Picture 3 Sarnath

Sarnath is like I remember it. lots of cows, the wide main highway running through town. The Iway internet cafe and the chai-wallah that gives me my first glass for free. There seem to be lots of baby animals this time. Baby goats and puppies, there's even a calf that was just recently born. His hair is scruffy and he sleep alot. It has taken me about two weeks to realize all the smoke at night is from peoples cooking fires. It's funny how it takes you that long to thing about things. Thrangu Rinpoche's teaching was perfect and he is a great Bodhisattva. Now that the program is over it feels a bit strange. A bit formless. Because of H.H's visit, everyone has had to move out of the monastery, so I am now staying at the Nyimgmapa Nunnery just down the street. Today H.H. arrived along with Rinpoche, and there was a big celebreation. It was one of those moments I wish I had a camera. The procession of monks all dressed up, playing their instraments, holding incense. All of us lined up along the road with Kata's in our hands. Karmapa's vehicle drove slowly down the street and he looked so huge in the car! Eveyone had a smile on his or her face and it was very joyful. The temperature is slowly rising here every day, and with it the dust seems to get more and more intense. People seems to be moving a bit slower. Except for all the kamikaze motorcycles, driving 45 mph down narrow dirk roads, with their entire families perched on the end. Life at the monastery was great. It reminds me of something Reggie Ray said on my ipod, about how you go into retreat or into a program and so much choice is taken away from you; what you eat, where you sleep, who you are surrounded by, yet you somehow feel at home. Granted it's taken me about two weeks to feel like that, just in time for the whole thing to come to an end, but that is how it always is isn't it?