24 July 2016
Took a last walk around the Kora this a.m. before leaving Dharamsala. Saw a man off the trail, whom I thought was taking photos. Nope, peeing in the open (the telltale hip-shake as the zipper goes up). As I turned some of the many prayer wheels, a skinny black and white cat stuck her nose between the wheels. Cats here are very small and skinny. At the top of the hill, by the Temple exist, I noticed the camp of the beggars: tarps spread on ropes right down the hillside. Not sure why I never noticed it before. Stopped at Chokey’s for a last visit and tea, of course. She has very severe edema, even around her knees so she cannot bend her legs. You cannot see her ankles. I told her she needed to see a doctor about that; I also told Tsering. We exchanged [greeting] cards, she put a kata on me, and gave me a card and kata to give to Cathy, whom I think provides substantial support to Tsering’s family. Cathy’s kata (blue) was blessed by the D.L. I guess Chokey was having some thoughts, so she also gave me an orange kata blessed by H.H. She also apparently walked the kora, or maybe just the temple, since there was a receipt for an offering (100 Rps) for Cathy, Helen, and me. Last night’s party and departure from our learning partners was a bit emotional. Y— was still in New Delhi, trying to make arrangements so her nephew can go to the U.S. on a visa. She has hired some sort of advocate to help in the process. D— had a successful trip: her Chinese passport should be approved in twenty days. She wants to stay in Dharamasala for some sort of festival, though, and won’t return to Tibet until next year. I don’t know if she will be able to leave again, though, since she escaped once already. The ties of home and family are very strong. . . Long drive from Dharamsala to Amritsar today. It got hotter and hotter as we rode down the mountain. The Punjab (Sikh) seems a lot better organized than other parts of India, though Amritsar seems as untidy and half-built as every other place in India. As were driving on the toll road (!!) it really looked a lot like I-80 between Vacaville and Sacramento: lots of farms, growing corn and rice. Going to a lecture on Sikhism, then on to the Golden Temple to see it, and to eat, since the Sikhs serve dinner to thousands every night at the G.T. [Actually, they feed thousands 24/7 for free. More on this later.] Comments are closed.
|
Author Rebecca Moore is Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. She is currently Reviews Editor for Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions and Co-Director of The Jonestown Institute. Archives
December 2021
CategoriesContact:
[email protected] |