Tag: India
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Devotees at Ramana Ashram
Upon successfully completing my TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) course, I had to leave Thailand in order to apply for my volunteer visa. I would submit my application in Laos, but I took a detour to Tiruvannamalai, India in order to visit Arunachala and Ramana Ashram again. This devotee couldn’t help but wilt
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Lessons Learned: Never Put Your Hand in an Indian Toilet
Having spent a year and three months abroad, I have not come away unscathed. Although the majority of my experiences have been filled with the kindness of strangers, adorable dogs, inspiring art, and otherwise drama-free days of applying balm to my mosquito bites, I did have to learn some lessons the hard way. Case in
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What it Takes to be Real
Published in Zafigo.com I was not looking forward to going to Delhi. In preparation for the trip I had memorized an entire sheet of scams: I really did not want feces on my shoes and get ripped off at the same time! But these are minor annoyances compared to the daily, horrific violence that happens
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Ahjumma goes to a Tibetan Wedding
I went to tell my landlady that my bulb had burned out. It was 7:00am and she was in the kitchen cooking, while one of the Indian domestic helpers—a teenage girl—stirred several large pots on a roiling boil. My landlady, Da, is petite and wears her dark hair parted in the center and clasped in
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Temple Scenes: Tsuglagkang Temple
I was fortunate to be in McLeodganj to witness and participate in several special celebrations—including teachings by the Dalai Lama himself. The Dalai Lama’s temple, Tsuglagkang Temple, is a busy hub of activity. Daily there are devotees spinning prayer wheels, chanting, and performing full-body prostrations. Monks debate and foreigners watch. Domestic Indian tourists throng the
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Dogs of McLeodganj, India
Photo essay Cutest police on earth! This dog is sunning himself in a parking space dedicated for police on duty! Napping on a meditation cushion at the Dalai Lama’s Temple. Women perform full-body prostrations while this dog naps at the Dalai Lama’s Temple. “Three amigos” hanging out in front of a Tibetan home. These guys
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Temple Town in the Himalayas: McLeodganj, India
McLeodganj is a Himalayan Hill Station which the British used as an escape from oppressive summer heat waves. McLeodganj is now mainly known for being the home of the Dalai Lama’s temple—Tsuglagkang Temple—and the exiled Tibetan Parliament. It is also home to many NGO’S and charitable organizations. I am here to volunteer with Lha Charitable Trust as
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Arunachala: Notes from a Devotee
Full Moon Giri Pradakshana My phone lit up at 4:00am with a message: I’m here. I hustled down the cement stairs of the two-story guest house run by a loving and protective Indian couple. The husband was already awake and waiting by the front gate. Using a heavy silver key, he unlocked the massive chain
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The Holy Hill: Arunachala
Photo essay from Tiruvannamalai For years, I had heard about Arunachala, the spiritual heart (some say of the world) at Ramana Ashram. I had heard about the spiritual communities that had sprouted amidst the local village, necessitating more markets, stores, restaurants, chai stalls, dwellings and yoga shalas. I saw photos of foreign spiritual seekers dressed