My time in Dharmasala gifted me with a special new friend, Lukdon.
Lukdon is a Buddhist monk who was in the conversational English group I taught. Thru our communication efforts and much laughter, I felt an immediate connection with Lukdon so I asked him if he’d show us around the Dalai Lama’s temple complex. Over the next 2 days my sweet new friend spent hours with us…showing us around the temples, explaining Buddhist philosophy, telling us about his life (up at 5, meditate for 1 hour, light breakfast, study, lunch, sleep, study, dinner, library time, sleep and then again…), sharing his story, shopping for mala beads (Buddhist prayer beads) and practicing English. Lukdon became a monk at the age of 13 (he’s now 27) and has been in India separated from his parents and 5 siblings (who are still in Tibet) for past 8 years. He has a dream of becoming an English-Tibetan translator so he’s very disciplined about practicing English. He even has Bill Clinton’s autobiography audio file on his cell phone so he can listen to English. It makes me giggle to think of Lukdon learning English with Clinton’s Louisiana drawl. Lukdon met us before we left Dharmasala to give us a blessing for a safe journey. My eyes filled up with tears as we said goodbye.
Lukdon is a “Buddha-ful” being. He puts a face on the Tibetan cause. He embodies generosity and happiness. He became my teacher and my new friend.
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