Today was a really good day! This morning we woke up at 4:30am and
went on a sunrise hike soon thereafter. The mist on the hills made it look
dreamy and it was beautiful because it was gradually changing colors. We walked
about an hour to a temple where we had breakfast. We then walked around the
school part. There were kids as young as four to about middle school all being
taught Buddhism (specifically Tibetan Buddhism). It is crazy to think that they
begin at 4 years old with chanting and meditation and either go on to become
monks or they work in upkeep with the monastery--because once you enter, you
don't really leave the religious scene. The families that send their children there
are either really poor (room, board and education are free) or are very
religious and want their children to be raised the same.
It felt really awkward and intrusive because they were trying to study and we were coming in and being distracting and posing for pictures with them. None of it was in English either, so we didn't understand what was going on. It was pretty uncomfortable, because I felt like I was spectating on their lives uninvitedly.
Afterwards we went outside and it was so sunny! We didn't need jackets! We sat around and enjoyed the good weather for awhile. At about 11am we went back in and sat in on other classes. The teacher was amazing; the students were all very involved and there was a lot of laughter. He started asking the few of us there the questions he had been posing, and that got kind of sticky because we didn't understand what he meant in English. He was asking how many minds were in a body, why your mind isn't going if you see a beautiful flower, and if emotions are your mind. Unfortunately, we didn't find out the answers to the questions, but it was much more interactive and interesting than before!
We had lunch after the classes, then the director of education took us on a tour of the building. It was still in construction, so we saw the cement being poured, pillars being sculpted into intricate Tibetan designs, and painters meticulously tracing those carvings with vivid reds and blues. It was mind blowing to see the entire process in action. As is typical to the region, there was bamboo scaffolding everywhere that we had to duck under, but the roof has a beautiful view. Once it's done, the Dalai Lama is going to bless it. It is the largest Tibetan monastery in Kalimpong, and I'm sure it'll be gorgeous once finished. I hope that I at least get to see pictures of it in the future!
Once done with the tour we took vans back up to the farm. We had the rest of the day off and got to relax! I read and took a nap (we were all exhausted after such an early morning). Eventually dinner rolled around and we all sat by the fire.
This morning, the ceremony the monks did before breakfast was kind of fascinating. They were all wrapped in fur and some were swaying with the chanting. We were later informed that it was a prayer so that bad things wouldn't befall you or so that whatever bad thing you were dealing with (ie disease) would leave you. They brought around chunks of dough and you roll them and put your finger prints in them, then they set it upright and burn it and take it outside the room. They then pour whey in a line to the exit so that the bad stuff knows where to go. It was neat and the view from the room was of Kalimpong was gorgeous.
It felt really awkward and intrusive because they were trying to study and we were coming in and being distracting and posing for pictures with them. None of it was in English either, so we didn't understand what was going on. It was pretty uncomfortable, because I felt like I was spectating on their lives uninvitedly.
Afterwards we went outside and it was so sunny! We didn't need jackets! We sat around and enjoyed the good weather for awhile. At about 11am we went back in and sat in on other classes. The teacher was amazing; the students were all very involved and there was a lot of laughter. He started asking the few of us there the questions he had been posing, and that got kind of sticky because we didn't understand what he meant in English. He was asking how many minds were in a body, why your mind isn't going if you see a beautiful flower, and if emotions are your mind. Unfortunately, we didn't find out the answers to the questions, but it was much more interactive and interesting than before!
We had lunch after the classes, then the director of education took us on a tour of the building. It was still in construction, so we saw the cement being poured, pillars being sculpted into intricate Tibetan designs, and painters meticulously tracing those carvings with vivid reds and blues. It was mind blowing to see the entire process in action. As is typical to the region, there was bamboo scaffolding everywhere that we had to duck under, but the roof has a beautiful view. Once it's done, the Dalai Lama is going to bless it. It is the largest Tibetan monastery in Kalimpong, and I'm sure it'll be gorgeous once finished. I hope that I at least get to see pictures of it in the future!
Once done with the tour we took vans back up to the farm. We had the rest of the day off and got to relax! I read and took a nap (we were all exhausted after such an early morning). Eventually dinner rolled around and we all sat by the fire.
This morning, the ceremony the monks did before breakfast was kind of fascinating. They were all wrapped in fur and some were swaying with the chanting. We were later informed that it was a prayer so that bad things wouldn't befall you or so that whatever bad thing you were dealing with (ie disease) would leave you. They brought around chunks of dough and you roll them and put your finger prints in them, then they set it upright and burn it and take it outside the room. They then pour whey in a line to the exit so that the bad stuff knows where to go. It was neat and the view from the room was of Kalimpong was gorgeous.
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