in this great land of beauty. In this great land of suffering. Maybe I am more at peace today. Ok, so let’s get down to what I did today, lol!
I woke up before dawn. I showered and what not and headed down to morning puja. By this time, the sun was peeking out and lighting up the morning sky. Anna helped me with a couple of questions. I decided to type out all of my Buddhist practice and have it bound together for ease. It is so much cheaper here for copies, printing, and binding that it made sense to do it now instead of later. The whole thing cost me about $1.
I headed into Boudha meeting a ngakpa that comes to our monastery for all day pujas. We chatted a bit and then we crossed over the road work. A bit scary. I remembered to walk home a different way to avoid the various work that is happening around the area. I got on the net and learned about Jake while chatting with Tim.
I purchased some malas to sell at the Center. Rosewood as that is one of the cheapest natural materials here. Sandalwood would have been nice, but also 6 times the price. I then had my practice printed and bound.
I went in for a blessing with Lama-la. I had my mandala and water bowls blessed as well as my new mala.
Then Anna and I headed out for Tomel. We picked up my thankga and left the one she gave me so that it can get the brocade. One of the men will deliver it tomorrow at 3 p.m. I can’t wait! I’m not sure when I will have them blessed by Lama-la. I also purchased some dvds on Tibet and 2 music cds. And I purchased 3 pairs of pants and 2 shirts in bright and fun colors. Buying clothes here isn’t easy since they are made for very small people. There are plenty of overweight people here, but they have all of their clothes custom made. Even if I was to be at a perfect weight, clothes shopping would still be difficult!
We had lunch with one of Anna’s friends. We shopped a bit for carpets, but I didn’t find anything I liked. So we came back. I headed up to my room and finished my practice for the day. Then it was time for evening puja, dinner, and here I am am.
Day after tomorrow Dechen and I are going to try to go out to lunch together. That will be tricky as she tries to be here to attend to all of Lama-la’s needs. I tell her every day that she is going to miss me so much that she’s going to cry. Which probably isn’t even close to the truth as her sister arrives the day after I leave for a visit. But then she’ll miss me, I know it.
Yesterday, or maybe the day before that, the monks told me that I was their sister. I thought that was so sweet until I learned that if I’m their sister than I have to do everything they ask of me and buy them everything they want. So no, I’m not their sister. They can be very naught, demanding little things. I will be their friend. Lol!
As I was in a hurry today, I brought my laptop down and started working on typing things up during puja. Oh my! I caught their attention. I have seen very few laptops as nice as mine here and only foreigners have them. To be truthful, I have not seen any as nice as mine. If an internet place has laptops, they are really old, thick, monstrosities.
I noticed even Kunga walked past me a couple of times to take a look. Some of them sat and watched the whole time and I was just sitting and typing. Not even in English, I was typing in what they call Roman here. Roman is the Tibetan texts written so that English speaking people can read it. Not phonetically either. So English speaking people can sort of read it with practice.
Maybe tomorrow I will purchase some little supplies. Like incense. They have amazing incense here! Tons of bulk herbs, like juniper and cedar. Sitting in huge gunny sacks all over the place. Tom tells me that you can buy a large bag of it for cheap. So I might do that. Not sure what I will do tomorrow. I think Lama-la and Dechen might be gone in the morning for a bit and I think tomorrow might be a holiday for the monks. It is holiday for most people so about a quarter of the shops won’t even be open tomorrow.
Not that all I can think to do is shop. It is something to do and will such little time left I don’t have a whole lot of options. Especially with holiday tomorrow.
Well, I am going to end this here. Much love and Medicine Buddha!
As I walk back to the gompa, I travel along treacherous paths. This morning I walked a path that was less than 12 inches wide with an 18 foot deep hole on one side and a concrete path over 20 feet below me on the other side. I timidly climb this hill, but knowing in great safety that this is not my time to go. Why? Because there is a great peace this place brings to you. It is ok if it is my time, but I know it isn’t. I still do my ‘woohoo’ dance though when I safely make it across the road.
As I write this, an old Tibetan couple sits with Lama-la. I have never seen so many beautiful people in my life. The deep lines in their brown skins. Turquoise dripping from their ears. Maybe some teeth, maybe not. I want to just sit with them. Hold their hands. Like Ako, the old monk that lives here. Oh how my face lights up each time I see him. He is a vision, such grace and beauty!
Tears come as I think of leaving this place. I miss my family, but this place sinks in deep to your soul and I hunger for more of it and I haven’t left yet.
Enough of the whimsy. I was saddened today that I could not be with my baby as I know he struggled. It was a long day at work. He had a bit of troubles there. I know that our finances worry him and I know how much he loves my support and care. On top of that we received some bad news about his oldest son. I know it is throwing him into turmoil. His oldest son is 16 years old and we don’t hear from them very often. His ex-wife does not tell us anything about them and has tried her best to keep them sequestered from us.
Until today, Jake (Tim’s son) was arrested for theft. He is most likely addicted to drugs. This comes to us as a great shocker as we have not heard anything about any hint of anything other than he is a great musician, loves outdoor sports, and is a wonderful, obedient child. I am not saying he isn’t wonderful. He has such a beautiful heart and is truly awesome.
Today as I did kora I prayed that he might open like a lotus flower. That he might find great compassion. That he might… awaken. I pray this for all of my children each day as I do kora, but I had forgotten about my other 2 children. Tim’s boys are my boys. I want to fly to Idaho this minute and hug him. Hold him. To let him know he is loved beyond imagination.
I want to do this for my baby as well! To let him know he is loved! Beyond understanding! To let him know that things might appear difficult, but I have faith. I have faith in him. I have faith in our path. I have faith that this life is a great blessing. I know he knows this, but sometimes it is good to hear again.
I am feeling very philosophical today. Well, everyday in this great land of beauty. In this great land of suffering. Maybe I am more at peace today. Ok, so let’s get down to what I did today, lol!
