Field Trip to the Fields

I may not be traveling anymore right now, but I can still take a field trip. So, last Monday about a dozen Happy Boy Farms employees (including myself) took a field trip out to the fields where our veggies are growing fresh and lively.

One thing that can be said about the Happy Boy farmer's market workers is that we are our number one fans! Which is to say that we probably eat more of Happy Boy's produce than any of our other customers. The running joke is that the people at the grocery store must be laughing at us when they only ever see us buying dairy, toilet paper and beer. Well, maybe not exactly, but when all of our veggies, fruit, bread, rice and honey are coming fresh from the farmer's market, there's not much need for anything else.

Mouths watering, we hit the fields. A few of the veggies were so tempting that they just had to be plucked on the spot. Other than eating watermelons and tomatoes in the field, I also took home a "first of the season" red kabocha squash, a few fresh red cippolini onions, and a handful of okra.

California is such an amazing land. The skies were big and blue and the sun was shining hot. The majority of the fields we visited were in the Hollister and Gilroy area, although I don't know all the exact locations. Greg (the owner of the farm) was excited about our newest field because of the mix of long hours of sunshine with a cool coastal air - perfect for our baby lettuce!

The colors were beautiful, the smells were fresh, and the Happy Boys and Girls were smiling happily. Yum!

By the way, I've used up all my free space on Picasa, so I started another account to fit the new photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bhavanatraveler

Jumping Off Trees in India

Here's a video that a friend took of me and some friends in India. This was day 39 of our 40 day retreat when we were first allowed to talk again, and we were invited to take boats out on the lake to get to know each other.

I ended up in a boat with 4 other men. Men! So, what do you think we did? Well, we sang funny songs, and then decided to jump out of a tree about 30 feet high above the water. In the video, I'm the last one climbing up the tree, and also the first to jump.

My friend Eskild took the video. He was also the guy in the room next to mine, so I saw him every day of the retreat as I had to walk through his room to get to the front door. The guy speaking French in the video was in the room on the other side of me. And the fourth guy was on the other side of the house. As we jump, we shout out: Asish Bhawan! (which was the name of the cottage we were living in.)

Oh, what fun we had.

An Invitation To Sit

The Redwood Grove Retreat Sanctuary is situated in the forested hills of Felton, CA. Practitioners from all traditions are welcome to come and spend time in quiet reflection or simply to enjoy the clean air and sweet bird songs in the forest.

He he....

Well, I used to live in a home that my housemates and I called The Project San Francisco Mansion. Now, why not call my home the Redwood Grove Retreat Sanctuary! Why not?! For now, it's my little retreat sanctuary, and it's paradise on Earth.

Although it's my mom's place, I am paying rent and she encouraged me to really consider it my own while I'm here. So, I turned the living room into a little meditation hall that could actually sit quite a few meditators comfortably. I don't expect any big meditation parties soon, however, as most of my friends still aren't quite as meditation obsessed as I am. But, the invitation really is open for anyone to come and join me sometime in a quiet sit (or lying on the couch or standing on your head, or however you prefer to enjoy the silence).

I've already had one guest to the house, who says "...." (yikes... I've even got testimonials?! This is funny.)

I've got another friend planning to stop in the next week or two. So, if you want a little retreat time of your own, to escape the non-stop bustle of the American Dream, send me an email.

Wake up bell is at 5:00AM (on a good day)

Cup of Chowda!

I was in the Boston area last weekend for Memorial Day, a family gathering, and my grandfather's memorial service. I posted the photos to my picasa album, so take a look! I'm back on my laptop and using Adobe's Lightroom to make my photos even cooler now (though I am slightly color blind, so please excuse any color abnormalities).

While on the East Coast, I got to see Lexington, Concord, Boston, Harvard, Cambridge, and of course, my mom's home town... Berlin, Massachusetts!

There's not much history of meditation or Buddhism in those parts, but I did pass very near to Walden Pond. H.D. Thoreau is a big inspiration for my recent decisions on where I would live and work for the next few months. While I was there, my mom picked up a book of Thoreau quotes and flipped to the following quote. It's from Walden, which has always been a favorite book of mine, and this particular passage really captured my sentiments well:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
- Henry David Thoreau, Walden

I'm not going full wilderness comando style, but I do intend to live simply.

