Bir 2011

We spent a  couple of days visiting Bir ... so many interesting places to see.  Thanks to Graeme Ross for most of the photos.

Some vagrants in the temple at Deer Park Institute

Deer Park Institute is a centre for the study of classical Indian wisdom traditions. The core vision of the Institute is to re-create the spirit of Nalanda, a great university of ancient India in which all traditions of Buddhism were studied and practiced, alongside other schools of classical Indian philosophy, arts and sciences.

the monks rooms from the temple steps

Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro Institute has a faculty of highly trained khenpos and hundreds of students enrolled in an intensive nine-year graduate program.  There are eleven classrooms, a library, computer and reading rooms.  Each year the students undertake the study of two major texts or commentaries, plus subjects such as logic, grammar, monastic discipline, and poetry.

Look out, those hang gliders are wild

 Bir was full of hang gliders from all over the world for some competition ... the ones staying in our hotel were very loud & drunk Russians who decided to sing...

Tea in flower ... spot the caterpillar

Ive seen so many tea plantations and never seen her beautiful flowers before

Sponsoring at Tso Pema - by Chloe

Preparations for sponsorship at Tso Pema

Day 4 – Tso Pema, Himachal Pradesh, India.  We were dropping off a sponsorship to a Tibetan lama.  While there we met an older woman who was on the sponsorship list from last year and nobody had volunteered to sponsor her.  She started to cry and her desperation was palpable ... and it broke our hearts.  This was just one reminder to us of the value of this work.  That $200 can change someone’s life for a year; the cost of 4 weeks of cappuccinos in Australia!

Many recipients were in tears of gratitude when they received their sponsorship money, to think that there is someone on the other side of the world to care enough to give them money to survive. 

The honour and privilege our family felt to witness and be a part of this process which makes such a strong bond with the people, was immense.  As my daughter Mallory said, these people have so little, but gave us so much grace, gratitude, joy and love.  We went there thinking we were helping, but in fact received so very much.

There are so many stories, too many to share here.  But if anybody wants to know more and feels the desire to hear some first hand accounts, please feel free to contact any of us through Pantha.

It was such a wonderful, wonderful experience.  We would highly recommend  anyone to take the opportunity Pantha offers to journey with her to these beautiful settings and meet these astounding people.  We not only got to witness  the importance of these sponsorships to them, but also felt profoundly accepted, nurtured and humbled by them both as individuals, and as a community .

Mallory, Graeme & Chloe

Tso Pema School - by Mallory

Mallory & the kids

 Many thanks to Mallory for this special guest post

DAY TRIP TO SCHOOL

On Friday I was given the opportunity to spend a day at the Tibetan school.

I think the memory of that day will stay with me my whole life. It was one of the most amazing experiences that I have been able to take part of in my life. I wouldn’t trade the memory of the kind children for anything.

When I arrived at the school the kids were doing an exercise outside so sat down on a chair and watched. After that all of the younger students came up to me to shake my hand and say good morning. From that time I new the day was going to begin. The older students went to class to start work while the younger kids started to play with blocks. I was still sitting on a chair with two of the teachers while a hand full of young girls were cuddling the teachers. It was so lovely to see this because I saw how much the kids respected the teachers and the teachers respected the kids back. Then one little girl grabbed my hand and led me over to where all of the other children were playing. She sat me down on a cushion while a group of girls swarmed me with blocks and pretended it was make up. In a way I was glad they didn’t have real make up other wise my face would have had fifteen different lip sticks, eye shadow blush etc.

Then a little puppy decided to join us. I was consistently telling the children to be gentle with it and they were. The love all of the young kids had was just wonderful.

I then played a coupe of rounds of badminton with various children and teachers while two little kids were fighting over who got to give me the birdy after it had fallen onto the ground.

After that my parents cam to look at the school and all of the kids were in class. After my parents left I sat into one of the classes and watched the boys learn English. After that period everyone sat down and ate lunch.

After I finished my meal that was very tasty three girls lead me to a class room where there were a swarm of kids drawing on the black board.

At the end of the day all of the younger students and I were sitting in a circle while the kids were singing and two girls were hugging my arms and giving me kisses.

