Dear Friends and Family,

Our time in Katmandu has been so full (and our internet connections so difficult) that I have not had time to keep you up to date on our journey here. Most of our pilgrims are now en route to their various homes throughout the world, so you will be meeting and greeting your loved ones soon and hearing their stories. Yet, I wanted to complete the travel updates with a few more descriptions before I begin my journey home today.

November 2 - The delegation visited Atisha School. This primary school cares for the third generation of the first wave of Tibetan refugees. The Nepali Red Cross arranged for 1,200 Tibetans to establish a community in 1959. With great dedication the Tibetans built a carpet factory and housing for all their members. The pre-school and primary school children had been put in Nepali schools,
but were not able to keep up because of the language difficulties. A young man undertook to care for them and Atisha school was born. Tara Dhatu had undertaken to establish a sponsorship program for the school after the pilgrimage of 1998. A number of the poorer families were being supported by individuals and the Charity Project had also raised money for cultural costumes for the children. This year we found a donor to finance a computer lab and we were to be present for
the inauguration.

We entered the compound to the rousing sounds of a marching band. The children were dressed in Tibetan "fancy" dress and it was a very heart warming experience. We sat under a lovely tent/canopy as guests of honor. The Chief Guest was the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's office, Wangchuck Tsering, and we launched into lively conversation with him.

He gave a brief address and so did Prema and Anahata and then the ribbon was cut and the machines turned on. Fourteen gleaming new computers were ready to enter the children into the wonders of the modern world.

Each grade danced or sang. The tiniest children offered rousing renditions of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Row, Row, Row your Boat". The elder children danced in costumes of different areas of Tibet, places they only knew through their parents.

The delegation sponsored a delicious lunch and then was invited to tour the Handicraft Center and the Elderly and Day Care Centers. The entire community was aware of their visitors and it was a very festive celebration. The group also dropped of bags and bags of clothes and gifts.

After the tour the group continued on to Patan to explore some of the ancient Nepali temples. A stroll through the Thamel district led to a luscious dinner at Koto Japanese restaurant and an Introduction to Thankas by Jim Aplington in the Lotus Gallery.

November 3 - We returned to Atisha School, this time to offer the Mandala Dance of Tara. The nuns from Kopan danced with us, their first Tara Dance offering outside the monastery, and they showed amazing courage again. We shared some simple dharma dances with the children and other members of the community. Circles within circles we all enjoyed our spinning, dancing prayer wheels. Another fabulous lunch appeared, this time sponsored by the community.

As we would not be seeing the nuns again, we danced a tearful goodbye with the nuns. We gifted them with shoulder bags that had been specially made for them....red satin with a double dorje embroidered on the front and the words "Pilgrimage of Peace 2001". We had put all kinds of little gifts in the bags..... a toothbrush, red socks, that kind of thing. They stood in a line and after the gift giving and each of us went down the line to wish each nun well. Though we did not speak each others' languages, we knew we were connected in our hearts, and there were many tears.

Then some of the delegates took the opportunity to sponsor children at Atisha school, which in this case meant establishing a relationship with a whole family. So many delegates wanted to sponsor children that all of the children asking for sponsors were claimed right away.

November 4 - We boarded the busses to Pharping, which was outside the city of Kathmandu. This place was like an oasis with crystal-clear waterfalls, lush greenery, moss-covered stairs, gravity-defying rock formations and deities carved into other rocks. We gathered into a small meditation hall lined with thankas and learned more about the place and the resident Chatrul Rinpoche (who we did not have the fortune of meeting because he had just left for another appointment). We learned that the waterfalls formed when Guru Rinpoche (who is also known as Padma Sambhava) brought water from the rocks with his prayers, and thus these waters have healing properties. We gathered water in bottles and blessed our malas in the waterfalls.

We then visited the cave of the Self-Arising Tara, where images of Tara and Ganesh have reportedly arisen out of the stone without anyone carving them. We sponsored 108 butter lamps and lit them with prayers for our families, our friends, and our supporters. The image of Tara gave off a liquid while we were there, rising straight out of the rock. According to Andrea this only happens when people of sincere devotion are present.

We ate lunch nearby at Manjushri School, which houses young monks in training. We shared dharma dances with them, including a dance based around the mantra and story of Padma Sambhava. It was fabulous to see the circle dances on the roof of this school, surrounded by majestic mountains and the peaceful countryside.

We climbed a "goat path" to the high point of a large hill above the monastery where we sponsored a puja conducted by some of the Manjushri Monastery monks for good fortune. The hill was laced with thousands of prayer flags and we were inspired to offer many of our own prayers. From this perspective, one could see so much expansive sky. It was a full realization for me of vastness. We also visited caves where Guru Rinpoche meditated and an amazing Vajra Yogini
temple. The Vajra Yogini practice was said to originate in this area.

