Chapter 18: Reunion in Tso Pema
Jennifer and Tsering spoke on the phone one last time the night before her flight back to India. She told him to check his e-mail messages for her flight arrival time and details so that he could meet her at the airport. Tsering had already taken a bus to Delhi where he found a room for them in anticipation of her arrival. Although he had enjoyed spending time with his friend Urgyen in Dharamsala, his heart was longing for his bride. Jennifer’s Grandfather kindly offered to drive her into the City and drop her off at JFK. She promised him that she would be back soon– no longer than six weeks this time. She got her bag out of the trunk and waved good-bye to him and walked into the terminal. Her two flights were on schedule and uneventful. After she passed through customs in the Delhi airport, she exited out into the lobby where crowds of taxi and rickshaw drivers were looking for fares. Jennifer immediately spotted Tsering amongst the crowd. He was wearing the exact same outfit that he wore the day she left him six weeks prior. He was holding his hands in prayer mudra at his heart and his whole body seem to be shaking like a leaf.
Jennifer flashed him a huge smile and resisted the urge to show the typical public display of affection one would expect of a husband and wife back home in the States. Instead, the reunited couple touched foreheads as their hands met together at their heart centers. Tsering seemed to be in a state of shock. He had been dreaming of Jennifer’s return for so many weeks now, he couldn’t believe that the day had actually arrived. He told Jennifer that he had not been able to sleep the previous night because he was too excited to see her again. Unlike Jennifer who had put on some weight the past six weeks in the States, Tsering looked like he was even skinnier than when she had left him. Jennifer wondered if he had fed himself at all while she was away. Tsering took Jennifer’s bags from her hands and led her out to the curb where the taxi he had hired was waiting for them. They drove back to Majnukatilla where Tsering had rented a room at Ama-la’s again. This time they would be staying on the third floor in the room with a water cooler. Jennifer wasn’t going to have to withstand the extreme heat of their romantic little rooftop shack again.
The young couple relaxed the rest of the day in their quarters, realigning their energies to one another after their separation. They were both a little nervous at first– Tsering had not spoken much English in Dharamsala and was out of practice. Likewise, Jennifer had not been around any Tibetan speakers back home. They decided to skip the small talk for the time being and let their hearts commune beyond words. It didn’t take long for their bodies, minds and souls to be intertwined once more. They fell asleep in sweet bliss for several hours, wrapped in each other’s arms. When they awoke from their warm slumber, Tsering took out his paintings to show her. He had spent most of his time in Dharamsala studying with a tangkha master named Tashi Dorje. He had completed a lovely tangkha of Jampalyang, or Manjushri– the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. He had also painted a canvas with the 8 auspicious symbols. Tsering offered them to Jennifer, telling her he had been continually thinking of her as he painted them. He told her he was sorry he did not have money to buy her precious stones like coral and turquoise as is customary for Tibetan husbands to offer their wives. Jennifer told him not to worry– these paintings were the most meaningful and precious gifts he could offer her. She reassured him that she did not care for wealth or riches and that their love was worth more than any amount of money or precious stones. She told him that the Dharma had brought them together and that it was so symbolic that his wedding gifts to her were his tangkhas. Tsering agreed with her but still promised that some day he would buy her beautiful and large pieces of turquoise and coral to ornament her hair as worn by the Nammas, or married women of his homeland in Riwoche.
The couple spent the next few days following up on Tsering’s paperwork. They visited the Tibetan Office in New Delhi to see if his International Certificate had come through earlier than promised. Mr. Wangtso invited them into his office upon their arrival and explained that everything was going smoothly for Tsering’s IC, it was just a matter of time– a few weeks at most– until it would be ready for pick-up. He suggested that the young couple take a trip together to pass the time and escape the summer heat. Jennifer and Tsering thanked Mr. Wangtso for his help as always and headed back to Majnukatilla to visit with their friend Ngawang Tsering at the Sunshine Travel Agency.
Ngawang was happy to see Jennifer and Tsering again. They shared their latest news with him and explained that they would be needing his help to book flights to the States in just a few week’s time. Jennifer’s sister Anne had invited them to come live with her family in Seattle upon their arrival to America. Unsure of where they were going to settle, Jennifer had taken her sister up on her offer and told Ngawang to look for one-way tickets to Seattle. Ngawang was very excited for Tsering. He met this couple when they came into the travel agency seeking help and advice about Tsering’s paper trail and now– just a few months later– Tsering was actually going to immigrate to America. It was literally a dream come true. Ngawang couldn’t resist sharing their joy and accomplishment. Ngawang told the couple he would start looking for flights and reserve something for them when he found a good deal.
