Tomichan Matheikal's blog

Entrance to Namdroling Monastery Bylakuppe near Kodagu in Karnataka is a little Tibet.  In 1960, the government of Mysore (now Karnataka) allotted about 3000 acres of land to the Tibetan refugees.  Today nearly 70,000 people of Tibetan origin live in that place which attracts a lot of tourists. The Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery is one of the attractions.  Established in 1963 by Drubwang Padma Norbu Rinpoche, the monastery educates hundreds of monks who graduate after a ten-year course which includes a three-year period of spiritual retreat.  Inside the Golden Temple The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.  It is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into old Tibetan language carried out in the 8 th century CE.  The Tibetan alphabet and grammar were created just for this endeavour, according to certain traditions. One of the plaques inside the Golden Temple ...

Book Review Author: David Michie Publisher: Hay House India, 2013 Pages: 216       Price: Rs 399 This is a good book for those who want to have a quick and fairly meaningful peep into Tibetan Buddhism and its current headquarters in Dharamsala and around.  If you are, however, fairly familiar with Buddhism as well as motivational books, this book may disappoint you. In most places the approach of the book is quite simplistic.  Simplicity is an adorable quality; but being simplistic is not.  Look at the Dalai Lama’s advice on anger, for example: “It (anger) is not permanent.  It is not part of you.  You cannot say, ‘I’ve always been an angry person.’  Your anger arises, abides, and passes, just like anyone else’s.  You may experience it more than others.  And each time you give in to it, you feed the habit and make it more likely you will feel it again.  Wouldn’t it be better, instead, to d...

I am still reading David Michie’s book, The Dalai Lama’s Cat .  What is interesting about the book for me is that just when I’m about to surrender myself to the feeling that it is a rehash of some clichéd though noble thoughts, it comes up with a sparkling notion that’s quite out of the way.  Out of the way, for me, that is. The last time I put down the book in order to reflect on one such sparkle was when it spoke about “Other Development.”  Self-development is the dominant theme of most inspirational works, whether it be books, workshops, or counselling sessions.   Helping you realise your potential and thus become a self-actualised person is the goal of such books and sessions.  I too was of the feeling that self-actualisation was the ultimate in the quest for meaning for each individual.   Then came Michie throwing a little pebble into the tranquil pool of my complacence. Self-development is just another quest not very unlike the...

Do-Drul Chorten, or the Stupa, encircled by 108 prayer wheels. The prayer wheels around Chorten Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, adjacent to the Chorten For the full text on my Sikkim travel, please log on to: http://matheikal.wordpress.com

A view of the National Highway from Siliguri to Gangtok. The day we travelled it was congested due to a landslide. Landslides are quite common on this highway which is considerably narrow in most places. . Another view of the Highway, taken from the cabin of the ropeway in Gangtok. The Rumtek monastery The Lingdum monastery Little monks being instructed at the Lingdum monastery For the full text on my Gangtok travel, please log on to: http://matheikal.wordpress.com