Monday we wended our way out of the Ganges plain, up through the clouds of smog, into the Himalyan mountains. We're now in McLeodganj, the upper village of Dharamsala where the Dalai Lami and thousands of Tibetan refugees live, a set of twisted and turning streets, all the buildings hanging off the edge of hillsides at 7000 feet above sea-level. This hillside village is a complex place with a history as twisted as its streets. The Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet in 1959 and was given refuge in this place, where he has lived for the past 50 years as he struggles for Tibetan automony and to sustain the Tibetan culture and practices in this community. The Tibetans have lived in relative harmony with the local hilltribes who were displaced themselves by the thousands of immigrants who still pour across the border. Although the Indian government offered the Tibetans asylum here, as often goes with large central governments, the local tribal people were not consulted. However, a large economy of tourism related to the Tibetan cause and to the practices and teachings of Buddhism has arisen here that supports both the local people and the Tibetans in exile.
We will be in this community for the next two weeks, volunteering at some local schools which are organized to combine the teaching of modern education with the teaching of Tibetan language and culture. We also have the opportunity to work with adult refugees to help them learn English and to hear their stories of escape from Tibet.
The climate here reminds me of late spring in the NW. Cool in the mornings and warmer after noon. Evenings are quite chilly. It's a relief to be out of the heat of the Ganges plain and into air that is cleaner, washed by the winds that pour down over the mountains each night.
The evidence of the presence of the Dalai Lama and Buddhist faith is everywhere. His picture, draped with white banners, is in every establishment, prayer flags fly over the homes and are strung down the hillsides, stupas with prayer wheels are found along the main streets, and most pedestrians stop by to spin the wheels as they walk to have a cup of chai or to meet a friend or to catch the bus.
The month of March marks important historical events for the Tibetan people, and this year is a particularly poignant time. Tuesday, March 10, is a very bittersweet day in Dharamsala. It is the 50th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day when the Tibetans orginally arose to protest the Chinese occupation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama left Tibet on March 14, 1959, finally arriving in India on March 31st. We have been told that there will be many events to mark this 50th anniversary, many of them questioning the viability of the Dalai Lama's adherence to the middle path all these years. Even the Dalai Lama himself seems to be moving away from this idea as the last of 8 rounds of talks with China have failed to make any progress for either Tibetan autonomy or for better conditions for those Tibetans still living in Tibet.
We will be in this community for the next two weeks, volunteering at some local schools which are organized to combine the teaching of modern education with the teaching of Tibetan language and culture. We also have the opportunity to work with adult refugees to help them learn English and to hear their stories of escape from Tibet.
The climate here reminds me of late spring in the NW. Cool in the mornings and warmer after noon. Evenings are quite chilly. It's a relief to be out of the heat of the Ganges plain and into air that is cleaner, washed by the winds that pour down over the mountains each night.
The evidence of the presence of the Dalai Lama and Buddhist faith is everywhere. His picture, draped with white banners, is in every establishment, prayer flags fly over the homes and are strung down the hillsides, stupas with prayer wheels are found along the main streets, and most pedestrians stop by to spin the wheels as they walk to have a cup of chai or to meet a friend or to catch the bus.
The month of March marks important historical events for the Tibetan people, and this year is a particularly poignant time. Tuesday, March 10, is a very bittersweet day in Dharamsala. It is the 50th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day when the Tibetans orginally arose to protest the Chinese occupation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama left Tibet on March 14, 1959, finally arriving in India on March 31st. We have been told that there will be many events to mark this 50th anniversary, many of them questioning the viability of the Dalai Lama's adherence to the middle path all these years. Even the Dalai Lama himself seems to be moving away from this idea as the last of 8 rounds of talks with China have failed to make any progress for either Tibetan autonomy or for better conditions for those Tibetans still living in Tibet.
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