I really enjoyed seeing my family again. Most of them I hadn't seen in more than 15 years. And you know what... I really like them.

My uncle David said I'm "all religious." That gave me a good laugh.

As we were leaving, a man at the airport reminded us not to mistake the Bostonian "chaa-da" for "chow-da." The first referring to a charter flight (Chaa-da), and the second referring to a good cup of clam chowder (chow-da). Remember that.

Sattal Retreat with OpenDharma.org

"Welcome to heaven... at least... looks like heaven to me." These were the first words from Ajay Singh, one of three instructors, at the start of my 40 day retreat.

It was the opening talk. We were cozily situated in the stunning hill-top chapel at Sattal Christian Ashram. Mattresses were strewn across the floor so that each person could sit or lie down as ever they found most comfortable. Many were already lying down (including myself) and already deeply content. A soft breeze passed through the spacious windows which opened out to views of lush forest and green mountains. A large but simple wooden cross stood behind the three instructors, and only added to the peace and beauty of the space. With forty days ahead of us, there was a feeling of having all the time in the world. And in between the words, the only sound which could be heard was the gentle songs of the local birds - like a welcoming chorus from our hosts.

Yes, it looks like Heaven to me too!

The other two instructors were Jaya and Jess, and each brought a different face to the Dharma. I'm sure I can't do them justice, but I'll still attempt a short description.

Ajay comes from Lucknow, India. His joy is incredibly infectious, and there is nothing more fun than watching him break into a fit of laughter so strong that his eyes begin to water and he can no longer speak. His teachings are simple, and his favorite way to teach seems to be in translating some of his most loved Hindu texts for us. For the first 10 days, he read from Kabir, and for the last 30 days he read from the Yoga Vashishta.

Jaya comes from North Carolina, but calls home to both India and Spain. Her two year old son may have also been called a teacher as his presence brought a certain innocence to the retreat. What I remember most about Jaya is that on two random occasions I happened to make eye contact with her. Both occasions were of the nature that they could've been on of those awkward retreat moments where you end up communicating, but not sure if you're supposed to communicate, but not really sure what you're communicating, and not sure why you're even looking anyway. But, no. Instead, it happened in those moments that I was smiling, and so was she. And, it was just the most natural meeting of smiles and meeting of eyes that seemed to have a flavor of knowing to it - like what was expressed in the moment was just known very deeply without words. Or then again, maybe it was just a smile.

Jess comes from Australia and she brought a lot of enthusiasm to the retreat. I spoke with her in a couple of personal interviews and felt the warm support of a good friend. She also gave a radiant and brilliantly alive discourse on women, the feminine, tantra, and spirituality which led to some pretty wild dreams for me that night!

None of the teachers were Christian, of course, so the Jesus paraphernalia of the ashram brought it's own energy as well. In fact, on Day 15, we were asked to move out of the chapel and into a small barn to continue our questionable non-sectarian practices.

The schedule was pretty relaxed for the first ten days, and even more relaxed for the thirty after that. For me, it involved a lot of lying around. Also, occasional events were organized like a group walk through the hills, or singing in the hall every few nights. It was like my dream summer camp: A beautiful swimming lake, hiking, lying around, listening to good Dharma, and best of all - no talking!

There were also three meals a day provided of delicious Indian food.

The encouragement to meditate in the lying posture is somewhat unique to Open Dharma and what a treat! I can't say that it ever led to "Sloth, Torpor, and Laziness" as the strict Buddhists would claim. Too bad for them.

The ashram itself is on 340 acres of land and includes access to two lakes, one of which I swam in every other day. The other lake we took a boat ride on, on day 38. There were both brown and grey monkeys, dozens of birds (including parrots, eagles, and something that looked like Toucan Sam meets Woody the Woodpecker!) and even leopards, though no leopards were spotted by any of the retreatants. The huts were comfortable and reminiscent of an old Austrian monastery with stone and concrete walls and aging wooden furniture.

