A Monk Amok

Week Two

The titles for this and the last post are not particularly exciting, I know.  I think my brain is at half-mast right now as the Tibetan language program here at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute is so intensive.  I'm making progress, however, particularly through my time with the language partners provided by the institute.  I'm really enjoying the intensity of the program primarily because I can see the progress happening day by day.  It's almost like instant gratification, which we Americans love so much.

I'm particularly worn out today, however, because we had a going-away dinner for my host-mother last night at a Chinese restaurant right next to the Boudhanath Stupa.  It was the best Chinese food I've ever had.  She's gone back to Lhasa to see family for a month or two, so now it's just me and my two host-brothers.  She left at 5:00 this morning and I got up to say goodbye.  I'm not sure if I'll be living with them when she comes back or not (I'm only scheduled to live there for the duration of the summer program), but I'm hoping to wow her with my Tibetan skills when she does return.

One funny conversation we had happened a week or so ago.  One of my brothers was joking with their mother that they were going to goof off all day after she left.  I said, in Tibetan, "I'll tell mom."  That got a good laugh.

I've decided not to post a photo of my host family as this may cause problems for her.  I think you all know what I mean by that.  It's a sad but true fact of life for Tibetans in exile.

In other news, Monday is the Dalai Lamas' birthday, so RYI has arranged a bus to take us all to Swayambunath.  It will be a big Dharma-party with a lot of Tibetans and whoever else shows up.  I've been there several times as it was near the monastery where I stayed until moving to Boudha, but it's a rather large area so I haven't seen it all.  I hope it doesn't rain too much, though I have big rubber boots that I wear all the time now.  Fashion is my life. 

More next week....

Week One

Well, I've finished day four of classes in the summer intensive in Tibetan language at Rangjung Yeshe Institute.  Actually, we started last Thursday with orientation during which students in the beginning Tibetan program also had alphabet classes.  As of last Friday, I'm also living with a Tibetan host family.  It's me, the mom named Drolkar and two brothers, Tenzin and Kunga who are both in their 20's.  I have to say, they're all better Buddhists than me as they do a lot more khora (circumambulations) around the Boudhanath stupa.  Drolkar came home the other day with sores on her knees from doing prostrations as she did khora.  Thus far, I've been a lot more tired than usual from trying to speak Tibetan all the time, but I do sit and practice for a while before breakfast and sometimes in the evening as well.  When I get settled, I'll get back to practicing more.

I just realized that I haven't yet taken a picture with my host family.  I'll try to do that soon.

As for my classes, things are going well.  I have a grammar class at 8:00, then we all meet one-on-one with Tibetan language partners (all native speakers) for an hour before a review class.  Lunch is at 11:30, then from 1:00 to 2:00 we have a second hour with the language partners.  We switch partners each time for variety.  I must have learned more Tibetan over the last few months than I thought as I was able to have a fairly detailed conversation with my partner this afternoon, though I spoke slower than a turtle runs.  There's hope for me yet!

In other news, the Rev. Danny Fisher posted about HH the Dalai Lamas' wish for his successor to be elected democratically rather than chosen in the traditional manner.  Read the entry here.  He links to the Reuters article as well.

Defiance

 

Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

Via the Tricycle Editor's Blog, here's an interesting article from the New York Times about a group of Tibetan monks at a monastery in Xiahe who defied the Chinese governments' propaganda about Tibetans being happy under Chinese rule.

A group of journalists was taken to the monastery by their Chinese escorts.  Upon arriving, the monks unfurled banners with statements like, "We have no human rights now," as well as the Tibetan flag.  The monks escaped and three have turned up in Dharamsala, India.

Buddhist Temple Vandalized

 

I just read a well-written piece at the Buddhist Channel about a Cambodian Buddhist temple just south of Rochester, MN that was vandalized recently.  It appears that there have been several incidents, but most recently a cross and the phrase "Jesus Saves" was painted on the temple driveway.  Check it out.

Useful Travel Information for Nepal--Scam Warning

I went out about a half hour ago to get some water and to do a bit of  khora (circumambulation of the Boudhanath Stupa).  As I reached the intersection at Pulbari Road I saw three foreign tourists about to fall for a scam.  In that area, there are women (who, interestingly, almost always speak excellent English) with a baby on their arm and an empty baby bottle saying, "Please, sir, buy some milk for my baby."  What they actually do is get you to purchase some expensive milk (usually imported powdered milk) and then sell it back to the store after you leave.  I'm told the women sometimes pinch the babies to make them cry and that they mostly come illegally from India to Buddhist holy sites as there are a lot of foreign pilgrims and tourists and that they make a very good living with this lie.  On my first day in Nepal, I'm embarrassed to say I fell for this one even though I thought something fishy was going on, so I walked over to the tourists and explained the scam.  I left before seeing the outcome. 

