Last week we were taught by the highly respected Kaygu Lama and inspiration for Yoda, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The resemblance to Yoda is visible in the way he sat, the way he laughed, and the wisdom he spoke. Also he could not have been taller than 5'4". More importantly he is a very inspiring figure personifying both wisdom and compassion. We gathered in both morning and evening for Dharma talks and meditation. For a complete break down of our week with Rinpoche please follow the link to my friend Claire's blog (bottom right of screen under resources). Her blog is significantly more thorough, it contains pictures and in all manners is more satisfactory. I will not compete with it because I will inevitably lose. Anyways, I am doing well. Staying extremely busy and having fun. There are 10 more days of class, so finals are approaching. We had a Halloween party at a nice hotel and I dressed up like a genie (I'll look around for pictures). And this weekend we are going to Nalanda which was the largest Buddhist University in Asia from about 200 CE to 1300 CE until invading Mughals (I think) tore it down. This archeological ruins are supposed to be spectacular.
Much of what I am currently busying myself with now is my plans for next month. I will be doing anthropological fieldwork in Sikkim India. Sikkim is between Nepal and Bhutan, and it is north of Bangladesh. It was a Buddhist kingdom until it was annexed by India in 1974. It is difficult to know what the situation was because all the Indian literature say it was peacful and for the benefit of the different ethic groups inhabiting the area. Sikkimese literature doesn't agree but doesn't offer a separate and concrete account of the events. What is known for sure is that the location is extremely strategic as it creates a border between India and China. Anyways, the King stepped down and now it is known for its eco-friendly tourism and its rice (Sikkim = De-zong in Tibetan = Land of rice). I plan to travel with two friends Chimi Lama and Alex Rayburn, between four Monasteries (Tibetan tradition, Nyingma school) in southern Sikkim (now the name of the province) to study the structure of retreat. Retreat centers are part of the greater monastic institution and provide a place for monks to live in solitude for a period of time to meditiate. They usually are within a days walk to the monastery so that food and other supplies may be brought up to them. I am going to look at this relationship between the monastery and the retreat center asking questions like: What is the role of solitude in Buddhism, why and how does this ideal exist? Further, how do the retreat centers work and what is to be gained from them? It should be interesting and I think I wont have too big of an issue finding monks, Rinpoches, and retreat managers to interview. I am particularly happy with this topic because it allows me to interact with all sorts of people and travel. So, I leave in 12 days. Until then I'll be busily studying>
Also, as of now I'm planning to go south to the state of Orissa and go to the beach for the month of January. Anyone who wants to join me is welcome.
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oh maybe i'll hop a boat over to the indian beach. we'll see. from the sounds of it, monks won't be hard to find. Street Soccer is running in a 5K called Got Monks? I guess it's called that because the host college is Catholic? Good luck on finals!
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