Syncronisticity

Good evening last night with Chhewang and Rajive, nice dinner and good conversation, so nice to see Rajive again, he was our guide on our first trip. Such a lovely soul. Then today we spent in Thamel which is the tourist district with lots of hippy type shops. However it was quite cold and wet so all we bought was a shirt for Dennis, still we had a good wander. Then back to the hotel for a facial and massage which was good and relaxing. Then back to the Stupa for Kora and dinner. It was quiet I guess due to the cold and wet. However as we were walking around I looked over and saw Chongtul Rinpoche and Tempa Lama. It was unbelievable. Chongtul was my first Bon Teacher and I spent time with him in Glastonbury on a couple of courses. He also arranged our last visit to Menri. Amazingly he remembered me and asked how our visit went. I also thanked him for giving me my Mantra when I was diagnosed with cancer, which of course he also remembered. Tempa also told him that we had spent a couple of days together doing the Chod practice. What is the likelihood of meeting up with Chongtul Rinpoche who is based in New York and has come over to spend Losher in Menri and just happened to be around the Stupa just at the time we walked around and with Tempa Lama?? Both my Bon teachers together and we walked into them. Amazing synchronicity! Who would have thought it was possible. But then this trip has been syncronistic all along, full of suprises. Tomorrow is our last full day here and we plan to spend it around the Stupa and hope the weather improves. We are both really sad at the thought of leaving, but India and Varanasi beckons. The weather there should be much better, so we at least have that to look forward too. But my heart shall be really heavy when we leave this place. I don't think I will ever be bored of coming here. Boudha I love you...

Arya Tara School

We've had another lovely day. This morning we visited the Arya Tara School founded by Ani Choying Dromla, a young nun famous for her music. We last went two years ago and it was great to see how it has developed in that time. We were shown the newly finished guest house which looked very comfortable. We talked with the young nuns and played with the little ones, some as young as six years old. Some are here because thier family can't afford to keep them ( girls are not as valued as sons) and some have been rescued from the sex trade. From a very sad beginning this place is full of laughter, fun and smiles. Lots of smiles. It feels so humbling to see. We donated my small notebook PC and some other bits and pieces and they were so grateful we wished we could give more. At first some of the little ones were a bit afraid especially of Dennis and Chhewang, but it didn't take long for them to feel at ease and join in. The view from the nunnery looks back over the Kathmandu valley and it is stunning. Such a lovely peaceful place. Coincidentally Ani Cholin and 20 of the nuns completed their Chod practice a couple of days before me so we had that in common to chat about too. 

For lunch we returned to the Stupa and found a local animal charity there working on the street dogs, some of which were really enjoying being groomed and taken care of. Usually during the day they just lie in the street asleep, but they must have recognised the charity workers because they were flocking around them wagging their tales. So many good causes and so many beggars, we try to give a little to each, but there are so many.

And tonight we are having dinner with our friends Chhewang and Rajive so we are looking forward to a good catch up.

What a day

Well what a day! It started at 10.30 with Lama Tempa completing my Chod practice. He was wonderful and patient and explained so much to me. He also allowed me to video the entire Chod practice to help me develop it on my return home. I am so lucky to have spent this time with him and give him my heartfelt thanks and gratitude. Karma really brought us together and it never ceases to amaze me how the Universe acts to make these things possible.

Then we went to the Stupa where the air was electric. This is a full moon auspicious day when all merit is doubled, so there were a lot of pilgrims. There was a big police presence , they had sticks , guns and riot shields. They also had fire extinguishers. This is because a monk set fire to himself a couple of years ago in protest of China's occupation of Tibet. It felt very strange to see them, but everybody just kept on doing Kora as normal. We bought prayer flags to be hung from the Stupa together with a Kathang with our names on it. We received blessing from a Lama and bought incense to feed into the huge incense burners. There was a carnival atmosphere despite the police presence, and we had fun wishing everyone happy valentines. This evening following a rain shower it seemed a little quiet, then as the evening wore on more people started to gather around one of the monastery's . A large platform appeared covered in Katangs and flowers. Lots of young men started to chant and sing around it and threw vermillion powder over it and and one another. They were all very drunk, but very friendly. Very soon we were the only europeans around. When we asked what was happening they said it was a Buddha festival and also connected to a grandmother? She had said that everyone should get drunk and be happy, they told us to stick around and enjoy it with them. We felt slightly uneasy at this so decided to go and have dinner, however when we came out the festival was in full swing. Young poeple, and families with children were following the platform around. The young men were in very high spirits. A band was playing and everyone was chanting and singing. We decided to stick around and before long we were in the procession where we handed out sweets to the kids, some of who were a little afraid, I think because of our ethnicity more than anything else! Luckily the procession was making its way down the very busy main street towards our hotel, so we decided to stick with it. We ended up next to some of the police who usually won't speak to you and look quite stern, but a young one who saw me dancing to the music looked at me and said ' I like you'. It was so funny, we all laughed. When we arrived at our hotel we left the procession. Some of the guests had come out to see what all the noise was and seeing us leave the procession asked us what the protest was about. We just looked and laughed and said it's not a protest it's a festival for Buddha. Isn't it funny how we judge things. All they saw were noisy drunken young men stopping the traffic and jumping around covered in red dye and they thought the worst.Then they saw two middle aged Europeans following and didn't know what to think. They asked us and we didn't really know exactly what was going on but all we felt was the happiness and the love as all the Nepalese smiled at us and made us feel very welcome as we shared in their festival. God I feel so high on life it's amazing.  

