Sunday, December 7, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Relaxing in Calcutta...
Wow, what a shift in scenery for Evrim and I...
Being at the Krishnamurti center at the Raj Ghat school in Varanasi I can easily speak for us both when I say that it was a unique and special part of our trip to stay in such a place. So, going from that setting of luscious green trees, roses that smell of jasmine, and a large, quite library overlooking landscaped gardens, and the flowing holy Ganga it was much of a shock arriving to the hustle and bustle of Bodhgaya, which is known to be the holiest spot for Buddhist pilgrims.
In Bodhgaya we stayed at the Root Institute, another Tibetan Buddhist study and medical help center. I have to admit that what I enjoyed most staying at the Root Institute was the delicious food. We were finally eating organic and clean, and the food actually felt nourishing! (so we were a bit spoiled coming from the K center's amazing Indian food and now to the Root Institute). One night after eating Tibetan Momo soup (which is like a thin vegetable dumpling soup), we got to have our very first brownie in India. The brownie was in a shape of a ball and was filled with different kinds of nuts and rolled in coconut. You can't imagine how much of a treat this was for us. We were giggling in delight.
Aside from the food we also were able to visit the various sites in and around Bodhgaya. Bodhgaya is sort of like a Buddhist Disney World, minus the cleanliness and plus a lot of beggars. First we went to Vulture's Peak, the spot where the Buddha gave his teaching on the Heart Sutra/Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (the prajnaparamita). At the site there is also an amazing Japanese temple that you take a chair lift to reach. This was a very funny scene. We had never seen Indians laugh so much than when they were hopping on to these chair lifts. After another hot and bumpy ride from Vultures Peak we also visited the site of Nalanda University, which was the largest Buddhist University in the world until it was destroyed by Muslim invasions. This was one of the most amazing places I've ever seen and also one of the saddest. We were about to walk around going in and out of monasteries and temples which are now in ruins, but you can still imagine monks congregating, debating, and worshiping... which is what we did. The final site that we visited was the Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi tree, where the Buddha attained enlightenment... It is an amazing tree and it is worshiped and prayed over all day long.
Finally after another 4:00AM train ride Evrim and I reached Kolkata where we were graciously greeted by Atiya and Arun (Hala and Halu, Aunty and Uncle) who are now taking wonderful care of us and feeding us the most amazing Indian food we have had the entire trip.
Being at the Krishnamurti center at the Raj Ghat school in Varanasi I can easily speak for us both when I say that it was a unique and special part of our trip to stay in such a place. So, going from that setting of luscious green trees, roses that smell of jasmine, and a large, quite library overlooking landscaped gardens, and the flowing holy Ganga it was much of a shock arriving to the hustle and bustle of Bodhgaya, which is known to be the holiest spot for Buddhist pilgrims.
In Bodhgaya we stayed at the Root Institute, another Tibetan Buddhist study and medical help center. I have to admit that what I enjoyed most staying at the Root Institute was the delicious food. We were finally eating organic and clean, and the food actually felt nourishing! (so we were a bit spoiled coming from the K center's amazing Indian food and now to the Root Institute). One night after eating Tibetan Momo soup (which is like a thin vegetable dumpling soup), we got to have our very first brownie in India. The brownie was in a shape of a ball and was filled with different kinds of nuts and rolled in coconut. You can't imagine how much of a treat this was for us. We were giggling in delight.
Aside from the food we also were able to visit the various sites in and around Bodhgaya. Bodhgaya is sort of like a Buddhist Disney World, minus the cleanliness and plus a lot of beggars. First we went to Vulture's Peak, the spot where the Buddha gave his teaching on the Heart Sutra/Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (the prajnaparamita). At the site there is also an amazing Japanese temple that you take a chair lift to reach. This was a very funny scene. We had never seen Indians laugh so much than when they were hopping on to these chair lifts. After another hot and bumpy ride from Vultures Peak we also visited the site of Nalanda University, which was the largest Buddhist University in the world until it was destroyed by Muslim invasions. This was one of the most amazing places I've ever seen and also one of the saddest. We were about to walk around going in and out of monasteries and temples which are now in ruins, but you can still imagine monks congregating, debating, and worshiping... which is what we did. The final site that we visited was the Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi tree, where the Buddha attained enlightenment... It is an amazing tree and it is worshiped and prayed over all day long.
Finally after another 4:00AM train ride Evrim and I reached Kolkata where we were graciously greeted by Atiya and Arun (Hala and Halu, Aunty and Uncle) who are now taking wonderful care of us and feeding us the most amazing Indian food we have had the entire trip.
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Buddha's Not Here
Varanasi: another speechless city.
Full of noise and dust and burning and chanting but the river is there, speechless and gently flowing, unusually turning in on it self just north of here.
We left our comfortable nook at one end of the city, Assi Ghat, and went to the last ghat at the other end Raj Ghat. This is where the Rajghat School and Vasanta College for Women, founded by J. Krishnamurti, in addition to the Krishnamurti Study Centre, are located. It is situated above the banks looking dwon over the river, the paths and buildings winding through a kind of forest we've not seen here yet. Banyan, neem, amla, acacia, and pipal trees abound. Flowers and butterflies are everywhere. Smells of honeysuckle and gardenia! And the early morning light caressing everything with gold. We felt we were in a very different place, a different realm. Food was still a hot topic speaking with some staff and guests at the Centre.
We had time to read and reflect and walk. The walks were the best part I think, as you can imagine. After all the exhaust (the machines, the vehicles, and of our bodies) it was welcome green, welcome rest.
Today, we visited Sarnath.
This is the place where the Buddha--after deciding to teach what he had seen under the Pipal tree many kilometres away from here (in Bodhgaya where we go next, tomorrow) --gave his first teaching, gave that first wonderous spin to the wheel of eternal law. The stupa (a religious honorary monument) erected there is large, impressive, old. A group of Burmese monks, nuns, and laypeople chanted towards the spot, burning candles and incense. We walked in the heat. Tons of tourists. We looked at the ruins of the place. We sat in the cool shade of the stupa, on the cool stone. I closed my eyes and tried to picture the Buddha there, walking around, sitting, chatting with his disciples, sitting up on a platform and sharing his teaching--patiently, sincerely, carefully...I couldn't do it.
We were tired. The sun got us again. We loved the trees of the park.
We returned to the Centre for a great lunch and to say goodbye to that forest and those flowers and that wide strangely still-yet-flowing river.
Mary said it perfectly before we left:
"The Buddha's not here anymore."
Full of noise and dust and burning and chanting but the river is there, speechless and gently flowing, unusually turning in on it self just north of here.
