Lucky to be here

On the 9^th of December it had been 6 days of teaching in the Tibetan settlement near Mungod before I could finally sit still without knees and back aching. Despite the discomfort, blazing heat, dusty roads, being crushed in the crowds and constant harassment from beggars, I feel extremely lucky and happy to be here. 

Receiving these teaching is of course very fortunate but there are so many small things that make this experience extra special. Seeing old Buddhist friends is so comforting and good to catch up with what they are up to. Being in a huge crowd (most of whom are celibate men) that has come together for peaceful, spiritual practice and study is in and of itself quite amazing. Everyone is smiling and happy and there is a festive atmosphere. 

Lama Tsongkapa

A few days ago it was Lama Tsonkapa day (the founder of the Gelupa sect of Tibetan Buddhism) so special prayers were chanted in the teachings and a long offering ceremony (tsog) was offered to the lamas (teachers) of the lineage. At twilight, just as the heat of the day cooled and the last of the red sky disappeared, monks, nuns and lay people made light offering of candles along the roads, in their gardens and in the monasteries. The candle flames twinkled amid shadows of palm trees and clouds of woody smelling incense filled the air. It was beautiful and so peaceful.

People attending the teachings have come from all over the world, such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Russian Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Israel, all the countries in Europe, USA and Australia along with the Himalayan countries and regions in India. I do enjoy just watching the variety of people interacting, overcoming their cultural and language differences. People share food, borrow batteries for their translation radios, give each other shoulder rubs or offer the neighbour an extra cushion to relive the pain of sitting for hours on end. On the other hand, yes at times people do argue about such thing as which space to sit, or scold each other for talking to loud or blocking the view of His Holiness. Well were all only human I guess.

I have been very lucky to stay close to the teaching venue at one of the smaller monastic colleges within Drepung. It is called Sangpa Kamptsen and must have around 200 resident monks.  

evening debate

In order to make some money, the college has temporally been turned into a guest house. The monks have given up their rooms and are camping out on the roof. They are also giving room service of breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner. It is so funny but at 6am my roommate and I are awakened by two giggling monks with a flask of hot milk tea, fresh bread and eggs. At night the monks still have their studies to do so they debate in the courtyard and chant prayers at bedtime but still manage to cook dinner and again serve all the guests in their rooms. It is the best service one can ask for in a monastery.

Making dinner n the kitchen