gurus among us

​Did you know incense burns slower if you douse it in some water before lighting? Neither did I until I witnessed the shop owner of a textile store prepping for his mid-day prayer.
In this tiny hill town are a thousand vibrant souls. Nuns, merchants, monks, street kids, and beloved cattle just come and go leaving their prints on the paths they walk while imprinting on others they meet.

Vigilance and ambiguity are keys to getting things done as a traveler but as a resident compassion and tenacity are your keys. A small town with a large tourism market means $ell, $ell, $ell, whatever you’re looking to bring home with you after your travels, someone is waiting to sell it to you. Giving even the quickest glance at any shop stirs up the elevator pitch on why you need this candle holder. Streets are busy with consumers and taxis don’t stop for any one unless you’re a cow, so it’s best to be about your business and keep your eyes low. As a resident you’re just trying to make money for your family by getting up every morning and work until night breaks. I’ve never seen anyone take an off day or complain about needing one. They do what they can for a means to survival and if you build a connection with them they’ll do anything they can for you as well.
The Dalai Lama gave teachings last week on Monday and Wednesday. Did I say a thousand vibrant souls, I meant a million! His Holiness’s temple is a three-story open door palace with a garden area and veranda leading down to a spiraling driveway back into the restless city. Every inch of his temple was filled with a body - old, young, robust, and frail. Both days felt similar to a Sunday afternoon at a southern baptist church service. The sun was unusually high for an early morning in the Himalayas, brazing delicate skin on some yet dancing on my own very gently. It’s true I enjoyed blistering heat but seeing all the umbrellas hoisted in the air seemed more logical to prevent the inevitable skin damage with time. There were many distractions other than the heat, fidgety audience members looking for better seats, HHDL’s voice bellowing in Tibet through speakers while simultaneously trying to concentrate on the translation on radio channel 95.5, tea servants weaving past our heads with scolding pots and stray dogs trying to get their lesson or a snack. I found it hard to be attentive to the teaching of the 37 principles of the Bodhisattvas that Monday.
The second teaching was a meditation ceremony and although I was farther away from His Holiness’ presence I somehow felt more focused. I was prepared making sure to bring my umbrella and a full bottle of water. An older gentlemen saw me looking for a place to sit and gestured me over to the cement bench he and others were sitting.
“Just don’t touch me.” I screamed in my head.
As the mantras began I felt the heat scratching at my skin. Bringing out my umbrella I could feel the men to my left shift closer to my shade. I couldn’t help but laugh as I moved the umbrella to my left hand to provide them with a bit more comfort considering I didn’t need it as much.
How did the Dalai Lama learn how to bring his message to the world with confidence? It puzzled me as I prepared for my first experience as an English teacher. They were dependent on my understanding of a language to help better themselves. These students have big aspirations once they master English and it was in my hands to help for the next 2 months. It’s important to listen to the students and what they need. It was hard to understand at first but in broken English but my student Dolma expressed that the last teacher gave too much information and moved too quickly. Many of the other students had the same feeling. How can it be possible they weren’t able to express their needs to the person it matters most?
These are adults so it was also important not to waste time. A biology professor of mine would always ask us, “Do you know the material?” It essential to be more than just aware but to actually understand. Channeling my inner Mr. Mitchell I planned our first week as a class based on the comprehension of  vocabulary and the last grammar lesson. Turns out it was exactly what they needed as gratitude beamed from their faces at the end of the lesson thanking me for listening to them. I had never felt such a warm feeling or such confidence in the power of my words. Not only was I teaching them but they were teaching me as well. Reading the Dalai Lama’s Cat, I came across a chapter detailing the significance of Other Development. A successful life coach was going through a depressive phase and His Holiness explained to him how important it was to be in that state of mind. Focusing on something rather than our own self development, helping others and relating to others on all humanistic levels, can bring us more fulfillment we find through our personal achievements.
My yoga teacher was the last of the friends I made here to leave. Impermanence, it’s the only constant thing we struggle accepting. I was learning so much on how to properly master Hatha yoga asanas, history, and more so about my own strength. Everyday I could feel the progress of my posture, the stamina of walking up a 130 stairs every morning building, and the control of my breath stabilizing. I was becoming aware. I even learned how to do a proper headstand using sheer will power and strength. We ended our time together after attending a New Moon women’s circle. 
I can’t even begin to describe that liberating experience. For three hours women exercised their mental, physical, and emotional energy, breaking down barriers some were oblivious to. I made two women cry and one woman pass out. I cried only once after a woman I came face to face with looked me in the eyes and answered my question, “Dear sister how do you deceive yourself?” I could rant for another five paragraphs on the inner workings of that night but it’s something to experience rather than explain.  Just know ecstatic dance, meditation, and soul digging is all the therapy you need sometimes.
My first month here I’ve found myself to be more disciplined than I expected. Reading and writing every day, gleaning to a routine starting and ending with yoga practice, I am content.
Listening and observing the lessons being given as well as the ones I possess within I was certainly transforming into a higher self.