We left our comfortable nook at one end of the city, Assi Ghat, and went to the last ghat at the other end Raj Ghat. This is where the Rajghat School and Vasanta College for Women, founded by J. Krishnamurti, in addition to the Krishnamurti Study Centre, are located. It is situated above the banks looking dwon over the river, the paths and buildings winding through a kind of forest we've not seen here yet. Banyan, neem, amla, acacia, and pipal trees abound. Flowers and butterflies are everywhere. Smells of honeysuckle and gardenia! And the early morning light caressing everything with gold. We felt we were in a very different place, a different realm. Food was still a hot topic speaking with some staff and guests at the Centre.
We had time to read and reflect and walk. The walks were the best part I think, as you can imagine. After all the exhaust (the machines, the vehicles, and of our bodies) it was welcome green, welcome rest.
Today, we visited Sarnath.
This is the place where the Buddha--after deciding to teach what he had seen under the Pipal tree many kilometres away from here (in Bodhgaya where we go next, tomorrow) --gave his first teaching, gave that first wonderous spin to the wheel of eternal law. The stupa (a religious honorary monument) erected there is large, impressive, old. A group of Burmese monks, nuns, and laypeople chanted towards the spot, burning candles and incense. We walked in the heat. Tons of tourists. We looked at the ruins of the place. We sat in the cool shade of the stupa, on the cool stone. I closed my eyes and tried to picture the Buddha there, walking around, sitting, chatting with his disciples, sitting up on a platform and sharing his teaching--patiently, sincerely, carefully...I couldn't do it.
We were tired. The sun got us again. We loved the trees of the park.
We returned to the Centre for a great lunch and to say goodbye to that forest and those flowers and that wide strangely still-yet-flowing river.
Mary said it perfectly before we left:
"The Buddha's not here anymore."
Friday, November 14, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Safe in Varanasi...
Finally we escaped the hustle and bustle of Delhi!
After randomly running into our dear friend Robby, from the Deer Park Institute , and having lunch with him, Evrim and I boarded our all night train to Varanasi. The train ride wasn't too bad... I will say there were cockroaches in my bed and I probably didn't sleep all night but, when we awoke to the golden sun we had an amazing view of India that was unlike any we had seen before. Together we gazed out our window of the moving train onto the lives of so many different types of Indians and their daily activities. We passed many fields upon fields, one village after the next, women slapping together hundreds of cow patties leaving them to dry, cows grazing, peacocks running around, HUGE hogs on piles of trash, little babies dancing on their woven beds under their cob huts and some of the most amazing trees we have ever seen...this is the closest we've felt to rural India.
Arriving to Varanasi was the easiest arrival we have had yet in a train station. We were quickly greeted by our Rickshaw driver, Lakshmi, with a sign that read "Edrem and Mari". Lakshmi drove us through the busy streets and led us into the old alley ways, with colorful stucco walls, passing chai wallas smelling strong of cardamom and ginger, bread frying, sadhus chanting, and finally ending at our home sweet home... Shanti Guesthouse. So far we have only eaten breakfast on the rooftop here that overlooks the Manikarnaka Ghat, which is the main burning ghat. We are eagerly waiting to have a room and a shower!
Hope you are all doing well. We will write more soon.
Much love to all our readers!
After randomly running into our dear friend Robby, from the Deer Park Institute , and having lunch with him, Evrim and I boarded our all night train to Varanasi. The train ride wasn't too bad... I will say there were cockroaches in my bed and I probably didn't sleep all night but, when we awoke to the golden sun we had an amazing view of India that was unlike any we had seen before. Together we gazed out our window of the moving train onto the lives of so many different types of Indians and their daily activities. We passed many fields upon fields, one village after the next, women slapping together hundreds of cow patties leaving them to dry, cows grazing, peacocks running around, HUGE hogs on piles of trash, little babies dancing on their woven beds under their cob huts and some of the most amazing trees we have ever seen...this is the closest we've felt to rural India.
Arriving to Varanasi was the easiest arrival we have had yet in a train station. We were quickly greeted by our Rickshaw driver, Lakshmi, with a sign that read "Edrem and Mari". Lakshmi drove us through the busy streets and led us into the old alley ways, with colorful stucco walls, passing chai wallas smelling strong of cardamom and ginger, bread frying, sadhus chanting, and finally ending at our home sweet home... Shanti Guesthouse. So far we have only eaten breakfast on the rooftop here that overlooks the Manikarnaka Ghat, which is the main burning ghat. We are eagerly waiting to have a room and a shower!
Hope you are all doing well. We will write more soon.
Much love to all our readers!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Pahar Ganj पहर गंज
What can we write about Pahar Ganj that would be anything but...dirty?
I hope the auspicious symbol of the lotus means something Real to us here because in terms of great beauty and purity being born of the mud, there is no place deeper in smog, shit, and muck that I can think of. So, this should give us great inspiration to make effort to grow wise and beautiful, no? But you start to search for things here: a smile, some kind of small intimacy, a good dosa, an honest word. They become precious beyond measure.
Mostly we've hung out around here. Watched some movies and typed on the computer. We met a remarkable man by the name of Swamiji, and we hope he has arrived safely to his destination.
We leave on an overnight train to Varanasi (वाराणसी) around 6:30pm (8am E.S.T.). Tomorrow we will wake up to dawn over that city.
And there will be a lot to write then...
I hope the auspicious symbol of the lotus means something Real to us here because in terms of great beauty and purity being born of the mud, there is no place deeper in smog, shit, and muck that I can think of. So, this should give us great inspiration to make effort to grow wise and beautiful, no? But you start to search for things here: a smile, some kind of small intimacy, a good dosa, an honest word. They become precious beyond measure.
Mostly we've hung out around here. Watched some movies and typed on the computer. We met a remarkable man by the name of Swamiji, and we hope he has arrived safely to his destination.
We leave on an overnight train to Varanasi (वाराणसी) around 6:30pm (8am E.S.T.). Tomorrow we will wake up to dawn over that city.
And there will be a lot to write then...
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Obama in the Himalayas!!!
Hello Everyone! Congratulations on Obama's victory! We are so happy to be coming home to a country that is finally moving towards positive change. We were delighted to hear that Obama was in the lead as we were tucked away in an Indian rock tent at the top of a mountain peak in the Himalayas. We were listening to a tiny, cheap radio in hindi and sipping chai when we heard the news. Finally, as travelers, we are proud to say we are from America!