I woke up before dawn. I showered and what not and headed down to morning puja. By this time, the sun was peeking out and lighting up the morning sky. Anna helped me with a couple of questions. I decided to type out all of my Buddhist practice and have it bound together for ease. It is so much cheaper here for copies, printing, and binding that it made sense to do it now instead of later. The whole thing cost me about $1.
I headed into Boudha meeting a ngakpa that comes to our monastery for all day pujas. We chatted a bit and then we crossed over the road work. A bit scary. I remembered to walk home a different way to avoid the various work that is happening around the area. I got on the net and learned about Jake while chatting with Tim.
I purchased some malas to sell at the Center. Rosewood as that is one of the cheapest natural materials here. Sandalwood would have been nice, but also 6 times the price. I then had my practice printed and bound.
I went in for a blessing with Lama-la. I had my mandala and water bowls blessed as well as my new mala.
Then Anna and I headed out for Tomel. We picked up my thankga and left the one she gave me so that it can get the brocade. One of the men will deliver it tomorrow at 3 p.m. I can’t wait! I’m not sure when I will have them blessed by Lama-la. I also purchased some dvds on Tibet and 2 music cds. And I purchased 3 pairs of pants and 2 shirts in bright and fun colors. Buying clothes here isn’t easy since they are made for very small people. There are plenty of overweight people here, but they have all of their clothes custom made. Even if I was to be at a perfect weight, clothes shopping would still be difficult!
We had lunch with one of Anna’s friends. We shopped a bit for carpets, but I didn’t find anything I liked. So we came back. I headed up to my room and finished my practice for the day. Then it was time for evening puja, dinner, and here I am am.
Day after tomorrow Dechen and I are going to try to go out to lunch together. That will be tricky as she tries to be here to attend to all of Lama-la’s needs. I tell her every day that she is going to miss me so much that she’s going to cry. Which probably isn’t even close to the truth as her sister arrives the day after I leave for a visit. But then she’ll miss me, I know it.
Yesterday, or maybe the day before that, the monks told me that I was their sister. I thought that was so sweet until I learned that if I’m their sister than I have to do everything they ask of me and buy them everything they want. So no, I’m not their sister. They can be very naught, demanding little things. I will be their friend. Lol!
As I was in a hurry today, I brought my laptop down and started working on typing things up during puja. Oh my! I caught their attention. I have seen very few laptops as nice as mine here and only foreigners have them. To be truthful, I have not seen any as nice as mine. If an internet place has laptops, they are really old, thick, monstrosities.
I noticed even Kunga walked past me a couple of times to take a look. Some of them sat and watched the whole time and I was just sitting and typing. Not even in English, I was typing in what they call Roman here. Roman is the Tibetan texts written so that English speaking people can read it. Not phonetically either. So English speaking people can sort of read it with practice.
Maybe tomorrow I will purchase some little supplies. Like incense. They have amazing incense here! Tons of bulk herbs, like juniper and cedar. Sitting in huge gunny sacks all over the place. Tom tells me that you can buy a large bag of it for cheap. So I might do that. Not sure what I will do tomorrow. I think Lama-la and Dechen might be gone in the morning for a bit and I think tomorrow might be a holiday for the monks. It is holiday for most people so about a quarter of the shops won’t even be open tomorrow.
Not that all I can think to do is shop. It is something to do and will such little time left I don’t have a whole lot of options. Especially with holiday tomorrow.
Well, I am going to end this here. Much love and Medicine Buddha!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
September 25, 2008 9:06 p.m.
So let’s see. What shall I tell you about today? Let’s start off with my day! It was wonderful. Of course! I received my mantras from Lama-la today. They have to do with healing others, but not really the sort of healing you would think of right away… well except for one of them.
One is for when a woman is having troubles with delivery, one is for business, one draws people, one is for fire problems, one is for water problems, and one is for romance. Pretty awesome stuff! And I received a lung for a Medicine Buddha mantra. Yeah for Medicine Buddha!
Tinley was an excellent translator and I understand the practice so much more. Yeah for Tinley!
I am beginning to understand Tibetan Buddhism a bit more as time goes by. Beginning is a good word as this is something one can study their entire lifetime and still not know much. I have never met a system or spirituality that was so complex. It is hard to put words around it.
Sort of like Paul. He is a Russian man who has studied Tibetan Buddhism for 3 years now. He came to a realization that he still knows nothing so has come here to study. He has tried to get information from me, but I told him that I only really learned about Tibetan Buddhism in May… so not much help. Hehehe.
Um, let’s see. Oh, I am fat. That’s a really good thing here, but I’m not fat enough yet so they are trying their best. I’ve had a couple people tell me I’m fat. Which is a compliment here. If you are fat that means you have enough money to eat more than you should which means you are rich. A good thing here. It’s funny to be called fat and for you to take it as a compliment.
Tom jokes that they are all Jewish Tibetan grandmothers here. Tom is still gone, but I was talking to Const about that today. He said that was unfortunately true. The Tibetans are the Jews of Asia. They are very smart business people wherever they go so they are persecuted for it. He said that the Nepalese people are getting tired of it and it will only get worse. He said the Nepali people look around, in their poverty, and see great castles wherever they look. These castles are the monasteries of the Tibetan people.
Today I was given a paper on more Tibetan demonstrations that will be happening tomorrow and on the 30th. I can’t help but worry about the demonstrators after the last failed demonstration. Reminds me so much of the Jews. A people without a land to call their own. Hitler this time around is a bit bigger with few that can stand up to it. I’m speaking of China. The U.S. cannot afford a war with China and I can think of no others that would be willing to stand against China either. Talk about an education I’m receiving, in more ways than one!
Today I picked up a few more things, they will either be Christmas presents or they will be things to sell in the Center. We’ll see. Jewelry pieces. Tomorrow, hopefully, I will see about purchasing some malas for the Center to resell.
