Igår...

Today – a day for reflection and study.

Shamar’s death and subsequent cremation really touched me.  More than I thought it would.

Karmapa also.

Serious business.

Bless them both – and I do pray for all the bodhisattvas to remain… they really really help us.  Strange, but true.

Shamar - do come back!

Impermanence. It takes 4 hours to disintegrate a body. He is home now.

Nothing can do it justice. Nothing. Majestic, sorrowful – at the same time peaceful.  He is home now.

The smoke did a turn in four directions and then proceeded to go straight up, engulfing the canopee above in a big flame. While the smoke was turning directions without any perceivable wind being present, a so called flower rain fell and a swarm of birds did a perfect Khora around the pillar of smoke, finally settling on the roof of the retreat building behind the stupa.

Shamarpa – you will be sorely missed, please come back soon.  Come back soon!

Phew... bills paid

PLUS MINUS = 0  -- phew

End of Week 5

I am tired, but not overly exhausted. THIS time, all goes a bit smoother than 2012, when I started this blog, in anticipation of a summer course of Colloqouial Tibetan...  (spelling?)

So what goes smoother? A prior knowledge of the letters amongst other - and foremost a great teacher,  Lara Bratstein, and wonderful delegates with humour. Only 9 of them.

And last but not least: my husband.


HOWEVER - I am NO longer interested in putting myself in this third-world situation, however, intriguing it seems in the beginning. NOR am I particularly impressed by Tibetans as a whole. Yes, they are a lot more organized than the rest of Kathmandu, it seems, and there is a lot to be admired about the tenacity of translations, the thoroughness of all all they have done for the survival of authentic Dharma.. for that I am eternally grateful.  But, as everyone else - people are people, and all sorts indeed. Nothing better nothing worse. Possibly this macho-shit is worse. But that you find everwhere anyway.

For me - this is it. From now on, I will stay in comfortable places and PRACTICE my little (?) ass off  - feel ready to do so finally...

pussOkram to everyone!

One Day before the MIDTERM

Intrestingly enough, I did not get panicky until the fourth week this time. I am reading a lot better, but not perfect and out of the roughly 250 Dharma words we have to use and know, I know about half. Getting a bit - a tiny bit - better, I think.

Så här ser det ut när man pluggar

- ie studying my way for the midterm.... 

#tibetan #studies #RangJung Yeshe

Kathmandu Special

The weeks fly by.  All of a sudden we are almost middle of week 4.  The pressure is definately on.  I am not as stressed as last time, but the pressure is ON.  Classical Tibetan is like doing Suduko - figuring things out to be able to understand.

Staffan is working really really hard.  At first very grumpy-ly but now, he says, he feels he is pushing his boundaries and is achieving something.
More than I can say about myself འདག་རང་


Shamar Rinpoche will be cremated here on the 31st - I hope to be there...