Day 28 - Dharamsala

Dharamsala has a funny way of being peaceful and hectic at the same time. Surrounded by beautiful mountains, lush trees, chanting monks, ornate temples and soaring eagles, it's impossible not to bask in the serenity. But, the steep, narrow streets become filled with tourists, residents, vendors, cows, stray dogs, and cars/motorcycles that honk incesantly as they speed past with little regard to pedestrians or their extremities. The days are hot, but the nights are cold. There's a plethera of little restaurants and cafes that serve amazing Thukpa and Thenthyuk (noodle soups with veggies and tofu).

It's an interesting place. Throughout the day you hear so mnay different languages. You see young ids with dreadlocks and Chaco's just emenating cliche, sitting at the table just next to two upper-middle aged women. There's tourists wearing jeans and tank tops toting there expensive cameras, and others wearing full Tibetan outfits walking barefoot and clearly in need of some thorough bathing. I wonder where I fall on that spectrum in the mind's of passerbys?

This should paint an adaquate picture. The other day, Laura and I went on a hike up the mountainside where we passed secluded meditation centers, were charged by by a young mountain goat, and ran frigthened from angry looking monkeys. Just a short time later we were sitting in a cafe, drinking cappucino, eating chocolate chip cookies and listen to the 20-something Tibetan server sing along poorly to Byran Adams' "Summer of '69". Needless to say, our days are diverse.

We went to the Dalai Lama's techings yesterday. Registration was closed days ago, but we could sit outside the temple and listen. We got to watch him walk in though, which was exciting. He definitely has a presence. His first session was difficult to hear, due mostly to some very loud young Tibetans behind us, but both sessions were packed with Buddhist wisdom. One thing that stuck out for me was his discussion of faith as coming from reason and investigation. Blind faith, while often harmless, is not ideal and we should strive to be critical thinkers. The highlight of the teachings for me, however, did not come from anything the Dalai Lama said, but rather the monk that was sitting next to me. During each session, tea is poured for those who bring their own cups. We had a water bottle, in which Laura received some tea intended for both of us. However, I was tapped on the leg by the monk, who handed me a bowl brimming with tea and some Kashmiri bread. His smile and "don't-worry-about-it" gestures encouraged me to accept. I thanked him and shared the bread with Laura. It was such a nice interaction.

I want to end this long post with a quote about India from The Geography of Bliss, which I just finished the other day:

"Yes, there are cellphones and ATMs and Internet cafes, but none has made a dent in the bedrock of Indian culture. These latest foreign intruders are no different from the Mughals or the British or any other interlopers who over the centuries tried to subdue the subcontinent. India always emerged victorious, not by repelling these invaders but by subsuming them...McDonalds caved to the Indian plate and, for the first time, dropped Big Macs and all hamburgers from its menu, since Hindus don't eat beef. Instead, it serves McAloo Tikki and the McVeggie adn a culinary hybrid, the Paneer Salsa Wrap. McDonalds didn't change India, as some feared. India changed McDonalds!"