Tsering then asked Ngawang about travel to Tso Pema, a special pilgrimage spot for Vajrayana Buddhists and devotees of Guru Rinpoche– the Tantric Yogi who brought the Buddha Dharma from India to Tibet. Tso Pema is the site where Guru Rinpoche spent 3 months in retreat with his consort Princess Mandarava. Tso Pema, the Tibetan name for Lake Rewalsar, means “Lotus Lake” and was so named because after the King of Zahor tried to burn Guru Rinpoche and Madarava alive, Guru Rinpoche miraculously transformed the funeral pyre into a lake where was found sitting, cool and fresh, on a lotus blossom in its center. Located in Himachal Pradesh, Jennifer and Tsering would need to travel north to Mandi and then take a second short bus from there to Rewalsar. Neither Jennifer nor Tsering had ever been to this sacred place and they decided it would be most auspicious to make it their last pilgrimage in India at this time. Ngawang booked them a ticket on the next available bus to Mandi.
The couple spent a few more days in Delhi, relaxing into life together again, painting, studying, and in prayer. The day of their departure north, they packed their few belongings and camping stove, ready to hit the road again like two wandering yogis. They arrived in Rewalsar after a day’s journey with plenty of sunlight left in the late summer sky for them to find lodging. Tsering suggested they find a guest room at the local Nyingmapa temple. A friendly young monk of about their age brought them to an available room. It was painted a bright turquoise green and was quite dark with only one small window. The room was partially built into a hill and was damp and chilly, almost cave-like. The price, however, was very cheap– only 50 rupees a day.
The couple agreed to take the room and then went out to find a place to eat a quick dinner. Tso Pema was just a simple village with a very small market. They were able to find a Tibetan restaurant, however, that served thukpa. After filling their bellies with warm and satisfying Tibetan noodle soup, Jennifer and Tsering retired for the evening in their simple retreat-like quarters in anticipation of an early rising. They planned to spend the next ten days following a relaxed retreatant’s schedule filled with prayer, meditation, and pilgrimage.
Every day, Jennifer and Tsering started their day with three circumambulations around the sacred Lotus Lake while reciting the Vajra Guru mantra. The first morning, Jennifer was surprised to see that the lake was filled with giant carp– each measuring at least four feet long. Tibetan pilgrims threw pieces of bread to the fish over the metal fence that lined the edges of the lake. The fish seemed to anticipate this ritual and swam one upon the other, their huge mouths gasping the air in search of food at the surface. Jennifer had never seen a lake so populated by fish, it was quite unusual.
After their morning kora was complete, they climbed up the mountain that overlooked the sacred lake and surrounding village. As they climbed up the mountainside, they passed retreat huts and caves that were built into the side of the hill. So many monks, nuns and ngakpas lived in retreat here, taking advantage of the sacred history, blessings, and energy of this place. At the top of the mountain, Jennifer and Tsering visited the cave which Guru Rinpoche and his Consort Mandarava had used as their personal retreat for three months during which time they practiced the sadhana of Amitayus– the Buddha of Long Life. The passage into the cave was long and narrow, and at the end were two main rooms. The first and smaller one was where Mandarava stayed. A small statue was carved into the rock wall and colorfully painted in her honor. Khatags and rupees were left as offerings by the various pilgrims who visited. The second and larger room was where Guru Rinpoche had meditated. A huge statue of ten feet had been carved into the wall of this cave and painted gold. Jennifer and Tsering made prostrations and offerings to each of the statues and then sat down to pray and meditate.
Jennifer was very inspired and moved by the sacred energy of this cave and felt a strong sense of contentment during her stay at Tso Pema. She felt a warm affection for all of the nuns she encountered throughout her days there and made an aspiration to return some day to spend a longer period of time to do a prolonged retreat. She told Tsering she felt a strong connection to this place and that she had a dream of returning with their future children when they would be old enough to do their Ngondro, or preliminary practices. She envisioned their family living in the small retreat caves on the mountainside, supporting each other in the accumulation practices of the lineage. Tsering agreed that this was a beautiful aspiration and promised to help bring this dream to fruition. It was the first time that Jennifer and Tsering had spoken of children together–a wonderfully auspicious circumstance for such a discussion.
