Thursday, July 26, 2007

July 5th—Did I say, “What a difference a day makes”? Well, it deserves being said twice!

We got our luggage! The electricity went back on! Jeffrey found his mini memory Cannon card! I found some XL long underwear (but they’re still too small)!

But most of all . . .

Rinpoche met with us – us being Tashi (who we both love more and more with each passing day) and Jeffrey, the jewel (actually his last name).

We mapped out our trip day by day. Each night we will spend in either Tashi’s home or Rinpoche’s sister’s home. He even wants to set us up in the Monastery instead of camping, something we still have discuss today.

He asked me why I do this. Why is compassion important? Why am I here? And why am I here – in this samsaric existence. He said I must know these answers to make a difference.

He spoke deeply about this life, his life. He spoke about the importance of the dharma. He told silly jokes. After hours of drinking endless glasses of tea, he walked us to the Tibetan Ministry building, up the 4th floor. The doors opened and we were in a huge, colorful, Tibetan/Napelese nightclub. We ate yak and lamb and beef and shrimp and some kind of veggies I’ve never seen before and yak butter and flour balls and rice and I danced a lama dance with a bunch of tipsy Tibetans and we all laughed at the bad jokes about the lamb being b a- a- -a – a d.

So much more to tell. Jeffrey is beside himself. Tashi feels so blessed and joyful. I am even deeper in this wondrous, magical dream that started just a few months ago . . . .

Tomorrow, we go to Rinpoche’s home for lunch and wrap up last minute details for our journey to Tibet.

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