gratefulness

leaving dharamsala tonight after two weeks, which has been, as might already be understood, fascinating in their richness, beauty and fun. nevertheless, it is time to leave what feels home now, and move on. the remaining of my scarce time in india will be dedicated to the kullu and spiti vallies, regions of high-scale unspoiled nature which are considered among the most beautiful in india, that is, the most beautiful on our planet.

if i am not getting to the internet, it is because there's always something else to do, and it never feels like stopping the natural rythm of things and sitting in front of the screen. the same is true for most of the touristic attractions of dharamsala - the dalai lama's temple & residence, the beutiful walks to triund and the waterfalls, the tibetan children's village - all will have to wait for my next visit. my expirience here was about people, yoga, meditation, music, walking in the hills, more people, introspecting and processing what i'm going through, and responding to whatever the moment brings.

yesterday night, my last here, was a perfect goodbye party. we had a long and relaxed dinner at the relatively fancy ashoka resturant, with all the main figures of my life here. sarah and martin are also leaving today, each in their own direction, though there's a slight chance that sarah catches me up later in the mountains. shachar and shirly are staying here to continue their studies. shachar is the israeli guy i met in kopan (see my previous post "community life" for a color portrait) who became here my friend and neighbour, and who maintains strict and intensive discipline of meditation / panchakarmic purification / healing & clarvoiance studies. we meet daily in the guest house or the meditation group, sharing our expiriences and inspirations, and mirroring each other from our different points of view - he with his uncompromising spiritual diet, and i with my relatively earthy interpersonal one. yesterday as usual, he was the first to withdraw to bed, saying goodbye before embarking on a week of silence. shirly practices here yoga and studies ayurveda, traditional indian medicine, in one-on-one lessons with an upper-class indian lady. our short acquaintance here left a delicate aftertaste, and shall probably be further explored in tel aviv in a couple of months.

nynke and suzan, two lovely dutch girls i first met in kathmandu, also joined us after a while. nynke and i became quiet close recently, especially after that fullmoon private ceremony we had up in the woody hills. i think we handled our 5 days relationship quiet bravely, succeeding to have an authentic touch without getting overdramatic. it is a fine balance, as well as a crazy one, but it bears its own lesson.

i wish i had the common photograph from yesterday to illustrate the story and present the people, but it will have to wait, since scanning facilities here are not as developped as in kathmandu. the evening went on as the conversation moves between silly jokes, discussions about third-world development strategies, and the debut of "50 ways to leave your guru" that sarah, martin and me featured ("just quit that retreat pete, close your third eye guy, it's done when your dead fred, oh listen to me...") when only the three of us were left, we took a night walk up to the waterfalls, and sat down for an inspired jam session with a guitar and a flute, watching the dark valley and the moon rising up from behind the range. and then back to mcleodganj to meet nynke, passing through the shiva temple and saying goodnight to the statue of hannuman, king of monkeys.

it is funny how these strong common expiriences bring people together in such a short time. it is even more funny that i may not see some of them ever again...

the last post ended with me and my yoga mates drinking chai at the peace cafe, our bodies soft and open, and we are making jokes and having fun. but the schedule is tight and soon we gotta catch the rikshaw up to bhagsu, to get to the gipsey king cafe at 12:30 for the third eye transmission meditation circle with yitzhak. yitzhak is nothing you would expect from a meditation instructor - he's a cow-caretaker from kibutz kineret; graduate of the "happy pig" yeshiva; he's rough, offensive, and sometimes sexist ("concentrate on the the point gently but determinately, like with a 12 years old virgin..."); but when i finished meditating with him for the first time i couldn't help but laughing joyously for a couple of minutes, and then was just sitting by the side of the road, shining around and silently observing the world passing by. yitzhak came here with his 29 years old son and 25 years old girlfriend, and the free meditation circle he's leading every noon is his own donation to the universe.

the place where i live also deserves a spotlight. it is run by a nun and a local family (some monks and nuns here live with their families and keep their vows while participating in regular life), and has four big rooms with attached bathroom and kitchen (which i don't use). it is quiet a special place, which you wouldn't be able to find without inside information (shachar, who lives there on a monthly basis, was my own connection). you should get to mcleod's central square, where the jogiwara road and the temple road meet the way going up to bhagsu and the two legs of the circular route to dharamkot; make your way through the maze of beeping cars, construction works on the road, gathered groups of tourists, and sellers of fresh momos and woolen shawls - a mission which may first seem impossible, since jogiwara road is blocked by a truck that entered the market just to discover it is much too narrow to go through, and is now trying to reverse all the way back, leaving 5 cm space from each side and forcing everyone to step into the shops or the sewage tunnels by the side of the road... however, if you're slim enough you will finally make it to the pastery shop, behind which there's a small unseen alley, where you have to enter, walk between the two peelers of purple onion, and take the staircase down to your right.

after 50 meters of twists and turns a magic occurs - the clatter of the cars, horns and people is fading away, clearing the space for birdsongs and sometimes the cries of monkeies playing in the trees. it takes only a few more steps to get to my balcony where the whole valley unfolds ahead of you. in clear days (there are not too many of them) you can notice the huge lake in the distance, and in foggy ones you watch the mist charging up the hills, constructing a big wall of void in front of you. the balcony faces the west and is a perfect place to spend an afternoon or a sunset playing the guitar, either alone, with friends, or with my tibetan neighbours who are occasionaly attracted to the music.

in my first post from dharamsala i shortly mention my meeting with pema dorje (see picture), the tibetan teacher whose 4 days teaching on the four noble truths inspired me to start practicing buddhism seriously. our three meetings, or seven hours of quality time, deserves at least one fat paragraph, but i realize that i would have to write it some other time (i will rewrite this paragraph in the next opprotunity).

that is. i'm back on the road, with a well-trained, well-fed and well-hugged body, an open heart, and a happy mind!