Went to the "Golden Temple" in the tibetan settlement, Badalacoupe (sp?), about two hours out of Mysore. Gokulam (our neighborhood) can feel suffocatingly Kapalua-ish. For those who don't call the aina home, Kapalua is the town in Maui where all the So-Cal expats buy timeshares or build mansions. There is a Ritz Carlton, Walmart, and the only Krispy Kreme in the state.Like Kapalua, Gokulam is both beautiful and fabulously convenient. The concierge downstairs does the laundry; there is gelato, austrian pastries, and a dominos all within 8 minutes walk from the apartment; the Indian restaurants have western hygeine standards and appropriatly altered masala mixes so no one farts in class the morning after eating Hyderabadi curry; the rickshaws slightly overcharge and no one cares. Gokulam is a nice place. I just can't stand it sometimes.
As the car moved further and further out of the city, I welcomed both the break from the hanging neon sign flashing "yoga student" above my head and the ubiquitous use of the word "energy."
Called the nuns from Jampa Choling once I arrived. Someone had said that their brother is a monk at the Golden Temple and wanted me to find him. After walking into one of the five-ish pooja halls, and discovering a good 300-400 monks chanting in unison, I knew that that would be impossible. It also didn't help that there are only about 20 names that every monk/nun takes after entering monastic life. Sometimes they string them together so instead of Tenzin Lhamo or Tenzin Dolma, you have Lhamo Dolma. As I sat watching the pooja, I imagined myself screaming "Does anyone know a Janchub Dolma?" and having thirty nuns respond that they are Janchub Doma. 
One of the reasons I loved living at Jampa Choling Monastery so much was the refreashing humanity of the nuns there. They're the opposite of preachy hare krishnas or evangelical bible-belt christians. They're buddhist because they are Tibetan, not because they are "enlightened" and they are nuns because they didn't want to get married to a stranger when they were fifteen. They don't take themselves or their religion too seriously, unlike most devout westerners, and I think that that's how religion should be done. They love Budha because he said some cool shit and teaches love and tolerence, just like every other enlightened prophet out there. 
The monks at the golden temple seemed simular to the nuns at Jampa Choling. note: extreme boredom during the three hour pooja (can you blame them?)
yes, that's a monk text messaging during the service next to his friend, who is picking his nose.
yes, that's a monk text messaging during the service next to his friend, who is picking his nose. i love it.
...symbolism much?
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