Dear Friends and Family,

On Friday, October 26, we presented our last dance offering in India on this pilgrimage. We got up quite early for the three hour bus ride to Sherabling, the monastery of His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche, one of the regents of the Karmapa. Tai Situ Rinpoche was the first high lama to receive the Tara Dance sixteen years ago in Hawaii, so it was quite a blessing to share the dance with him again, this time joined by many Tibetan dancers. The monks greeted us as we arrived and we were brought into a large tent with a floor of pine straw for tea. We waited for quite some time before dancing because the monastery had a special guest, the prime minister of the province of India that houses Sherabling. Our dance for peace added a blessing to his visit.

Due to illness, I watched instead of dancing, and I was in awe of how the spirals came together on the courtyard below. Glittering in the sun, a Dorje of two mandalas, two wings of protectors , the dancers truly embodied the Goddess. The sound system came through loud and clear, as Anahata and the musicians added their sacred sounds to the offering. Many felt this offering was the culmination of all our dances in India.

For the Tibetans this day is the 10th of the Lunar calendar making it sacred to Guru Rinpoche. Prayers offered on this day multiply 100,000 times in their intention. It was also a sacred day for the Hindus, the tenth day of the Dasara Festival that celebrates the Mother Goddess in all of her forms. Vijaya Dasami the tenth day is called, the victory of light over darkness.

After lunch, Tai Situ Rinpoche met with us for a private group interview. He told us he had just finished a two month personal Tara retreat and felt very blessed to see the dance at this time. "I think you have a great mission," he said. "The world needs love and compassion, and the motherly one is the most natural expression of
this." He said he did not want to call the dance performance, for it was so much more than that. He said the dance "breaks down the barrier of language and culture." Right now humanity is going through such difficulties, and there are only two solutions. One is destructive, killing each other, which really is not a solution. The other is to see love in each other.

He encouraged us, "I request you all continuously do what you are doing," he said, referring to the dance. Since he first saw the dance sixteen years ago, he is pleased to see how it has grown and how it's dharma activities are flourishing throughout the world. "You have my prayers and the prayers of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas."

He also expressed his appreciation for the international nature of the delegation. He told us he had invited honored guests from various Indian government organizations to strengthen the positive relations between the Tibetans and India, but he met with us to strengthen positive relations between the Tibetans and the world. He also hopes that someday it will not be about relations between
different groups, but just relations between humanity. "I think we are getting there," he said.

Tai Situ Rinpoche asked if some of our delegation could stay for his Conference on Peace that evening. A small group of delegates representing several countries chose to stay, while the rest of us boarded busses again to keep our appointment with Tenzin Palmo and her nuns. A full account of the conference was written by Jana Robicheau and an account of the meeting with Tenzin Palmo was written
by Anela Lauren. These will be sent in a separate E-mail.

Bright Tara Blessings,
Jessica Zebrine