There are, of course, people in real need at the various holy sites, but if you give to one the others will expect the same and there can be quite a number of people begging in a small area.  If you plan to stay in an area such as Boudha for a while I don't recommend giving at all to individual beggars as they will expect you to do so again every time they see you.  Some can be quite aggressive, grabbing your arm or following you for a very long time, even waiting outside a store for you to exit.  One young man even stuck his hand in my shoulder bag once.  There are also children trained to pretend like they don't speak who can be quite persistent.  You may actually see them speaking later away from the stupa.  The government discourages tourists from encouraging the beggars by giving to them as a great deal of the begging is just a scam.

There are, of course, legitimate ways to benefit the local people, such as by supporting organizations like Rokpa.  You can even give online if you visit their website.  Also, just visiting and spending money helps as well. 

Another thing I find rather frustrating in Nepal are the taxi drivers.  They jack up the prices for foreigners and usually get away with it because so many tourists aren't here long enough to learn what a fair price is.  Another thing they do is agree to a slightly inflated price and then complain that the destination was farther than they thought (even though they originally told you they knew where they were going) or that the road was bad.  One taxi driver gave me a ride to the mountain monastery where I was staying after agreeing to 300 rupees from Swayambunath only to get out of the taxi at the monastery and start shouting at me and the other monks after I refused to give him more. As a foreigner you will always pay a slightly higher price for a taxi ride than the locals, but, not knowing any better I once paid 1,000 rupees for what should have been a 300 rupee ride.  Never use the meters as with foreigners they will drive around to jack up the price.  Some of the meters are also fixed to go up more quickly than they should.

The Aussie English teacher from the mountain monastery, Rinchen Palri Monastery, where we were staying and I tried to get a taxi up to a mountain nunnery once.  We knew we shouldn't pay more than 200 or 300, but the drivers all got together and said "500 rupees....no, 700 rupees."  Needless to say we laughed and walked away and ended up just walking up the mountain.

Below are some suggested prices for taxis for a single passenger.  I suggest offering a lower price and letting the driver talk you up a bit.  Also, be prepared to walk away and go to several taxis to get a good price.  I once went to six drivers before getting a decent price.  Act like you know what you're doing, as if you've been to Nepal before, and you're likely to be more successful.

Boudha Gate to  Patan Gate    =    250 - 300 rupees

Boudha Gate (or Thamel or Patan Gate) to Swayambunath = 250 - 300 rupees

Boudha Gate to Thamel  = 150-180 rupees  

You can also take a bus or micro-bus (basically a van converted for more passengers) from Boudha Gate (Boudhanath) to Swayambunath for about 20 rupees, but you might get crammed in with too many people.  I'm not sure about micro-bus routes elsewhere.

The vast majority of people in Nepal are honest and very kind and helpful, but I don't like being taken advantage of or seeing others lied to.  I hope you find this information useful if you come to Nepal.  It's a beautiful country with so much to offer travelers and seekers alike.

Down from the Mountains

I've just moved down from the mountain monastery where I had been staying since March, Rinchen Palryi Monastery.  I'm at a guest house for a few days until I move in with a Tibetan host family on Thursday for the summer.  The two-month intensive in modern colloquial Tibetan starts that same day and I'm really looking forward to it. I've learned a bit of Tibetan on my own since I've been here, but the monks at Rinchen Palryi are from India (Ladakh) and could speak English, so I didn't pick up much.

I'll post on the homestay experience and the summer program in the coming weeks.

I'd also like to point out a short article at Elephant Journal by my friend the Reverend Danny Fisher.  The article is about Michael Dillon, a female-to-male transexual who later became a novice monk in the Tibetan tradition.  We are an inclusive bunch.

A Case for Dharma

I went back to the mountains yesterday (Friday) after an unsuccessful attempt to get a bank statement for my student visa application, thinking  I would just return to the valley next week and stop by the bank.  However, all of the teachers from the monastery came to the valley today, so I hitched a ride.  I'll be here through lunch Monday, returning to the  monastery after taking the bank statement to the institute in the morning.