Dechen invited me out to lunch tomorrow. This means I get to go with her and buy her lunch. She is such a little devil. We joke constantly. My favorite thing to do to her now is torment her with rubber bands. Hehehe. She calls me ‘pakpa’ all the time. She says it all derogatory too. Well today, Const told me that it means the curls of Buddha’s hair and I found out she’s calling me that cuz my hair looks the same. He said it isn’t derogatory. I told him that any name can be derogatory depending on how you say it and he thought for a moment and then agreed. Especially after he heard Dechen call me it. Sort of like how some people say hello to me out on the street. I thought they were being so nice to me. Then Anna told me that some of the people were not being nice at all.
So, I’m a dork. I took refuge with Lama-la before he left for Nepal. There were assumptions made. Like since I was taking refuge I knew that I should be saying a refuge mantra. Ha! Today I was like, what refuge mantra? They were like, the one you’ve been saying… *Clears throat* I don’t believe I’ve been saying one. So after clarification and receiving of the refuge mantra Anna tells me that it wasn’t given to me as it was assumed I would know to say it after taking refuge. Yeah, right, like I would know anything. I feel like a total dunce here. I have to tell everyone I have no clue what they are talking about all the time. It’s not like there is a cliff notes version to Tibetan Buddhism. If I could write one I would be rich. But to be rich in America, you don’t need to be fat. I explained that today to Ani.
Tomorrow Anna is taking me to Tomel to pick up my thankga and hopefully drop off the other one. We are hoping they will deliver it to me so that I don’t have to spend more time picking it up. Time is getting critical here. I’m hoping maybe to have time for shopping for a carpet tomorrow as well.
I now understand, or think I understand, what my daily practice is. Practice is your meditations, mantras, and focus as you weave your way through Tibetan Buddhism. I hope to have some time to talk to Lama-la about Bodhisattva and Nakma before I leave. If not, it’s ok as he said that we would talk more once he arrives in the U.S. He will be giving me more stuff to do once he gets there and I’ve had some time to work on what he just gave me.
This stuff is so complex that it really frustrates me. It is difficult to know where to begin. Or where to begin to even learn things. I need to find a local teacher or ten when I get home. Maybe someone that can hold my hand. Help me to learn to crawl and then walk. Seriously!
Um, don’t really have more to say. Super tired and should go to bed since I have to be up in about 6 hours. The pace here is grueling and I don’t even have to work. Americans are so lazy. Ok, so maybe it’s just me that is lazy. This schedule is super crazy and I’m not a monk. Could you imagine? I would be beaten daily for my laziness. I go to bed earlier than anyone else. I’m not one of the first ones up and even when I am it isn’t by much. Some days I take a nap. I only do puja in the morning and evening. Not all day long like the monks. I don’t serve tea all day. Although I would love to. I get so thrilled when Lama-la asks me to pour his tea. Really only Dechen does it for him. And he’s only asked me to do it twice. There is something so spiritual and magickal about serving my Lama. No words really!
So, I’m blabbering on and on. I need to go to bed. See, I’m trying my best to blabber more. Good night! Seriously… I need to go to bed. So, um… night ya’ll.
One is for when a woman is having troubles with delivery, one is for business, one draws people, one is for fire problems, one is for water problems, and one is for romance. Pretty awesome stuff! And I received a lung for a Medicine Buddha mantra. Yeah for Medicine Buddha!
Tinley was an excellent translator and I understand the practice so much more. Yeah for Tinley!
I am beginning to understand Tibetan Buddhism a bit more as time goes by. Beginning is a good word as this is something one can study their entire lifetime and still not know much. I have never met a system or spirituality that was so complex. It is hard to put words around it.
Sort of like Paul. He is a Russian man who has studied Tibetan Buddhism for 3 years now. He came to a realization that he still knows nothing so has come here to study. He has tried to get information from me, but I told him that I only really learned about Tibetan Buddhism in May… so not much help. Hehehe.
Um, let’s see. Oh, I am fat. That’s a really good thing here, but I’m not fat enough yet so they are trying their best. I’ve had a couple people tell me I’m fat. Which is a compliment here. If you are fat that means you have enough money to eat more than you should which means you are rich. A good thing here. It’s funny to be called fat and for you to take it as a compliment.
Tom jokes that they are all Jewish Tibetan grandmothers here. Tom is still gone, but I was talking to Const about that today. He said that was unfortunately true. The Tibetans are the Jews of Asia. They are very smart business people wherever they go so they are persecuted for it. He said that the Nepalese people are getting tired of it and it will only get worse. He said the Nepali people look around, in their poverty, and see great castles wherever they look. These castles are the monasteries of the Tibetan people.
Today I was given a paper on more Tibetan demonstrations that will be happening tomorrow and on the 30th. I can’t help but worry about the demonstrators after the last failed demonstration. Reminds me so much of the Jews. A people without a land to call their own. Hitler this time around is a bit bigger with few that can stand up to it. I’m speaking of China. The U.S. cannot afford a war with China and I can think of no others that would be willing to stand against China either. Talk about an education I’m receiving, in more ways than one!
Today I picked up a few more things, they will either be Christmas presents or they will be things to sell in the Center. We’ll see. Jewelry pieces. Tomorrow, hopefully, I will see about purchasing some malas for the Center to resell.
Dechen invited me out to lunch tomorrow. This means I get to go with her and buy her lunch. She is such a little devil. We joke constantly. My favorite thing to do to her now is torment her with rubber bands. Hehehe. She calls me ‘pakpa’ all the time. She says it all derogatory too. Well today, Const told me that it means the curls of Buddha’s hair and I found out she’s calling me that cuz my hair looks the same. He said it isn’t derogatory. I told him that any name can be derogatory depending on how you say it and he thought for a moment and then agreed. Especially after he heard Dechen call me it. Sort of like how some people say hello to me out on the street. I thought they were being so nice to me. Then Anna told me that some of the people were not being nice at all.
