November 2011

The third Dharamsala Insight tour, led by ATC Board member Alison Ribush, arrived in Delhi on Sunday, 6 November. After a night’s rest, they drove by private cars, with an overnight stop in Chandigarh, to Dharamsala. They spent the next eight days immersing themselves in an unforgettable experience of the many aspects Tibetan life in exile. Sylvia, one of our group, shares her thoughts on the Insight tour below.

Sylvia’s blog…
There are nine of us in the Australia Tibet Council’s 2011 Insight Tour group, all from Eastern Australia, and ranging from Queensland through New South Wales, with the majority from Victoria. We have proved to be compatible, with a range of interests and motivations bringing us together on the tour.

And what experiences so far! And we have only been in Dharamsala three days. We started Day One by walking the kora [circumambulation around the Dalai Lama’s temple complex] and joining a group of Tibetans in chanting and singing the Tibetan National anthem. Then we visited the Norbulingka Institute, which was a beautiful and peaceful way to start our introduction to Tibetan culture. Such beautiful work being produced in the workshops, and the Japanese designed gardens are a peaceful oasis.

Day two was an emotional rollercoaster for many in the group, with tears for many. We began the day at the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) where we visited the kindergarten, the baby and toddler creche, and the junior school library where I had my photo taken with the ‘World Book Encyclopaedia’ which I donated to the TCV in 2009. The children touched the hearts of many in our group and we played with the toddlers. Some of us walked back to our hotel through the forest, after being warned not to do the walk at night because of bears and leopards!

In the afternoon, we visited Gu Chu Sum - the organization for former Tibetan political prisoners. And there were more tears. It was confronting, but important to understand what Tibetans have suffered, and continue to suffer. Fortunately, we all felt much better after pizza, of all things, in the evening. Maybe pizza, a familiar dish with a slight Tibetan twist, and the opportunity to talk brought us back from darker places.

Day three was spent at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) and Voice of Tibet broadcasting. For me it was interesting to compare what we saw at LTWA with what I saw when working in Bhutan last year. Here, like in Bhutan, a digitising project for preserving and disseminating texts is under way. We saw the scanning process, but we were also shown the library stacks and some of the wonderful ancient texts contained there. And we were able to attend a Lam Rim teaching given by Geshe Sonam Rinchen - all that before lunch!

After lunch we visited the Nechung Gompa, home of the Tibetan National Oracle. We rounded out the day with a visit to the offices of the Voice of Tibet, a broadcasting service providing daily news and information on short wave radio and the internet in Tibetan and Chinese. So much to absorb - so lucky to have the opportunity to meet and talk with so many people - something not possible without the organizational skills, knowledge and experience of our tour leader, Alison, a Board member of the Australia Tibet Council.

On day four, while most of our group went to the Tushita Buddhist Institute, I travelled to Bir to meet my sponsored child. He has been ‘my’ child for three years and it was an unexpected highlight for me to meet him. He is at TCV Bir - about two hours by road from Dharamsala. It was such a terrific thing to meet face to face. He is a lovely young man, only 15 but taller than me and I am 175 cm.

Back in Dharamsala we met for dinner at Common Ground where Alison had arranged an evening with a Tibetan poet and writer, Bhuchung D. Sonam. He talked about poetry, expression, the situation of Tibetans and the poetry competition he was in the middle of judging. What an impressive, articulate man. And the food was so delicious. We walked home through a cool evening - our coolest weather so far, I think.

The next day was a much more relaxing, much less confronting day. A momo making class that was terrific fun in the morning. We made momos from scratch, then ate the results as at all good cooking classes. And in the afternoon, some of us walked to nearby Bhagsu village to visit the waterfall and Hindu temple. Others shopped or rested. So restorative for the week ahead.

Day 9 - We took taxis to the Tibetan Nuns’ Project at the Dolma Ling Nunnery. A short film, a guided tour of the nunnery and a meeting with the director, Rinchen Khando Choegyal, plus a lunch prepared by the nuns. The nunnery was so beautiful and peaceful - a wonderful place for both contemplation and learning.

The rest of the day was free for most of us, while others had their appointments with the Tibetan astrologer. How can we only have two more days in Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj left? The time has flown and we have been exposed to so much.

With days too full and intermittent computer connectivity problems, it can be hard to find time to sit in front of a computer screen. But it is time to explain just what the group has been doing. A few of us have managed to walk the kora around the Dalai Lama’s monastery every morning, joining the Tibetans in the circumambulation as well as in singing the Tibetan National Anthem. Although each day contains the same elements, there are also variations. On one day, a herd of cows joined the kora. Other days, cheeky monkeys leap into the open area half way round the walk, or self-possessed dogs join us. At this time of year, there is a piercing blue sky overhead forming a stunning backdrop to the prayer flags, the juniper smoke spiralling into the clear air, and the sound of the chanting.

The group visited the Namgyal Monastery and the Tibet Museum on the day following our visit to the Dolma Ling monastery. The museum brought home to me how it must feel to have your home wrecked, an attempt made to destroy your traditions, and the cost the Tibetans have paid. In spite of all they have been through, most seem able to laugh and are strong and carry on. The women of the Tibetan Women’s Association are an impressive group - funny, capable, resolute. We joined them for afternoon tea in their office. It was the second time we met these terrific women. After the tea some of us went to ‘Stitches in Tibet’, a shop they run to teach sewing skills to refugee women, and which makes wongjus (shirts) and chubas (Tibetan dresses) for sale.

The next day the group visited the Gyuto Monastery and home of the Karmapa Lama. We joined many others, including a group of pilgrims from the Kham region of Tibet, to receive a blessing from the Karmapa. In the evening, we had dinner together, and celebrated (a week in advance) Alison’s birthday with a cake made by a Tibetan baker - an architectural creation of two tiers, yellow and white icing, a birthday message and three candles!

This is the last full day of our Insight tour. It has been full of so many experiences we could not possibly have had were it not for our guide, Alison, and the sponsorship of the Australia Tibet Council. All of us will take back incredible memories, as well as a resolve to do what we can to help, each according to our skills and abilities. After tomorrow, we will leave the winding streets of Dharamsala behind and head back down from the hills to the flat plains of India, commencing our return to Australia.

There was one last surprise before the group went its separate ways. Alison called us together for a ‘housekeeping’ meeting and announced that we would be leaving Dharamsala later than anticipated on our departure day because - wait for it - we had an audience with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. There was excitement all round. We were ready to enter the gates by 7.50am on the morning of our audience, and passed through security as a group - no mobile phones, no big bags, only one camera, a metal detector and body search, and then we joined another queue and waited quietly in the beautiful gardens for His Holiness to arrive. Our time with him was very short, but wonderful. He talked particularly with those of us heading on to Lhasa, but each of us received a warm, strong handshake, and his full attention for a moment. We had a group photo, and then, overcome with feelings, let the next group have their time with him. Such a highlight on which to end our Insight Tour!

Three of our group have an extension trip via Kathmandu for a three-day visit to Lhasa in Tibet. One of this group, Bronwyn, has posted photos and impressions about this part of the trip to her blog at: