Since arriving in India I’ve learned a great deal about my self and question a great many things in my own life. To see firsthand a culture and environment so drastically different than the one I’m familiar with back home is a tremendously eye-opening experience. A few posts ago I told you about the 10-day silent meditation retreat up in Dharamsala at Tushita. I only have glowing reviews about the course, and it inspired me to sign up for another, far more intense, 10-day silent meditation retreat through Vipassana.
The northern state of Himachal Pradesh, in India is a wonderfully relaxing piece of heaven at the foot of the gargantuan Himalayan Mountains. In the middle of it all is the small town of Dharamsala where the current Tibetan government-in-exile resides after they were expelled by China (or as the Chinese say, “liberated”) back in 1959. I was told by my fellow travelers that where wasn’t much to do in the quiet town of Dharamsala, but I ended up spending the better part of a month there specifically for that reason! Set along the backdrop of the Himalayas, Dharamsala is a world away from the overcrowded, congested cities like New Delhi. I stayed specifically in McLeod Ganj located in upper Dharamsala was just the perfect rest bit after the Holi celebrations in Vrindavan. From a ten-day silent meditation retreat at Tushita, to hiking at the foot of the Himalayas, to sliding down the side of a mountain on melting snow bank, to watching a Tibetan opera performance, and even seeing the Dalai Lama himself, I had a wonderful time in Dharamsala!