So, I’m a dork. I took refuge with Lama-la before he left for Nepal. There were assumptions made. Like since I was taking refuge I knew that I should be saying a refuge mantra. Ha! Today I was like, what refuge mantra? They were like, the one you’ve been saying… *Clears throat* I don’t believe I’ve been saying one. So after clarification and receiving of the refuge mantra Anna tells me that it wasn’t given to me as it was assumed I would know to say it after taking refuge. Yeah, right, like I would know anything. I feel like a total dunce here. I have to tell everyone I have no clue what they are talking about all the time. It’s not like there is a cliff notes version to Tibetan Buddhism. If I could write one I would be rich. But to be rich in America, you don’t need to be fat. I explained that today to Ani.
Tomorrow Anna is taking me to Tomel to pick up my thankga and hopefully drop off the other one. We are hoping they will deliver it to me so that I don’t have to spend more time picking it up. Time is getting critical here. I’m hoping maybe to have time for shopping for a carpet tomorrow as well.
I now understand, or think I understand, what my daily practice is. Practice is your meditations, mantras, and focus as you weave your way through Tibetan Buddhism. I hope to have some time to talk to Lama-la about Bodhisattva and Nakma before I leave. If not, it’s ok as he said that we would talk more once he arrives in the U.S. He will be giving me more stuff to do once he gets there and I’ve had some time to work on what he just gave me.
This stuff is so complex that it really frustrates me. It is difficult to know where to begin. Or where to begin to even learn things. I need to find a local teacher or ten when I get home. Maybe someone that can hold my hand. Help me to learn to crawl and then walk. Seriously!
Um, don’t really have more to say. Super tired and should go to bed since I have to be up in about 6 hours. The pace here is grueling and I don’t even have to work. Americans are so lazy. Ok, so maybe it’s just me that is lazy. This schedule is super crazy and I’m not a monk. Could you imagine? I would be beaten daily for my laziness. I go to bed earlier than anyone else. I’m not one of the first ones up and even when I am it isn’t by much. Some days I take a nap. I only do puja in the morning and evening. Not all day long like the monks. I don’t serve tea all day. Although I would love to. I get so thrilled when Lama-la asks me to pour his tea. Really only Dechen does it for him. And he’s only asked me to do it twice. There is something so spiritual and magickal about serving my Lama. No words really!
So, I’m blabbering on and on. I need to go to bed. See, I’m trying my best to blabber more. Good night! Seriously… I need to go to bed. So, um… night ya’ll.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
September 24, 2008 7:34 p.m.
I slept until 6:30 a.m. I think I’ve slept more lately than I have been awake. Oh well. I guess that is what my body needs at the moment.
I made it through all day puja, woo hoo! At the end Lama-la did a special ‘breaking obstacles’ puja. There was an extra special torma made of a being with 3 heads. It was very interesting.
I finally got a hold of Tim after calling our house, his cell, and then finally my cell. He was in the middle of a rescheduled Wheel of the Year class. Hopefully it went well. I’m sure it did! Maybe kind of a coincidence, but in class they were making God’s Eyes and with the extra special torma there was a sort of ‘God’s Eyes’ as its background. Hopefully it turned out well.
Time is really becoming bothersome. Tomorrow afternoon Tinley is coming over to translate. I need to run the thankga to the brocade shop. I need to run to Tomel and pick up my other thankga. I need to run to the photo place and have some photos printed. I know I am going to forget something, like making a copy of the ritual text from today for Tinley. I told him I would and I’ll probably forget, hehehe.
So I’m feeling a bit better today. Still got a headache, but not as much sinus pain. My stomach is a little gurgly and my cramps are probably worse today. I think I’ve been feverish off and on today.
Lama-la is always so concerned. Even Dechen is like a little mother to me. When she isn’t being evil. I think she is a reincarnated demon with a motherly side. Hehehe. I won’t eat at any restaurant for the rest of my stay unless I go with Lama-la. They are certain I’m sick because I’ve been eating outside of the monastery from time to time. It was probably the spam pizza. *shiver* that thing still give me nightmares.
Well, not much to report tonight. Gonna try to go to bed early so that I can hit things pretty early tomorrow. Hopefully morning puja, then internet, then I don’t know, then my appointment with Lama-la.
Gotta figure out how to get it all done! Getter done! Can you believe almost a month is up? I can’t! I would guess that I’ve been here almost 2 weeks if you asked me. If you asked my family they would probably say I’ve been gone a year. Hehehe.
Ok, so gonna go to bed soon. Good night all!
I made it through all day puja, woo hoo! At the end Lama-la did a special ‘breaking obstacles’ puja. There was an extra special torma made of a being with 3 heads. It was very interesting.
I finally got a hold of Tim after calling our house, his cell, and then finally my cell. He was in the middle of a rescheduled Wheel of the Year class. Hopefully it went well. I’m sure it did! Maybe kind of a coincidence, but in class they were making God’s Eyes and with the extra special torma there was a sort of ‘God’s Eyes’ as its background. Hopefully it turned out well.
Time is really becoming bothersome. Tomorrow afternoon Tinley is coming over to translate. I need to run the thankga to the brocade shop. I need to run to Tomel and pick up my other thankga. I need to run to the photo place and have some photos printed. I know I am going to forget something, like making a copy of the ritual text from today for Tinley. I told him I would and I’ll probably forget, hehehe.
So I’m feeling a bit better today. Still got a headache, but not as much sinus pain. My stomach is a little gurgly and my cramps are probably worse today. I think I’ve been feverish off and on today.
Lama-la is always so concerned. Even Dechen is like a little mother to me. When she isn’t being evil. I think she is a reincarnated demon with a motherly side. Hehehe. I won’t eat at any restaurant for the rest of my stay unless I go with Lama-la. They are certain I’m sick because I’ve been eating outside of the monastery from time to time. It was probably the spam pizza. *shiver* that thing still give me nightmares.