So I've plopped myself down in my favorite internet cafe to write another post while watching it rain on the garden outside.  As soon as I opened the internet, I noticed a story titled "Sexy Rich People: You Should Feel Sorry for Them" on MSN's health and fitness page.  A lot of people in our society would find this confusing, but I had a hunch, so I checked it out.  Here's an excerpt:

Close your eyes and imagine that in the course of your life, you'll go on to make and save lots of money, become famous, and turn smokin' hot. Will it make you happy? Most people probably think so, but new research suggests otherwise. A study to be published this June in the Journal of Research in Personality found that recent college graduates who reported making the most money, obtaining more public recognition, and liking the way they looked were also more anxious, and showed more depressive symptoms, than other postgraduates in the study. "Not only were they not feeling better than they were at the start of the study, they were actually feeling worse," says Edward Deci, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Rochester in New York.

I like the part where it says, "...but new research suggests otherwise."  I don't mean to gloat, but can't resist the urge to point out that the Buddha, Shakyamuni, taught this more than 2,500 years ago.  There's actually nothing new about it.

How much of our lives do we waste suffering when we don't get what we want or from getting what we want only to find out it wasn't all it was cracked up to be?  Then there are the times when we get what we want and it's great, but then we loose it and suffer its loss. This mistaken view of what can really lead to happiness--sex, money, power, fame, entertainment, etc...--that leads to our suffering.  But like drug addicts, we keep sticking that same needle in our arms again and again.  Sometimes I think the only difference between myself and someone labeled an "addict" is that my addictions are more socially acceptable.

Shantideva (there's a stub about him here on wikipedia) urged us, as did the Buddha, to abandon society and go to the forests and mountains to focus completely on enlightenment, but tht's not practical for the majority of people.  In fact, if everyone abandoned the cities and filled the forests and fields to meditate, new Buddhist writers would urge us to leave the wilderness to meditate alone in the shade of abandoned skyscrapers.

But studying the old texts with living masters, we can begin to familiarize our minds with their wisdom, slowly turning our attention away from the pursuit of suffering in meaningless pursuits and toward the awareness spoken of in the sutras and other writings of the various traditions.  In fact, I've always enjoyed the refrain from Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament: "I've seen everything beneath the sun and all is vanity and a striving after wind."  I can't say I live that truth in each moment, but amen to that.

"Launching the Endgame"

 

Check out this article from The Buddhist Channel.

I never said I was smart

Well, I'm feeling rather stupid today. I met with the Director of Studies, Andreas Doctor, at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute this morning and realized the tuition figures I had looked at were only for the B.A. program.  The M.A. is significantly more expensive.  It's $1460 per semester vs. $3600 per semester. This is, of course, without work-study which would cut tuition in half.  I'm still waiting to hear back from the institute about that.  For my first year here while doing remedial Tibetan I will pay the B.A. tuition. 

When I first arrived in Nepal, I was looking at staying for six years, thus starting with the B.A. program and so those are the tuition numbers I was looking at. 

But all is not lost. I have just learned of a scholarship option through the Tsadra Foundation that may take care of everything for my final two years here. However, I won't know until November if I have been awarded a scholarship or not.    The other option is to remain in the undergraduate program. Your continuing generosity is greatly appreciated.

There's really nothing else to report.  I'm continuing my studies privately at the monastery in addition to the short classes on The Way of the Bodhisattva with one of the Khenpos.  I'm also reading a book right now called Buddhist Psychology by Geshe Tashi Tsering.  It's quite challenging, but I recommend it.

Finally, the rainy season is well on it's way.  It's pouring outside right now. Luckily, I remembered to bring my umbrella.  I do enjoy the thunder.

The best laid plans

I'm back in Boudha until tomorrow (Sunday) and had planned to post some photos.  However, the computer I'm using doesn't have any place to plug in my camera cord so I can't download them.  I'll try again tomorrow before I head back to the monastery.

I came to the valley this weekend because I have to fedex a copy of my passport and a request for my high school transcript.  The individual who handles foreign student visa requests at Kathmandu University apparently requires an official high school transcript from all applicants.  I already have a B.A and an M.A., but I still need my twenty-year-old high school transcript. Ah, the joys of red tape!

Speaking of high school, I'm on Facebook now and have been reconnecting with old friends.  It feels trippy to see old friends with careers, spouses and kids.  Sometimes I don't quite feel like an adult.

In other news, due to the kindness of many benefactors, I need to raise far less than I originally anticipated to complete the program at Rangjung Yeshe Institute.  I now need to average $190 per month through December of 2011--assuming I get work study for the fall. I'm still waiting to hear the decision on that from the Institute. Thank you to all for your kindness.  Check this post for more information on my plans.

And one last thing.  I am so happy to announce that my friend Danny Fisher will be heading up the new Master of Divinity in Buddhist Chaplaincy at University of the West.  Danny has an M. Div. from Naropa University and is a candidate in the Doctorate in Buddhist Studies at UWest.  Check it out!  I'm seriously considering this program after my studies at RYI.