Meditation and Momos: MacLeod Culture

One of the main reasons we came to this area was to attend a 10-day Buddhist retreat at the Tushita Meditation Center.  It was a wonderful and life-changing experience.  Being that it was a silent retreat, we weren't allowed to speak except to ask questions during our teachings and during discussion group time.  Being able to live in silence for 10 days in India was serenity.
The retreat was based on the Mahayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, which is one of the two main branches of Buddhism.  It originated in India (but is present in many countries, especially Tibet).  Chris and I both learned a lot about ourselves and our potentials.  And who knows, maybe there'll be a Buddhism category on Jeopardy someday!

Our gompa (meditation hall)

The stupa, located behind the main gompa. The stupa is a Buddhist monument is composed of a solid hemisphere topped by a spire which contains relics of Buddha. In northern India, it's a common to see people circling the stupa, doing the mala (saying mantras with mala beads),

We shared some comfortable silence with these great people.  As well as some chatty ones afterwards !

After we came out of the retreat, we liked the Dharamshala area so much, we decided to stay for a whole month.  A months in a small town called MacLeod Ganj, where the Indian, Tibetan and International population is abundant.   There was just so much to do (typical grassroot community!): courses, projects, meditation and volunteering oh my !


Chris took a woodcarving class, where he made a beautiful piece.

Chris carving in the teeny-tiny woodcarving room

Tools make progress

The final product

While Chris was carving, I was cooking.  I took a North Indian cooking class with a sweet n' severe Nisha.  Don't ask stupid questions.

Nisha, showing us her tricks.

Palak Paneer.  Palak is spinach and paneer are cubes of unfermented cheese, made with milk curd.  D-lish !

Channa Masala is mmmm....good.

And of course, we took a Tibetan cooking class, where we learned to make momos and Tibetan soups.

Let's get ready to momo !

The best momo teacher ever.  And she had a story to tell.

Learning with a few friends from our meditation retreat, Piret and Emma.

Playing with dough

They're kind of cute eh?

Waiting to steam. Like babies in a blanket !

You can find momos everywhere on the streets.  Good fast food.

Deep-friend Tibetan pastries.   I am forcing a smile.  I prefer momos.

Our Tibetan cooking teacher told us about a Tibetan music/talent show that was going on.  I decided to check it out.  It was a good 3 hours of Tibetans singing Tibetan hits.  It was....interesting.

I love this place because it's loaded with Tibetan culture, which I found, I have a soft spot for.  As well, they love sharing their culture.  Not just because tourists appreciate it and because they can make a buck out of it, but because it is the culture that they have left (being that it is at risk of slowly disappearing due to Chinese intolerance) and they are sharing it to spread it and avoid loosing it forever.  The sharing is genuine.