Birthday Celebrations

The Golden temple on 7.7.12

Sitting on a cinderblock for the sake of preserving memories.

It was His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday on Friday, July 6^th.  After feeling a little melancholy over missing our American 4^th of July, this weekend was more than enough to make up for the loss. The celebrations were massive and dripping with cultural beauty unparalleled at any other cultural event I’ve attended.  It was actually my dream come true to sit right next to the stage two nights in a row with the Karuna children and staff through Tibetan dances, songs, and even Tibetan operas. 

            The first day, 6 July, we were at His Holiness’ palace in Camp 8 all day sitting cross-legged in fancy chubas with the sweet Karuna kids while watching performances of their native culture.  The slight 

Giving khata.

resemblance to Native American culture was quite interesting to me, and after this trip and especially after these performances I fear I’ll be partial to Tibetan culture for the rest of my life.  Several times I’ve turned to my roommate saying, “These people are the most beautiful people on the planet.  In every way.”  Maybe it’s a stage of culture shock, but I feel like I can no longer count on my fingers and toes the number of sincere acts of selfless, calm, peaceful kindness I’ve witness among the Tibetans.  A few times I’ve seen acts such as these and remarked, “In America, the receiver of this kindness would say in return, ‘Now how much kindness do I owe you?’”  Maybe not in America, but perhaps just my county culture, family culture, or maybe even myself! 

Anyway on His Holiness’ birthday we spent all day with my beloved Karuna people, and the evening was spent celebrating a teacher’s son’s birthday party at which he was swimming in those white scarves the Tibetans gave me on the day I arrived (khata) while sitting on a little stool accepting small gifts from friends and family.  After this we joined Rinpoche at yet another birthday celebration in Camp 8 at a cultural center that Rinpoche built for the camp.  Camp 8 is one of the poorest camps among the refugee settlements, so Rinpoche made a contribution by building a beautiful cultural center for the people to worship at. You know it’s work of Rinpoche and his wife because of the beautiful decorations, but straightaway you can tell because of the “Karuna pillars” that hold the construction up.  They are identical to the beautiful gray pillars holding up every roof and building at Karuna.  Well so we dined with Rinpoche at a front table overlooking the residents of the camp.  We were able to watch Rinpoche cut the cake for His Holiness and then place khata around a cutout picture of His Holiness above the cake.  When they brought us a piece of cake I whispered to Britney, “His Holiness is lookin’ out tonight.”  I was starving and the cakes along with the fabulous meal were pure gifts.

Dinner at Camp 8 with Rinpoche.

On 7 July, my roommate and I started out in India, I mean actually India: Kushalnagar.  It was dreadfully hot and we both dripped with sweat while we struggled up and down the streets in search of a massage parlor.  We miserably failed, but in the process ended up getting ice cream at least once (I, of course, stopped for another), seeing a dog with its brains falling out of the side of its head, and made good friends with an Indian rickshaw driver (who later that evening proposed to me) and two Tibetans from Nepal.  After Kushalnagar we went to the golden temple, and then to Sera, which are the most cherished couple of hours I have had since being here. 

Friends from Nepal!

Friends from Nepal 2.

 After strolling along Sera monastery and getting a few free rides around Sera Mey and Sera Jey (finally we seriously know there are 2 completely separate monasteries), we found ourselves in Sera Jey eating a meal free at cost with about a thousand other monks.  It was astounding to watch every person get fed a giant piece of sera bread, some vegetable-something-rather, mangos, and a juice box. I can recall at least four other times witnessing the Tibetans feeding tea, rice, and other food to groups of hundreds.  This first few times I thought with a smug impatient American look on my face, “Seriously?  Are they seriously trying to feed every single person here?”  After what seemed like only a few minutes, they successfully did just exactly that.  They indiscriminately fed every single person there!  The clean up wasn’t as successful as the feeding, but still!  The feeding happened. 

         

       

Feeding thousands at the palace.

Feeding thousands at Sera.

            At the Sera Jey monastery we saw performances again: Tibetan pop singers, yak dances, traditional Tibetan dances, and my personal favorite: the Karuna kids’ dances!! 

There are tears at every Karuna performance.  People love to see these students with special abilities show their devotion to the Dalai Lama’s cause, to the Tibetan cause.  I think they also love to see people with disabilities showing their different abilities.  Many have expressed shock at having seen how able the students at Karuna really are.  It’s inspiring for all those in the community, and all those out: me!!

Watching the show at the palace.

Sea of monks.

Yak dance at Sera Jey.

Watching the show at Sera.

            Before the show started, my roommate, Geshe La, and I were saving spots for the students at the front of the stage.  We sat there among a sea of red and yellow monks admiring the beauty of the event when finally I caught a glimpse of a familiar face: one of the Karuna teachers.  Following the teacher were several students, caretakers, and other teachers, all familiar faces that I love and realized I had missed even for just one day.  Seeing them happily march in to take their seats was like watching family arrive for a big Christmas party or family reunion.  In that slow motion moment of watching my Karuna family walk to their seats at Sera I discovered that these people are no longer my “trainees,” “teachers,” “students,” or “research participants,” they are my dear friends and family.  Leaving Karuna will be exciting, but miserable.  I also realized this summer will likely not be my last in India.