So, that is what we have been up to, hiking Trek Triund for our last days in Dharamsala. I told Evrim at the top of the mountain, "this is the kind of moment that makes you believe in fairy tales...", It really was magical. We were treking uphill for 6 hours looking over steep cliffs with hovering vultures and passing billy goats to reach over 10,000ft to arrive at our home for the night, a rock tent with a tarp and two indians inside (a man and his son), who fixed us dal, rice, and chai on the fire. That night was our first night in India with silence, a silence I will never forget. It is almost impossible to write about our experience at the top of that mountain, so close to the stars, the moon, and then the rising sun... I hope all of us will continue to have these moments spent in nature's paradise! The beauty of this Earth brings tears to my eyes... so, go for a hike today! :)
We leave tonight on our next 15hr bus ride to Delhi before heading to Varanasi, Sarnath, Bodhgaya, and Calcutta. We are sad to leave this precious Tibetan colony of which we have become quite a part of, but we are looking forward to diving into the ancient parts of this country.
We hope you are all happy, healthy, and delighting in this special time of being an American.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Stayed on...
Change of plans.
Evrim got a wee bit sick. And stayed in bed for 5 days. And this is his first day out. Oh gratefulness! Hawks in the blue sky, sun like the beach, noodles, water, and always the peaks watching over everything.
Diwali was loud explosions for days, warlike.
Halloween was quiet.
So we'll try and wrap up things now that Evrim has returned to this world.
Then we'll be moving on to Delhi, Varanasi, Sarnath.........
Evrim got a wee bit sick. And stayed in bed for 5 days. And this is his first day out. Oh gratefulness! Hawks in the blue sky, sun like the beach, noodles, water, and always the peaks watching over everything.
Diwali was loud explosions for days, warlike.
Halloween was quiet.
So we'll try and wrap up things now that Evrim has returned to this world.
Then we'll be moving on to Delhi, Varanasi, Sarnath.........
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Before moving on
We are now back in Dharamsala, Mcleod Ganj to be specific. We are only going to be here for a few nights, tying up some loose ends and enjoying this little town we've come to know pretty well. We've been attending Geshe Sonam Rinchen's teachings again at the Tibetan Library of Works & Archives. This time the text is the famous Nagarjuna's MulaMadyamika (Treatise on the Middle Way). We think Geshe Sonam is a brilliant teacher. And his translator, Ruth Sonam, is equally remarkable. They are a wonderful team and anyone who has seen them likens them to an old married couple (they have been "together" as teacher/translator for some 25 years!). You can find books by them at the Snow Lion Publisher's website.
From here we are intending to go either back to Delhi, to meet up with Mary's mother (I'll let her tell the story) or first to Dehradun to stay/work at Navdanya's Bija Vidyapeeth, the Seed University, a place founded to perserve biodiversity and help fund support for basic rights in food and water issues in India. This place was co-founded by Vandana Shiva who has written many books on these issues and who is in Italy, I believe, right now where my former WWOOFing host Mom from Seattle is also, at the Terra Madre conference for the International Slow Food Movement. Exciting!
Well..
Right now Mary is in a 2&1/2 hour yoga class that I wasn't feeling up to, so I've come in here to write you all but now I think I'll go for a walk!
Bye for now...
From here we are intending to go either back to Delhi, to meet up with Mary's mother (I'll let her tell the story) or first to Dehradun to stay/work at Navdanya's Bija Vidyapeeth, the Seed University, a place founded to perserve biodiversity and help fund support for basic rights in food and water issues in India. This place was co-founded by Vandana Shiva who has written many books on these issues and who is in Italy, I believe, right now where my former WWOOFing host Mom from Seattle is also, at the Terra Madre conference for the International Slow Food Movement. Exciting!
Well..
Right now Mary is in a 2&1/2 hour yoga class that I wasn't feeling up to, so I've come in here to write you all but now I think I'll go for a walk!
Bye for now...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Bir - Deer Park Institute
We have settled down into a nice little community in Bir, about 3 hours from Dharamsala, and another settled "colony" for the exiled Tibetans...
Our first night we stayed in a monastery guesthouse. Much to our chagrin is was quite uncomfortable. The only two places we haven't enjoyed staying in are in a Temple and a Monastery's guesthouses! Our second night we were offered a very cozy beautiful little room by the mother-in-law of a woman we met while eating breakfast (the establishment's owner)...It was almost perfect... we had her roof to ourselves, a large room, and separate bathroom, all basic but to us, very nice. One problem, no mattress! After one nearly sleepless night we decided to move to the plush posh Deer Park Institute which has become a rather pleasant enclave for us! We eat, study, do yoga, and sleep there. www.deerpark.in - From the website you can get a feel for the kind of place it is and the courses offered. I hope this place can grow in what it offers and the resources available to it. It has the potential to be a really powerful learning centre. So we have now moved into our nicest room in India to date! The food is fresh clean and delicious, especially lunch, and the rooms available for yoga, study, and prayer/worship/sitting are all very nice.
There are bells that chime according to the wind's direction on the corners of the roof of the main temple.
That is one of the views from our window.
We took a lovely, peaceful walk through the fields, past the farmhouses of families in the area, and up the forested hill which para gliders use as a base launching point (there are many many para gliders here right now as there is some kind of competition going on). Don't worry I am very content with staying close to the ground!
We feel as if we are seeing a part of India that was fabled, that was only a stroy to get us to come here. The children laugh and try talking with us or smile shyly. The women work hard in the fields yet always offer a smile as we walk past. The work looks very very demanding. It is their sole livelihood. But generally people are kind and relaxed (the older men seem to just hang out mostly). This is the "endangered" perhaps near-extinct quality or jewel of India, of the world, (I've often said to others how striking it was how brightly this jewel shone in Syria). It is too quickly being swallowed up by tricksters, desperation, lack, the powerfull. No time for simple enjoyment. It is sad what we have encountered in other places. But this contact comes in a place and time when we are in a place remarkably different from the so-called "typical India." In this small Tibetan colony many aspects of the sights, sounds, and culture are distinctly Tibetan. Older folks gathering at the new temple to hang out and pray together. All of them with spinning prayerwheels, and cushions, and mala (rosary) in hand. Lines of prayer flags hanging from the buildings, from the trees...and the most dramatic: the deep beating drums and intense swelling long trumpet calls of ritual and prayer coming from the areas magnificent monasteries. The sound contains the feeling of some arrival, some new apprehension...It enters one deeply, especially at 4:30 in the morning!
Will you believe us if I say that pictures are soon to follow?
Love to you all,
maybe some moment today you could offer up a smile to someone, anyone.