November 5 - We journeyed to Swayambhu, where we visited the other major Stupa in Kathmandu. A stupa is a Buddhist monument which symbolizes the higher mind of Buddha. They are made in many sizes, and both the Swayambhu stupa and the Boudanath Stupa (which is where we are staying in Kathmandu) are larger than most buildings here. After a tour of Swayambhu, the group took a Green Tara Initiation by Drupthop Rinpoche, who is Andrea's teacher. Drupthop Rinpoche is an amazing man, very humble. He was the one who had discovered the Self Arising Tara and had seen to it that a temple was built to shelter the rock.

Drupthop Rinpoche's specialty were pujas done for the lay people. He led frequent fasting rituals for the community and long life empowerments. He had never done the Green Tara empowerment before, even though She had been a very important part of his personal live and practice.

He researched it extensively, keen to give us all the blessings. Thus, it was more traditional and complete than many that are done. It was also well-translated by one of his Italian students. Many of our pilgrims expressed this was an especially meaningful moment, a peak of their experiences.

We wandered around the Great Stupa, sealing our prayers and then walked down the long long line of steps to our waiting busses. We wound through tiny alley streets to the Vajra Hotel. This stately and beautiful hotel has been one of the champions of preserving the local art and culture. After a wonderful meal we went up to the ornately painted rooftop pavilion. We were treated to an expressive Nepalese dance program by Rajendra Shrestha, a dancer, choreographer and dance instructor, and his students. Rajendra had been one of Prema's dance teachers and some of us had the opportunity after the official pilgrimage had ended to take some short dance classes with him. The dances offered were classical but involved meditation and expression of deity, much like our Tara Dance.

November 6 - This was a powerful day for our group. We spent most of our time right at the Boudanath Stupa, which most of us could see from our guest houses. In the morning we gathered at the Stupa to establish our motivation for the day, doing a Vajra Sattva practice of purification. We sponsored a "painting of the stupa," which is a special ritual where whitewash and then saffron and other sacred substances are splashed onto the stupa in the pattern of a lotus. We each added sacred substances to two large vats of this "paint," charging them with our prayers, singing mantras to Tara and Chenrezig, and then watched as it was splashed, running in small streams down the sides. We then each tied our kataks to prayer
flags, whispering the names of our sponsors, our friends, and our families into them. Our prayers for these people now flutter in the wind high above the Boudanath Stupa.

We then sat in the temple room of a small monastery on the stupa walk, waiting for our meeting with Chokge Trichang Rinpoche. This Sakya Lama is over 90 years old and is one of the most revered teachers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He is almost constantly in meditation. It is said that he does not sleep. It is rare to be able to see him in the morning. We chanted the 21 Praises of Tara as we waited, staying in an attitude of sacred devotion. Finally we were invited up to Rinpoche's small and humble room on top of the monastery. He gave us some wonderful teachings, primarily about Tara. He spoke about her story and qualities. He also told us about how we can generate good fortune for our future lives by our
practices in this one. If we are generous in this life, we will be wealthy in the next, if we are patient, we will be beautiful in the next, etc. But if we are determined to become enlightened then we must practice morality, truly understanding the importance of controlling our activities of body, speech and mind.

He then blessed each one of us and promised to watch our dance offering on the Stupa. We had decided to dance directly facing his room, as that particular apron of the stupa was the largest and the cleanest.

After dressing for our dance offering, we walked in a processional of two lines from our guest house to the Stupa. Glittering in our silks, jewels and crowns, we attracted quite a bit of attention as we walked through the rubbish-lined streets. It reminded me of one line from a Tara meditation where she is described as "covered in silks and jewels for she is willing to attract others to her to bring them
benefit." Many were just curious, but they followed us to the Stupa. Others recognized the costumes from seeing the dance in 1998 and greeted us as Tara. "Namaste" and "Tashi Delek" greetings accompanied by prayerful hands rang out from all sides as we walked.

We were then presented an unexpected obstacle as we prepared to begin our dance. A male voice with an Australian accent began yelling, "Freaks! Absolute freaks! Get off the stupa!" He continued repeating these words over and over again. A ripple of apprehension spread through the dancers. It was unnerving to hear this, and I remember feeling vulnerable for a moment. But then I steeled my resolve. We had permission to dance here. I'd seen other groups doing dharma practices on the stupa. The only difference in our practice is that it is danced. Just because one man did not understand what we were trying to do, many other people did and wanted us there. Jackie Johnson, another pilgrim, later remarked, "That man did us a favor... as soon as he opened his mouth, everyone else automatically loved and embraced us."

Anahata began the music, and the dancers entered the depth of the refuge prayer. The man continued yelling a little longer but then abruptly stopped. We later learned that a monk had approached him and asked him to stop. This monk said that he recognized what we were doing as dharma practice which should be respected. And so we danced. We danced full of strength, full of determination. Several of us directed the energy of compassion directly to the man who had
opposed us, wishing him well. When we finished, we circumambulated the stupa together. Then many in the crowd shared their appreciation. Tibetan nuns and monks, Nepalese and Tibetan shopkeepers (many even closed their shops to watch the dance)... and children, children who followed us in wonder, telling us how much the dance meant to them. And many tourists from all over the world, most
of whom had no idea that they would see this on this day... but they were drawn to join in the beauty of this prayer.

