April 21st, 2018: Tibet Charity organised a pilgrimage for some elders who have never got the opportunity to go out of Dharamsala for a very long time. This is organised also as a mark of our gratitude to the first generation Tibetans to reach India along with His Holiness the Dalai Lama when there was no Tibetan settlement or monasteries or institutions. Doing hard manual labour, they started everything from the scratch. As they had very difficult early life in exile, we hoped to bring some cheers in the later part of their lives.
Though we identified thirteen such elders who have no family supporting them and who have never been out of Dharamsala for a long time, only eight could actually join us as some have age related health issuesthat made it difficult for them to travel with us.
They were taken to Tso Pema (locally called Rewalsar) which is considered very sacred by the Buddhist because of its association with the life of great Buddhist saint Padmasambhava. There are many mystical stories related to the great Tantric Guru associated with different spots in the place.
The elders were absolutely thrilled to have got this opportunity to visit this holy place. Most of them have not been to this place for the last 14 years. One has been here in the 1960’s and one has never seen Tso Pema. They said they felt completely blessed by this opportunity.
After spending a night at Tso Pema, we visited Zongsar institute on our way back to Dharamsala. They were wonder-stuck by the magnificence of the monastery, something that they never saw in life.
In the evening of the second day, we reached back to Dharamsala. As they were all tired due to the long journey, we hired taxis to drop them to the doorstep of their homes.
As much as they enjoyed the trip, we enjoyed having had the opportunity to bring some happiness in their lives.
We thank Mr. Tashi Norbu from Clement Town for sponsoring this trip. We also thank Mr. Ngodup Namgyal from Leh and Mr. Tenzin Depon from Manali for making some contribution towards the same cause.
