#5 Asia Update

Tashi Delek!

I haven't much time before a student meeting, but wanted to catch you up to our groups' respective whereabouts, and reassure you that we are all quite well -- thriving, in fact.

The college group arrived in Dharamsala yesterday, after a universally-enjoyed stay in Amritsar, heart of Sikh culture and its amazing Golden Temple. This morning they all rose early in order to get a good seat at the Dalai Lama's temple courtyard to hear His Holiness' teachings on the Jataka Tales (teaching stories/parables of Buddha's past lives). They are settled in to their rooms, and beginning the planning for pursuing their research projects in earnest tomorrow.

The high school group had a truly incredible experience in the Thar desert on their camel safari. 28 k's the first day. (Our host, Vikram, had said: "10 k's easy, by 20 k's it gets a little hard."). Camping out in tents or under the stars in the dunes, after a day spent in the brutal sun (only just tolerably mitigated by hats and layers of sunscreen) that began with a visit to the Rat Temple, and breakfast in the desert while watching the steady arrival of the camels. Wonderful to observe the students as the reality of what was coming sank in. I hope family and friends get the stories direct, as there are plenty to tell.

After that first day, Ted and I returned to Bikaner, to deal with some ridiculous paperwork, and prepare to join the college group in Amritsar to help bring them up to Dharamsala. Everyone has had their odysseys lately -- and all will be settling in to new rhythms as they settle in to this most magical of places. (The highschoolers arrive tomorrow, after a brief stop in Amritsar and some time along the way to celebrate Holi, Hindu festival of colors in celebration of Krishna. More stories to tell, no doubt.)

So the days ahead will fill with a variety of group activities and individual pursuits of research projects -- coming up for all: a trek into the Himalayas we gaze upon from our perch on the foothills below, a Long Life Ceremony in two days again at the temple for HH, a likely audience with the Karmapa Lama, service projects of a wide variety including for all work at the slum in Lower Dharamsala our monk friend Jamyang's Tonglen organization provides medical services and educational support for, and.... well, there will be more, but time is getting short and I must close for now.

Blessings, happiness and health to all of you,
Peg