The day ended with our closing ceremony. After 21 days of traveling together, overcoming obstacles together, it was hard to say goodbye. We met in the ballroom of the Hyatt hotel, just down the street from the stupa, for our closing banquet. We danced the first two movements of Anahata's Sufi cycle "Calling All Lovers" and then a wonderful dance medley of many of the dances we've done on this trip. Padma Sambhava, Namo Arya Tara, the Tara Mantra Dance and Tara
the White melted into each other. Tears filled many of our eyes as we danced together, a full delegation, one last time.

We were then invited to each share some thoughts with the group. It took a long time for all 65 people to speak, but it was precious to hear the voices of so many powerful pilgrims. We came together from so many places, but now we are sisters ... having been through refuge and initiations together, we are Vajra sisters ..... but for many it is even more than this. We are sisters in our hearts.

This time of sharing was interspersed with a bit more dancing. The Russians and Maria from Brazil shared ethnic dances. At the conclusion, we danced for Prema and Anahata. We sang our welcome song, "Hla Gya-lo!" while showering them with glittering confetti. We gave them gifts for the "Tara Garden" they hope to build. Janice and Mei Tsu read them long life prayers. We ended our official
pilgrimage in a state of exhausted bliss.

November 7 - But the journey did not end there for most of us... Due to flight arrangements, all but one pilgrim could not leave until after the 7th. Many of the women spent their day shopping and sightseeing. Some joined Rajendra for a dance class. Anahata took a small group of pilgrims to a reception center where those escaping Tibet are received into Nepal. Anahata was deeply moved by this
experience and hopes to garner support for this work now and in the future.

That evening, though the pilgrimage was officially over, we were invited to dance once more. A group of Nepalese women had approached us at Atisha School and asked if they could organize a sharing time with us This organization, which is called Women for Change, is dedicated to bringing about equality for women in Nepal. They are specifically tackling the terrible problem of Nepalese girls being
sold into prostitution in India. In three days they put out publicity to have a dance event in Durbar Square in the center of Kathmandu. They managed to get some dancers from the National Theatre to participate and asked if we would "do something". They hired a bus to pick us up in Boudha. When we arrived in Durbar Square we were whisked into a small courtyard to get a glimpse of the Kumari, the
living Goddess of Nepal. The beautiful little girl came to a balcony window above us, looked down and then pointed at us when she danced away, a very auspicious start to this most interesting adventure.

We all pressed into one of the rooms that ring the enormous square to change into our costumes. Everywhere we looked there were towering temple buildings, many quite ancient. We dressed and were led in front of the old palace where the performance was to take place. Thousands of people crowded around the small stage area, a red square of carpet surrounded by a rope barrier.

We were given two rows of chairs and some of the representatives of the Women for Change organization gave each of us a beautiful beaded necklace as a token of friendship. We watched as the National Theatre presented a variety of dances. Then we worked our way through the pressing crowd to the stage. We danced in one mandala with a large circle of protectors. We offered the abridged version we had done at TCV at the very start of the pilgrimage. The space was so cramped
and the lights were so bright we could barely see in front of us. We decided to just dance for the joy of the dance. We laughed and spiraled through the mandala, sending out light to the people pressing in from all sides - and many of them received it gladly, touched by the energy of the dance. We later learned that our dance was broadcast on television live, we could only imagine how many received our sincere prayers. We were also aware that it was an important Buddhist holiday......Buddha's Descent from Tushita Heaven. All our prayers and good wishes would be multiplied 100,000 times.

Though the people watching did not necessarily know who Tara is or what we were doing, there was a lot of enthusiasm and joy. We closed our time by singing and dancing "Hla Gya-lo!" and "Tara the White." We faced out to the crowd surrounding us, stepping slowly around the circle. With our hands in front of our hearts, palms out we chanted "Om Tare", sending the blessing of She Who Removes Obstacles To Long Life And Good Health. Many of the women who had organized the event sang with us and mirrored our movements. It was beautiful, and it framed our time together in a way that nothing else could. Our first dance together was on a vast, expansive courtyard at TCV for thousands of Tibetans. Our last dance together was on a tiny space of courtyard for thousands of Nepalese. What an extraordinary finish.

We later learned more about the organization which had sponsored the event. Women for Change is made up of four different women's social organizations "working to uplift the conditions of women in Nepal. The vast majority of women in Nepal are confined to the house, only 25% are literate. WOMEN FOR CHANGE is working on programs for women's legal rights, counseling on violence against women, and addressing issues of education, health, sanitation, capacity building, micro-credit, etc.," Our event was organized with much help from Mort
Jonas, a man from North Carolina who is friends with Susan Warren, one of our pilgrims. He is visiting Nepal and enjoys volunteering with such organizations. He especially wanted the pilgrims to know how they could help support Women for Change. Donations may be sent by check or money order to NSSC, Sano Gaucharan, P.O. Box 7629, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Bright Blessings,
Jessica Zebrine and Prema Dasara