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| Offereings at the Smoke and Fire Puja, Samye Ling, New Year's Eve 2017 |
Thursday 7 December 2017
Thursday 16 November 2017
Sunday 12 November 2017
Tuesday 31 October 2017
Monday 30 October 2017
Friday 27 October 2017
Monday 23 October 2017
Friday 29 September 2017
Monday 11 September 2017
Saturday 2 September 2017
Monday 28 August 2017
Sunday 27 August 2017
Saturday 26 August 2017
Monday 21 August 2017
Monday 7 August 2017
Tibet 2016 - High Himalayas
2016-10-15 Xigaze to Everest National Park, elevations up to 5253m
We travelled from Xigatse to Basum today. Basum is within the Mt. Oomolangma National Park (Mt Everest). En route we passed over several high passes: Tsou La pass (4530m); Gyatso La (5253m), which gave the first glimpse of the high himalayas; and Kya Wu Lha pass (5202m), the first sight of Everest and other major peaks. Basum is a small Tibetan village (4370m) only 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Everest Base Camp. We stayed with a local Tibetan family in their traditional home.
The peaks shown in this gallery include five of the top 15 highest peaks in the world. The first 14 of these are all over 8000m. On a clear day, which we had, they combine and conspire to provide opportunities for photographs that almost take themselves.
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| that's not a pass - THIS is a pass! |
The peaks shown in this gallery include five of the top 15 highest peaks in the world. The first 14 of these are all over 8000m. On a clear day, which we had, they combine and conspire to provide opportunities for photographs that almost take themselves.
Thursday 3 August 2017
Monday 31 July 2017
Saturday 29 July 2017
Thursday 27 July 2017
Saturday 22 July 2017
Wednesday 19 July 2017
Tibet 2016 - Xigaze
2016-10-14 Xigaze, Tashilumpo monastery, elevation 3917m
At last the opportunity to complete a kora. The circuit at Tashilumpo monastery is quite long, and involves quite a lot of climbing. It is a very attractive route and it was very good weather, so altogether an excellent day. The rest of the party did only half the circuit, and then left to go through the walking street and markets in the town centre. I carried on to complete the circuit, and for most of this part of the route, I was accompanied by the goat pictured here. We were both doing our thing, and keeping our distance - as far as possible - but also aware of each other, and covering the same ground. A friendly companion.
Tuesday 18 July 2017
Sunday 16 July 2017
Friday 14 July 2017
Thursday 13 July 2017
Tuesday 11 July 2017
Sunday 25 June 2017
Tuesday 20 June 2017
Friday 16 June 2017
Saturday 10 June 2017
Friday 2 June 2017
Wednesday 31 May 2017
Sunday 28 May 2017
Saturday 27 May 2017
Monday 22 May 2017
Friday 19 May 2017
Wednesday 17 May 2017
Friday 12 May 2017
Thursday 4 May 2017
Tibet 2016 - Potala palace
2016-10-11 Lhasa, Potala palace, elevation 3658m
I was rather disappointed to find that we ended up doing only half of the kora of the Potala. I would like to have done the entire circuit. The rushing through the Potala that is now mandatory provides the reasons I dislike the current tourist setup. It means that explanations from your guides are gabbled; they find it difficult to repeat stuff that for those that haven't heard; and there's a pressure to move on, move on, move on, the whole time. I was surprised that we did not go up to the roof. Previously, I remember going up to the roof. Just as well I I've got pictures from there many years ago.. This time, it was just through the main Potala rooms and then back down to kora or sighting spots. We did go to a little lake at the back of the Potala with some very good views of it which I haven't seen before.
Jompa is a fantastic guide. She helped me with what portion of the kora we did. Of course, the fact that I, a foreigner, and obviously a tourist, with caucasian hair colour, western dress, but having a mala and doing mantras was an instant passport to family groups, particularly those headed by a matriarch, as most were. They asked me what I was doing; asked Jampa what I was doing; and the general reaction was 'oh he's a foreigner, how can he know about this stuff'. It wass quite fascinating, and it happened five or six times. One notable encounter was where the woman of the family, while carrying a balloon and toy in one hand, and her mala in the other, showed me how to use a mala, and how to do mantras, properly. Using the mala involves rolling the bead inwards over the finger with the thumb. This is its use, whichever hand is used. The woman was very insistant, and would not leave it until I had demonstrated that my mastery was complete. All in all a quite wonderful time. I just wish it had been complete.
So far this time I've done kora round Johang, kora round Sera monastery, and half kora round Potala. I did feel I was starting to get into the mantra a little in the third and last of these koras.
I was rather disappointed to find that we ended up doing only half of the kora of the Potala. I would like to have done the entire circuit. The rushing through the Potala that is now mandatory provides the reasons I dislike the current tourist setup. It means that explanations from your guides are gabbled; they find it difficult to repeat stuff that for those that haven't heard; and there's a pressure to move on, move on, move on, the whole time. I was surprised that we did not go up to the roof. Previously, I remember going up to the roof. Just as well I I've got pictures from there many years ago.. This time, it was just through the main Potala rooms and then back down to kora or sighting spots. We did go to a little lake at the back of the Potala with some very good views of it which I haven't seen before.