Well, not much to report tonight. Gonna try to go to bed early so that I can hit things pretty early tomorrow. Hopefully morning puja, then internet, then I don’t know, then my appointment with Lama-la.
Gotta figure out how to get it all done! Getter done! Can you believe almost a month is up? I can’t! I would guess that I’ve been here almost 2 weeks if you asked me. If you asked my family they would probably say I’ve been gone a year. Hehehe.
Ok, so gonna go to bed soon. Good night all!
September 23, 2008 5:40 p.m.
What happens when you get sick? Life goes on without you. I woke up feeling like I was run over. Congested head, sinuses all clogged, and slight chest pain. On top of that, because the Rinpoche returned yesterday I started my period. I love being sensitive, but there are down sides to it.
I went to morning puja. I then waited till 8:30 a.m. for Tinley and he hadn’t arrived. I knew I wasn’t going to last much longer so I headed into Boudha and chatted with Tim. Then came back and hit the sack. Dechen brought me lunch at 1 p.m. At around 4 p.m. I got up to see what was happening.
Tomorrow is Dakini Day so all day puja. It is a tsok as well so lots of food preparations were in the making. Anna was heading to Gemini (the supermarket) at 5 p.m. so I decided to go with her.
All of the older monks were gone so we took the 3 young monks with us. What fun! Tashi, the young one, is totally ADHD and wouldn’t behave at all for me. He almost got run over a couple of times.
Found out the older monks went for puja at the Royal Palace (although no longer any royalty there). Then found out that Rinpoche and Dechen left while we were gone for the puja.
Don’t know if we are going to have chod tonight as it will depend on if they return in time. What fun!
Wish I wasn’t sick. Wish I wasn’t all crampy. Wish there wasn’t an all day puja tomorrow as I’m not sure I can sit through the whole thing and I would love to.
So this blog won’t go up until the day after tomorrow as I will be here at the monastery all day. I will try to run and give Tim a call in the morning. Don’t know if I will have time for it. I forgot to warn him about the puja as I didn’t realize that so many days had passed.
Since the trip to the store wore me out I am going to rest again for a bit. Miss you all!
I went to morning puja. I then waited till 8:30 a.m. for Tinley and he hadn’t arrived. I knew I wasn’t going to last much longer so I headed into Boudha and chatted with Tim. Then came back and hit the sack. Dechen brought me lunch at 1 p.m. At around 4 p.m. I got up to see what was happening.
Tomorrow is Dakini Day so all day puja. It is a tsok as well so lots of food preparations were in the making. Anna was heading to Gemini (the supermarket) at 5 p.m. so I decided to go with her.
All of the older monks were gone so we took the 3 young monks with us. What fun! Tashi, the young one, is totally ADHD and wouldn’t behave at all for me. He almost got run over a couple of times.
Found out the older monks went for puja at the Royal Palace (although no longer any royalty there). Then found out that Rinpoche and Dechen left while we were gone for the puja.
Don’t know if we are going to have chod tonight as it will depend on if they return in time. What fun!
Wish I wasn’t sick. Wish I wasn’t all crampy. Wish there wasn’t an all day puja tomorrow as I’m not sure I can sit through the whole thing and I would love to.
So this blog won’t go up until the day after tomorrow as I will be here at the monastery all day. I will try to run and give Tim a call in the morning. Don’t know if I will have time for it. I forgot to warn him about the puja as I didn’t realize that so many days had passed.
Since the trip to the store wore me out I am going to rest again for a bit. Miss you all!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Dinner with Tom
My 'proscuitto' pizza. That 'prosciutto' is spam!!!
Can you see the rainbow above our heads? So cool how the rainbow just appeared!
September 22, 2008 9 p.m.
Sort of a mixed up day. The power went out at around 5 a.m. My laptop was close to being dead. I was hoping the power would come back on after 2 hours. So I left morning puja early to start charging my laptop, clean up my room a bit, and to do my laundry.
The power didn’t come back on till 8 a.m. I’ve usually left by then to get on the net. I waited till 8:20 a.m. to give my laptop a bit of a charge. I know it’s bad for my battery, but I wanted to catch Tim earlier than later. I headed out for Boudha, but plans changed.
I met Tom on the road and he wanted me to go with him to the Sechen dental clinic. We ran back to the monastery. I did my best to tell Ani that she needed to come to the clinic with us. Did a good job, woot! About 2 weeks ago Ani had a tooth that was causing her tons of pain. I gave her aleve and my anbesol that I brought with me for just in case. We ran Ani over there to take x-rays of her tooth.
She needs to have 2 teeth pulled which Tom will do when he returns. Tom is leaving in the morning for Pokura (sp?) to continue work on a dental clinic he is building in a monastery there. He’ll be back in about 4-5 days.
After the x-rays Tom took me over to the Sechen monastery for a look around. Beautiful grounds! And stupas! From there I headed to the internet. Later than usual, but I had a nice chat with Tim and uploaded the rest of the Hindu Temple photos that I wanted to get up.
Ani told me that Rinpoche would return around 1 p.m. I stopped by the carpet place, still no budging, and heading back to the monastery to wait. And wait. On Lama time which means maybe sometime today he would arrive. Ani called to see when they were arriving at 3 p.m. We are told maybe around 4:30 p.m. At 5 p.m. I had to go into Boudha with Lakpa to see about getting my gifted thankga framed with brocade. We didn’t have any luck so we headed back.
Lama-la arrived right after we left. Dang it! I got back and Tom really needed to get on the net. So I ran him into Boudha and found the internet for him. He wanted to call Betsy as it was close to when she gets up. She was delirious. Hehehe.
Got back in time for dinner, but I missed the chod puja again. Dang it! I had fun joking with Dechen. We had to make up for lost time. I swear that people can smell in the air when Lama-la is in. He’s totally exhausted, but still seeing people at 8 p.m.