Living forty days with a group of people without talking can be quite an intense and also intimate experience. I felt a deep connection with everyone there even if I didn't say anything to them. In fact, I think the crowd was one of the most enjoyable of any retreat I've done so far - perhaps because of the level of commitment it takes to travel to India and spend 40 days of your life in silence.

I'm not sure if they will be doing this retreat again (given the situation with the chapel) but if so, I hope I can attend.

As always, I've posted my photos from Sattal in my Picasa album, but for more photos, you can see the album of my friend Dave (another American) who has also posted his photos online (some are shown here.)

Goenka's Dehra Dun Vipassana Center

I almost punched a monk. Well, not really, but the thought did cross my mind.

If you've been reading this far, you may notice that India and I have had our differences. And, maybe I've been a little hard on Mother India at times. So, without the harshness (and without punching anyone) I'll take this opportunity to celebrate the differences before I leave tomorrow.

I'll start by commending the tolerant meditators who patiently waited in line for every meal. This is the first and only time I've actually seen people stand in line in India. Beautiful! The only two men who cut in line were the two Hindu Sadhus (monks). I understand that probably there is some tradition behind this behavior, but I wondered why a monk wouldn't want to wait like us common folk. Do they have a busy schedule to attend to?

The dish washing station, however, was typical Indian chaos and this is where the fateful run-in went down. Being the irreverent westerner that I am, I was practicing non-cooperation with the pushing and crowding at the dish station (ala Ghandi's Satiyagraha). Instead, I decided to calmly wait for an opening to appear. The monk wasn't having it, though, and finding my presence to be quite an obstruction, he broke the rule of "no physical contact at the center" to push me aside and jump on the next available sink. I will admit, I got angry, but that's just par for the course.

To quickly contrast with California, people there have been known to freak out even if they see people shaking hands or (god forbid) hugging at the center! In fact, on the last day of this retreat some of the younger Indian men gave each other so much physical contact that it would appear to most Westerners as quite sexual.

My first impression of center (officially named Dhamma Salila) was that of a labor camp. Rules were posted quite prominently, the assistant teacher was commanding with his instructions, and the bells were rung loudly. It looked quite oppressive and not in line with a path of compassion and wisdom. So, for the first two days I contemplated an escape. But, eventually I came to realize that no one would follow the rules well anyway and it was mostly just a show. My observation is that Indian's firstly are so saturated with spirituality already, and secondly they tend toward a sheep and shepherd mentality with their "guru," so this may explain the extra hoo-haa about discipline.

To add to the chaos, there was a group of young men attending who weren't really there of their own free will. The Suriya Foundation (manufacturers of light bulbs, etc.) apparently includes a Goenka course as a mandatory part of their job training program - No course, no job! This bathc of trainees had all recently completed graduate degrees and were in training for management positions. Their three month, 24 hour per day training program also included a seven day naturopathy fast! Once trained and secure in their job, these bachelors would then e ready to settle into an arranged marriage. It all seemed like a Eastern version of the 1950's American dream.

There were almost 30 of them and none seemed to have gotten much from the course. A few, at least, said that they might want to come back some day on their own to really give it a fair trial.

There was, thus, a large range in the level of seriousness of the students. At the end, people came to tell me, "you were 100% committed. I only gave maybe 70-80%," and other such comments. Who knew there was a ranking system? I actually was pretty disciplined, except with regards to lying down and sleeping. These two activities seem to help my meditation a lot.

Dhamma Salila was much smaller than the California Vipassana Center, but the California one is known as one of the largest and most comfy. In Dehra Dun, they do have the addition of a pagoda, and this got me excited. It's a building with many small (3ft. X 6ft.) cells for isolated meditation.

My cell in the pagoda faced in on the center cell which (I dare say) had a creepy resemblence to a peep show somehwere in San Francisco. The middle cell of the entire circular complex had a white thrown where I image only teachers are allowed to sit. I didn't have to put quarters in to see, though, I just looked through the small metal grated vent at the bottom of the door separating our two cells. Other than this, I found it to be quite a tranquil place, perhaps like a holding cell on the spaceship of some advanced alien race. It was painted white with a small dome at the top where light would shine in. The best time for the pagoda was about 4:30am-5:30am when it was pitch black, and very queit.

