A Long Journey Home

I wonder how many of you out there believe or take an interest in numerology. It is said that each number carries a certain vibration. The year 2014 adds up to the number 7. The number 7 is connected with spirituality. Thus 2014 is the Year of the Divine and a good year for spiritual pursuits

I have been attending a spiritual course since  last August. In March this year,  I went for a 11 day retreat in Nepal. This was followed by another retreat in India in April.  I have indeed felt a shift in my perceptions ever since I embarked on this course. I feel I am getting closer yet still quite far away from achieving the enlightened understanding and peace with life.

I have been searching ever since I was a child. Unbeknownst to me,  I was deeply troubled by the many unanswered questions within me and the dualities of this world  The difficulties in my life have been the sparks which set me on this journey to search for the truth. It is a journey which I am only beginning to  appreciate. I sought  achievements, looked to  people, been to faraway places and  experimented with religions. What was it for? Ultimately, it was to fill the void within. It is this void which drives the search.

I have looked so much to the externals. Yet, what was it that made me assume I could find it from the external world? I didn't even question this illogical logic. And I am certain that I am not the only one to have walked down this mistaken road. We have been brought up to trust others and to look for the answers externally, first from  our parents, then our teachers and society. Without being conscious of it, we have been conditioned to seek love, approval and validation from external sources. And it is a path we pursue till we suffer disappointment after disappointment. One fine day, when we finally get the message, we understand that this long journey we have sent ourselves on, only leads back to home.

This home resides within ourselves.

Happy Wesak!

What makes a person a  Buddhist? Does knowing the sutras by heart, participating in Buddhist activities at your local Buddhist centre such as attending Sunday School or volunteering there make you a Buddhist? What is enlightenment? It sounds so unattainable. Today, I shall share with you Thich Nhat Hanh's words.

 "A person may not be called a Buddhist, but he can be more Buddhist than a person who is. Buddhism is made of mindfulness, concentration, and insight. If you have these things, you are a Buddhist. If you don’t, you aren’t a Buddhist. When you look at a person and you see that she is mindful, she is compassionate, she is understanding, and she has insight, then you know that she is a Buddhist. But even if she’s a nun and she does not have these energies and qualities, she has only the appearance of a Buddhist, not the content of a Buddhist".

Happiness and enlightenment are living things and they can grow. It is possible to feed them every day. If you don't feed your enlightenment, your enlightenment will die. If you don't feed your happiness, your happiness will die. If you don't feed your love, your love will die. If you continue to feed your anger, your hatred, your fear, they will grow. The Buddha said that nothing can survive without food. That applies to enlightenment, to happiness, to sorrow, to suffering.

First of all, enlightenment is enlightenment about something. Suppose you are drinking some tea and you are aware that you are drinking some tea. That kind of mindfulness of drinking is a form of enlightenment. There have been many times that you've been drinking but you didn't know it, because you are absorbed in worries. So mindfulness of drinking is already one kind of enlightenment.

Small enlightenments have to succeed each other. And they have to be fed all the time, in order for a great enlightenment to be possible. So a moment of living in mindfulness is already a moment of enlightenment. If you train yourself to live in such a way, happiness and enlightenment will continue to grow.

Insight is also enlightenment. To be aware that you are still alive, that you are walking on this beautiful planet—that is a form of enlightenment. That does not come just by itself. You have to be mindful in order to enjoy every step. And again, you have to preserve that enlightenment in order for happiness to continue. If you walk like someone who is running, happiness will stop."

As with everything else we learn, knowing intellectually is easy but commitment to practise is not. Living out the heart of the Buddha's teachings and using it to transform our thoughts and minds. Changing our lives for the better is what it is all about.  And today, I have to remind myself once again to practise. practise, practise.  Happy Wesak!

Scenes from Mundgod

Monks leaving after attending teachings

Out shopping at the refugee settlement

Milk tea with roasted rice served Bhutanese style

Tibetan Medicine Centre

My typical breakfast

Sitting with the locals on the last dayof teachings

Ice cream from Norbu's. Very good, cheap and creamy.

Gaden Monastery, the first venue of teachings

Bye Mundgod, Hello Bangalore!

The teachings ended on Tuesday, yesterday was an off day for us. This morning, we attended prayers  at another section of Drepung Monastery. We sat outside with the locals. During teachings, we were served tea twice a day. The morning tea is usually Tibetan butter tea or po cha, a salty milk tea with some butter in it. It is said to be an acquired taste but I love it. Morning tea is accompanied with a huge chunk of bread (our kopitiam style type of bread). Afternoon tea is sweet milk tea. Lunch is also available, served to the masses, usually saffron rice or Tibetan bread with dhall.

I  will head for the town of for Hubli by car, to catch an evening flight to Bangalore. After a night's stay, I will fly back to Kuala Lumpur. I am leaving earlier than the rest of my friends due to work commitments. The end of the year is coming, much work needs to be done in the office. As is usual in many situations, I have some mixed feelings. I can't wait to be back home to see my family but I also treasure this experience. It was definitely an experience out of my normal comfort zone and it is good for me.

It is two totally different worlds, here and in Kuala Lumpur. A simple  life versus a modern and materialistic life. I can understand why some people have left their homelands to spend most of their time here, on spiritual practice. I met two male Westerners during the teachings, a Swiss and a Scotsman. We sat together for 6 days. They have been spending the last 8 to 10 years here in India, attending teachings. When their visa expires, they leave and come back in two months after renewing their visa.  

I don't know what impact this experience will have on my life just yet. I know I want to achieve a  harmonious balance of spiritual, family and work. Every once in awhile, I get derailed but I know I need to get back in balance a bit faster.  I also have to be more focused. To quote Stephen Covey in the 7 Habits of Success, Begin with the End in Mind.

