Lost in the calm

This week, the Dalai Lama gave 2 teachings, one sponsored by Taiwan, and one by Singapore.

Classes kind of go on hold, well, at least the regular schedule, as everyone is at the teachings. Geshe Wandak and I have been making time after the teachings for his classes, which is great. We’ve been working hard, and I adore teaching him.

In the middle of the bustle, I’ve been sitting back and watching things. The weather is getting cooler, it’s cold at night, but the afternoons are a mix of sun and crisp. I’ve been to several of the teachings, alternating with meetings for SamaSource. I sit downstairs, where you don’t have to be registered. Local families are there, kids are every where.

For the past few days, I’ve been in the same area, there is a silk-like tarp that keeps the sun off, and several chairs. It’s become quite fun. One young boy, maybe 4, is having fun trying to be the most helpful. If he sees you don’t have a cup for tea, he runs and gets a stack and hands them out. If you finish your tea, he runs and gets your cup and puts it in the recycling. I think I want to adopt him!

Then, there are the monkeys. There is a new series of poles meant to hold the tents — but there is not a full tent covering yet — the monkeys think this is great fun, and go sliding down them. The one tarp that is up, they have decided is a great trampoline. There is a small family of them off to the side of one of the buildings. The baby monkey is totally amusing himself by breaking off small pieces of paint and rubble from the roof’s edge, and chucking it rather carefully onto people’s heads.

Yesterday, I was near a group of elderly Tibetan women. As I went to sit down, one pulled out a piece of a cardboard box from her bag for me to sit on. Next, she produced some bread, and insisted I share with them.

Some how, the teaching become a small community of neighbors, and it’s really a fun experience. The language barriers don’t matter.

Sadly, others are opportunistic. Today after the morning teacher, I went to Geshe Wandak’s room for class to hear that the classrooms, and Geshe Yonten’s room had been broken into. They didn’t just cut the locks, they pried the locks off the door. The took $60, a laptop, and three cellphones. The general opinion in town is that the Indian police are less than responsive. Its a shame, apparently the teachings are viewed by local thieves as opportune times to burglarize the areas nearby.

While I am furious about this (and, if anyone had a spare PC laptop they would like to send, I will give you my mailing address) — I guess to I have to think, how miserable is your life that you need to steal from monks during the Dalai Lama’s teachings?

Anyway, those are the thoughts for the day, I just wanted to share!

🙂 Heidi