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Published: August 7th 2007
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Himalayas
View from my balcony in Mcleod Ganj. This is looking directly east from the town. Further off that direction is Tibet. Not that far to the west lies India's friendly neighbour, Pakistan. After nearly 7 months of constant movement and travel I have finally found a temporary settlement. For the next 6 weeks I will be residing in a small town called Mcleod Ganj up here in North India. When His Holiness the 14th Dali Lama fled Tibet after the Chinese invasion/occupation in 1959, Mcleod Ganj is where he made is home. In the surrounding area of Dharmsala and within Mcleod Ganj is an extremely large Tibetan-refugee community, creating a social and cultural environment that is in many ways distinct from the rest of India. Dharmsala and its environs is home to the Tibetan Government in Exile and a large number of artifacts, museums, and Buddhist monasteries which all contribute to preserve Tibetan national identity. Tibetan monks in their elegant maroon robes are often a more common sight on the street than those in ordinary dress. On average 300 new refugees arrive in Mcleod Ganj and Dharmsala each month from Tibet. Choosing to flee Tibet to India means taking the one and only escape option available. The journey takes nearly a month and requires over 3 weeks of walking through the Himalayan mountains that divide the Tibetan and India border. Not a particularly
Garden View of Guesthouse
This is the guesthouse I spent my first few nights in. easy task to accomplish considering some of the 15,000ft+ peaks that must be crossed. Still, the prospects of a free life in India are enticing enough to risk their lives to escape Chinese oppression in Tibet. I've heard more than a few remarkable stories since I've been here.
All the difficulties aside from fleeing one's home country never to return, the Tibetans are some of the most delightful people I've ever come across. The Tibetan Buddhist culture has a long and rich history of peace and kindness to others and a great deal of that is still retained today. Partially by the encouragement of the Dali Lama and in part because of the very essence of Tibetan Buddhism, the Tibetans in Mcleod Ganj do not resemble that of a seriously distressed refugee community. I now recognize after being here for a short while that the Tibetans resolve and will to preserve their unique cultural identity is what draws me so strongly to this town. On top of that, I must admit that of all the world's religions, none is more fascinating to me than that of Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is a distinct tradition in Buddhist philosophy that is
Mcleod Ganj Hillside
A different view from my balcony, facing North and looking at one of the main residential parts of Mcleod Ganj. practiced primarily by those in the Himalayan region including Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim(India), and Ladakh(India). Much of its tradition is based logic, intellectual reasoning, and open philosophical discourse regarding the central tenants of Buddhist faith and philosophy. The open dialogue and continual desire to re-examine and question the philosophy behind its religion is something that I admire tremendously. Not to mention that most Tibetans believe in living guided by principles of peacefulness, compassion, and happiness for all other people. Despite the great deal of suffering the Tibetan people have undergone in the last 60 years, a prevailing sense of inner calmness and peace is present in their everyday demeanour. I have been welcomed and greeted with open arms by many stranger whose primary intention appears to be only of making my time here more pleasant. Before I continue I would like to add that my intention in this description is not to overly glorify Tibetan Buddhism and its community but rather to paint a clearer picture of the experiences that I am having on a daily basis.
As part of my interest in re-introducing a sense of timely structure in my life, I have opted to switch roles from student to teacher during my next six weeks here. I recently realized that putting my "educational field-trip" on temporary hold is something that I feel in large-part, obligated to do. I came across the Volunteer Tibet organization office and chose to offer my services as an English teacher. Due to a much higher demand for English volunteer teachers than there is a supply, it didn't quite seem to matter that I have no experience in teaching English whatsoever. So I've gone from never teaching to teaching 4 different classes per day, 5 days a week. Mind you, 2 of them are private tutoring lessons with advanced English students so our time is much more like a structured conversation than a blackboard-style lesson plan. My 2 other classes I find quite a bit more fun than the tutoring lessons. One class is 15 adult Tibetans, refugees who have recently arrived from Tibet with little to no English abilities. So far we've played all the ABC and 123 games that I remember from my earliest school days. The highlight of my day is from 5:30-6:30pm where I hike up the hill to a local monastery to teach a group of 5 Buddhist monks. There skills range from little to no English so we've just barely begun to scratch the surface of the language. Within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition teachers of all kinds are regarded with high honor, and the monks have symbolically replaced my name of Adam with that of "teacher". If anyone reading this blog has any English teaching experience and would like to offer any suggestions, they are MOST welcome and dually encouraged. I am making lesson plans up as I go along and will certainly welcome any outside assistance.
My plan is to remain in Mcleod Ganj until the 14th of July, which would mark the end of a 7-day philosophy seminar hosted by the Dali Lama. For quite some time now I have very much hoped to sit in his presence and see him speak. My friend Zack was able to see the Dali Lama teach while in Mcleod Ganj and it is not within my capacity to let him outdo me. I've thrown in a few photos of the surrounding environment in town and views of the nearby Himalayan mountains. Enjoy.
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Sounds Awesome
Hey Mcleod Ganj sounds awesome, and the photos are great. Zack and I had a single English teaching experience in China, and it didn't really go that well. It is with this in mind that I send you to the best website around, according to all of those giving souls, whom I met along the way. eslcafe.com has all the games and tips you'll need to do your new work! Keep on keeping on, and have fun with the Dalai Lama.