Our first night we stayed in a monastery guesthouse. Much to our chagrin is was quite uncomfortable. The only two places we haven't enjoyed staying in are in a Temple and a Monastery's guesthouses! Our second night we were offered a very cozy beautiful little room by the mother-in-law of a woman we met while eating breakfast (the establishment's owner)...It was almost perfect... we had her roof to ourselves, a large room, and separate bathroom, all basic but to us, very nice. One problem, no mattress! After one nearly sleepless night we decided to move to the plush posh Deer Park Institute which has become a rather pleasant enclave for us! We eat, study, do yoga, and sleep there. www.deerpark.in - From the website you can get a feel for the kind of place it is and the courses offered. I hope this place can grow in what it offers and the resources available to it. It has the potential to be a really powerful learning centre. So we have now moved into our nicest room in India to date! The food is fresh clean and delicious, especially lunch, and the rooms available for yoga, study, and prayer/worship/sitting are all very nice.
There are bells that chime according to the wind's direction on the corners of the roof of the main temple.
That is one of the views from our window.
We took a lovely, peaceful walk through the fields, past the farmhouses of families in the area, and up the forested hill which para gliders use as a base launching point (there are many many para gliders here right now as there is some kind of competition going on). Don't worry I am very content with staying close to the ground!
We feel as if we are seeing a part of India that was fabled, that was only a stroy to get us to come here. The children laugh and try talking with us or smile shyly. The women work hard in the fields yet always offer a smile as we walk past. The work looks very very demanding. It is their sole livelihood. But generally people are kind and relaxed (the older men seem to just hang out mostly). This is the "endangered" perhaps near-extinct quality or jewel of India, of the world, (I've often said to others how striking it was how brightly this jewel shone in Syria). It is too quickly being swallowed up by tricksters, desperation, lack, the powerfull. No time for simple enjoyment. It is sad what we have encountered in other places. But this contact comes in a place and time when we are in a place remarkably different from the so-called "typical India." In this small Tibetan colony many aspects of the sights, sounds, and culture are distinctly Tibetan. Older folks gathering at the new temple to hang out and pray together. All of them with spinning prayerwheels, and cushions, and mala (rosary) in hand. Lines of prayer flags hanging from the buildings, from the trees...and the most dramatic: the deep beating drums and intense swelling long trumpet calls of ritual and prayer coming from the areas magnificent monasteries. The sound contains the feeling of some arrival, some new apprehension...It enters one deeply, especially at 4:30 in the morning!
Will you believe us if I say that pictures are soon to follow?
Love to you all,
maybe some moment today you could offer up a smile to someone, anyone.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Tomorrow
"Who knows which will come first, tomorrow or the next life?"
-Tibetan proverb
Tomorrow, we leave behind our beloved place in the hills and go further towards the Himlayas, a prospect we are very excited about. We are also intending to attend a small public audience with H.H. the 17th Karmapa (picture with The Dalai Lama attached) who is the third highest in the Tibetan religio-political scheme. He has a powerful presence in his photographs alone so we are honored for a up close and personal blessing.
After that we hope to travel to Bir which we intend to make our home for the next week and a half or so. We plan on attending the Patanjali's Yoga Sutras & Hatha Yoga Class at the Deer Park Institute and perhaps we'll discover more when we arrive. Of course there will be pictures to follow... we promise!
We have had a very special time here. Right now a good friend from Virginia happens to be here with us and we've been having great fun together. We attended the end of Geshe Sonam Rinchen's teaching on the "37 Practices of the Bodhisattva" text, went to The famed/acclaimed doctor Dr. Yeshe Donden, lay in the sun while clouds came billowing over the mountains (the Himalays to me are like 'cloud factories'!), ate momos (lovely dumplings), and went for kora (circumabulation around HH The Dalai Lama's residence) at sunset. All in all in was a very usual day for us in Mcleod Ganj.
There is always so much one must leave out in these descriptions.
We'll just hope we come close and we'll post pictures soon...
We'll finish this one
in the spirit of the 37th practice:
May any happiness we have experienced
and any little virtue we may have gained
from all our time here:
May it be dedicated to
all living beings,
throughout limitless space,
that they may all be completely free from suffering
and come to know
perfect peace
and highest awakening.
-Tibetan proverb
Tomorrow, we leave behind our beloved place in the hills and go further towards the Himlayas, a prospect we are very excited about. We are also intending to attend a small public audience with H.H. the 17th Karmapa (picture with The Dalai Lama attached) who is the third highest in the Tibetan religio-political scheme. He has a powerful presence in his photographs alone so we are honored for a up close and personal blessing.
After that we hope to travel to Bir which we intend to make our home for the next week and a half or so. We plan on attending the Patanjali's Yoga Sutras & Hatha Yoga Class at the Deer Park Institute and perhaps we'll discover more when we arrive. Of course there will be pictures to follow... we promise!
We have had a very special time here. Right now a good friend from Virginia happens to be here with us and we've been having great fun together. We attended the end of Geshe Sonam Rinchen's teaching on the "37 Practices of the Bodhisattva" text, went to The famed/acclaimed doctor Dr. Yeshe Donden, lay in the sun while clouds came billowing over the mountains (the Himalays to me are like 'cloud factories'!), ate momos (lovely dumplings), and went for kora (circumabulation around HH The Dalai Lama's residence) at sunset. All in all in was a very usual day for us in Mcleod Ganj.
There is always so much one must leave out in these descriptions.
We'll just hope we come close and we'll post pictures soon...
We'll finish this one
in the spirit of the 37th practice:
May any happiness we have experienced
and any little virtue we may have gained
from all our time here:
May it be dedicated to
all living beings,
throughout limitless space,
that they may all be completely free from suffering
and come to know
perfect peace
and highest awakening.
The Rhythm of the Teachings Part 2
We settle in, cross our legs on our little cushions, tune the radio to 92.2FM and listen to the slight breathing coming through the English translator's microphone. There were two sets of teachings this past week. First, for a group from Singapore a teaching was given on the most famous of Tibetan scholar's, Tsong-Ka-Pa's Stages of the Path. Then another five day teaching was given on Kamalashila's Middling Stages of Meditation and Arya Nagarjuna's Bodhicitta Commentary. I will have to come back to the keyboard with Mary by my side as she took copious notes. Together we will try to distill some of what was being talked about. But beyond that I can say....
