by Suzanne Perry
I recently had the opportunity to travel to China and
Tibet. I initially declined, tossing the information
into the recycle basket, and then determined I could do
something I had always wanted to do -- to go to Tibet --
that is, ever since I knew there was a Tibet! So, why
did I want to go to Tibet? That is a much longer
journey, one of my life and my spirituality and why I
agreed to share the story with you.
I was born into the Catholic Church to a Catholic Mother
and an Agnostic Father. I had an older sister who died
before I was born. I knew I grew up in a house with a
ghost, but didn't really understand the implications
beyond the fact that things were very different at my
home than at my friend's homes. I was the most
compliant Catholic there ever was. I even went to an
all girl's Catholic school, but when it came time to go
to College, I went to the secular college 84 miles from
home! Oh what a rebel I was! After getting to College,
Church wasn't high on my priorities. It had never
fulfilled the empty spot in me, and I had too many
questions that were either not answered, or I was
criticized for asking. Then I ran off and got married
in front of a Justice of the Peace, no less! Now mind
you, this was in the 1960s, so rebellion, searching, and
studying were expected but not accepted.
I moved to San Francisco in 1966 and lived on the corner
of Height and Ashbury. Those of you that know this area
understand what a culture shock this was for this good
Catholic girl from Oregon. I attended several colleges
and discovered the radical faction of the English
Dept. They had entire English courses on readings like
the Tibetan Book of the Dead, The Bhagavat gita, and all
kinds of things esoteric. All of a sudden, the
questions I had asked, the things I had wondered about,
and the empty feelings I had were being answered and
responded to. Now, what to do with this information?
Well, I moved to Alaska and lived in an Indian village
halfway between Nome and Fairbanks on the Yukon River.
A second cultural upheaval. My son, Evan, who was 4 at
the time, had a past-life recall, and I discovered that
others in the village also believed in reincarnation.
(I hope there are some of you out there who also
believe, but if you don't, please just accept this is a
quirk of mine.) In moving to Anchorage, I discovered a
large metaphysical community that furthered my desire
for knowledge and experience in things metaphysical. A
meditation group met at my home for several years; I was
active in a church called the Metaphysical Church; I
studied and became more aware and more fulfilled, and
finally felt I was on the right track.
Some of you knew my husband, Gene. One of the things we
discovered early on was an interest in the teachings of
Edgar Cayce and other metaphysical ideas. Now Gene had
been a practicing Presbyterian but he too was a seeker.
Suquamish Church was a good fit for us. It's an even
better fit now than initially.
I have Gene to thank for my going to Tibet. The tour
leader is an acupuncturist who lives in Bellevue. Gene
saw her for pain relief, and I am still on the mailing
list. That's how I found out about the trip. Thanks,
Gene.
The tour leader is much more than that, though. She is
about my age and, at age 2, had a spontaneous recall of
a Tibetan lifetime, language, and skills. This totally
freaked out her parents who subsequently gave her to her
grandmother to raise. Grandma took her to Nepal because
Tibet was closed. She enrolled her in a monastery where
she remained until she was 18. She then returned to the
States where she worked hard to fit in.
When I pulled the tour brochure out of the recycle
basket, I realized that the Tibet portion of the trip
and some of the China portion was more like a pilgrimage
than a typical tour. Two friends were going on the
trip, and I decided to go too.
Tibet
is about the size of Alaska and has been through many
wars and takeovers throughout the centuries. The one
thing that was and is unerring is the Tibetans
spirituality. The Tibetans I met are simple people, and
I mean that in the very best sense. They are patient
and have unassuming characters with an apparent absence
of pride and assertiveness.
They
could be the meek and humble Jesus was talking about.
However, now the Chinese tightly control how many monks
can be in any given monastery and some of the monks are
Chinese operatives! A foreigner can't tell who's who,
so it is wise to be careful of what you speak.
Technologically, Tibetans aren't far from yak butter,
but spiritually, I don't know who or where you could
find a more advanced people.
Our first stop
was a village of 400 people comprised of 80 families.
The people --
gambling, gifts, bread, lifestyle. Lots of color in the
homes. This is a wealthy family as they have
electricity.
