For many years now I have been visiting Drepung monastery located in Mungod, in the south Indian state of Karnataka where I started to learn and share thoughts on Tibetan culture, religion and philosophy with Lama Lobsang Tsultrim and Geshe Sherub. Mungod is certainly an oasis when you first visit. The sheer number and size of the temples evoke a feeling of triumph and the endeavour of the Tibetan people. In Mungod I found out about Lha Charitable Trust and the work that they were doing in Mcleod Ganj in Dharamshala. Finally, after much persuasion from Lama Lobsang, I applied to Lha for volunteer work and within four weeks of being accepted I was on a plane bound for Dharamshala. Having travelled, lived and worked in Mumbai, London and New York nothing could have prepared me for this amazing journey to Lha. So I arrived at Lha not knowing what my job would be but my expectations of the organisation were high having read their website and publications.
On the first day I was introduced and given my teaching assignment. Honestly, my students were cleverer than I thought – they were extremely keen, enthusiastic and came to class with a positive attitude to learn English. They were always greeting me with a smile and inevitably inviting me for a cup of tea to learn more, even after the end of class. Needless to say the staff at Lha were extremely supportive and hospitable. The people there do a phenomenal job everyday of gathering students and teacher volunteers while assisting them with all kinds of problem solving.
It would certainly be apt to say that anybody with a little knowledge and some experience with this ancient and beautiful culture of Tibet will find it exhilarating to be a part of it.
My time at Lha has been an eye opening experience – listening and understanding the silent struggle and plight of the students and Tibetan people has been a heart breaking experience. Interacting with students I have heard, seen, learned and understood that our very human nature is in the doldrums of catastrophe and that collective consciousness is really the wave of the future. It has certainly been a pleasurable soul–fulfilling time teaching at Lha. I have indeed been lucky to have been chosen to volunteer there – and I found the students extremely motivated as they struggle, smiling peacefully over their suppression for sixty years now. To be a part of this motivation is to be a part of history.
My journey certainly does not end here as I look forward to coming back again very soon to learn more from the most aspiring and inspiring individuals I have ever met.
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