The first day, much to everyones surprise, HH The Dalai Lama decided to begin the teaching in English. This was very reasonable as the group that requested the teaching, from Singapore, mainly understand English over Tibetan. This was a very crowded talk, with the biggest turn out of young travellers we saw throughout the teachings. In part it is this turnout that I am guessing also precipitated the talk to be very good introduction. The Dalai Lama, more than any other speaker I have ever heard, is supremely reasonable. It nearly spills out of him. His approach to solving the world's major crisis seems like something to be quickly and efficiently taken care of after tea rather than a series of hopeless and endless tragic encounters. The many many Tibetans that were there (and did not understand English) just sat and patiently waited through the whole talk. One of the many things I remember him saying repeatedly was that non-violence was not the mere absence of violence but the active manifestation of compassion.
He went into more philosophical matters too bringing three fundamental religious questions to the forefront. Does the self have a beginning? What is the self? and Does the self have an end?
It is beyond me to go into his explanations here but I can say that it was a very clear introduction to religion in general and Buddhism in specific.
At one point Tibetan bread is distributed (think fat large but slightly old english muffins) and then Tibetan butter tea (essentially hot water, butter and salt) which much to my own surprise I actually liked.
Then in the afternoon we continue to listen more and more intently as the lecture begin to deepen...
The first day, much to everyones surprise, HH The Dalai Lama decided to begin the teaching in English. This was very reasonable as the group that requested the teaching, from Singapore, mainly understand English over Tibetan. This was a very crowded talk, with the biggest turn out of young travellers we saw throughout the teachings. In part it is this turnout that I am guessing also precipitated the talk to be very good introduction. The Dalai Lama, more than any other speaker I have ever heard, is supremely reasonable. It nearly spills out of him. His approach to solving the world's major crisis seems like something to be quickly and efficiently taken care of after tea rather than a series of hopeless and endless tragic encounters. The many many Tibetans that were there (and did not understand English) just sat and patiently waited through the whole talk. One of the many things I remember him saying repeatedly was that non-violence was not the mere absence of violence but the active manifestation of compassion.
He went into more philosophical matters too bringing three fundamental religious questions to the forefront. Does the self have a beginning? What is the self? and Does the self have an end?
It is beyond me to go into his explanations here but I can say that it was a very clear introduction to religion in general and Buddhism in specific.
At one point Tibetan bread is distributed (think fat large but slightly old english muffins) and then Tibetan butter tea (essentially hot water, butter and salt) which much to my own surprise I actually liked.
Then in the afternoon we continue to listen more and more intently as the lecture begin to deepen...
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Rhythm of the Teachings - Part 1
Last week we would wake up to a man calling out into the night.
Singing.
He was calling the Muslim faithful to prayer, to goodness, to eat and then to fast for the day. I have always wanted to hear a 'call to prayer' without a microphone/speaker and who would have thought that it would be in McLeod Ganj, home to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama?
After waking up slowly, sometimes falling back to sleep, we do our morning preparations which now include crushing or chewing our individualized Tibetan medicines and chasing that bitter aromatic taste with some warm water (to save plastic we now boil our own). But we are usually up and out the door by 6:50 or 7:00am. Most of the time we find ourselves sitting at our favorite breakfast spot, Lhamo's (Lhamo was the Dalai Lama's name as a child before being discovered and becoming a monk and being thus named Tenzin Gyatso). Beautiful sunrise over the Himalayas, cool breeze and a quiet red room with red and black Tibetan tables. Mary gets Muesli which our friend/Uncle calls "the bucket of fruit." It's huge. I often get the American Breakfast which comes with toast, eggs, a pot of tea, corn flakes, and a glass of fresh juice (carrot/apple). This decadence costs less than 3 dollars which is a decadent price for one person to pay for a meal in India.
Then we walk down to the main temple with many people, maybe half or three quarters of them monks and in dark red robes. And going past security we settle into our place in the back among a veritable crowd of Tibetans and some "Westerners." We chat and relax until the air changes and you look up and see everyones head turning in the same direction, hands folded together, under the mouth or by the heart, following with their eyes a moving entourage. This is how the Dalai Lama arrives almost anywhere. As he walks he waves a blessing from side to side with quick seemingly precise movements of his head and right hand, always genuinely smiling. Sometimes he stops and talks to someone, accepts a gift, or simply looks into the crowds eyes. And I have watched their eyes. How filled with hope, aspiration, and as HH said himself of some Tibetans "with unrealistic expectations," so many are! Many are simply happy to see him. My own mouth does tend to relax into a smile.
Then after a little settling in, and after the chants, the teachings begin...
Singing.
He was calling the Muslim faithful to prayer, to goodness, to eat and then to fast for the day. I have always wanted to hear a 'call to prayer' without a microphone/speaker and who would have thought that it would be in McLeod Ganj, home to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama?
After waking up slowly, sometimes falling back to sleep, we do our morning preparations which now include crushing or chewing our individualized Tibetan medicines and chasing that bitter aromatic taste with some warm water (to save plastic we now boil our own). But we are usually up and out the door by 6:50 or 7:00am. Most of the time we find ourselves sitting at our favorite breakfast spot, Lhamo's (Lhamo was the Dalai Lama's name as a child before being discovered and becoming a monk and being thus named Tenzin Gyatso). Beautiful sunrise over the Himalayas, cool breeze and a quiet red room with red and black Tibetan tables. Mary gets Muesli which our friend/Uncle calls "the bucket of fruit." It's huge. I often get the American Breakfast which comes with toast, eggs, a pot of tea, corn flakes, and a glass of fresh juice (carrot/apple). This decadence costs less than 3 dollars which is a decadent price for one person to pay for a meal in India.
Then we walk down to the main temple with many people, maybe half or three quarters of them monks and in dark red robes. And going past security we settle into our place in the back among a veritable crowd of Tibetans and some "Westerners." We chat and relax until the air changes and you look up and see everyones head turning in the same direction, hands folded together, under the mouth or by the heart, following with their eyes a moving entourage. This is how the Dalai Lama arrives almost anywhere. As he walks he waves a blessing from side to side with quick seemingly precise movements of his head and right hand, always genuinely smiling. Sometimes he stops and talks to someone, accepts a gift, or simply looks into the crowds eyes. And I have watched their eyes. How filled with hope, aspiration, and as HH said himself of some Tibetans "with unrealistic expectations," so many are! Many are simply happy to see him. My own mouth does tend to relax into a smile.
Then after a little settling in, and after the chants, the teachings begin...
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Settling down in Dharamsala...
Hello!
Soon it will have been three weeks since Evrim and I arrived into the heaping crowds of Delhi, where rickshaw exhaust, cow dung, foods frying, and a vast list of other events, that put us into a sensory overload, could go on for pages. During this time I haven't felt like there has been any word that could describe what I have been seeing or feeling while being here in India which is why I haven't been able to put together a blog until now, and even now I don't know if I could ever describe fully what India is like.
