Lesson 3 :Nature heals all wounds
It was early morning and I woke up with a thud a round persistent knock on my door ,” Sahib bed head you want some tea ,” a voice of the helper of Sagar hotel barked from outside the door .” Go away I am sleeping now , later later no tea for me .” I was in no mood to get up , my discussions with Tenzing had made me heavy and sleepy , it was all too much to absorb the fellows teachings coupled with his life lessons . I was woken up again after an hour by the chirping of the birds , it seemed the morning had brought in the rain also , but the sun shone bright , I could see droplets fall on tree’s as rain water dripped from the laves and beaches up aloft . Was this not but a dream the weather cool , soft and serine , I walked out of my room into the breeze that came from either side of the hotel lobby .
Arrey some one get me an ice cream .” I shouted aloud at the helper , within minutes he appeared with a cone of butterscotch ice cream . I felt it was time for me to explore the hill’s further may be a walk a bit more towards the greener side of the city . With my leather sling bang tied around my waist , I walked out into the street across the town ship of Dharamshala , only to spot two tea stalls selling nick Naks , I stopped over for a bottle of water and enquired “ How can I get to the hills on top , I want to explore this place .” I asked a gentleman reading the newspaper who looked at me with some irritation and said ,” Yes you will get taxi from here private taxi or you cab go by bus also .” He was amused as I looked a bit lost .From no where a thin , lanky kid in his early twenties can walking towards me ,” Sir I take you to the hell , show you all monastery and famous tea shop , I have my car I will drive you to the top .” He looked confident but I could make out from his eyes he was doped and loved to smoke up .” What is your name , you drive taxi .” I asked him politely .” Yes I am Abu I am from here I take you and show you Dharamshala and Macloud Ganj . You pay Rs 800 to me ok .” He was eggar to make a deal , this was peak season time and the locals made money by doing odd jobs for the tourist . I was in luck as I had my own taxi and an exclusive driver name Abu .Muslim right he was lean and had a brown bread that shown , he was fair with droopy , sleepy eyes , he would do I thought to myself , lets explore this land of Tibetan exiles with Abu and his taxi .
We had to go though small ,narrow , curing bylines full of tiny shops and walkers on either side , selling clothes to vegetables . The traffic would often slow down or be reduced to a stand still , we were moving though the traffic like snails .
‘ It is loud all this noise , I hate traffic and noise that’s why I came here from Delhi , I love to write and I am writing a book .” I explained to Abu to start a conversation with my driver who would be my companion the entire afternoon .” I see you are from Delhi , how did you guess that .” I asked ,” well you look like from the city , your shoes and your t shirt it is like you are from Delhi , some big town .’ Abu explained his entire observation on my attire . The afternoon was cool and it became cooler as our car climbed the mountain roads , which were narrow and wobbly at times .After a few hours of drive Abu stopped on the side next to a Paratha shop . It was made of wood with a few benches near by , we had to climb a bit to get to it as it was right on top and hurried from the main view of the hill .’ Came I have Paratha , it is my best food place , good hot tea , you will like it lot of tourist enjoy eating here .” Abu no doubt was hot selling the shop and it’s proportion to me .I decided to take the plunge and climbed up to the shop ,” I am also a Bollywood actor , I have done films with Shah Rukh Khan , in-fact you cane google my name also , I am famous you know .’ I said to Abu giving away further details about my identity . “ I study in the local college , my subject in business administration .’ He said proudly as he pulled me up to the tea stall . As I approached the wooden bench to sit and take a breather , long behold a siren voice asked me ,’ So Shiva would you like your tea in a glass or a cup .” The voice was similar to me , the tone was familiar too , looked up and it was none other then Tenzing wearing old trousers and a unbuttoned white shirt , he was dressed like a tea stall and paratha vendor . This was some transformation I must say , first in the monastery , then in my room and now at the tea stall up the hills of Dharamshala , my magical monk was following me all around the valley no doubt keen to get my attention so that he could whisper another sermon or insight into my ear about the ancient Bon religion and the mysteries of the Buddhist order .” Here your tea I make it just the way you asked , good you came Heer to get some clean air .” He sat down next me as Abu walked into the stall to serve himself a paratha .” We are all connected you see , we just need to have the right perspective , see how you and I keep bumping into each other , it is like we have some connection , why was it that I just picked on you .” He said to me as if he wanted answers from me .My mad magical monk was in no mood to relent it seemed ,’ Yes maybe , you have answers to all my questions , as they say when the student is ready the master will appear .” This was another one of my wise zen couplets I liked to throw into my conversation to keep pace with Tenzing’s esoteric gyaan .” Pain and Pleasure we discussed it last time , you remember .” He wanted me to jog my memory to his second lesson ,what would be his Third lesson I wondered .” Come with me we climb up a little bit .” He pulled me by the hand as I kept the tea glass on the bench , some how I could never visit the monk .” You know in Bon culture we believe in spirt , in Bhutan you have Shaman’s they are the gate keepers of spiritual energies and bless people during key festivals .
