In some ways communication here sucks. Following the big tower wer have discovered a "cyber cafe" which has broadband! Not even the telecom company could tell us this info.
Here is some info I wrote last night. Next I will try to load some pictures...
Greetings all.
Again, sorry for the delay. I have made attempts to call my mom now all week. But the STD booths, the phone booths here are brimming over with monks and nuns calling Tibet. I have made many attempts, waited a hour - only to have the power go off as it approached my turn. Such is life in the settlement!
The interruption in power around here causes so many delays life just kind of stops -except for the monks and nuns who put in 18 hours/day praying for all sentient beings.
For those of you who have monks and nuns who communicate via email, I can tell you for them to send even one email from here can be great labor of love. The interruption of power happens daily, and the two "cyber cafes" in the camps are always bubbling over with monks waiting to send emails.
The "cyber cafes" are actually old government buildings with clever partitions and old CRT monitors which appear to be running on one peer to peer server… thus making the already slow dial up even more agonizingly slow. Then as you begin to think your email has been sent, the power craps out and you lose it all.
I realized in my rush to get my activities up on the blog I haven't really taken much time to address the specific issues we have faced or am facing such as this. I have now decided to use the nuns new laptops for the remaining week we are here to get some of these ideas into the cyber stream.
It has been extremely busy and we have worked everyday except today when we went to market day in the village of Mundgod. Monday is market day and the tribal folk from the surrounding jungles bring their wares to market. When I get back I will be posting these images. Villagers, forest and jungle dwellers of all kinds come to town on this day, along with all the monks and some of the nuns who shop in the vegetable market. A mixture of Hindu, Muslims and Buddhist all bargaining and shopping in a ancient market that has been going on this way for thousands of years. The Tibetans obviously infuse the local economy. There is absolutely no feeling of aggression and a great feeling of peace and mutual respect. I never at anytime felt intimidated and have only been approached by maybe one or two beggars or a few Sadus (holy men) with offering bowls.
As westerners, we stand out like sore thumbs so anyone coming here must obtain the special permit or the police will pick you up in a flash. We are obviously the novelty… especially Menlo who looks like some giant Blue-eyed white deity walking among the smaller statutes. All Menlo has to do is smile at these people and they immediately melt into their mutual warmths.
Menlo has been absolutely invaluable in his contribution to this project and is great in documenting this project and has made his own investments and has his own relationships with our many monk and nun friends.
In fact Menlo and the Zong Rinpoche had a very strong connection and Rinpoche expressed with so much grace that he sensed had indeed met before. This is something to consider when one reflects on the previous great Zong Rinpoche. "Rinpoche"is a Tibetan world denoting a lineage guru - an incarnate being, a special being who has chosen to return again and again as spiritual guides. Now this is the young Zong Rinpcohe the twenty-one year old reincarnation of the great master that was only one of 50 that made it out of the initial Ganden holocaust in Tibet in 1959 and was sent here in the 70s to reestablish the monastery in exile.
Perhaps for Menlo this experience has personified the reality of the tragedy that has been waged upon the Tibetan people… as his heart is sprung wide open and being as empathic as he is, he deeply feels what has happened to these people. Especially when being invited the view the remnants of that which they took with them when they fled Tibet… the precious teachings -now stored carefully on shelves in special rooms which smell of moth balls like my grammy's closet.
Menlo is now working all the time. It’s a little more then the "Tibetan Road Show" which the cynical little circle babbles on about. You know, those in the peripherals of his life who aren't doing anything authentic in their own life except expanding their hips… so they seek to invalidate his adventure in what they perceive as my scene… -the busy little minds that hate Bill Gates but cannot really say why and still pirate his products for their own personal gain… anyway they have so much to say!
It is extremely gratifying to both of us to be able to offer lend authentic support. Any technical skill is utilized by the plenty here. Many problems they perceive as huge in actuality may be as simple as changing out a connection. Again, I am so thankful we purchased this clever little kit from Fryes for about $50 which contained several USB cords and every kind of connection and adapters in the book. Now nearing the end of this journey all the USBs and most of the serial to USB - or parallel to USB and even Firewire to USB have been distributed amongst the various computers in the monastery, nunnery, government schools, etc.
Here is the answer to some quick questions coming my way via email but there has been no time to answer individual emails.
No, we have NOT been sick, have had not had any stomach disorders -only exhausted and grungy even though we shower many times a day. This place is a dust bowl and the air quality and sun are dangerous. We are literally in a cleared part of the jungle. Yesterday a monkey almost attacked me - leaping about 8 feet out of a tree -were it not for Geshe Donyoe making himself giant sized with his red robes the monkey may have stolen my camera!
Some of the experiences are also emotionally exhausting - and some physically exhausting. Dear Joseph hooked me up with a battery of Ondre supplements, which I have been taking and the Tibetans are so fastidious all of our food is presented with great love and care and the guest house here is really like Club Med. Next time I hope to take a spiritual retreat here which I think is a very different experience. We have been blessed to meet all the high lamas.
Yes, I feel much success in the first step to getting the nuns going with their technology goals and also the help we have rendered aid to the monastery in many forms. I am presently running about $1000 over budget for a number of different reasons including having to purchase additional software, UPS systems (which are pricey and dicey here), electrical stuff, printer and more of the same. $1000 in the Karmic School of Debt is a small price to pay for this project which will have such a huge impact for the nuns.
Leap and the Net Appears
Personally, I also chose to give one of the young nuns -who is deaf and BTW the money to pay travel expenses and medical care to see a specialist doctor in the city. How could I not… you all would have done the same if this particular situation presented itself to you. These are the persoanl challenges in the face humanity… my mind says "you may not have work when you get home…?! Should I give her my rent so she may see a doctor?" So I took the universal leap of faith -because so many people have always shown up for me and I have to trust in this process. This particluar experience (which breaks my heart) - I rather speak about personally or on a one on one basis -if anyone is interested. What I think is needed though is for us to establish a medical fund for the nunnery and some guidance on how to approach health care. The girl didn't ask me for money, I I had to insist she take it. Rather she sought me out to find out if I knew what may be wrong with her. And when I saw what was wrong, my heart broke. She is in pain, suffering and needs a doctor, a surgeon, or perhaps more. I don't know.
Case in point however, if we were further along in the project and the nuns were on broadband or satellite (our ultimate goal) we could open the web portal on both sides and an expert such as Dr. Sheryl T. or Elaine or Suzanne -who have all offered their expertise to the monks over the years could offer some support via the internet. Telemedicine!
As it stands now the little nun is now on her way to see an expert woman doctor in the city. I instructed her to get everything in writing so that her written diagnosis or treatment options may be further researched out via the Internet. This concept was completely foreign to the nuns. Taking one's evaluation or diagnosis or condition to the internet for advice, action, treatment options etc.
While many monks in the monastery are onto this already… researching their own conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. The nuns had not a clue! The light went on. and I showed them some examples. Now they see it and I have no doubt they will begin to learn.
On Friday we will return to the nunnery for a final session of training moving around some equipment after some electrical work and seeing if the little nun has returned/
Please let the good people of Grass Valley and Nevada City know of this progress.
Next I'll write more on our visit to the Government High School and the progress on the satellite/broadband aspect of this project
Computer training would be very valuable to the monks (as well as the nuns) as there are programs which can better further their English, they could wirte to their sponsors using WORD, have some directions on Mavis Beacon Typing Teacher and also be able to perfect their dharma studies as we installed the Tibetan Sambhota keyboard convertor.
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