Mountains are calling

Mountains are calling!!

I traveled to the mountain state of India, Himachal Pradesh to spend a week on vacation alone. Yes, alone on the mountains. I must say I was blown away by the scenic views of nature displayed everywhere starting from the airport  in Dharamsala. Majestic, elegant, and serene are the words whose combined meaning may come closer to what one would experience in person. I felt it was a calling. Silence of the mountains is indeed a calling in disguise.

My hotel was up on the hills in McLeod Ganj - a town that is home to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He was scheduled to give public teachings for three days on buddhist principles. As someone who is intrigued by the philosophies of buddhism, I naturally registered for the course. Little did I know that 7000 others from around the globe have also registered.

Upon landing at Kangra airport, I hired a prepaid taxi. It so happened that the taxi guy is well known among tourists - something I came to know later from his website. He was kind enough to offer me to show around Dharamsala and Kangra, which he did couple of days later.

I made preparations and booked everything only a week in advance. Those 7000 others really made a difference as it was not easy to get hotels. I was lucky enough to get myself a room in one of those state government run tourism hotels. Neat and tidy. Staff were courteous and mindful. I was asked to feel at home as I was booked for a longer duration. And every one of them, through their actions, meant that.

The day before the lecture, I went to the venue, the main temple. There were already people reserving their seats by placing a cushion with their names. I happened to overhear an American group and a couple of Indians talking to someone who seemed to be a member of the event organising committee. I tagged along with them to secure a seat for myself preferably from a place where I can watch His Holiness. And I did get one. I watched His Holiness delivering lectures all three days. Up close and personal - at least as far as I could get being there for the first time. When His Holiness walks up to the venue, one can hear and feel the positive vibrations and energy. There were hymns and chants. Everyone, even the monks, was trying to get a glimpse of Him. There were couple of things I witnessed that are worth mentioning. 

On the first day, when His Holiness was walking from the gates of his residence adjacent to the temple, He saw a bald man waiting in the crowd. It was a hot day. He signalled that man to come forward. When the man came forward, His Holiness signalled him by touching the man’s bald head to wear a cap to protect from sun. The crowd along with the man himself burst into laughter. 

There were foreign disciples who brought their physically challenged children to seek blessings. The kids were carried by their parents in arms and could not even stand on their own. Everyday His Holiness blessed them by bowing himself, clutching their hands and keeping them on his own head. He spent at least half-a-minute with each child. I am not sure what it could have done to those children. But certainly their parents would have felt something. Something that cannot be put in words. Better yet, something that need not be described. 

The place where I was seated was surrounded by Tibetan monks - young and old, men and women alike. An older monk who must be in his sixties was seated next to me. He spoke only Tibetan and I spoke only English. Nothing came in between during our interactions. Language is merely a tool. Attendees were served bread and tea during the lectures. Usually people wait for butter tea to be served before eating bread. Being a newbie and hungry, I started eating the bread. The bread was hard to eat without a warm cup of tea. The monk asked for my cup and poured some warm water. He signalled me to drink it along with bread. All three days I sat next to him. He would look at my Fitbit by taking my hand himself trying to read time. My notebook had a motorcycle picture. He would act as if he was riding a motorcycle to show me that he understood what it is. Childlike enthusiasm shown to even the simplest of things. On the last day, he bowed with folded hands to signal goodbye. No handshakes. No business cards. In fact, when I look back now, we never even introduced ourselves. Only two unknowns who are certain of recognising each other if we ever meet again.

All through this experience, two things stood out. Mindfulness and compassion. Two unmissable qualities among everyone I came across - from the taxi driver to hotel staff to Tibetan monks. And of course, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. However, I am yet to ascertain the cause and effect between mother nature and mindfulness. Surely one drives the other. Or perhaps they drive each other to create peace. 

At the airport, awaiting my return flight, I looked at the mountains again. Calm and unmoved, they are still listening. I will be back.

In case you are wondering, there were rude people too. Only outnumbered and overshadowed.