Prayer
flags are found everywhere. The writings are Buddhist
blessings or sutras, and the colors are highly symbolic,
red represents fire; green equals wood; yellow
represents earth; blue is water; and white is iron.
Prayer flags are draped on mountains, at the top of
passes, near streams, on houses and in public places of
all sorts. When the flags flutter, prayers are released
to the heavens!
Prayer
wheels come in all sizes. The monasteries have huge
ones that you turn as you walk past. They are always in
a row and never by themselves. This small one, however,
is typical of those carried by pilgrims. They turn them
constantly and always in a clockwise direction. The lid
comes off and there are sutras (prayers) inside. It is
a meditative motion after a while.
One of my
favorite spots was the Garden Palace. This was a
two-hour bus ride out of Lhasa. We participated in a
ceremony where the monks were in trance and chanting and
playing music. When I closed my eyes and meditated, I
could begin to understand the words the monks were
chanting, then my conscious mind took over and I lost
it. They always include sharing hot yak butter tea
during a ceremony. Its an acquired taste. (The joke
is, the only thing worse than hot yak butter tea is cold
yak butter tea!) At the end of the ceremony, we were
each presented with a white scarf that had been
blessed. 
All in all, we
participated in three ceremonies and saw lots of
monasteries or palaces as they are called.
Unfortunately,
the Chinese are actively settling Tibet --there are
already more Chinese in Tibet than Tibetans. A railroad
is being built into Lhasa from China. That'll really
change things because now there are only two Chinese
cities from which you can fly into Tibet. Mandarin is
taught in the schools. Tibetan is also taught, but
as a second language, and English is taught in junior
high.
Tibet is a
wonderful country where I felt right at home. This very
much felt like a spiritual journey. For a very long
time, I have believed in Karma, and reincarnation. These
are the basis of Buddhism for most lay followers. There
are four Noble Truths that also strike a cord with me.
The first is that life is suffering and finds its origin
in the imperfection of life. Every rebirth brings with
it the pain of birth, the pain of aging, the pain of
death, the pain of association with unpleasant things,
and the loss of things we are attached to and the
failure to achieve the things we desire.
The reason for
this suffering is the second Noble Truth, and lies in
our dissatisfaction with imperfection, in our desire for
things to be other than they are. This dissatisfaction
leads to actions and karmic consequences that prolong
the cycle of rebirths and may lead to even more
suffering, sort of like a mouse running endlessly in a
wheel.
The third Noble
Truth is known in English as Nirvana. I ascribe to the
Buddhist belief that eventually we will reach Nirvana,
the divine state of release from our misdirected
desires, the achievement of complete nonattachment and
the end to the cycle of rebirth.
So how do we get
there? That's really the fourth Noble Truth, or the
Noble Eightfold Path. It prescribes a course that for
the lay practitioner will lead to the accumulation of
merit or good Karma and for the serious devotee may lead
to nirvana. The components of this path are:
1. Right understanding
2. Right thought
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness and
8. Right concentration
Needless to say
each of these also has a "wrong" corollary.
There are also 10
meritorious deeds:
1. Do
not kill
2. Do not steal
3. Refrain from inappropriate sexual activity
4. Do no lie
5. Do not gossip
6. Do not curse
7. Do not sow discord
8. Do not be envious
9. Have no malice and
10. Do not be opinionated!
Sounds a lot like
the 10 Commandments.
I don't really
know a lot of facts about Buddhism or its predecessor,
Bon, but there is a spirituality present that is
unmistakable.
I learned, or
should say I heard, a lot about Buddhism that I cannot
remember. So maybe I should go back again, this time
armed with a tape recorder! I feel very blessed to have
been able to go on this trip. It truly reinforced my
belief in the family of humanity. The similarities to
other cultures, traditions, and practices was amazing.
Others on the trip focused on the unfamiliar, to me it
all felt familiar.
This Church is
also a blessing to me. I found a spiritual home here
that I didn't think was possible. I've been allowed to
do things I enjoy. I'm accepted and welcomed. Thank
you all.
