Arrival

I arrived safely in India two days ago, and am attempting to settle into a nice routine here in Dharamsala. I am here for the next few months, to study and practice and work, and I am beginning to put together other ideas for things to be involved in during this time.

The area of McLeod Ganj, above Dharamsala and the center of Tibetan life, is always a buzzing place, but is even more so now. This March is a month full of holy days, teachings and anniversaries. Today there will be large crowds and marches, as it is either Uprising Day or Liberation Day, depending on whether you’re Tibetan (the former) or Chinese (the latter). Exactly 50 years ago was the Tibetan uprising and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet and came to settle here. In the bazaar yesterday there was a frenetic flurry of activity, and an underlying tone of dissatisfaction, maybe desperation. The situation in Tibet is as bad as ever, and there is very little hope on the horizon for improvement at this time.

In addition, it seems the transient community is ever-more separated from the long-term populations. So many people come here for a brief stint, to learn, to make money, to advocate, to fall in love, to have a respite from the rest of India, and this wears on the weave of the fabric of everyday life. I am one of these people, and I will do my best to tread lightly here, and to be of some benefit to the local communities.