Tibet Camp

Time feels to be moving very quickly here. I'm thoroughly enjoying the experiences I have each day, whether it's an adventure into the city or a quiet afternoon walking, reading and writing. Regardless of what I'm doing, every moment affords me an opportunity to practice.

Today is a moon day (full moon), also known in the Ashtanga world as a day of rest from asana practice, so I went with some friends to visit a Tibetan refugee settlement, Bylakuppe. We hired a driver and had a chance once again to take in the sights and sounds that are becoming more familiar with each passing day. Coconut and sugar cane juice stands adorn the roadside from start to finish along this 90km stretch. Open bed trucks carrying anything from cows and goats and their attendant to hay piled twice, maybe even 3 times the height of the vehicle itself act as obstacles and buffers as we zip and weave and tango with the traffic.

As we near Bylakuppe and turn off the main road to enter the town, I first notice 2 things: a shift in our immediate physical surroundings as Monks, Tibetan refugees and prayer flags fill the streets and roadside, and also a palpable sense of peace and calm that fell over us 4 women riding in the car (I'm sure our driver was thankful, indeed). As peaceful as I felt in those initial moments, it was surprising to observe how quickly a sense of longing or aching arose within me as a witness to this Tibetan diaspora. My travels and time spent studying and exploring in India are completely voluntary. I can return home whenever I choose. Sadly, for many of the individuals I pass by and see before me, this could not be further from their truth.

With about 4 temples to visit on the property, the largest attraction here in Bylakuppe is the Buddhist Golden Temple and Monastery. It offers magnificent sights and sounds. We arrived rather early in the day and were able to hear and watch from the outside a prayer session whose bowls and bells simply flood your ears with sound. Natural light fills each temple from the outside in as it works to highlight the intricate paintings and bursts of color throughout the room, including the golden Buddha statues that greet you opposite the entrance doors.

Further along the property, you can find prayer flags and mani wheels or hand prayer wheels that Buddhists say, when turned, are as effective as reciting sacred texts. It's worth noting the direction I was initially moving past each prayer wheel was a counter-clockwise one. No sooner had I started walking in this pattern than I was approached by a Buddhist nun with an enjoyable bit of sass, I might add. Her spoken language was not one I could define at all, but thankfully the language of gestures, intonations and facial patterns is universal. So, while I couldn't understand specifically what she was saying, her message to me was unmistakable and I quickly received it: I was walking in the wrong direction. I promptly did an about face and eventually followed her pace in a clockwise direction spinning each wheel I passed by (well, most of them) which proved to be a very calming, meditative practice in itself. 

A little while after thanking her for her guidance with this exercise, we had the chance to speak at length with a Monk whose English was superb, so I asked him: why clockwise? He answered essentially that clockwise is the natural direction of flow of energy in the universe. We move in this direction in an effort to remain in sync with the universe. I imagine there are more intricate explanations, but in this moment as I felt energy moving all around and through me, this suited me just fine!

Om Mani Pade Hum.