crucial

Hindu

Buddhist

Reading a lot, studying Tibettan buddhism. there's plenty of so-called westerners doing that. Some of them have a light, first impression of it, and they happily 'take refuge' (in the buddha, the sanga and the dharma), thus making them legit buddhists. Which is good, and will no doubt improve their lives. Some of them here are full on, got the jedi-robes on and the shaved head.

A while ago i saw this white lady walking up the hill, beaming from ear to ear at just about everything including me. "freaker!" i thought, but she was genuinely happy. I later figured out this was Robina Courtin , a feisty Australian nun-with-an-attitude about whom a film has just been released. http://www.chasingbuddha.com

My next door neighbor, is named Dawa (he is white as the canadian snow, though he has a real tibettan name due to an uncle and a hip father). He's read a lot and we have spent many hours talking, him telling me about lectures, books and teachings. A great neighbor to have. He gets up before dawn to go off walking and studying. i sense he's a bit wary of your average westerner around here.

I enjoy Tibettan buddhism, and i like the monks I've been talki to. But there is just way too much STUFF, layers and rituals and levels. The higher tantras are fascinating, and these are layers of buddhism I've never studied or even knew about. But for your average I'm-a-normal-white-guy-in-need-of-a-religiion its way too much ritual. But I guess a lot of people want lots of ritual. And maybe for me, I enjoy all the stuff, but its less of a personal religion, and more of an involvement in someone else's cultural layers. Which is precisely not what the buddha intended. And in the meditation on emptiness, its just more things to clear away, more things to cause sensations(vendana) and dharma(forms) in the old citta (mind). Still, the is the best time for me to study it, and I'm starting to bug monks about what tantra/yogas they are working on, what rituals they just came up the hill from doing etc. The usual conversation is about tibet, wanting to go back or not, where they were born etc.

Today I started teaching a daily class teaching computer skills to some monks, a mystic tibettan cat (named karma) and a tibettan opera singer/dancer who actually lives in new york (when her visa isn't giving her problems). Should be fun. They've already been doing the class for 20 days. Actually we had no real class today because the power went out in the whole village. This is quite normal. So we talked about metaphysics, web pages and how to get cheap air tickets.

And then when that's done, I crawl up the nearest mountain and meditate for 10 days straight for Vipassana retreat.

okay, i'm a freaker.