11/1: A few hours in Delhi and already scammed

Here is a good scam. Someone comes up to you asking what you are looking for. I say an Internet cafe, but they all seem to be closed since it is Sunday. So he says he can show me, and as he points in the distance, and I follow his finger, someone else pours shit on top of my shoe without me noticing, of course. Then magically a shoe cleaner appears and offers to clean my shoes (this happens about 20 times a day). No thank you I say. But look, he says, it is full of shit. So I have no choice but to let him clean it. Then when he is finished he says only 550 rupees. I say I can buy new shoes for that amount. The first "very helpful guy" comes back and asks if I am having any problem. He says don't pay more than 250 rupees. I give the shoe cleaner 100 rupees, all the while trying to figure out how shit got on top of my shoe and no where else. In 4 years in Asia I have never had shit on top of my shoe. Anyway, first day in Delhi and already got scammed. But I will learn.

No picture this time (thank God)

10/31: The Golden Temple Day Three

The Golden Temple at night time.

The buildings around the Golden Temple at night

Bathers at sunrise

The golden Tempe at sunrise, as the light first hit it.

The Golden Temple is a beautiful building surrounded by water, with an inner walkway outside the water, and then many more beautiful buildings surround it. This I will call the inner structures, because there are these very impressive buildings outside of this as well. It is all part of the Golden Temple complex.

Unlike many other sites in India, everything in the Golden Temple complex is free. They even provide free dormitory rooms and free meals. I decided not to stay in the dorms, but did partake in a meal. It doesn't matter what time you go to eat, the food is the same - rice, dahl, vegetables, and chapatis. It was very good. You sit on the floor on these long, thin carpets and men come around and ladle food onto your plate. I counted 50 people on a carpet, and 14 carpets, which means they can serve 700 people at a time, and it is constantly busy. As a row of eaters leave, a man drives a little street cleaner like vehicle, cleaning up the mess on the floor.

I went to the Golden Temple three times yesterday, and then again at sunrise this morning. There is always music going - chanting and prayers. You check your shoes, then walk through a little structure to wash your feet. I watched many Indians take that same water, put some in their mouth and some on their head, before entering the inner complex. Once inside, most people walk clockwise, some people bath in the water, many just sit. There are tall Sikhs guards with decorative spears making sure you do everything proper. For example, you must sit cross legged or with your legs bent underneath, but not with your legs outstretched (I did this). You can not sit on one step and your feet on the step below (I did this too).

Though this is the holiest site in the world for Sikhs, there are just as many Hindus here. They all pray upon entering, touching their head to the ground. I watch the way they pray, their unquestioning faith, their total surrender, and I wish I had that. It reminds me of a quote from Adyashanti: ". . . in silence is the never ending welcoming to do that which our human heart truly desires, which is to be always with our knees on the floor, always be in that sort of devotion to Truth."

I wish to have my knees on the floor and the door to my heart always open. But it doesn't come with the wishing. As Jack Kornfield wrote, "We don't have to improve ourselves: we just have to let go of what blocks our heart." And so I ask myself, what blocks my heart. And every once in a while I understand.

10/30: Wandering

The Golden Temple is spectacular, but there is something so attractive about witnessing daily life. I wandered the streets of Amritsar for over two hours. I really like this city. There are some major roads, but mostly I was able to stay in the old neighborhoods with lanes too narrow for cars. I realized on this walk another reason I like getting lost (besides being what I do best) is for the surprises. I emerged from the narrow lane below
to the view of the temple below.
And then I met the tomato man and his two children. What a blessing to have this opportunity!

Amritsar And The Golden Temple

The Golden Temple is amazing! It is not just the temple but the entire temple complex that is so impressive. More later (I've been on this computer too long).

My next favorite sign (after the train sign from Delhi)

10/29: Amritsar and the Gang

So, I was having lunch at this little stand on the street, where he makes these delicious chapatis which he bakes in the clay oven on his stand, when four young men from Mumbai sat down next to me. They are on vacation, heading up to Kashmir. they invited me to come see the evening Pakistani border gate closing ceremony, which I accepted. It turns out they are a gang of eight. They rented a little share taxi, and all nine 0f us piled in.
It was hard to remember all of their names, so they each got nicknames: Umesh (English teacher), me, Tsimal (criminal), Bharat (India country), Uttam (big boss), Mahindar (baby face), Rahul (actor), Kailash (God), and Vikash (comedian)

Every evening India and Pakistan do this orchestrated performance. It was somewhat like a high school football game, each side cheering their own team as loud as they can. It was a little unfortunate for the Pakistani side, for there were about eight million Indians on our side, and 12 Pakistanis on their side. Then the gates are opened, the soldiers do this funny, high stepping march. At one point one soldier from each side shakes hands, which I liked because there are some people in the crowds doing anti-Pakistani chants.