We kept climbing up the hill , when suddenly Tenzing looked on the ground as if he had found something that he was looking for . It was a shrub with round red buds like fruit or berries of some kind . He plucked then and took a hand full , then he very merrily chewed them making =gestures of delight with his face .’ These are sweet they are more red the green berries our sour we pluck them two weeks form now .” We kept walking till we saw some mountain goats grazing at the corner their were three cowherds , father and two sons for sure guarding their prized possession ,” Nomads all of them they keep moving in the mountains with there goats , in summer they come her fro the sun and fresh air .” I wanted to sit and saw a rock jutting out of the mood with a thud I feel on it , I didn’t enjoy the climb much but with my Monk egging me on I had to obey .” Nature it is abundant most people on this and the Tibetan planes are Nomads , from as far away as Mongolia , Kirkistan and China . All they want is provided by nature . The yak is the mans of transportation and a source of milk. , even meat in winters as food . The goats the sheep are used for well for making clothes , the many rivers and steam provide ample fresh water , the trees provide fruit , berries and herbs . The land gives us grain , crop and vegetables . The nomads live in mud huts and farm the land , they live for the land , as man should in a ecosystem that gives and take .’ He wanted to go on further but was stoped by the sight of a flying bird .The bird had a long tail , blue and green in colour and crooked beak , she flew and sat on a tree in-front of us , that was the distraction enough for the monk to stop his monologue on mother. Nature .” Weather you flow with existence or against it , you have to know you are a sub set of nature and thus dependent on it , their is no reason to believe that you were made to board over it .” At times Tenzing sounded like an environmentalist , trying to save trees and mountains . Most monks and spiritual teachers are that way , they worry about rivers , trees , hills and the oceans . They realise how important it is for the human race to be in harmony with nature .” The real laws one must follow are the ones of nature. Not of societies , groups or man , one should be in tune with the eternal laws of the cosmos the en sure existence .If we align the rules of our lives that way we can avoid pain and suffering as we will be able to build a better reference point for our lives .” Now it was Tenzings turn to look back and see wether I was on his trail . So it was me and my mad monk trying to understand the world we had landed into with our own unique perspectives .
We stopped after a while near a fresh water stream , water was gushing down the rocks down the hill forming a nice pool of moving fresh mountain water .” The hill goddess is kind on us , come lets drink and wash up , my boots are very muddy let me clean up .” Tenzing wanted a breather from out hill excursion .He was like an excited child throwing water on himself and on his face trying to wash up , the monk enjoyed water and played around like a baby . You could tell the man loved the hills and the streams and the fresh air .” You came to see the master and you meet me the mad monk , the water it gets me excited all the time .” Our old man almost had a mini bath .” Let us walk a bit more on that narrow path on the edge of the hill .’ He pointed to a narrow path will rocks on either side . “ I forgot your taxi driver Abu must be waiting by now he must have eaten a dozen paratha’s and gone to sleep , we have been up the mountain for a few hours .” He said with a tone of panic in his voice .i tried to hurry down the hill but , jagged rock grazed by right upped thing , I could feel the crush as if I burst a skin . I stopped with a Hugh drone to see. The damage , their was a bit of blood , and long gash which oozed thin red blood .” Oh ! You have hurt yourself , my buddha let me see .” The mad monk examined my wounds and decided he had the remedy . I was asked to wait b y my Bon master who headed ahed to fetch some green herbs and leaves . He put some black mud on the leaves and then with the paste of the herb plastered it on my wound that will do it . You will be perfect by the time we get home .” He said has he tied a bandage around the herb and mud paste .’ Their you will be as good as new in a few hours .” He held my hand and slowly pulled me down the winding mountain path ways .One has to be very careful in this terrain ,each step has to be placed with great care the mud was slushy and I could have easily slipped and injured some other part of my body .
“ Nature is amazing , the ultimate mother she is waiting with her abundant love , whatever wounds you may incur , that of the heart for the body can be healed by nature in time , it is a process that has to be given time , with time everything heals and also grows back again , nothing in nature is destroyed for ever if just takes another form , thats all .” I could see what the old man was trying to say . Abu had been waiting with the car to take me back to Sagar hotel .” Where did you disappear with this Tibetan Lama ,” he asked as he sat back into the drivers seat .” First he was serving you read and then you vanished in the hills with him , is he your song lost uncle .” Abu quizzed me ,” No no he is my firmed my guide to the hills the mad monk , he had just come to finish the lesson of the day .” I punt the car windows up as I said those words “ So what was the lesson of today .” Abu wanted to know after all he had been waiting for me down the mountain pathway for long .” The lesson was that we should all live our lives as one with nature and respect mother nature at only it knows the tricks to healing our bodily and emotional pain’s . Mother Nature heals us all only time is needed .” He had got the lesson of the day from my mad monk .Abu laughed a loud we had reached our hotel , he braked and said ,’ They say in my village that Time is the greatest healer .” I help my camera tight towards be and before I walked out of the car , removed the bandage the monk had tied on my thing . The wound had healed , the blood had stopped and the pain from the ash had subsided .” Yes time it is the greatest healer .” I remarked as I said my good bye for the day to Abu .
