A Day of Surprises

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Our trip to Wayen Gompa was not fruitful, as none of the people I had planned to meet were there. Holly and I then took a trip to the local internet cafe, more accurately described as a smoke-filled room of young men playing video games, and happened upon a very friendly monk who spoke excellent English. In this part of Tibet, an English speaker is rare, almost as rare as finding a piece of pizza, which would be impossible! The monk’s name is Akhu Legshed Zangpo and he’s an English teacher at a children’s school 8 km. from Darlag. He invited us to visit the school and so we went.

The school is quite large - 250 children - and almost all are orphans, coming from all over Tibet. They learn Tibetan, Chinese, English, math, and even computers. In a land with literally no bathroom or shower facilities, there is internet access! The children were cheerful and obviously excited to have foreign guests. I felt a bit like the Pied Piper, as they followed us all around the grounds trying out their English. By the end of our tour, we had probably fifty children in tow. They hung at the sides of Akhu Legshed, holding his hands and robesand it was clear that they all had great affection for one another. After asking a few questions about local monasteries and local Lamas, I realized that this was the school I had originally planned to teach at! Everyone thought it was excellent tendrel (auspicious interconnection of events) that I had accidentally happened upon the school, that I was a Nyingma practitioner, and a student friend of Lingtrul Rinpoche, one of the Lamas who helps run the school. His monastery, Traling Gompa, is just 2 km. away. The school is in desperate need of an English teacher who is a native speaker, and are even in the process of building a new teacher’s apartment, nicer than the others, for a foreign teacher. If I choose to teach there, there will be excellent resources for my studies - a teacher who knows “ume,” a script I need to learn, an English speaker to tutor me in Amdo language, and plenty of lamas and khenpos nearby to help with classical Tibetan and dharma texts. After some more time with Ama and Apa, Lama Chonam’s parents, and their children, I will decide where I want to be. Plus, there is still Wayen Gompa to consider, once I can pay another visit.

After our visit to the school, Akhu Legshed took us to the Gesar Phodrang, which is adjacent to the school. This is one of the six places recognized by the Chinese government as a sacred site of cultural preservation. The history of the Phodrang, which means “palace” is quite fantastic. King Gesar was a warrior hero and one of Tibet’s most legendary religious figures. A renowned lama of this region, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsog, had a series of visions in which he recalled the exact location and constuction details of King Gesar’s original palace, and thus the present palace was built exactly according to his specifications. The palace is extraordinary, with shrines of enormous, glittering statues and a museum with all sorts of artifacts including relics from the original palace, uncovered when the ground was broken for construction.

It was a long day, uncovering many unexpected treats. Tomorrow we’ll have a quieter one, visiting a local tailor and looking for the only shower house in town!

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Photos

Central Shrine Deity: Gesar of Ling
One of dozens of glittering statues at the Gesar Phodrang.

Comments

[susan]

wow
I'm following your travels. Very exciting. Wish you much luck.