From Brahma to Buddha, Spring 2010

Tashi Delek Tsangma! Hello to everyone!

The group in Dharamsala

After a relaxing and reflective week in Bir at the Deer Park Institute, the students are settling into their new homes and new routines in Dharamsala. Although we are still in India, it is as though we have shifted countries. The culture, language, religion, and climate are all drastically different than what we found in Jaipur. We start each morning with Tibetan language class, followed by a speaker on different aspects of Tibetan culture, history, and the current political situation. In the afternoon, students head off for their various ISPs. Jeremy is taking tabla lessons from an Indian guru, Haley is doing jewelry making with a local jeweler, Eliot is conducting interviews with elder members of the society to capture their stories, and Margie will hopefully be helping teach English in a nunnery. In addition to this, all the students are volunteering at conversational English classes, helping members of the community and newly arrived refugees from Tibet improve their English skills. English is a vehicle not only for communication but also for jobs, and volunteering time to help people improve their English is a great way to give back to this community.