I forgot, I ran into Tinley again today. He is the Tibetan teacher. He is going to see Lama-la tomorrow. I am going to hang around until after he leaves. I really need to meet with Lama-la and Tinley to fully receive my practice and time is running out so just in case I am hanging around till then.
I don’t know what else is on the schedule for tomorrow. I need Lama-la to bless the items I purchased and to put prayers into the statue he gave me. I need to run my thankga to Tomel to have brocade put on it and I need to pick up my thankga from there. And I need to soak up as much Lama juice as I can as I leave soon.
I know I keep mentioning it, but it seems to be ever present at the back of my mind. I will be somewhere between India and London this time 8 days from now. Oh the horrors. Wish I could upgrade my flight. That would make it so much more enjoyable! Doesn’t take away the stress of my connecting flights. Oh here I go gripping again. Bad me! I should not be gripping in such a land of beauty. I know many of you would happily changes places with me even with just 8 days left even if you were to have horrible luck with connecting flights.
Maybe it’s also my family that keeps reminding me of my time left. They were ready for me to come home before I left. Especially since I was so super busy before leaving. Pagan Pride is done, woo hoo!!! And from what I’ve heard it was a huge success. The Center is in use and being loved. I have some commitments when I return home, but in comparison they will be a cake walk to what I had to do before I left.
Lily, the other night PST, said “me love her, me miss her, and me gonna sit on her!” Isn’t that cute! I told her that she will own my lap when I get home. She said that would be ok. Wonder if Tim will be ok with Lily sitting on me while he is trying to cuddle my guts out?
Oh, oh, Bella lost her first tooth while I’ve been gone. Dang it! Anna had her first kiss! And second, and third, and fourth… I think she’s trying to make up for lost time. We’re going to have to buy Eryk some chap stick. What flavor should we get him Anna?
I have done hardly any knitting here. No time. But now all the monks are psyched about the hats. Anna demanded one. The one I’m currently knitting will fit her perfectly. I knit almost a whole hat while waiting for Lama-la today. I might knit on it a bit more before going to bed. Too bad I’ll only have 6 or 7 done before I leave. I will have to continue knitting on them and send them over as I complete them. It will be required in order for me to leave I’m sure. Everyone is fascinated that I am making them.
Well, not a whole lot went on today as it was a hurry up and wait day. So I’m going to work on the hat and then hit the sack. 4:30 a.m. comes early!
The power didn’t come back on till 8 a.m. I’ve usually left by then to get on the net. I waited till 8:20 a.m. to give my laptop a bit of a charge. I know it’s bad for my battery, but I wanted to catch Tim earlier than later. I headed out for Boudha, but plans changed.
I met Tom on the road and he wanted me to go with him to the Sechen dental clinic. We ran back to the monastery. I did my best to tell Ani that she needed to come to the clinic with us. Did a good job, woot! About 2 weeks ago Ani had a tooth that was causing her tons of pain. I gave her aleve and my anbesol that I brought with me for just in case. We ran Ani over there to take x-rays of her tooth.
She needs to have 2 teeth pulled which Tom will do when he returns. Tom is leaving in the morning for Pokura (sp?) to continue work on a dental clinic he is building in a monastery there. He’ll be back in about 4-5 days.
After the x-rays Tom took me over to the Sechen monastery for a look around. Beautiful grounds! And stupas! From there I headed to the internet. Later than usual, but I had a nice chat with Tim and uploaded the rest of the Hindu Temple photos that I wanted to get up.
Ani told me that Rinpoche would return around 1 p.m. I stopped by the carpet place, still no budging, and heading back to the monastery to wait. And wait. On Lama time which means maybe sometime today he would arrive. Ani called to see when they were arriving at 3 p.m. We are told maybe around 4:30 p.m. At 5 p.m. I had to go into Boudha with Lakpa to see about getting my gifted thankga framed with brocade. We didn’t have any luck so we headed back.
Lama-la arrived right after we left. Dang it! I got back and Tom really needed to get on the net. So I ran him into Boudha and found the internet for him. He wanted to call Betsy as it was close to when she gets up. She was delirious. Hehehe.
Got back in time for dinner, but I missed the chod puja again. Dang it! I had fun joking with Dechen. We had to make up for lost time. I swear that people can smell in the air when Lama-la is in. He’s totally exhausted, but still seeing people at 8 p.m.
I forgot, I ran into Tinley again today. He is the Tibetan teacher. He is going to see Lama-la tomorrow. I am going to hang around until after he leaves. I really need to meet with Lama-la and Tinley to fully receive my practice and time is running out so just in case I am hanging around till then.
I don’t know what else is on the schedule for tomorrow. I need Lama-la to bless the items I purchased and to put prayers into the statue he gave me. I need to run my thankga to Tomel to have brocade put on it and I need to pick up my thankga from there. And I need to soak up as much Lama juice as I can as I leave soon.
I know I keep mentioning it, but it seems to be ever present at the back of my mind. I will be somewhere between India and London this time 8 days from now. Oh the horrors. Wish I could upgrade my flight. That would make it so much more enjoyable! Doesn’t take away the stress of my connecting flights. Oh here I go gripping again. Bad me! I should not be gripping in such a land of beauty. I know many of you would happily changes places with me even with just 8 days left even if you were to have horrible luck with connecting flights.
Maybe it’s also my family that keeps reminding me of my time left. They were ready for me to come home before I left. Especially since I was so super busy before leaving. Pagan Pride is done, woo hoo!!! And from what I’ve heard it was a huge success. The Center is in use and being loved. I have some commitments when I return home, but in comparison they will be a cake walk to what I had to do before I left.
Lily, the other night PST, said “me love her, me miss her, and me gonna sit on her!” Isn’t that cute! I told her that she will own my lap when I get home. She said that would be ok. Wonder if Tim will be ok with Lily sitting on me while he is trying to cuddle my guts out?