Me and my gang

Some other Indians who wanted there picture taken with me.

Later, after our taxi broke down and we had to wait for another one, we went out to dinner, then they had to rush to the bus station. they wouldn't let me pay for anything.

10/28: Last Day in McCleod Ganj

My last day in McCleod Ganj I went for a four hour walk to the village of Nandi.


I met this amazing Israeli woman named Renana. She explained to me that my Hebrew name, Mayor, means "the one who shines light," which is a really nice aspiration. She also translated my favorite song from the Israeli group, Sheva:
"If the gates are closed
then God will open it,
Please my God be generous with me."
I went with Renana to the third day of an Indian wedding, then we walked the 2 hours back to McCleod Ganj along dark, winding roads with mountain lions, yetis, and other creatures roaring in the distance (or maybe cows and motorcycles, who knows). One of the nicest things about traveling is when two worlds intersect in a very special way.

The lessons/inspirations I received from the two Israeli women in the last week:
"You don't have to look so hard. Everything is coming to you."
"Help me to open the door to my heart"

Renana ("like banana" she explained to help me to remember her name) and me

My last light in McCleod Ganj from the Dalai Lama's Monastery

10/25: Three stories and a quote

I went on a three hour walk yesterday to the northeast of McCleod Ganj to get a better view of the mountains. On the way back, three teenage girls asked to each have their picture taken with me. "Yi, ar, san," one of them said as she snapped the shutter, so I asked if they were Chinese. "No! We are Tibetan!"They told me that they had just arrived here from Tibet only three months ago. They are 16, 18 and 19 years old. They told me they snuck across the border with 20 other Tibetans, and their parents are still in Tibet. "We can speak Chinese, but we don't like the Chinese," one of the girls said. Then the other one corrected her. "The Chinese are okay. We don't like the Chinese government." When I asked how they like it here, one replied, "It's okay, but our leader is here." "Your leader?" I asked. "The Dalai Lama," she replied. "He is here so we are happy."

While sitting at a cafe yesterday afternoon, a watched a Tibetan man on a motorcycle approach two young Tibetan men and a Tibetan monk sitting at the table next to me. They started to argue. The monk tried to calm them down, but the argument continued across the street. The monk crossed the street to try and calm the young men again. One of the men who was sitting with the monk gently walked him back to his seat at the coffee shop, and the argument continued. Then another monk came. He and the first monk finally got the young men settled down. The Tibetan woman who runs the coffee shop was standing next to my table listening. The argument had drawn quite a crowd. I tried to get her to explain to me what was going on, but she either could not or would not. "I don't see this here very often," I said. "No. Not common," she replied.

I found a spot I like to sit at to watch what is going on. It is at the top of McCleod Ganj, where 4 roads intersect. I bought some peanuts and chai, and was sitting there for about an hour, when a woman sat down next to me, so we started to talk. She is from Israel, and was waiting for the night bus to head back to Delhi and home. She is a healer. She looks at me and says, "I can see in your mind that you are a deep thinker, with all the good and bad that come with it." We talk some more, and as she leaves, she says to me, "You don't have to look too much. Everything is coming to you." "It is a good spot," I replied, thinking she was referring to where I am sitting. "No, in general," she says. "A good philosophy," I reply, but I still don't understand. And she says to me, "It is not a philosophy. I am saying this to you." Then she walks away, and finally I get it. She is a healer. She is seeing in me the searching and the struggle.