Jompa is a fantastic guide. She helped me with what portion of the kora we did. Of course, the fact that I, a foreigner, and obviously a tourist, with caucasian hair colour, western dress, but having a mala and doing mantras was an instant passport to family groups, particularly those headed by a matriarch, as most were. They asked me what I was doing; asked Jampa what I was doing; and the general reaction was 'oh he's a foreigner, how can he know about this stuff'. It wass quite fascinating, and it happened five or six times. One notable encounter was where the woman of the family, while carrying a balloon and toy in one hand, and her mala in the other, showed me how to use a mala, and how to do mantras, properly. Using the mala involves rolling the bead inwards over the finger with the thumb. This is its use, whichever hand is used. The woman was very insistant, and would not leave it until I had demonstrated that my mastery was complete. All in all a quite wonderful time. I just wish it had been complete.
So far this time I've done kora round Johang, kora round Sera monastery, and half kora round Potala. I did feel I was starting to get into the mantra a little in the third and last of these koras.
Saturday 29 April 2017
Friday 28 April 2017
Sunday 23 April 2017
Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, dinner in Girona
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| View over Girona from the city walls |
Two and a half weeks before Easter, I found out about an event that was being held over the Easter weekend, in Santa Coloma de Farners, Girona, Spain. After deciding I wanted to go to it, I consulted the excellent site at http://www.seat61.com/. This is very reliable source of information about train travel. He suggested a train journey that allowed one to breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, and dine in Barcelona. This looked pretty good, so I booked up all the tickets.
The journey was made up of three rail journeys: from Milton Keynes to London by Virgin Pendelino train; Eurostar from London to Paris; and then TGV from Paris to Girona. A bit unusual to have Virgin the slowest, and shortest train. The journey was planned to be 11 1/2 hours, but was delayed in the south of France, and into Spain. As a result it was was about 12 1/4 hours, plus one hour change in time zone. Still the original idea of breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, and dinner in Girona held.
I had planned my journey so that I had most of the day after travelling in Girona. This is a city with a history stretching back to roman times, and a substantial surviving medieval area. The old town is surrounded by city walls. These provide a very interesting walk, with quite a lot of up. This was my main activity for the Thursday, apart from getting from Girona to Santa Coloma de Farners in the late afternoon. Girona is a very pleasant place, with friendly people, and relaxed traffic. Throw in good weather while I was there - both before and after the retreat - meant it was a very relaxing and enjoyable place to be in.
Friday 21 April 2017
Friday 14 April 2017
Spain
I am now in the hills above Sils, about half an hours train ride from Girona, plus half an hours taxi ride. I am at the Kagyu Sayme Deshi Ling monastry for a short retreat.
This area is outstandingly beautiful. Flowers, trees, shrubs of all sorts all buzzing with life. This life ranges from bees the size of my thumb, to butterflies smaller than the nail on my little finger. And ants. And ants. And ants.....
The monastery itself is an exact equivalent of the UK version of the big house plus home farm (buildings, not (much) land), all repurposed now of course.
Sunday 9 April 2017
Wednesday 5 April 2017
Saturday 1 April 2017
Friday 31 March 2017
Tibet 2016 - Lhasa
2016-10-10 Lhasa, Sara monastery, elevation 3681m
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| Shrine at holy spring, Sara monastery kora |
We went on to Zhanghung monastery, also in the old town of Lhasa. Like every nunnery I have encountered, the immediate sensation on walking into it was that of joy and quiet happiness. Most of the nuns we saw were writing prayers, and bundling already written prayers into prayer wheels. Being here provided a point of real stillness during the day. Thoroughly enjoyable.
This afternoon we are going to Sera. As I have visited Sera many times before, and have got multiple hundred photos of the debating there, I'm going to do kora round Sara. Jamin, the tour leader, has arranged for another guide for me. This guide, Jompa, proved to be a very good guide. I have only ever had one guide who was better - in Mongolia. Both shared some characteristics: female; young; very, very knowledgable about their subject; and able to cover ground, uphill and on the level, like a mountain goat. Jompa is very knowledgable about Buddhism. She showed me the holy spring at the back of the monastery. I made offerings at the spring. This was a bit of a complicated affair to get to the place where the water came out. I had to crawl under two very large, but very low branches of trees, and over slippery stones. Then it was quite an elaborate ritual of getting water from the spring; straining it into a container; then moving over to the little shrine (to one of the Taras); and putting some water into each of the offering bowls that were there; then washing face and hands; and having water poured over my head - and boy was it cold. It was very touching. It confirmed my view that Jamin had selected Jompa very well indeed. So we did kora and then she showed me into some parts of the monastery. These included some parts which were not part of the standard tour as I remember it. In talking about Buddhism, she reinforced my view that it is better to be selective about one chooses to believe in.
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