June 6. On our way to Bylakuppe from Bangalore, we were able to experience an authentic car ride in India. The lines of the road, as well as the rules of the road do not hold as much meaning as they do in America. Instead buses, cars, tractors, and motorcycles are driven in an “efficient” manner, in which the driver chooses their routes. In this picture, we are actually driving in the wrong direction on a one-way road. The horns of the vehicles are also much higher in pitch, more of a “bEpp” compared to the American “bEEP”, and are used in a much friendlier manner by the drivers here. For instance, our car would beep as a sign of “excuse me” and the other car will move over so we could pass. After we arrived at the monastery in Bangalore, I considered this way of driving seemed way more efficient than the driving in America, as long as the drivers were as attentive as they are in India and not on their phones as much as we are in America. However, it was scary when we would try to pass other cars and appear as though we were about to get in a head on collision, so maybe not!
At the monastery, you are able to spot a dog or pup around every corner. Most are very friendly and adorable (one tried stealing my tea!), It’s very tempting to bring a few or at least one home. We asked the monks why there are so many roaming free and they told us the villagers in the camps outside of the monastery will have dogs that eventually have many puppies, but their owners cannot take care of so many pups. Their solution then is to drive up to the monastery and drop off a box of puppies and drive off because they know the monks will not kill them and will feed them.
Me in front of the Sera Jey Monastic University! There are two monastic universities here, Sera Jey and Sera Mey. The monks are divided between the two, based on their origin of where they came from. Yesterday, Alistair and I spoke to one of the translators for a science class and he was sharing his story of escaping the Chinese government who overthrew Tibet. On his journey from Tibet to Nepal he almost died three times. It is crazy to imagine what the monks who have escaped went through. Monks who were born in Tibet belong to Sera Mey while those who were not belong to Sera Jey. The two monastic universities seldomly intertwine except for in the ETSI program, or their science classes. The other night we were able to watch a debate between the two monastic universities. We tend to imagine that Buddhist monks are very quiet and have reserved personalities but I was very surprised once I started spending more time with them because most can be very outgoing and have a great sense of humor. The debate was even more surprising because they raise their voices, push each other, and clap fervently to get their point across. Below is a picture of the debate.
This is the science center where we teach the monks. Alistair and I are helping Dr. Pierce and another teacher, Chris, teach a second-year class on evolution. Like any other class, there are students who are very attentive and taking notes in the front of the class and other who are on their phones or giggling in the back with other monks. They are all very kind and seem to enjoy learning and asking questions. It is interesting to see what concepts tend to stump them like the differentiating between scientific and Buddhist ideas of a living organism and sentience.
The picture above was taken right outside the room I was staying in. In the distance, where there is a large tree standing tall on the farmland, is where Alistair and I accidentally got lost for a few hours. After lunch one day, we decided to walk to Golden Temple, a neighboring monastery. The trek there was very easy. We started on the road and cut through farmland that had clear paths to the Golden Temple from monks who walk there frequently.
We walked around Golden Temple (above) for a while, embracing the sounds and sights. We also joined lay people and monks on their walk along the sides of the buildings and around the prayer wheels (below). I remember it started getting late and dinner was about to be served back at Sera Monastery soon, so Alistair and I decided to head back home but take only farmland back as a new challenge.
Long story short, the sun set faster than we had anticipated, and we were both lost without seeing the monk’s dirt paths. Soon we were convincing ourselves that we saw large animals or spirits around us and I began thinking we would be lost in India forever (luckily the monks taught us that everything is impermanent, so this fear did not last too long). Fortunately, we ran into a farmer who didn’t speak any English but gestured the right way with his flashlight. Eventually we made it back, missing dinner and covered in mud. So, we decided to rinse off and eat chocolate cake at the café as a reward for overcoming the great farms of the south of India. Now, being back in America I would do anything to be lost on that farm one more time.
These next few pictures were taken on our adventure to a nearby lake. As
I write this back home in New York, I am still afraid of getting our friends in trouble for bringing me and Alistair along. So ‘theoretically’, Alistair and I became good friends with one monk who is very funny, charming, and friendly, who ‘theoretically’ may have had a motorcycle.
So, one day we joined him and his friend for a ride to a lake. But little did we know how beautiful and life-changing that trip would be. We rode on the busy, hectic highways of India, through a jungle (with tiger crossing signs along the paths), and eventually up steep, grassy hills until we reached this large, open lake where we went for a swim.
This day is my favorite memory of the whole trip! I had never felt so free and content with everything going on around me (P.S. I have goosebumps as I a writing this).
We swam, listened to music on the rocks (specifically “November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses and “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias), had a photoshoot, and watched a breath-taking sunset.
Afterwards, they treated us to dinner and we promised them we would take them out for a bite when they come to visit us in America. Thanks to this experience, I really want a motorcycle to feel that feeling of freedom and true happiness back home, and because I also told our friend I would take him for a ride on my motorcycle when he comes to visit.