I have been rereading my favorite book on spirituality slowly this trip - Adyashanti's Emptiness Dancing. There seems to be such synchronicity with my life, as if his teachings are directed to me right when I need them. This morning I read: "World views are self views - literally. The world of perceptual overlay is not actually happening except in the mind. . . . If you want to be free, you've got to be prepared to lose your world - your whole world. . . . The Zen Master Huang Po encouraged people to throw away the Buddha - to throw away all views, all the worldviews, even the spiritual worldview - so that you are not imposing it on what is. That's where the phrase, 'If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him' comes from. If you have an image of what the Truth is, slay it immediately (Or in Jewish tradition, there is only one God, and the name of God cannot be written). . . . Releasing this overlay of ideas and images is very much like awakening from a dream. Waking up is the only way to realize it is a dream. . . When you sit in meditation, you begin to recognize the various points of view you have carried, and you can let them go. But as fast as you let them go, you'll replace them. . . . But to question the one who is holding the beliefs is much more efficient than questioning each little belief along the way, . . . so uprooting the one who is holding the beliefs is what it is all about. Who is the one who is holding the belief? Who is the one who is struggling? Once you uproot the one who is holding the structure together, then the whole structure collapses."

Photos below are from my walk to the northeast of McCleod Ganj.

View of McCleod Ganj from the north.

4th day in McCleod Ganj: thoughts and photos

An old Tibetan man walks by and greets me with "Tashi Delay" as I sit at this table outside of the coffee shop. The Tibetans (especially the old ones) seem to always be smiling, shining their inner light, radiating peace. Is it their Buddhist practices? I see them with their prayer beads, whispering "Om Mani pad me hum" to themselves as their fingers move across the 108 beads. I watch them moving around the monastery in the center of town, spinning the prayer wheels. I wish to be so present, so at peace as they appear to be, as I reflect in my head at the nature of "being present," knowing that the "wishing for presence" is the very obstacle of being "present." Often I am in two places at once, instead of just being.

And then my mind continues, thinking about the keys to presence: acceptance of what is, genuine curiosity/joy with life, knowing that all is one, contemplating the nature of emptiness and the delusion of my reality. I want to say, "Life is good just the way it is," but I also know that life isn't always good just the way it is. "Good and bad" at times are irrelevant. Life just is.

Photos from the festival today at the Tibetan Children's Village, commemorating 50 years of refugee status in India (among other things I am sure, but this is all I understood)

More photos from today's festival

McCleod Ganj, Dharamsala

I have now been in McCleod Ganj, The Tibetan refugee Capitol in India, just up the hill from Dharamsala, for three days. Luckily for me, the Dalai Lama is here now, and he just completed four days of teachings. Each day the teachings would go from 9 to 11AM and then again from 1 to 3PM. I arrived in McCleod Ganj on the afternoon of his second day of teachings, so I missed it, but was able to participate in the final two days. It is such a blessing to be here for this event.

Yesterday, day three of the teachings, started with questions and answers. The first question was about whether it was okay to follow teachings from the different schools of Tibetan Buddhism, or should one choose just one school to follow. After a really long answer by the Dalai Lama (he is referred to here as "His Holiness" or HH in writing), the second question was, "What should one do when one feels sleepiness after a really long answer?" His Holiness replied, "Enjoy yourself, but don't snore, for it will disturb the people around you."

The third question was about whether one would obtain negative karma from spaying dogs to help keep the population down. HH talked about the small picture and the big picture, and gave an example of the human population, how there are already six billion humans. A smaller quantity but higher quality life is better, and he went on to discuss the injustice of the widening gap in the standard of living. And then he told another joke. He had the opportunity to visit Japan recently, and the food he was served was of very high quality, but the portions were so small, "like a decoration. So when food is served, quantity is also important."

Much of what HH talked about I didn't understand: the four stages of this and the 3 steps to that, the five strengths, the 7 fold path to enlightenment, and the 8 fold noble path, etc. But there was one part I really liked. It was in reference to the third noble truth: Once you understand the nature of suffering, you realize it has no intrinsic, independent existence. Thus, it is all a delusion and therefore, there is nothing to overcome.

During the teachings many of the monks are kept really busy. Half way through the morning session they come around with butter tea. Then in between the two sessions they serve lunch of rice and dahl to everyone (and there most have been over a thousand people there). Then half way through the afternoon session they serve tea again, but this time it is sweet massala chai. Also, during both the morning and afternoon sessions, 50 and 100 rupee notes ($1 & $2 notes) are handed out to all of the monks. I think the most special thing about being here, besides just being in HH's presence (I was within 10 to 15 feet of him a couple of times as he walked in and walked out), is seeing all the Tibetans and how they respond to HH's presence, the way they prostrate themselves, and the devotion they hold for him. I love the old Tibetans the best, their dark, deeply wrinkled skin and shining eyes.

