My Photo in a German Textbook

Here is a photo I took which is now in print across the world in a German textbook.  Cool!

I put the text into google translate, and this is what it said:

What is reborn?
Ajahn Amaro replied:
"To be born again by and large our habits.
In essence, this is it
Whatever the reason, the mind holds, that is born again - what we love, hate, fear, and admire what we have opinions.
Behind our identification with these aspects of the mind lies a driving force.
Attachment is like a flywheel.
Enlightenment is the end of rebirth, which means: perfect non-attachment to all thoughts, feelings, perceptions, bodily sensations and ideas, full non-identification.
So when we speak of it, that we have birth and death behind us, from the end of rebirth, of enlightenment, this is actually the natural constitution of the mind - not to be confused with any internal or external object identified or caught.
Is born from life to life again that in us which is blindly identified with objects.

We Go Where Eagles Dare

"We walk the streets at night, we go where eagles dare!" - The Misfits

Ok, I'm pretty sure the Misfits weren't talking about anything like hiking a tall mountain, but they were one of my ex-wife's favorite bands, so I took a liking to their music. Their song, "Where Eagles Dare," shares the name with a 1968 WWII movie and originally comes from Shakespeare's Richard the III:

"The world is grown so bad, that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch". - Shakespeare

I feel pretty sure that Shakespeare wasn't talking about walking in the Himilayas either. Oh well. I like the phrase. And, personally, I go where eagles dare.

In fact, there is something about vast mountain ranges and untouched wildernesses (where even eagles dare not perch) that have always sparked a deep interest in me. When I first heard about Alaska as a young teen, I became obsessed with it and decided I must go. When I first heard about the Himilayas (which wasn't really until about age 24) the same interest arose. "I must go."

However, years passed and I still haven't been deep in either of these mountain wildernesses. Perhaps, it's time. I just got my first taste, like a small sip for a thirsty man.

I made the 18km roundtrip trek from Mcleod Ganj (1770m/5800ft) to Triund (2900m/9514ft) and arrived at the head of the Dhauladhar mountain range!

At the top I met some friendly monks, originally from Tibet, who were up on the mountain just enjoying the day. I pointed to the peak and said "Big Mountain." They laughed at me! I think they were also taking a small sip to quench the thirst of living in a flat flat India. The monk with the umbrella said "India's like the palm of your hand," and then he looked at his palm and blew a gust across it as if he had just blown away all of India with one Himilayan wind.

In the ongoing comedy of my health saga, I managed to get severely sunburned on the trek. Doh! "Oh, You Body!" Still smiling though.

I met a monk in saffron robes (Thai?) on the way up who gave the advice: "Slow slow." I took the advice and got up in about 5 hours. I came down in less than three, though.

Amongst Rhododendron groves and butterflies, the wilderness highlight was probably when I got close enough to the white bird I'd been tracking to realize it was a vulture! (apparently "the Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture – known for its enormous wingspan (up to 3m) and habit of dropping bones onto rocks from a height to split them for the marrow inside." - see my source at the bottom of this post.)

Someone told me that it was an Eagle, but I knew it wasn't, so I'd been calling it "The Albatross" for fun. Now, I can rest and recuperate before setting out in search of the next Great Elusive Albatross!

[For Bird Identification, I just found this cool post by a birdwatcher who traveled this area of India. That's why I think, in fact, that these are Golden Eagles here.]

Photos from Losar and More

I've finished uploading all my photos from Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, and Varanasi. (Click to see!) I particularly wanted to share a couple of the Losar photos and Varanasi photos here on my blog before I move on to writing about Dharamsala. (By the way, I saw the Dalai Lama today, but that's another story) These first few photos are from Losar, the Tibetan New Year, where I saw the 17th Karmapa; the rest are Varanasi.

I've been in India for about six weeks now, though it seems like longer. I've had quite an adventure.

Bodh Gaya and Sarnath were both inspiring destinations for my pilgrimage, with the power of living devotion that I witnessed. With every monk or nun that I see, with every color of robe, and with the ordinary Buddhists and meditators, I feel an instant kinship. I feel a sense of being fellow transcendental explorers, not limited by the labels of our various cultures, traditions, or upbringings.

Varanasi brought me closer to Hinduism and the Indian culture which has been a challenge at times. Sarnath is a quiet and spread out village on the outskirts of Varanasi. As my photo albums might suggest, it was slightly less photogenic than the historic big city itself.

I enjoyed the colors and sights in Varanasi and the lack of auto traffic on the steps and alleyways that line the sacred Ganges river. But, two days was enough for me.

The Dharma Gathering was fun, and the community a great support. Perhaps I make friends too easily, as it's taking some discipline to stay with the solitude and the inward journey (which has been even more colorful and full of treasures than the traveling itself.)

I think the last six months of 2009 spoiled me, while I sat in the pristine hills of California. No matter where you go, it's hard to beat the dark red richness of the manzanita on a wet winter day. I still can't believe whatever winds of fate have sent me to India! What a place to be.


I'm taking lots of time now in Mcleod Ganj for quiet contemplation, and I plan to do a short self-retreat of a few days. Later on in March, I'll be heading back into retreat again for forty days (oh yes, I'm meditation crazy!) at Sattal ashram which is about 18 hours bus ride from here.

Anyway, enjoy the photos, and feel free to comment either on my blog here or on my picassa albums.