The food was good too, and rumored to be better than other Indian centers.

I couldn't imagine if this had been my first Goenka course. I think the Indian idosyncracies would have broken me. And, I don't know if I'll do another Goenka retreat in India.

Overall, the experience was just beautiful. Dhamma Salila is on the bank of a small river (which you must wade through on your way out,) and there are a number of mango trees and a tall banyan tree on the property. They run the courses on about $3 per person per day which is impressive. And, I should say that I met some incredibly friendly and delightful people - despite the cultural differences and the repetitive "What's your name? Where are you from? What do you do for a living?" May they all grow in Dhamma.

Bhavatu Sabba Mangalam. Be happy.

Ghandi Writes About Rishikesh...

"I was charmed with the natural scenery about Hrishikesh and the Lakshman Jhula, and bowed my head in reverence to our ancestors for their sense of the beautiful in Nature and for their foresight in investing beautiful manifestations of Nature with a religious significance.

But, the way in which men were using their beauty spots was far from giving me peace... people dirtied the roads and the fair banks of the Ganges. They did not even hesitate to desecrate the sacred water of the Ganges. It filled me with agony to see people performing natural functions on the thoroughfares and riverbanks, when they could easily have gone a little farther away from public haunts. Lakshman Jhula was, I saw, nothing but an iron suspension bridge over the Ganges... the iron bridge is entirely out of place in such surroundings and mars their beauty.

The Svargashram which one reaches after crossing the bridge was a wretched place, being nothing but a number of shabby-looking sheds of galvanized iron sheets... [The aspirants] who were in the main building gave one an unfavorable impression."
- Ghandi, 1915

I went to the Ganga View Cafe again for breakfast this morning, and no joke - the same guy, the same discourse about Shiva's urine! (This time for a different woman, who sounded maybe to be Israeli or perhaps European.)

I think Ghandi did this town justice with his description, but if only he could see it now in this age of plastic! Yikes! The photo above is of one of the unofficial riverside dumps.

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.]

Readers Write: Compassion in The World

I've been writing some long email responses to some of the readers of my blog (ie. friends and family), and since I already did the writing, I figured I could put some of it here (edited some) and share the message with everyone. Hopefully I won't upset those who wrote to me. This one's from my Dad. He writes:

Hi Daniel,
Happy Losar – belatedly.

...Here is something you can find when you look up the city on Wikipedia: "Dharamshala" is a Hindi word (derived from Sanskrit) that is a compound of dharma and shālā . An approximate translation into English would be 'spiritual dwelling' or, more loosely, 'sanctuary'.

Cool! I just read that the Dalai Lama's ideal goal for Tibet would be that it becomes a "global peace sanctuary!" A place for human's and animal's to live simply, compassionately, and at peace. I love that idea!

...On Saturday at a dinner, I sat across from a fellow who talked about being red-green color blind which got me thinking about that feature again. I wonder how you see the myriad colors of India. Your photos are wonderful. I found a web site that simulates different color blindness visions

I loaded the image, 17th_karmapa_funny_face_losar.jpg, into the simulator and tried the different options. Tibetan red is a nice dark color; good contrasts. When you get back maybe you can help me see as you see. At any rate, in any hue rendering your photos are wonderful.

Thanks. Nothing like some fatherly appreciation!

Yesterday on the radio I heard a piece on the new Delhi ragpickers. Trash pickup is being privatized and at the moment is displacing ragpickers with private contractors – there are hopefully fixes to get the ragpickers employed or running such businesses. One person interviewed used to make 360 rupees a day and could afford to send his kids to school. Now he makes 100 rupees a day and has his whole family helping him. I think 100 rupees is about $2 a day. Yipes.

I have been reading an India atlas and looking up information on Bihar. Last year was a horrible drought year e.g. "With crops failing, 3.3 mn people in Bihar risk death by hunger" November 30th, 2009 ICT by IANS By Sahil Makkar. And, another article: "Even after 50 years of planned development more than half of the population of Bihar are classified as poor. According to All India Statistical Data 1999-2000, 54.63% of total population of Bihar survive in absolute poverty i.e., they are living below poverty line. It means, they do not even receive the minimum basic needs of livelihood." I realize it must be a painful experience, but you are really there in the middle of this intractable situation.