A view of the hill top of McCleod Ganj. It has grown so much in the 25 years since I was last here, but it still has the same wonderful feel.

A "mani stone" near the Dalai Lama's monastery, where he gave the teachings.

It is so nice being around Tibetans and Tibetan monks all day long. They are the sweetest people.

Suzanne, my sister twin friend I first met while trekking in Nepal. We visited a Monastery on the hill outside of McCleod Ganj.

10/19: India again

Noah is gone now. It was so sad watching him leave, though I have already received 3 emails from him, updating me on his travel arrangements to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

I am so happy to be back in India. It is totally irrational - just a feeling I have. There is something so attractive about the chaos here.

I love the second line in English on this sign in the train station. Very informative.

On the roads in New Delhi there is the usual mix of autos, three-wheeled motor rickshaws and motorcycles, intermittently being slowed by a cart pulled by a Brahma bull or an Indian, or a bicycle rickshaw. In Old Delhi around the train station the roads are filled almost exclusively by bicycle rickshaws and motorcycles, for the streets are too small for cars.

I found a little tea shop and sat on the sidewalk, watching these two boys playing with the rickshaw. The older one would pedal the rickshaw about 30 feet along the sidewalk, then the younger one would get out and pull the rickshaw back, and the game would start all over again.

I had about 5 hours before my night train north, so I wandered around the back streets near the railway station. I ended up in an area where the buildings were built so close to each other that it became dark. I thought I was indoors. The lanes were about 6 feet wide, lined on both sides by tiny shops, about ten feet by ten feet, selling everything imaginable. I wandered through the dairy section, the eye glass section, the jewelry section, the greeting card section, etc.

After an 11 hour night train and 2 buses taking 6 hours, I am now in McCleod Ganj, the Tibetan refugee capitol, just north of Dharamsala. It is so nice being surrounded by Tibetans once again. I haven't been here for 25 years. It will be interesting to see how things have changed. More later.

10/17: Last days in Kathmandu

Today is our last day in Kathmandu. Tomorrow morning we head to the airport. Noah will fly to Bangkok, and head towards Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. I will fly to Delhi and the take a night train to Dharamsala, the Tibetan refugee capitol in northwest India, where I will most likely stay until my teaching job in Delhi the beginning of November.

We have had a really nice couple of days back here in Kathmandu. Yesterday afternoon we walked to Durbar Square and saw Kumari, the Living Goddess. I don't understand the custom, but what I could gather, a young girl of the Newari caste is chosen at a very early age after she passes some "tests." She then lives in the palace in Durbar Square, and can never leave until her menstruation, when a new "Living Goddess" is chosen. The previous Kumari can never marry, though it is considered "a great honor" to be chosen. Anyway, we saw her. She's just a kid. She comes to a window overlooking a courtyard once a day, I am told.

After that we walked to Patan, the next town just south of Kathmandu, across the river. It is about an hour walk. Patan also has a Durbar Square, which actually is more impressive than Kathmandu's Durbar Square.

The Nepalis are celebrating Duwali, their New Year. Besides fire crackers and fireworks, lots of flowers and lights, they have this beautiful custom of making art pieces out of different colored powders, reminiscent of Tibetan sand mandalas, though very simple in comparison. They then place one or twenty candles in and around the art piece, and this is done at every door entrance. The most unusual custom of Duwali involves the children. They move in gangs of four to ten, sing this chant, and ask for money. If they don't receive any money, the chanting gets louder, verging on screaming, and loosing all tune to the chant. It happened again and again last night. Unfortunately, Noah and I ate dinner at this outdoor restaurant courtyard with very easy access to the multitude of children. Troops would come by about every 3 minutes, so there was very little respite. It was very interesting and amusing only the first few times. We went to a different restaurant for dessert, making sure we were on the second floor.

This morning I started walking at 5:40AM. It was still very dark. The streets were almost empty, except for the piles and piles of garbage from the celebration last night. A few candles still burned. Patan's Durbar Square was so beautiful I had to go back today. During the hour walk south, I came across a number of dogs and one cow wearing a necklace of orange flowers. I am used to the dogs meandering about, but I was caught off-guard as I watched a monkey cross the busy street.

The pictures below are from Patan's Durbar Square.