Oh, oh, Bella lost her first tooth while I’ve been gone. Dang it! Anna had her first kiss! And second, and third, and fourth… I think she’s trying to make up for lost time. We’re going to have to buy Eryk some chap stick. What flavor should we get him Anna?
I have done hardly any knitting here. No time. But now all the monks are psyched about the hats. Anna demanded one. The one I’m currently knitting will fit her perfectly. I knit almost a whole hat while waiting for Lama-la today. I might knit on it a bit more before going to bed. Too bad I’ll only have 6 or 7 done before I leave. I will have to continue knitting on them and send them over as I complete them. It will be required in order for me to leave I’m sure. Everyone is fascinated that I am making them.
Well, not a whole lot went on today as it was a hurry up and wait day. So I’m going to work on the hat and then hit the sack. 4:30 a.m. comes early!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
A breath of fresh air...
The stupa can been seen from the Hindu temples. I think we all sighed when we saw it!
Hermit's cave
There are a series of caves around the temples. Both Hindu and Buddhist hermits live in these caves as they go on retreat. Some retreats last a lifetime. Just to the right of this photo is a very small Buddhist temple. Very old. We didn't get to it and I'm not sure how we'd get to it or if we could.
Brahma's Gateway
I forget the Hindu name for the stone slab that slopes into the water. It is something like 'brahmagul'. Bodies are placed on this slab to be washed in the river before they are burned. It is the gateway to Brahma. Above is a hospice where dying people stay. Right before they die they are brought down to the stone stairway where they take their last breath. It is very auspicious to die on these steps.
King and His family
The King and his family are cremated here. Up river a bit from the other cremation spots. Although there isn't a King here any more. I believe the last King was assassinated.
Hindu Temples
The river into which ashes of bodies are thrown. Sometimes whole bodies are thrown in if they cannot afford to be cremated.
September 21, 2008 8:30 p.m.
Melatonin is my friend! I wasn’t tired a half hour ago and now I’m having troubles staying awake. Why am I not sleeping? Well my laptop battery died and the power just came back on.
Every day brings quite the experiences. I went by the café and they weren’t ready yet so I walked around the Stupa a bit. I got some cash. I walked past the mala place with the Bodhi seed mala I really wanted. I went in to take another look at it as I had become educated on them. I learned that many shops are trying to pass of raktu (I think that is that name of the seed) as old Bodhi seed. They look almost exactly like Bodhi. They are smaller than new Bodhi seed which the old Bodhi seeds are small and are very expensive, but the raktu are very cheap. The raktu are also more textured but have an eye just like the Bodhi seed. I also learned that they are sanding down new Bodhi seeds to age them and to make them look really small. But when they do this the eye usually disintegrates.
So I went in to see if this set was sanded in any way. They aren’t. I am almost positive they are authentic. And he immediately offered me a much lower price. Most places around here claim to have a morning price which I learned is true. Anna told me that the first sale of the day brings great luck to the shop for the rest of the day. So I purchased it and a gift or two. Spent more than I wanted to, but feel like I finally got a good deal.
I went to purchase 2 altar cloths. The price had gone up. Since the tourists are arriving I’ve found that the prices around the Stupa have doubled and in some cases tripled. They told me 350 rupees a cloth which last time I was in they were 250 a cloth without even bargaining with them. As the other shops had already gone up to 600 rupees I wasn’t surprised. I was able to talk the guy down to 300 rupees each when the store manager came in and I told him that they were 250 rupees each last week and he agreed to that price. Woo hoo!
I thought I might have luck at the carpet place but they weren’t open. I went to the café and got online. The manager offered without my asking to credit me one day of internet since they weren’t open yesterday. The power went out and their backup battery died. I went and took a look at the statues. The one place finally brought in the statue but it wasn’t Yeshe Tsogyal, no matter how much he tried to tell me. The other place, while the statue will be gorgeous once the mould is done, is too much for me to spend right now. And he also decided that no matter how hard he pushed it would not be ready before I left. So maybe I will order it or purchase it the next time I come.
I made it back to the carpet place. Ha! He still isn’t willing to come down on the price at all. He is asking 4,000 rupees and I am almost certain I can get it for 3,000 rupees so I told him I would come by daily and harass him until he comes down in price. Yes, that’s only $13 U.S. difference in price, but a lot of money here. But now I am even more certain that he can come down to 3,000 easily since the Tibetan woman with him bawled him out for letting me leave with a decent offer on the table. Maybe she’ll be watching the store the next time I go in, hehehe.
Anna and I went to the thankga place. I purchased my small (very small) Medicine Buddha thankga. As we were leaving a demonstration (riot) was kicking into full gear. The Newari (not sure of the spelling) people, who are the oldest of the tribes people if I remember correctly, are very upset. The Nepali government is telling them they need to cut back on the animal sacrifices or stop all together at the upcoming festival. They have been celebrating in this particular way for over 2,000 years. There was a big bonfire of tires just outside of the shop. Anna and I quickly scurried off to a restaurant for lunch.
I ran back to Boudha when I got back to try to upload more temple photos but the internet wasn’t the greatest so I did Kora for a bit.
Almost as soon as I got back and began to relax I was called downstairs. Tom had arrived. We learned that Betsy’s cat just had surgery so she wasn’t able to come as she needed to stay home and help him recover. Anna, Tom, and I chatted for a bit. Then Tom invited us out to dinner. We went to a restaurant near the Stupa. It was wonderful. A rainbow even appeared over the Stupa and was so gorgeous! My dinner was not the greatest. I ordered a prosciutto pizza which was really like a very sweet dish on bread with spam covering it. Hrmm… and now my stomach is very gurgly and acidic.
Anna and Tom chatted and chatted. I zoned out for a good portion of it as they were talking all about people that I had no clue who they were. I missed the evening puja as we didn’t return till it was a quarter through and by the time I had put my stuff away they were finished.