Since I've been here I've already cried to Evrim telling him that I want to go home and that I don't want to live in India. I actually have even gone to the level of describing the bed in my Mom's cabin and the biscuits she makes and how that's all I want.
But, there is something about this country that makes you want to stay and keep exploring, because like everything in life, whether you are crying late at night on the side of a street lost in Mathura, India with 15 Indian men surrounding you, smells of poop, horns blaring, and finally arriving to a muddy room with beds filled with bugs, or if your sitting on your posh bed in your mom's cabin while she fixes you biscuits, one may always be face by a whirlwind of distractions.
Evrim and I went to a teaching with Geshe Sonam Rinchen, a Buddhist teacher here in Dharamsala, who is teaching on the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, and today he spoke on one of the Six Perfections: wisdom. One quote he used was, "the root of all seen an unseen happiness is Wisdom", so in order to be free from all of our distractions and mental disturbances we must seek knowledge and by seeking knowledge it will become clearer as to what practices we should cultivate more of and what practices we should avoid. After sitting in his teaching it was very evident to both Evrim and I that this was place that we needed to stay, to deepen our practice and studies in India.
With that being said, we love Dharamsala! The Tibetans here are glowing with kindness. We have received the most amount of smiles here than any other place in India. Our home for now is the Ashoka Guest house overlooking a dense forest filled with Tibetan prayer flags, other colorful homes, and the Himalayan Mountains... an amazing site to wake up to. We have already met a very sweet Buddhist couple from Australia who we have had almost every meal with since arriving and who have been very helpful in showing us around.
We already have plans for many events here. Amazingly we have been blessed with arriving at the time of a teaching with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, which will last for 8 days. We will also continue going to Geshe Sonam Rinchen teachings every morning, are looking into taking an intensive Tibetan language course, and will being having conversational classes with Tibetans in the afternoon. There is so much knowledgeable nectar to drink up here in Dharamsala, and sip by sip we will try to write about as fully as possible (Evrim has been doing a better job than I).
We hope you are all healthy and happy yourselves. We enjoy reading your posts so keep them coming!
Obama 2008!!
Soon it will have been three weeks since Evrim and I arrived into the heaping crowds of Delhi, where rickshaw exhaust, cow dung, foods frying, and a vast list of other events, that put us into a sensory overload, could go on for pages. During this time I haven't felt like there has been any word that could describe what I have been seeing or feeling while being here in India which is why I haven't been able to put together a blog until now, and even now I don't know if I could ever describe fully what India is like.
Since I've been here I've already cried to Evrim telling him that I want to go home and that I don't want to live in India. I actually have even gone to the level of describing the bed in my Mom's cabin and the biscuits she makes and how that's all I want.
But, there is something about this country that makes you want to stay and keep exploring, because like everything in life, whether you are crying late at night on the side of a street lost in Mathura, India with 15 Indian men surrounding you, smells of poop, horns blaring, and finally arriving to a muddy room with beds filled with bugs, or if your sitting on your posh bed in your mom's cabin while she fixes you biscuits, one may always be face by a whirlwind of distractions.
Evrim and I went to a teaching with Geshe Sonam Rinchen, a Buddhist teacher here in Dharamsala, who is teaching on the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, and today he spoke on one of the Six Perfections: wisdom. One quote he used was, "the root of all seen an unseen happiness is Wisdom", so in order to be free from all of our distractions and mental disturbances we must seek knowledge and by seeking knowledge it will become clearer as to what practices we should cultivate more of and what practices we should avoid. After sitting in his teaching it was very evident to both Evrim and I that this was place that we needed to stay, to deepen our practice and studies in India.
With that being said, we love Dharamsala! The Tibetans here are glowing with kindness. We have received the most amount of smiles here than any other place in India. Our home for now is the Ashoka Guest house overlooking a dense forest filled with Tibetan prayer flags, other colorful homes, and the Himalayan Mountains... an amazing site to wake up to. We have already met a very sweet Buddhist couple from Australia who we have had almost every meal with since arriving and who have been very helpful in showing us around.
We already have plans for many events here. Amazingly we have been blessed with arriving at the time of a teaching with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, which will last for 8 days. We will also continue going to Geshe Sonam Rinchen teachings every morning, are looking into taking an intensive Tibetan language course, and will being having conversational classes with Tibetans in the afternoon. There is so much knowledgeable nectar to drink up here in Dharamsala, and sip by sip we will try to write about as fully as possible (Evrim has been doing a better job than I).
We hope you are all healthy and happy yourselves. We enjoy reading your posts so keep them coming!
Obama 2008!!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Laying low in the highlands
We have retreated up the hill in Rishikesh and have not moved for nearly five days.
Here is a picture from our 'cottage' hotel, the sun appears just over the hill around 7am.
This is a place many people use for retreat of one kind or another. I will skip mentioning the negative aspects of what Rishikesh has become subject to. Instead I will say that the mornings here reflect the true nature of this valley. Calm, breezy, beautiful light: perfect for spontaneous meditations.
Mary is getting a mini-package of Ayurvedic treatments including full body massage, सिरोधरा sirodhara (I'll let Mary explain), and a steam box with herbs and leaves specific to her condition. This morning I am simply going to get the massage, though yesterday I got the sirodhara too.
Tomorrow we are hoping to be on a bus from देहरादून Dehradun (not too far from here) to धरमसाला Dharamsala. We will have lots to do there and are very excited to spend time with Tibetans (I am especially excited to watch the debaters at the monastery), to hike near glaciers which means we get to wear sweaters and hats!
We'll leave you with this picture that Mary took. A common color to see, even in the woods...
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Week 1 - वृन्दावन Vrindavan - आगरा Agra - हरिद्वार Haridwar - ऋषिकेश Rishikesh
So much has happened in one week and we have been travelling quite a bit but we are slowing down our pace here in the "foothills" (back home we call them mountains) of the Himalayas. We are in Rishikesh which is a pilgrimage site because of its proximity to the mountains, to the river Ganga and it apparently was the place where the Rishis (Sages) used to live. It has also become a "pilgrimage" for tourists from all over the world, but especially the infamous Israelis. Personally, I would like to retreat up the mountain away from all of it. It is a nice small town and the mountains and the Ganga are beautiful but it feels false, and I feel out of step. So we are going to try to do just that. I could write pages and pages about our trip to Agra, our time in Vrindavan, place of beloved Krishna's birth, and our observance of the evening puja on the Ganga in Haridwar and our early morning ablution in that cold swift river, but I will leave the rest for Mary and for the pictures to tell (she is the photographer most of the time). I hope you can all enjoy them!
