12/3 Day 4 in the Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj
The train ride was nothing to speak of. I finished a book, ate snacks, laughed, had tea, then got sick and suffered through a 3 hour taxi ride with then two days of recuperation. The taxi was a whirl of cold air, lights, and going uphill. Day one in McLeod Ganj: sleep and puke. So fun! Day two: feel better, eat food, feel bad, sleep, feel better, venture out and walk the Kora! Such an incredible place, that will be my evening place tonight, pictures at sunset. Then suddenly it was Friday and we were off and going. The mornings are lectures and first on the list was the Vice President of an organization Gu Chu Sum that is heavily involved in the freedom of Tibet and the sanctuary of ex-political prisoners. Ideas of his talk will be a separate entry. From the lecture I was feeling very weak so I wandered back to bed for a nap. The afternoon was volunteer placements and I will hold that in reserve as my first impression was not positive and I feel that I need to wait longer before expressing feelings on that. After this was done Glynnis and I went to see Jhon. Jhon is a purely wonderful person. Originally from Kashmir, he owns and runs a jewelry shop, is constantly livid with energy, and always up for some tea. I will be mentioning him more, I am sure. I have an idea rant to go on today with a comparison of cooperation in trade. I notice that as an American I have what seems to be an over zealous tendency to say thank you. At home, to not say thank you is such an insult; however, here, thanks are hardly mentioned unless they are truly meant for some event of major importance. Seemingly in contradiction to these spoken habits, the Indians, Tibetans, and Kashmiri people seem to be far more humble and cooperative with each other. There is no thanks spoken not because there is no appreciation, but because it is understood as a part of being a person and member of society. I find it interesting that American culture seems so offertory in its words, but in emotion and action is so lacking compared to this foreign culture that uses less words and more language.
Gu Chu Sum Vice President Lukar Jam.
He used our contact Yeshi as a translator for this talk so I think a little bit got lost in translation, but nonetheless, the main theme of his introduction was the Tibetan fight itself. He gave some background from the Tibetan side about the original invasion of China, and talked about the self emulations. I hadn't even heard about these before we came but he said these suicides are not a sign of giving up. He made sure to clearly state the desire to have a completely independent country, he doesn't want to be labeled as part of China, and if they are to be labeled that way, it is up to Tibet. I will add two more of his ideas on hear that really moved me. First, he believed that the development of countries depends on the qualities of humans within that country. This was something that really stuck out in my mind because I've never heard it said quite like that. Second, every person in the world is responsible for whether the world is good or bad, and those with more resources and education have more responsibility. The questions raised some good points, how the middle way of Buddhism fits into the struggle of Tibet and the Dalai Lama stepping down as political leader. His opinion was the middle way is an ideal and used as a business, but it cannot solve the struggle. There is just no way, there needs to be strong definite action. As for the stepping down of power, he believed it was a smart move to keep the faith and political power of Tibet even when the Dalai Lama passes in the future. He concluded by saying the hope of in Tibet is in the younger generation, not in the politics.
The Kora at Sunset
The train ride was nothing to speak of. I finished a book, ate snacks, laughed, had tea, then got sick and suffered through a 3 hour taxi ride with then two days of recuperation. The taxi was a whirl of cold air, lights, and going uphill. Day one in McLeod Ganj: sleep and puke. So fun! Day two: feel better, eat food, feel bad, sleep, feel better, venture out and walk the Kora! Such an incredible place, that will be my evening place tonight, pictures at sunset. Then suddenly it was Friday and we were off and going. The mornings are lectures and first on the list was the Vice President of an organization Gu Chu Sum that is heavily involved in the freedom of Tibet and the sanctuary of ex-political prisoners. Ideas of his talk will be a separate entry. From the lecture I was feeling very weak so I wandered back to bed for a nap. The afternoon was volunteer placements and I will hold that in reserve as my first impression was not positive and I feel that I need to wait longer before expressing feelings on that. After this was done Glynnis and I went to see Jhon. Jhon is a purely wonderful person. Originally from Kashmir, he owns and runs a jewelry shop, is constantly livid with energy, and always up for some tea. I will be mentioning him more, I am sure. I have an idea rant to go on today with a comparison of cooperation in trade. I notice that as an American I have what seems to be an over zealous tendency to say thank you. At home, to not say thank you is such an insult; however, here, thanks are hardly mentioned unless they are truly meant for some event of major importance. Seemingly in contradiction to these spoken habits, the Indians, Tibetans, and Kashmiri people seem to be far more humble and cooperative with each other. There is no thanks spoken not because there is no appreciation, but because it is understood as a part of being a person and member of society. I find it interesting that American culture seems so offertory in its words, but in emotion and action is so lacking compared to this foreign culture that uses less words and more language.
Gu Chu Sum Vice President Lukar Jam.
He used our contact Yeshi as a translator for this talk so I think a little bit got lost in translation, but nonetheless, the main theme of his introduction was the Tibetan fight itself. He gave some background from the Tibetan side about the original invasion of China, and talked about the self emulations. I hadn't even heard about these before we came but he said these suicides are not a sign of giving up. He made sure to clearly state the desire to have a completely independent country, he doesn't want to be labeled as part of China, and if they are to be labeled that way, it is up to Tibet. I will add two more of his ideas on hear that really moved me. First, he believed that the development of countries depends on the qualities of humans within that country. This was something that really stuck out in my mind because I've never heard it said quite like that. Second, every person in the world is responsible for whether the world is good or bad, and those with more resources and education have more responsibility. The questions raised some good points, how the middle way of Buddhism fits into the struggle of Tibet and the Dalai Lama stepping down as political leader. His opinion was the middle way is an ideal and used as a business, but it cannot solve the struggle. There is just no way, there needs to be strong definite action. As for the stepping down of power, he believed it was a smart move to keep the faith and political power of Tibet even when the Dalai Lama passes in the future. He concluded by saying the hope of in Tibet is in the younger generation, not in the politics.
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