The whole day couldn’t of been better. I realised that all of the children didn’t have much yet they seemed like the happiest children I have ever met. They were happy to go to school and learn. Another thing that really made me smile was the love that the older children bestowed to the children younger then them. The older boys looked after the younger kids as if they were related. It was a reall small school with around 42 children and the really were just like one big family! I am so glad I was able to have the privilege to visit the school and I would visit again if I could in a heart beat!

Tso Pema 2011

Visiting Tso Pema is always such a heart warming experience, so many old friends to meet and stories to share. 
This morning we met lots of people looking for sponsorship while Mallory spent all day playing with the children at the nursery school.  A many momo lunch with Ani Tenzin and exploring the amazing Guru Rinpoche statue (85 feet tall)

Now I am hiding in the internet cafe cos if I am seen entering the hotel a cue immediately begins snaking down the hallway and as you can probably tell from trying to make sense of this I need a little rest so my brain can start working again. 

Delhi 2011

Prabhuta & Pantha in Pattachitra Lounge

We are loving Delhi, hanging out at the beautiful Shanti Home catching up on the thirty odd years since we shared a house in India.  Ready to head to the hills tomorrow.

Tso Pema March 3,4 & 5

Tso Pema .... the last few days

Wednesday 3rd March

Today the Tso Pema Tibetan Kids Garden Nursery School is open again after their winter vacation. Yangchen Dolker, who manages the school, welcomes & cares for the new students. Their school room is the old office as their playroom was declared too dangerous for anything but storage ... holes in the floor. Some of them are bitterly disappointed I dont have bags of lollies & others are fascinated with their image in the camera.


We say good bye to four of the young monks who have now finished their schooling. The nun who has been teaching them Tibetan for the last year has impressed everyone with her skill. All over town people whisper to me how grateful they are to have her.


Thursday 4th March

Some sponsors arrive for the day. For the first time this visit it pours with rain so we scuttle around trying to avoid the mud. We visit the school again ... a new teacher starts today & we listen to him teaching English. One of the new students just cant believe i would turn up again without lollies ... when i offer him a banana instead he looks at me with complete disdain.

After lunch we go up to the Holy Cave of Guru Rinpoche. We meet the nuns ... have some mandatory tea & tears ... sit for a while in the Holy Cave & light butterlamps for a recently departed friend.




It is so wonderful to spend time with Ani Bumchung again.


Friday 5th March

After breakfast the sponsors leave in a whirl of katags & excited young children.

Inspect the new washing machine bought by the health & caring project for the old monks at the Nyingma Gonpa. Happy to see how excited they all are by this small machine & to see (& smell) how clean their rooms are now.


Ani Wangmo is crying again ... Tulku Choying Rangdrol is in hospital in South India where they think he will get the best care. We ring his wife who is by his bedside. No-one knows what the right English words are for his condition, all i can understand is there is something wrong with his bones, pancreas & heart. I give her a small donation towards the spiralling cost of the hospital. Momo Yeshe's has been sick as well ... her blood pressure is too high ... need to bring some more blood pressure monitors next trip. Some more nuns have arrived & get their photos taken in the hope of sponsorship. Thupten Jigdrel has lost a lot of weight ... not another one sick I hope ... no he says laughing ... he has been doing lots of prostrations every day & is now very fit!

After a long day of catch ups I arrive back at the hotel at 9.30pm to find a cue of a dozen people waiting ... perhaps I should open a 2nd hand katag(offering scarf) shop...

Try to sleep ... have to leave at 4am to drive to the airport. Some young monks in the room next door are so excited to be staying in a hotel they have turned their tv to top volume to watch bollywood soaps ... they giggle & gossip excitedly til 1am. I remind myself that if they were in my position they would just go to sleep ...

BIR 24th Feb - 2nd Mar

Bir is beautiful ... wide open skies .... photos seem better than words


An evening view across the valley to the himalayas. Every morning the peaks are covered in snow that recedes during the warmth of the day (relative warmth of course!)


I always have to take a photo (or 10) of the beautiful Chokling Monastery, seems to look good from any angle


Deer Park, where the teachings (Way of the Bodhisattva) are held. It must be morning cos the mountains have more snow


Our teacher, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. The statue reminds me how much things have changed ... lute( I am sure it has a lovely Indian name but lute is all I can think of) replaced by mobile phone


Sardines in Manjushri Hall (Deer Park) waiting for the can to open


An inspiration for vegetarianism. Thought it was a snake underneath but when I asked ... it was sausages!