At the end of ten days, their blissful stay in Tso Pema came to an end. It was time to return back to the city and finish the final steps towards Tsering’s imminent immigration. Jennifer and Tsering took the bus back to Delhi via Mandi and settled back into their room at Ama-la’s. They took one final trip to the Tibet Office where Tsering’s IC was finally ready for pick-up. Mr. Dhondup wished them good luck in their future lives together in America and gave Tsering fatherly advice about remembering where he came from and to represent his people and culture with pride as he started his new life abroad. They thanked him again for all his support and help and then headed over to the US Embassy where they would tie off the last and final loose end– Tsering’s immigration visa. The Consular took Tsering’s newly acquired international travel document, the Indian-issued passport for Tibetan refugees, and returned shortly with his American immigration visa affixed to the first page in the book. The Consular told Jennifer that Tsering would be granted his Green Card the day he arrived in the States. He would be a resident alien with the right to work. All of their hard work had paid off– their dream had come true. Tsering was holding the “golden ticket” to America to pursue a new life with his love in the land of opportunity and freedom.
Both Jennifer and Tsering were in a state of disbelief during the taxi ride back to Majnukatilla. For the past four months their lives had been consumed by the work involved with making Tsering’s papers. They couldn’t quite believe that they had accomplished what had always seemed like an unattainable goal. They visited their friend Ngawang who told them that he had found some cheap flights back to the States. The first flight would leave Delhi in just three day’s time. Jennifer and Tsering told Ngawang to go ahead and book the flights for them.
Knowing that they only had a few days left in India, Jennifer and Tsering decided to move out of their room at Ama-la’s and splurge on a fully air-conditioned room at the newest guesthouse in Majnukatilla. The room cost 300 rupees per night, but Jennifer had lost patience with the four inch cockroaches that shared the bathroom with her at Ama-la’s. She convinced Tsering to let her pay the extra expense for better accommodations during these last few nights in India. Jennifer joked with Tsering that he had better start getting used to comfort since he was going to be in America in a few days.
Jennifer and Tsering spent the final days shopping at the market in Majnukatilla. Tsering suggested they buy merchandise and try to sell it in America as a business venture. They had quite a bit of money left over after all their frugality and thought it was smarter to spend it rather than lose its value in an exchange for dollars. They would be able to sell whatever they bought in India for up to five times as much in America. They had already invested a couple of hundred dollars in jewelry, so they decided to purchase some other things with the remainder of the rupees stored in Jennifer’s backpack. They bought Sorig products like traditional Tibetan medicinal teas and massage oils. Jennifer also wanted to buy some clothing. Tsering helped her choose fabrics and commissioned a tailor to sew a small collection of chupas and wonjus– traditional Tibetan dresses and blouses. They also bought a selection of lungees- Indian wrap-around skirts. Finally, Jennifer enjoyed purchasing gifts for her family and friends from the small Tibetan boutiques.
Their last day in India, while picking up their finished clothing from the tailor, Jennifer and Tsering had the auspicious karma to meet Neten Choling Rinpoche, a young Tibetan Tulku whom Jennifer had recognized from his acting work in Dzongsar Kyhentse’s award-winning Tibetan film “The Cup.” She thought she had recognized him the day before when he passed by her on the main road in Majnukatilla. Now up close, she was sure that it was him and told Tsering that she wanted to speak to him. One of Jennifer’s dearest sangha friends who was a student of Choling Rinpoche, had asked her to pass along a message should she ever have the chance to meet him in India. Wanting to fulfill her promise, Jennifer approached the young Tulku and introduced herself and passed along her friend’s message. Choling Rinpoche was gracious and curious to meet Jennifer and kindly listened to the message sent by Jennifer’s friend.
On the way back to their guesthouse, they made their final purchase– a large green duffel with which to pack all of their merchandise. They spent their last night in India saying good bye to their friends in Majnukatilla. They stopped by the travel agency to say goodbye to Ngawang and to pick up their tickets. They stopped by Ama-la’s house and said goodye to her family who had grown close with Jennifer and Tsering during their stay in their home.
Once everything was packed and a taxi scheduled for early morning pick-up, Tsering and Jennifer spent the rest of the night playing cards while talking about their hopes, dreams and aspirations for life together in America. Tsering was in a heightened state of anticipation, this his first trip out of Asia. He was excited, curious and nervous to meet Jennifer’s family members. Jennifer couldn’t help but feed off of Tsering’s excitement– she was beginning to see the world through his innocent eyes. Suddenly, the thought of returning home to the States was fresh and new to her. She was going to be able to experience her country through his eyes, with his pure perception. They were far too excited to sleep as they rode the wave of adrenaline that rushed through their bodies, minds and spirits during this major shift from one chapter in life to another. Tomorrow, Tsering was going to set foot in America.