Tuesday 1st June 2010
12.45pm
Tenyang Coffee House
So I woke up by 5.30am and by 6.30am I was on my way up the steps to head to his holinesses teachings. It meant I got no newspapers today in the morning and they were all gone when I returned after 12.
I was at the TCV very early. I meandered in the school grounds for an hour watching the general calamity as hundreds of school children gathered outside the main hall waiting to go inside to where the Dalai Lama would talk.
Around 8.30am me and some other travellers tried to enter the main hall but to no avail as expected. Before we headed to the basketball court area, which had a TV and a large canopy to protect people from the sun, we saw the Dalai Lama arrive. His motorcade sped up to the main building coming towards us along one side of the wide sandy playground.
As he walked from the door of his car to the entrance to the main hall he made some kind of traditional offering that seemed to involve throwing some rice of some kind. He had a chirpy face and on either side of him security guards watched, another person held up a large yellow umbrella to protect him from the sun while behind him a few monks or aides followed.
Lining the way into the building were two lines of school girls each with long black hair and all wearing the same as the other, a long green traditional dress with rainbow coloured apron. When the first car of the motorcade arrived they all in unison began to sing and continued for 10 minutes or so until the Dalai Lama was all the way inside the hall and duly followed him in singing as they went.
When he left I watched him from my birds eye view as he ambled back to his car. He took questions on human rights for Tibetan women and the ordination process, perception, dependent origination and emptiness. Also the teaching of the Tibetan language in China and India and the preservation of culture.
I am thoroughly looking forward to tomorrow!
On getting back to the town after a slow walk, I found all the papers were gone. So bought some candy and my bus ticket to Delhi. I leave Sunday evening at 6.30ish (be at the bus terminal by 6). Tonight I'll have another bash at the Sudoku that beat me yesterday and the crossword. Why not.
Between now and then more tea and the internet.
I hope the translation works of begins from the start tomorrow. Hmmm I may go to the library for an hour. The radio was a good investment, it'll come in useful during the world cup. I love radios.
Perhaps I'll write a little more tonight.
It was nice that a lot of what I heard at the teaching was mostly a lot of stuff I've read about during my time at the library. That was pleasing. I felt I could connect with what was being discussed.