Not yet walking

Yesterday at the stupa I watched a young Tibetan mother with her toddler who was managing to stand up holding on to her fingers. They stood in front of a buddha statue and she was teaching him how to prostrate, guiding his every move. How wonderful to be taught prostrations before you can walk!

I remembered Rinpoche telling us at the end of summer retreat to stop screaming, get out of our nappies and become potty trained. I know we're all trying hard, sometimes I feel like such a total beginner at everything and very grateful for every tiny step I manage to take here.

Doing kora at the stupa feels like taking the first steps of billions to come...

Also yesterday I went to a Tibetan tent restaurant. I was the only guest sitting there with a young Tibetan woman employee. She was dressed in jeans and trainers, with a trendy haircut, and when I came in she turned on the TV and started playing very loudly some western pop video with a relentless techno beat. I suppose she thought she was doing me a favour. I asked her eventually to turn down the volume.

As we sat together in this dark and dusty place it struck me how here I was travelling in India trying to learn something about ancient Tibetan spiritual practice and culture and this Tibetan woman is trying very hard to behave as much as a Westerner as possible...how we all have so many choices these days, every second in fact, to be someone else, be the best we can be...