Some Milking actionTuesday, September 2, 2008
डेल्ही Delhi
We arrived a little late (past 3:00am) and when finally in bed only slept a few hours so we are taking it very easy today. I wish I could describe the car ride from the airport to our guesthouse but I cannot. Delhi seems to be a very cosmopolitan but also a very Indian city. At least from the drive and the views from this guest house.
There's a non too ornate shrine to Shiva next door, the sweeper woman cutting weeds in the sidewalk cracks by hand, the cyclo-rickshaws floating by (I've only observed women in pairs in those), and the park across the street with many types of green and many different sounds of birds, though the crows are the loudest. We even heard a hawk cry and saw it circle this morning. It is hot and humid but breezy. Compared to Richmond summers this aint bad.
After our rest there will be more to do and more to write...
नमस्ते
There's a non too ornate shrine to Shiva next door, the sweeper woman cutting weeds in the sidewalk cracks by hand, the cyclo-rickshaws floating by (I've only observed women in pairs in those), and the park across the street with many types of green and many different sounds of birds, though the crows are the loudest. We even heard a hawk cry and saw it circle this morning. It is hot and humid but breezy. Compared to Richmond summers this aint bad.
After our rest there will be more to do and more to write...
नमस्ते
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Week 3 - Maşukiye, Büyük Ada, and Onwards...
We escaped the city.
Isn't it strange that we have created whole cities, whole lives,
from which we must retreat and rest,
lives that we must vacate?
We have been seeking places of quiet and beauty. So we took a boat to Buyuk Ada (Big İsland). Although largest of the Princess Islands it is still incredibly peaceful and remarkably perserved. We ate at a tiny little family run cafe that just opened two months ago. Limon Ağacı (Lemon Tree) has extremely well made, home stlye fare. We had a perfectly cooked Şehriye Pilavı and Kuru Fasulye (Turkish for Rice and Beans) followed by dessert of semolina and pinenuts cooked in butter called irmik helvasi.
We sat and painted interpretations of the sunset at a teahouse by the dock using a bottle cap to hold the water.
A few days later we were off again...
We went to the hills, tree and cloud covered. How lucious are dark storm clouds when you've gone 3 weeks without even the thought of rain ! (Last night we awoke to the startling sound of rainfall in İstanbul and listened, amazed, in the middle of the night until we drifted back asleep)
We felt we were sent there to meet Muhterem, a remarkable woman, and her family and we spent most of our time at her restaurant, which is literally her house. The name of the place Bizim Ev (Our House) straight forwardly points this out. İt was a meeting of hearts and souls and of course all in the midst of an amazing sofra (tablespread). We sat in her back yard, complete with fruit trees (still trying to identify what kind) hung with hammocks, a stone wall with a flowing stream behind it and picnic tables under the trees' dappled light.
In a word: Paradise.
Now we are preparing for our long day of travel tomorrow
and our arrival, finally?, in İndia.
Isn't it strange that we have created whole cities, whole lives,
from which we must retreat and rest,
lives that we must vacate?
We have been seeking places of quiet and beauty. So we took a boat to Buyuk Ada (Big İsland). Although largest of the Princess Islands it is still incredibly peaceful and remarkably perserved. We ate at a tiny little family run cafe that just opened two months ago. Limon Ağacı (Lemon Tree) has extremely well made, home stlye fare. We had a perfectly cooked Şehriye Pilavı and Kuru Fasulye (Turkish for Rice and Beans) followed by dessert of semolina and pinenuts cooked in butter called irmik helvasi.
We sat and painted interpretations of the sunset at a teahouse by the dock using a bottle cap to hold the water.
A few days later we were off again...
We went to the hills, tree and cloud covered. How lucious are dark storm clouds when you've gone 3 weeks without even the thought of rain ! (Last night we awoke to the startling sound of rainfall in İstanbul and listened, amazed, in the middle of the night until we drifted back asleep)
We felt we were sent there to meet Muhterem, a remarkable woman, and her family and we spent most of our time at her restaurant, which is literally her house. The name of the place Bizim Ev (Our House) straight forwardly points this out. İt was a meeting of hearts and souls and of course all in the midst of an amazing sofra (tablespread). We sat in her back yard, complete with fruit trees (still trying to identify what kind) hung with hammocks, a stone wall with a flowing stream behind it and picnic tables under the trees' dappled light.
In a word: Paradise.
Now we are preparing for our long day of travel tomorrow
and our arrival, finally?, in İndia.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Week 2...Still eating...
İf İ lived in this country İ would be a very fat woman.
İm telling you, you must visit Turkey, but be prepared, something will come over you when you arrive, you will forget about all site seeing, that guide book you read and circled all the various places you were going to visit... you might make it to a few... but really your mind will go in a different direction and all you will think of is "eat food, drink tea"... and thats really it. Living in Turkey for two weeks thus far, I have mastered these two habits. Dare to ask me if İ can wake up in the morning and drink a bottomless cup of tea while eating a neverending plate of pastries and cheese... well the answer is yes İ can do it and İ can do it well. All of these years searching for my hidden talent and little did I know it was just waiting for me on plate at a place called Ciya.
Rachel this discription is for you...
İ just want to tell you right now, İf Ciya was a woman... you and İ would be completely out of luck. There hasnt been one meal at Ciya (and there have been many) that Evrim and İ havent thought of you and Rick. The food is something that one can not describe and if you tried to you would be setting yourself up to fail. I can only pray that the four of us will one day sit down to a shared meal at Ciya.
Anyways... besides eating we have been doing a lot of what is my second hidden talent and that is relaxing to the extreme, seeing how long I can actually go just laying down wheather thats on a private boat tour through the bosphorous accompanied by Evrims lovely family, a breezy deck that overlooks four islands, or on a bed of warm marble in a Turkish Hamam getting my own personal scrub down and bath, in all of these ways İ have been able to master the art of relaxation.
Side note: For those of you who dont know, İ recently purchased a stunning pair of ruby red Danskos, that will put a dent in your wallet... little did İ know these fabulous "walking shoes" would turn my feet into the source of all blisters. İ was foolishly told upon buying these shoes that İ could actually blanch (yes İ am speaking of the cooking term) the shoes and somehow they would magically turn into a soft leather making your treks through the city easy and comfortable. İ can now say İ have blanched my shoes and İ will only further note that they were sent on a plane back to America. (Evrim's side side note: Blanching shoes aparently doesn't work but İ'll just mention that the shoes probably shouldn't be a half size larger to start...)