Chod

Wow what a day!! I spent the morning with Lama Tempa on a one to one Chod session. He was very patient with me and clarified a lot of questions that had come up from my studies and previous Chod teachings. Forgetting that Bon is very old he explained why Machik did not feature in Bon and of course it then made sense. Bon Chod is very Shamanistic in its approach, starting with a trance dance - memories of Bali , and continues with chanting and using a drum bell and horn to call in the demons. Of course we have to remember that all these things are symbolic and the demons are mostly of our own making. You then summon in a wrathful Dakini whose body your consciousness enters leaving your own body as a corpse. You then as the Dakini chop up your corpse and feed firstly your teachers and then all your demons, hungry ghosts and sentient beings on your body. Chod means cutting and though this practice you are cutting away your ego and getting rid of fear. If you have no fears you are free. Think about it, it's mostly our fears that imprison us. To be free of fear shows your true nature and that's all we need to achieve, to be our true selves. Obviously there is a quite a bit more to it but that's a whole book !! Anyhow I am now the proud owner of a Duru the drum, the horn which should be made from a human thigh bone may take a bit longer to acquire.  This is a healing practice and can be used to clear haunted spaces as well as clearing negative energy from bodies and clearing karmic debt. Tomorrow morning we are going through the whole ceremony together. It's wonderful to have this opportunity, usually you have to share the teacher with a whole class. Here I have him entirely to myself for which I am very grateful.

Later this afternoon we visited Pashupatinath where all the cremations are carried out for Hindus and Buddhists.  The cremations are carried out in the open beside the river for all to see. The corpse is prepared and washed in the river , anointed , then wrapped in cloth and bedecked with flowers. They are then carried to the ghats where undertakers place them on piles of wood. If  they are Hindu and the father dies the eldest son lights the fire, if a mother dies the youngest son lights the fire. The fire is placed in the mouth of the corpse and the body takes around three hours to burn. When the burning is completed the remains are pushed of the Ghat into the river, if the family is poor and cannot afford enough wood all the remains end up in the river. Whilst this is happening the sons shave their heads and enter a state of mourning. You are able to watch all this from a verandah above, whilst we were there we were smoked out by the corpse burning just below us. It is very morbid but fascinating and it's hard to take your eyes off of it. The undertaker moved some of the wood off the body and we could see the blackened outline of the corpse, including the hole they make in the skull to prevent it exploding. Then he turned it over and revealed a hole in the abdomen from which the intestines were spilling in glorious technicolor.  I hasten to add he was just doing his job and not doing it for our benefit. But with that we felt we had seen and smelled enough and crossed the bridge to the holy part. As we wandered through we met some Saddhus who are devout Hindu's who have renounced material life

and live mostly naked and covered in ash in caves nearby. They are really peaceful quiet people who just ask your name and where you come from. They have an unbelievable air about them. It is believed that Saddhu's have achieved enlightenment and have escaped the cycle of death and rebirth. Because of this they are some of the few people who will be buried, along with young children who are innocent,their   burial site is just above the river.

 This evening we went and did more Koras around the Stupa with the Tibetans.   So now we are sipping Mojito's  and coffee in the bar and trying to relate to all the marvellous things we have seen and done today and wondering how we will remember all this after we have completed our trip as this is only day 3 !!!