" If you don't make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It's about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself. Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen."

More Stories from Mundgod

I came for this teaching with a group of people I had never met prior to this trip (who are my friends now). The only person I knew then was Chang's former doctor (for intravenous Vitamin C therapy) whom I met once. Because I was slow in making my decision to travel to Mundgod, I contacted him. His group had not submitted the PAP (Protective Area Permit) applications yet so I could submit my application together with them. They made all the travel arrangements for me including my visa application. I just had to turn up at the airport on the day of departure.

I am sharing a room with two ladies. The facilities are good and clean. We get hot water baths through the solar heating system. We also get to do our laundry here. Meals are fully provided for and cooked by monks. The variety can be slightly limited. However, I have no complaints. I am happy just to get my meals hot when I need them. Anyway, I hardly had any appetite for food when I was sick. I ate plain porridge and soup  for breakfast and lunch. The monks specially planted vegetables in the garden in preparation for our stay.

My group as well as the people I have met here are seasoned practitioners. They are very committed and focused. All have travelled far, some travelling for two days just to get here. What is it that they have found? What is it that I am looking for in spiritual practice? I think it is to help myself, understand my mind  and  learn ways to transform for the better. My hopes for the world starts with me, taking the first step. After all, I cannot change my boss or my parents, my husband or daughter. But I can change me. It is not easy and takes time but it is worth striving for.

Stories from Mundgod

I am still not well, having a sore throat and cough. The Mundgod area is polluted and dusty. It is a common sight to see locals walking around wearing cloth masks around their noses and mouths.. It was something I was not aware of so I spent the first few days here walking around bare faced. As this area is basically a Tibetan refugee camp, it is a protected area.  Foreigners are not allowed in without a permit. For the purpose of the teachings, we had to apply for the Protected Area Permit (PAP) a few months in advance. Anyone without a permit can be deported and fined.

Life here is very basic. Many of the males are monks, from the young to old. Before and after the teachings, the area is  a sea of red robes. Spirituality is an important part of their lives. Adults chant as they walk around. I am into Day 8 of the teachings. Teachings go on as usual on Saturdays and Sundays. I must admit I feel extra tired because of the flu.

 I took quite a long period of leave from work to come here.  I  attend to work issues  now and then when I have access to the internet. I  made the decision to to set aside time in my life to do something which has been in my heart and brings me meaning. I love to learn and this is another learning experience in my life. I realise with each step that I have taken,  I have to look a bit deeper into myself.

I have always wanted to spend a period of  time on spiritual pursuits in India. So here I am. I give thanks to the people who made this possible, the group I travel with as well as my family. And, I am very grateful for the blessings I have received.

H.H. Dalai Lama's Teachings

I am in Mundgod, India for H.H. Dalai Lama's Jangchup Lamrim teachings. The teachings, are held in Gaden Monastery and Drepung Monastery, located in the Doeguling Tibetan Settlement in Mundgod, in the North Kanara district of Karnataka State, South India, approximately 400km north of Bangalore (Bengaluru) and 600km south of Mumbai (Bombay). The nearest large city is Hubli, which is approximately 45km north.

The Doeguling Tibetan Settlement in Mundgod is one of the largest Tibetan refugee settlements in India, with a current population of approximately 13,400. The settlement consists of eleven camps and includes seven monasteries, twenty schools (from nursery to secondary), two homes for the elderly, several modern allopathic hospitals, a Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute, and a co-operative society engaged in various activities such as farming and handicrafts.

H.H. Dalai Lama is a person I deeply revere and admire. His Holiness first commitment is "the promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self discipline. All human beings are the same. We all want happiness and do not want suffering. Even people who do not believe in religion recognize the importance of these human values in making their lives happier. His Holiness refers to these human values as secular ethics. He remains committed to talk about the importance of these human values and share them with everyone he meets.His second commitment is the promotion of religious harmony and understanding among the world’s major religious traditions. And his third commitment is the Tibetan issue."

There is an estimated 25,000 people attending the teachings, of which 17,000 are monks. I have met foreigners of diverse cultures here, from Costa Rica, Colombia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Taiwan etc. It is a very great privilege to see the Dalai Lama in person as well as listen to his teachings.

I wake up before 5 am, have breakfast at 5.30 am and head for the monastery by 7 am as there are tight security checks. Teachings start latest by 9 am but H.H. Dalai Lama is usually early. We usually finish at about 3 to 4pm with an hour lunch break. His Holiness is having a cough. I have also not been well in the past few days, with a sore throat and fever. My intake of water during the teachings is limited. As everyone is seated on the floor, which is tightly packed with people, walking through creates much inconvenience to everyone. Nevertheless, I am very grateful and thankful to be here to listen to these teachings, which are said to be rare.

Spiritual Sojourn

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings. My posts probably do not make easy reading. They are topics close to my heart. They are also reminders to myself to practice.

Recently, I  met a wonderful teacher. When he spoke, he touched my heart, for I could relate to everything he said. He seemed to answer questions which had been on my mind, without me having to ask. I feel inspired by him and  feel thankful to have met him.

I have found so many learning experiences in my life. I read somewhere that you can either choose wisdom or consequence as a teacher at any one time, not both. If we do not choose wisdom, consequence will be chosen for us by default, and it is by far the tougher of the two, and much costlier. If you don't learn wisdom, you experience the consequence. How true.

I shall be leaving on a spiritual sojourn. I am not sure if there is wifi available where I am going. I just want to wish all of you a life of spiritual and emotional wellness. May you have good health, success and happiness always. Choose wisdom and travel light.