İm telling you, you must visit Turkey, but be prepared, something will come over you when you arrive, you will forget about all site seeing, that guide book you read and circled all the various places you were going to visit... you might make it to a few... but really your mind will go in a different direction and all you will think of is "eat food, drink tea"... and thats really it. Living in Turkey for two weeks thus far, I have mastered these two habits. Dare to ask me if İ can wake up in the morning and drink a bottomless cup of tea while eating a neverending plate of pastries and cheese... well the answer is yes İ can do it and İ can do it well. All of these years searching for my hidden talent and little did I know it was just waiting for me on plate at a place called Ciya.
Rachel this discription is for you...
İ just want to tell you right now, İf Ciya was a woman... you and İ would be completely out of luck. There hasnt been one meal at Ciya (and there have been many) that Evrim and İ havent thought of you and Rick. The food is something that one can not describe and if you tried to you would be setting yourself up to fail. I can only pray that the four of us will one day sit down to a shared meal at Ciya.
Anyways... besides eating we have been doing a lot of what is my second hidden talent and that is relaxing to the extreme, seeing how long I can actually go just laying down wheather thats on a private boat tour through the bosphorous accompanied by Evrims lovely family, a breezy deck that overlooks four islands, or on a bed of warm marble in a Turkish Hamam getting my own personal scrub down and bath, in all of these ways İ have been able to master the art of relaxation.
Side note: For those of you who dont know, İ recently purchased a stunning pair of ruby red Danskos, that will put a dent in your wallet... little did İ know these fabulous "walking shoes" would turn my feet into the source of all blisters. İ was foolishly told upon buying these shoes that İ could actually blanch (yes İ am speaking of the cooking term) the shoes and somehow they would magically turn into a soft leather making your treks through the city easy and comfortable. İ can now say İ have blanched my shoes and İ will only further note that they were sent on a plane back to America. (Evrim's side side note: Blanching shoes aparently doesn't work but İ'll just mention that the shoes probably shouldn't be a half size larger to start...)
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Week 1 - the 40 hour Day - Turkish (eating) Motif - Always the sea
...Our first 'blog' entry has been a long time coming but in this case fortunately no news has meant "eating continually since we've arrived." i warned Mary about the amount and frequency that we would eat in Turkey, between family, friends, and the most remarkable restaurant in Turkey (Asia...Earth...etc....) Ciya, but nothing can prepare you for the real thing. we have been staying mostly with my sister Evin and my soon to be brother-in-law Sinan. Their flat is actually quite spacious and they are, let it be known, gracious hosts. Hence we are the 4th set of guests to arrive in the past 3 weeks. The Dogu/Okan Hotel is in business.
We are in a kind of relaxing into relaxing state most of the time. To be completely and totally honest we spend over half the day finding, fixing, discussing, and of course devouring food. Mary is reading A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry recommended to me as the one fiction book i should read before going to india. I am reading Anna Karenina because i never have.
Day 1 and 2 were all in the spaces between spaces, the Barzakh of the travelling world, airports. Hail storm in New York caused delays, caused us to fear missing all fights and connections. Caused us to invent wild Plan B scenarios (involving crossing into Siberia from the Bering Straight ) . Caused me to realize I am more panicked than an epileptic cat in water and Mary the the island of calmness in such situations. I joked that india was already teaching us to have no expectations...even of getting there.
But we did arrive, safe, sound, and happy.
in İstanbul first of course.
My father and sister picked us up. We were hungry but sleep won out that night and we slept an outstanding 10 hours.
The rest of the week we did oh-so-human things: ate, slept, ate, read, ate, watched Lord of the Rings and spent a lot of time looking at the sea. My father and stepmother Emel have recently moved into the most beautiful flat I have ever seen in İstanbul. İt is mystical and enchanting and there you actually do not care what you are doing because there, in front of you, is
always the islands, always the sea.
The end of Week 1 ended in bliss when two dear friends came and spent Sunday and Monday (17th and 18th) with us before heading back to Brockwood Park, England। They came to spend 3 and 1/2 weeks near Sirince in a Mathematics Village, founded by the famed Turkish mathmatician Ali Nesin. Their stories of this place and their experiences made me all the more excited to some day visit the Matematik Köyü and all the more excited to visit the schools and creative educational centres we hope to in india. I will, inshallah, write more about this in another post.
Right now we will return to Kadikoy, home of Ciya (we cannot resist...fourth or fifth time yet?) and then to Moda. We have established a happy pattern in our carpet here.
Today it ends with tea and the sea.
We are in a kind of relaxing into relaxing state most of the time. To be completely and totally honest we spend over half the day finding, fixing, discussing, and of course devouring food. Mary is reading A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry recommended to me as the one fiction book i should read before going to india. I am reading Anna Karenina because i never have.
Day 1 and 2 were all in the spaces between spaces, the Barzakh of the travelling world, airports. Hail storm in New York caused delays, caused us to fear missing all fights and connections. Caused us to invent wild Plan B scenarios (involving crossing into Siberia from the Bering Straight ) . Caused me to realize I am more panicked than an epileptic cat in water and Mary the the island of calmness in such situations. I joked that india was already teaching us to have no expectations...even of getting there.
But we did arrive, safe, sound, and happy.
in İstanbul first of course.
My father and sister picked us up. We were hungry but sleep won out that night and we slept an outstanding 10 hours.
The rest of the week we did oh-so-human things: ate, slept, ate, read, ate, watched Lord of the Rings and spent a lot of time looking at the sea. My father and stepmother Emel have recently moved into the most beautiful flat I have ever seen in İstanbul. İt is mystical and enchanting and there you actually do not care what you are doing because there, in front of you, is
always the islands, always the sea.
The end of Week 1 ended in bliss when two dear friends came and spent Sunday and Monday (17th and 18th) with us before heading back to Brockwood Park, England। They came to spend 3 and 1/2 weeks near Sirince in a Mathematics Village, founded by the famed Turkish mathmatician Ali Nesin. Their stories of this place and their experiences made me all the more excited to some day visit the Matematik Köyü and all the more excited to visit the schools and creative educational centres we hope to in india. I will, inshallah, write more about this in another post.
Right now we will return to Kadikoy, home of Ciya (we cannot resist...fourth or fifth time yet?) and then to Moda. We have established a happy pattern in our carpet here.
Today it ends with tea and the sea.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
jobless in Virginia...
Now finishing our last days of work, Evrim and I are now ready to leave our restaurant jobs behind to start our travels to the motherland. We are coming close to the day we will have to trash our "Guidebooks to India" and prepare to welcome all that our senses are about to encounter.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
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