Bihar was incredibly poor, yes. It was announced during the retreat that on one very cold night in Bodh Gaya, 4 villagers had died of the cold. Too poor for proper warmth and shelter.

I am glad you saw the Dalai Lama. He is full of joy and good sense. I think about what it is like to struggle for justice for your whole life time. You know you will not succeed in your lifetime. And still to have such joy, humor, practicality, and intensity of purpose. I think he is one of the most remarkable people in the world. And, he was tapped for the job. He did not fill out an application. But he stepped up to the job.

Love,
Dad

About the Dalai Lama, I totally agree with you, and it has been a wonderful experience both to see him, and to see the impact he's had on the people of this village. On the flip side, I have been exploring another issue which is the issue of "spiritual celebrity." I heard it said by one teacher in the west that we (as westerners) don't know how to deal with the concept of a "guru" or a spiritual teacher. We don't have a good model for it. (Probably there are lots of poor models for it worldwide, but specifically speaking about the west...) We have preachers, and we have the pope. But, perhaps more influential, we have celebrities! And, so, this teacher was suggesting that a lot of people who want to live a good life may fall back on the celebrity model when they don't know what else to do.

I think it'd be a shame to say that the love of the Dalai Lama for the Tibetan people is any better or more important or more dazzling than say the love of a mother for her child, or the love of a child for bananas! I'm not saying that you were suggesting such a hierarchy, Dad, but this aura of celebrity does seem to surround the Dalai Lama, and I think it's disempowering for the heart of the individual. Anyway, enough said about that.

Thanks for sharing, Dad, and I hope you don't mind me passing on the message with others.

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.

Taking Action with Karma Yoga

A poor child begs for food. A crippled man lies on the muddy road. A dying puppy shivers...

One can't fully engage in an exploration of India without feeling some sense that something needs to be done.

Karma Yoga: the path to divine union through worldly action. This is one of the practices given a big emphasis at the recent Dharma gatherings that I've attended. And the teachers don't just preach, they walk the talk too.

In Bodh Gaya, we were invited for a closer look at some of the charity work that Christopher Titmuss and friends have started over the last 36 years.

The afternoon after the end of the Bodh Gaya retreat, a group of us went to the nearby Prajna Vihar School. Every year, the school puts on a dance recital with performances from all grades - one through ten - for the benefit of the co-founders (including Christopher, and a big-hearted catholic nun from India named Sister Mary.) There is a video of the school online, if you want to see more. It is an inter-religious school for the poorest of the poor children in Bodh Gaya.

The dance recital was great fun, and a couple of the kids had some real talent! They were all very cute. The whole event ended with the Indian national anthem, and then a Bhangra dance party.

Only $40 (US) pays for one child's education for an entire year. There is very little infrastructure, no middle man, and the money goes right to the school. So, it's worth mentioning that if you have $40 to spare, then you can practice your Karma Yoga too. Info about donating is on their website.

We were also introduced to some other organizations: People First International, and also a young man who uses his physical therapy skills to help victims of polio in the village.

The next day, we came back for a tour into the nearby village land, to see some of the work that Sister Mary does through her organization, The Center for Women's Awakening.

Four Jeeps drove us to the outskirts of town where first we visited a small coaching center where local girls received tutoring for their high school certificates. Two girls had already gotten high school certificates and a handful more were working their way through the program.

Next, Sister Mary took us to the home of a local woman where we had a little cultural exchange gathering with about 30 local village women. It was a typical lower class village and the women told us that a typical wage might be about $2.00 (US) for work in the fields.

This small local women's movement was growing in strength. They were smiling over a small victory - they no longer refer to their husbands by the Hindi term that translates to "husband-god." They dropped the "god" and seemed quite happy about that.

When Sister Mary asked if any of them could read or write, about 4 of the women raised their hands with big grins. Apparently, these women were recently taught to write their names for the bank, and that was it.