Om mani padme hung

Had a great day around the many monasteries around the Stupa and doing 'kora' around the Stupa. Kora is a complete clockwise walk around the Stupa and you should do at least 3. Bons go anti clockwise. Each kora takes around 5 minutes and we managed 11 in between our visits to the other monasteries .The most magical time is in the evening when there are very few tourists and but lots of Tibetans and Nepalese. The Stupa is one of the largest in the world and is a World Heritage site, it was built in the 5 th century by a woman who had four husbands. It is said to contain the relics of the first Buddha and was blessed by Bodhisattva ,s ,  enlightened beings who have declined Nirvana until every sentient being has gained enlightenment, and that the heavens sang when it was completed. Since 1950's it has become the focal point of exciled Tibetans and is a point of pilgrimage and considered one of the holist sites outside Tibet. In the early evening the atmosphere becomes almost electric as Buddhists of every age do Kora. They hold their Mala,s - prayer beads, in their hands and chant Om mani padme hung as they circumanbulate, some walking quickly others taking their time, the most devout doing prostrations every three steps.  Some have travelled a long way and if they are poor a lot will have been on foot. It's very humbling to realise this as we do our little bit. We think that our travels are tiring, but we just have jet lag and have a nice comfy warm hotel to go back to. These people have nothing but a small plastic bag of their belongings and a great desire to fulfil a lifetimes wish to visit this holy place. There are a lot of old women sitting by themselves on the ground chanting and giving thanks. Thier skin is heavily lined and wrinkled, the colour of Mahogany. On their faces are bueatific smiles. In the UK they would be in old peoples homes, tired and lonely. Here they have nothing but the warmth of their faith and empty belly's, but they are so happy. If you smile at them you are rewarded with a huge grin and a nod. A knowing that we are all sharing the same feelings and experience in this moment of time. Even the street dogs do Kora, one past me three times trotting along as if in a hurry. This afternoon they all started barking at a man, it took us a few seconds to realise that he was going anti clockwise, which very few attempt, and it was as if the dogs were trying to tell him to turn around, it was quite amusing. By 8 pm it goes very quiet, the rush is over, just a few latecomers and by 9pm that's it. All that's left are a few people who have have no where to go and therefore just bed down for the night in one of the worlds most peaceful and sacred places.

 

Kathmandu

We have arrived!!! We had a few problems at Delhi airport where Indian red tape meant that they sold our Kathmandu flights as we were 5 minutes late in checking in, due to Indian red tape. This aroused the Deva in me and she somehow managed to get us back on the flight!! So here we are recovering from a jet lag massage on the roof terrace of our hotel which is definately yet the best hotel in Kathmandu, with a glorious view of the Stupa, I say recovering because although we were fully clothed it was a fantastic massage. The therapists who probably weigh half as much as me, climbed on top of us and manipulated our bodies into positions not achieved in several years. The result is we both feel great! I got the giggles at the sounds coming from the other bed as Den is not quite as supple as me so a very light first morning. Kathmandu air however is starting to work on my lungs and it won't be too long before I am coughing and spluttering, but I am so glad to be back. We are having a quiet first day which means we shall be doing Kora round the Stupa and then visiting the various monastery's and having our lunch at the Szcheun monastery which serves delicious vegetarian food, washed down with Everest beer. Tomorrow morning I have my first Chod session with Llama Tenpa in the hotels meditation room. Only in Kathmandu would a hotel devote a whole room to meditation!!

Anyhow the sun is shining and is a pleasant 23c, so we are setting off on our first adventure., Om mani padme hum

So excited

Am getting so excited, countdown to Nepal has started, I'm trying to organise what we need to take and Dennis is organising dollars and airport hotels. Can't believe that this time next week we shall be in the thrill of it all at Bouda stupa, doing Kora with the Tibetan refugees, chanting Om mani padme hum as we walk. It sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it. And I have the added bonus of spending time with Tempa Dukte Lama for Chod practice. We shall also re visit the Ayra Tara School and spend time with the young nuns. An afternoon in the hippie center Thamel chillin around the shops and bars and then into India to watch the sunrise on the Ganges and witness and hopefully participate in sacred bathing in mother Ganges along with the Hindu faithful.  We shall attend the sunset ceremony which is reported to be beautiful. And then to Sarnath where Buddha first taught his disciples and then to Buodhgaya where Buddha gained enlightenment. We shall wander around the many temples that have been built by countries all over the world and each will show its origins in its unique  architecture I guess like at Lumbini. Anyhow I shall look forward to blogging all our experiences and sharing them with you. Namaste