The last few days of McLeod Ganj

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The last few days have been fabulous (once i got over the shakes & the sh*ts)!

3/2: We (Agi, Jamie (from berkeley), & I) went hiking @ the foot of the Himalayans 2 days ago, in search of the Bhonsu Waterfalls. & boy - did we find it! A bunch of maroon & burgundy robes scattered all over the rocks to dry. What a sight! Needless to say, Agi was very excited @ seeing half-naked monks. =) Some of them weren't so bad ; ) LOL

The rest of the time, we've been finishing up the last of the DL's teachings & just been enjoying the beautiful mountain weather, food, & peeps. I've been getting some good reading done - just finished "My Country & My People" by the DL & currently reading "11 Minutes" by Paula Coehlo. It's pretty good.

The autobiography by the DL is pretty amazing...it goes over the history of tibet, how buddhism was bought from India, how the dalai lama incarnation was chosen (from the dead body of the previous dalai lama...crazy!), and how the chinese slowly infiltrated tibet. I was reading the last of his autobiography during the last day of his teaching - & while he was walking off & waving to everyone, seeing him so joyous while, essentially, his whole county is in exile - it bought a lot of powerful emotions within me. No matter what the chinese government did, like ghandi, he preached nonviolence & patience - something that I'm not familiar with - especially when it came to dealing with myself; in fact, i raised my hand on myself much faster then anyone else.

These few weeks in Dharamsala have been excellent - studying with the Dalai Lama, reading amazing books, living in one of the most sacred places in the world, and having the time & ability to see myself & shed a layer. I'm ready for some beach & some action though!!!

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Photos

McLeod Ganj
We've been awaiting for this jap restaurant to open forever! The view from the back

Monks
Agi & I went exploring. Found these monks just hanging out...nice pic

McLeod Ganj - downtown
yeah, downtown baby! Everyday monks, foreigners, tibetans, & indians mingled together. kinda cool

Bhongu Waterfalls - 01
monks having fun in the sun & doing their laundry. note the red spots here & there...

Bhongu Waterfalls - 01
Jamie & I - arghhhhhhhh

Bhongu Waterfalls - 03
There was a huge group of indians. & no i don't know him. Agi thought it was funny for me to pose w/him. LOL

Tibetan couple
In traditional Garb. She's wearing a Choopa. I bought one =)

Bhongu Waterfalls - 04
Monks chatting in front of the waterfall. the water was FREEZING by the way...

Bhongu Waterfalls - 05
We took an alternative route down the waterfalls...

Comments

[Lynn]

Tibet
Hi Jen, Such interesting blogs. Thanks for taking the time to keep us all in the loop. I was wondering how a Chinese young woman is treated considering the political situation in Tibet. Such an interesting world we live in. Love, Lynn