Most of us agreed that despite the harsh conditions, these villagers had a certain dignity in their clay huts that was missing from the trash and cement of the city.

So, where to start with all the problems to solve? Throughout it all, I still feel my calling for solitude right now. I know the action will come. I'm taking one small action just writing this to you now. And, perhaps it fuels your karma yoga as well. From the stillness comes action, and in the action comes stillness. Now is my time for quiet retreat (rather than down and dirty action), but perhaps I can simply walk through the world just a little more open, a little more ready to share a smile. The little bits add up.

The photos are from the various outings, if you point your mouse over the photo, you can read the caption for each one. Enjoy!

Travel Update: Resting in the Clouds

After three days of strenuous travel and more debilitating illness, I've finally arived in the beautiful mile-high village of Mcleod Ganj. Just up the hill from Dharamsala, Mcleod is set at the entrance to the Dalai Lama's residence.

It is beautiful here, and exactly what I was looking for. There are cool mountain breezes, many fun shops, and quite unbenownst to me, the Dalai Lama will be coming in just two days! And, he's giving a teaching on the Jataka Tales on Feb 28th.

I found a room for 100 ruppees (about $2.50) per day, and already found my favorite momo lady. (Momo's are the Tibetan and Nepalese version of the potsticker). Four Momos for 10 rupees cooked fresh on the street. I think I'm dreaming!

I'll share a quick note on the health front. The trip from Varanasi to Dharamsala took about three days altogether. I ended up getting very sick in Pathankot (I think from the train food). I didn't think I'd have the energy to get on a bus and make the six hour treck to Mcleod Ganj, but I sure didn't want to stay in Pathankot. So, I pushed on. I thought I would be paying for my impatience, but actually, I woke up this morning feeling tons better. I'm still healing, and adjusting to the altitude, but I'm planning to stay for at least a couple weeks without going anywhere or stressing about anything.

As always, I will write more soon when I have the time, but I wanted to keep you all posted on my whereabouts.

Mother India, Please Take A Bath

I'd like a moment to just be frank with you, India. You're dirty and you stink.

I remember people telling me all this before I left the US. One friend told me how he had to throw out his girlfriend's clothes after her return from India, because they couldn't get the smell out.

I heard the stories, but found it hard to imagine the smell. So, let me give a brief description for your nostrils.

The first thing to hit your nose as you step off the airplane might be a warm dusty staleness with a hint of various fossil fuels. As the taxi pulls away, the exhaust fumes of traffic will ripen on the palate with more heat, sweat, and perhaps something burning nearby. Driving past a creek or river (which is really more of a garbage swamp) you'll get your first taste of rotting funk. The pungent swampy pile will reek of urine and feces (both human and animal), and possibly a dead carcass, along with rotting food and trash.

And then the real pièce de résistance, the completion of the fine bouquet: Burning Plastic! Especially in the mornings and evenings when small rubbish fires light up on nearly every street corner to burn whatever will burn. And what burns easier than plastic?! However, you can rest assured that whatever plastic doesn't get burned might be swallowed by the cow who provided your fresh yogurt lassi.

By the time the small beggar child with runny nose walks up and sneezes on you or coughs on you, you may be ready to sew your mouth and nose closed and never take another breath.

This really only leaves the occasional scent of fresh spices steaming out of an Indian kitchen. This will either be a small blessing from the Divine, or a torture when the next waft of burning plastic hits your lungs.

I haven't stopped coughing since I arrived, so I'm now going for refuge in the holy dust mask.

Maybe this paints a more vivid picture to bring a little bit of India to you.

There are some people doing something about it. I met one dedicated woman from Sacred Earth Trust (sacredearthtrust.org) She is working hard to clean up Bodh Gaya. And, I've also been inspired by the story of Veer Bhadra Mishra who has made it his life's work to clean up the Ganges river.

It's Just a Tree!

So, I'm still behind on my blog posting and photo uploads, so please enjoy them as they come. This one was from Bodh Gaya.

I sat under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya... and... I'll be damned if I'm still not enlightened!

And you know what? It doesn't even yield magical fruits!

But, I'm a goofy American, and romantic at heart, so I'm not going to complain. I promise.

