Tushita

Tushita is a dharma centre in Dharamsala. I signed up for 2 courses on Buddhism. Since my intro course in Katmandu I'm hungry for more :-)
So in June I've spent 3 weeks basically in silence and meditative ambiance. We were about 120 people in the centre, walking around without talking or looking at each other, we resembled a ghost city. My attention was directed very much inward reflecting how principals of Buddhism are applied or would be potentially applicable in my daily life. And I read and read and read.
The results / conclusions? I don't know. I guess I will see in my every day life in Bxl. And I will let you see if sth has shifted in my old machine :-)
For sure the questioning, new look at life and our endless discussions during the group exchanges, were very stimulating and refreshing. I'd love to have the opportunity like this in Bxl. Maybe instead of a book club or gossiping :-)
My second course was remarkable not only because of the subject (very intellectual) but equally because of my teacher. She is a young ('cause younger than me :-) "geshe" which corresponds to an university PhD in Tibetan Buddhism monastic education. She is German by origin. A s a very young girl she's decided to become a Buddhist nun and study with monks. It didn't matter that back then 1) nuns didn't go through the same education as monks, 2) she did not speak Tibetan (no such level of monastic education exists in English). Well, 15 years down the line, she is the first woman, and western in addition, to become a geshe. And the title is well earned: she is incredibly bright and quick thinker and debater, extremely clear and patient teacher and, to add some colour, very cheerful and good humoured person. All in a nice and good looking body...

Besides getting the knowledge, I had a chance again to enter some wonderful new worlds of other people. Listening to their stories is inspiring. And I hope that some of these worlds will stay close to mine :-)
We have hard time quitting each other - hanging out together for another a couple of days.

 I even hanged out with the men! 2 out of 3 are guys though. So everything is fine - Vio is being her old Vio. 

Tibetans on the day of Dalai Lama's blessing in the big temple.
It's Wednesday as well - the Tibetan day. On Wednesday people in Tibet and Tibetan refugees all over the planet connect in their identity - they wear tibetan clothes, speak tibetan, eat traditional dishes.
The way to keep Tibet alive...