Lama-la is supposed to return tomorrow. I will be happy for it. Maybe my sleep cycles will regulate. I do not want to sleep away the rest of my stay here. Tom leaves for Pokura (?) in 2 days for about a week. I am sort of lonely today. Anna is one to ask questions to, but not really one to converse with.
I don’t know what the plans are for tomorrow. I hate to continue to bother Anna, but I should take my other thankga that she gave me and have the brocade put on. My other thankga will be ready to pick up by the evening time tomorrow, but I will have to wait a bit in order to pick it up. I think I have a bit of money for a couple of other small things. Maybe a couple of dvds, that sort of thing, and if I have any leftovers maybe I will pick up an inexpensive mala or two for the shop.
Coming home soon babies and sweetheart! I have 7 full days here left and on the 8th day I will be on a plane home. Wish me luck!
Every day brings quite the experiences. I went by the café and they weren’t ready yet so I walked around the Stupa a bit. I got some cash. I walked past the mala place with the Bodhi seed mala I really wanted. I went in to take another look at it as I had become educated on them. I learned that many shops are trying to pass of raktu (I think that is that name of the seed) as old Bodhi seed. They look almost exactly like Bodhi. They are smaller than new Bodhi seed which the old Bodhi seeds are small and are very expensive, but the raktu are very cheap. The raktu are also more textured but have an eye just like the Bodhi seed. I also learned that they are sanding down new Bodhi seeds to age them and to make them look really small. But when they do this the eye usually disintegrates.
So I went in to see if this set was sanded in any way. They aren’t. I am almost positive they are authentic. And he immediately offered me a much lower price. Most places around here claim to have a morning price which I learned is true. Anna told me that the first sale of the day brings great luck to the shop for the rest of the day. So I purchased it and a gift or two. Spent more than I wanted to, but feel like I finally got a good deal.
I went to purchase 2 altar cloths. The price had gone up. Since the tourists are arriving I’ve found that the prices around the Stupa have doubled and in some cases tripled. They told me 350 rupees a cloth which last time I was in they were 250 a cloth without even bargaining with them. As the other shops had already gone up to 600 rupees I wasn’t surprised. I was able to talk the guy down to 300 rupees each when the store manager came in and I told him that they were 250 rupees each last week and he agreed to that price. Woo hoo!
I thought I might have luck at the carpet place but they weren’t open. I went to the café and got online. The manager offered without my asking to credit me one day of internet since they weren’t open yesterday. The power went out and their backup battery died. I went and took a look at the statues. The one place finally brought in the statue but it wasn’t Yeshe Tsogyal, no matter how much he tried to tell me. The other place, while the statue will be gorgeous once the mould is done, is too much for me to spend right now. And he also decided that no matter how hard he pushed it would not be ready before I left. So maybe I will order it or purchase it the next time I come.
I made it back to the carpet place. Ha! He still isn’t willing to come down on the price at all. He is asking 4,000 rupees and I am almost certain I can get it for 3,000 rupees so I told him I would come by daily and harass him until he comes down in price. Yes, that’s only $13 U.S. difference in price, but a lot of money here. But now I am even more certain that he can come down to 3,000 easily since the Tibetan woman with him bawled him out for letting me leave with a decent offer on the table. Maybe she’ll be watching the store the next time I go in, hehehe.
Anna and I went to the thankga place. I purchased my small (very small) Medicine Buddha thankga. As we were leaving a demonstration (riot) was kicking into full gear. The Newari (not sure of the spelling) people, who are the oldest of the tribes people if I remember correctly, are very upset. The Nepali government is telling them they need to cut back on the animal sacrifices or stop all together at the upcoming festival. They have been celebrating in this particular way for over 2,000 years. There was a big bonfire of tires just outside of the shop. Anna and I quickly scurried off to a restaurant for lunch.
I ran back to Boudha when I got back to try to upload more temple photos but the internet wasn’t the greatest so I did Kora for a bit.
Almost as soon as I got back and began to relax I was called downstairs. Tom had arrived. We learned that Betsy’s cat just had surgery so she wasn’t able to come as she needed to stay home and help him recover. Anna, Tom, and I chatted for a bit. Then Tom invited us out to dinner. We went to a restaurant near the Stupa. It was wonderful. A rainbow even appeared over the Stupa and was so gorgeous! My dinner was not the greatest. I ordered a prosciutto pizza which was really like a very sweet dish on bread with spam covering it. Hrmm… and now my stomach is very gurgly and acidic.
Anna and Tom chatted and chatted. I zoned out for a good portion of it as they were talking all about people that I had no clue who they were. I missed the evening puja as we didn’t return till it was a quarter through and by the time I had put my stuff away they were finished.
Lama-la is supposed to return tomorrow. I will be happy for it. Maybe my sleep cycles will regulate. I do not want to sleep away the rest of my stay here. Tom leaves for Pokura (?) in 2 days for about a week. I am sort of lonely today. Anna is one to ask questions to, but not really one to converse with.
I don’t know what the plans are for tomorrow. I hate to continue to bother Anna, but I should take my other thankga that she gave me and have the brocade put on. My other thankga will be ready to pick up by the evening time tomorrow, but I will have to wait a bit in order to pick it up. I think I have a bit of money for a couple of other small things. Maybe a couple of dvds, that sort of thing, and if I have any leftovers maybe I will pick up an inexpensive mala or two for the shop.
Coming home soon babies and sweetheart! I have 7 full days here left and on the 8th day I will be on a plane home. Wish me luck!
Pictures
Sorry, no more pictures will go up today. They aren't going up as fast right now and without someone to chat with I am getting extremely bored waiting for the photos to upload. We had some adventures today. Can't wait to get back and have you all over to the Center for a fuller description with lots more photos. I believe I have somewhere around 800 photos so far to share with you. hehehe.
Hindu Temples Yesterday
This is the large temple that we were not allowed into. You can just see Brahma's testicles in this photo. There are 16 silver doors and 4 gold doors. Only 4 holy men in the world are allowed through the gold doors into the inner sanctum.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
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