I did sit for an hour at the "contemplation spot" however, and had a great time. About halfway through my sit, a Thai monk came and sat nextto me and started chanting. There we sat, quietly engaged in our own practices. I felt a great sense of honor.

In Bodh Gaya, it's not unlikely to find yourself sitting at a cafe drinking a lassi with a Tibetan Rinpoche at the next table.

The town itself is rather small, flooded by the seasonal Tibetan pilgrims. I can only imagine how this village has changed from the queit forest solitude of 2500 years ago. Hopefully the devotion of the many many pilgrims will bring a little prosperity to the community into the future. And also the tourists who buy cool Buddha posters.

Anyway, I'm heading to Varanasi tomorrow. I will write more soon.

Travel Update: Sleeping Safely In Sarnath

I'm alive!!! It's a happy day here on the Tibetan New Year in Sarnath (the birthplace of Buddhism.)

I got sick again with a short fever, followed by a painful stomach bug and then a wicked cough. I went to the doctor and got 4 kinds of medicine. Wow. And, the entire visit to the doctor (with medicine) cost 135 rupees or about US$3. I spent two whole days in bed, mostly sleeping.

Today I'm feeling great, with a little cough still. And, I found out that while I was sleeping, a bomb went off in Pune, India! Terror alerts went into effect in parts of India after the attack. Don't worry, I'm no where near any of it, and unless the Chinese decide to attack the Tibetan 17th Karmapa, I don't foresee any terrorist attacks in sleepy little Sarnath any time soon. It's nice knowing that Buddhism seems to do a great job keeping it's hands clean of holy wars.

The attack, however, was at a favorite German Bakery of many backpacking budget travelers. I'm told they served great cappuccinos (which are hard to find in India). So, I guess there is some cause for concern. But still, I think I'd have a greater chance of getting hit by a speeding bus in the insane road traffic here than being victim of a terrorist attack.

Feeling the great joy of being alive this morning, I was fortunate enough to go see the 17th Karmapa! They had a wonderful little new year's celebration on the lawn to entertain him (or bore him, as was sometimes the case.) I got some incredible photos and had such a fun time enjoying the celebration. It felt incredibly intimate with probably about 100 people there at most, especially considering that this guy is a sort of celebrity in Tibetan Buddhism. Everyone was smiling.

The internet in Sarnath is very slow, and there are only a few computers that seem to be quite busy with travelers, so unfortunately I won't have any photo uploads for a while.

Also, I wrote a bunch in my journal on the bus ride from Bodh Gaya, so I've got a backlog of Blog material to type up. Blogging will just be a wonderful practice in patience.

My plans have changed again (which makes me wonder why I use the word "plans" anyway?) Actually, there is no plan right now. But, I was planning to continue my Buddhist pilgrimage to Kushinigar (where the Buddha died) and then to Lumbini, Nepal (where the Buddha was born.) These four sites in all make up the traditional Buddhist pilgrimage. Then, I was going to do some more meditation in Lumbini at a center there called Panditarama-Lumbini.

Two things have made me reconsider. One, my health. Two, there is a new regulation that just went into effect with Indian visas. Now, the law states that a person must leave India for at least 2 months before returning. Since there were more things that I wanted to do in India, I might just stay here for a few months before heading into Nepal, or wherever the next destination may be.

Three (ok, three things made me reconsider)... I found out about a retreat that I might be interested in for more meditation. It's a long retreat in the foothills of the Himilayas. Plus, visiting the Himilayas has been a dream of mine for a long long long time.

I'm also considering taking a break at a yoga ashram just to take care of my health. But, still meditation is my first priority, and trekking and yoga will fit in if the "plans" make it fit.

Anyway, that's my update for now. Mostly, I wanted to let you all know that I'm safe and sound, and I'll be in Sarnath for at least 5 more days or so.

Happy Losar! Happy Tibetan New Year!
Oh, woops, I just looked online and saw this article: "Dalai Lama urges Tibetans not to celebrate New Year" apparently in solidarity with those in Tibet who won't be celebrating.
So... send your blessings, instead, to all the people around the world who don't have the luxury of celebrating holidays (there are a lot!)