Serendipity in Dharamsala, India

I arrived in Dharamsala, India, a couple of days before the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebration and Long Life Ceremony. With total knee replacement surgery only six months in my rear view mirror, I needed to make sure I could manage the steps and find somewhere to sit during the events. On my first morning I trudged up a steep hill in the pouring rain to the Dalai Lama Temple complex. Workers were busy installing wooden platforms and decorative garlands in the lower level open courtyard where I assumed the festivities would be held.

I approached a rotund monk in maroon robes who was standing at the center of it all. “Excuse me, do you speak English,” I asked. He beamed at me. “A little bit,” he replied. Then he grabbed both of my hands as he began speaking perfect English. I was momentarily shocked. In Thailand, women are not allowed to touch monks. I hadn’t been in the presence of monks from the Mahayana tradition for quite some time and I’d forgotten that touching women here was not forbidden. As one of my monastic Mahayana teachers once told me, “Our job is to help people and how can we do that if we cannot touch them?”

Joy welled up within me as we held hands and chatted. He explained that the temple on the second floor would be open only to invited monks and officials during the Long Life Ceremony. However, I would be able to see the Dalai Lama as he entered on his famous golf cart and walked into Namgyal Monastery, the worship hall within the complex that is often referred to as the Dalai Lama Temple. The day after, his birthday celebration would be held in the very courtyard in which we were standing. “But come early, because there will be many thousands of people and not enough seats for everyone.”

During the next few hours I explored the rest of the temple complex. I circumambulated the worship hall three times in a clockwise direction, chanting “Om Mani Padme Hum” as I spun each of the brass prayer wheels mounted its exterior walls. Midway around the worship hall I paused to read a sign containing an explanation of the prayer I was reciting.

This is a MANI prayer wheel. It is filled with thousands of Avalokiteshvara mantras, "Om Mani Padme Hum." By turning this wheel once one earns merit equal to the recitation of the mantras filled within this wheel.

As the Dalai Lama made his way down the line I snapped one quick photo, then let my camera dangle from my neck as I grabbed the silk Khata I’d been carrying around, in the unlikely event that I might meet him personally. The Khata, a traditional Tibetan white silk scarf, is often offered to the Dalai Lama during public appearances or ceremonies. It symbolizes purity, goodwill, and auspiciousness. As per tradition, I held the scarf in front of me, draped over my outstretched hands. I bowed my head and waited for him to pick up the Khata, bless it, and place it around my neck. The next thing I knew, someone had grabbed my right hand. I looked up and into the merry eyes and smiling face of the Dalai Lama, who was holding my hand.

Something akin to an electric shock surged through my body. He gazed deeply into my eyes. I had no doubt that he knew everything about me in that instant. Never one to be at a loss for words, I stood transfixed, unable to utter a word. My lips moved but nothing came out. And the more I couldn’t speak, the more amused he grew. Finally, he squeezed my hand one last time and moved on to the next person. I walked on air for the next few days.

How could one man, who claims that he is “just a simple monk,” have had such a profound effect on me? I had been studying Buddhism for some years by that point and considered myself to be a Buddhist. Yet this experience reinforced my commitment to Buddhist principles and the teachings of the Buddha. And now I would be in his presence once again, as he turned 90.

Certain that I had all the information I needed, I left the temple complex to explore the town of McLeod Ganj, the suburb of Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama Temple is located. At the exit, I overheard a security guard tell another visitor that no electronic devices would be allowed at either event. Oh no! That meant I would be unable to take photos. Nothing I could do about it. I consoled myself with the fact that I had photos of him from my previous encounter.

As I wandered slowly up the hill to the main square of McLeod Ganj. I was struck by the resemblance to my beloved Nepal. Aside from the hilly terrain, I could have been in Pokhara, Nepal. Finally, tired from all the walking, I stopped at Coffee Talk Cafe for lunch. It was crowded and seating was limited so I wasn’t surprised when a young woman asked if she could share my table. We struck up a conversation and I learned that she has been coming to Dharamsala for six years to study Tibetan Buddhism and culture. Her Taiwanese name is Tsungyi but she has been given the Tibetan name of Yangzom.

I told her about meeting the Dalai Lama in Washington, D.C., how he held my hand and rendered me speechless. I tried to explain to her the energy that shot through my body and the feeling that he could see into my innermost being. As usual, words were unable to adequately describe the feeling. I asked if she’d ever met him.

When I looked up, tears were streaming down her face. Not only has she met him, she is a photographer for the two events I’ll be attending. She promised to find me in the crowd, take photos of me, and allow me to use them in my story. I’ve never been able to figure out why these things happen to me. Serendipity follows me when I travel. The universe arranges for me to meet all the people I need to meet, and see and do all the things I’m supposed to. There’s just no rational explanation for it. Among the thousands of people roaming the streets of McLeod Ganj that week, what is the likelihood that I would sit at the same table with the Dalai Lama’s photographer? It’s inexplicable.

I did indeed see the Dalai Lama again, albeit from a distance during the Long Life Ceremony. I also got to watch the Tibetan Oracles go into trances and impart prophesy to the His Holiness the Dalai Lama, something that I’ve always wanted to see in person. I wasn’t quite so fortunate the next day. I arrived at 6:15 a.m. for the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebration, which was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Already, the entire temple complex was full. I sat in the bowels of the temple, waiting an hour and a half for security to allow more people to enter, but authorization never came. Still, I was grateful just to be there. I felt no less blessed than the thousands of people who were in the courtyard above me. I’ve had the great good fortune to meet the Dalai Lama in person, which is more than most people in the world can say. I don’t need to be greedy.

Those who share my interest in the Dalai Lama may wish to watch the videos of the Long Life Ceremony and 90th Birthday Celebration that were prepared by his office. However, be warned, they are loooong.