Lecture of Mrinalini Rajgopal on healing plants in our surroundings

Sometimes we are so lucky having very interesting visitors. 

On the 1st of October 2013 Mrinalini Rajgopal from Ottapalam near Palghat stayed in the Sylviander House for 2 days sharing with us her knowledge about the plants in our garden – mostly considered as useless weeds and plucked out. As me after taking pictures for my biota study. 

Since some months I let them grow along the south wall in front of the house. On dry days without rain, when I have to water my cultivations of tomatoes, chilies, capsicum and herbage I also water this stripe of weed cultivation, curiously what is growing by nature – and more and more I feel it looks so beautiful. Of course some people still not recognize it as a wonderful garden, which can serve us with healing power.

Mukuti: helpful for piles, painful periods, glancing the uterus.

Thumpa: helpful for Asthma, problems with eyes and lungs. 

Luckily during Mrinalini‘s visit 29 women from the village employed in the Thozhilurape-Project are cleaning our westland where we will cultivate pumpkins as last year. These women are payed by the Panchayat for helping in the gardens of the people here in Chettikad with the garantee for having work on at least 100 days a year. 

When we told them about Mrinalini could giving them a lecture on healing plants in the surroundings, they were happy to get to know and helped us to clean the rice for our lunch.

After finishing their work they gathered in front of the house to listen to Mrinalini‘s lecture. 

And they could asked many questions about which plants can cure their complaints.

They were so much interested in what Mrinalini has to tell, that they invited her for their next meeting in some weeks. 

Thanks to Mrinalini, come again – pinnekanam!

Sunday 22.September 2013, 3 pm: 4th Children Class

To awaken the children‘s own individual feeling we started the class with dancing. 

At first for stretching to get the body smooth and flexible I choosed a silent brazilian Music. 

Then followed by a wild part to let the emotions get free along with a rhythmic brazilian song having an easy chorus we all sang loudly. 

That was really fun! 

Finally I played a meditative music sang and drummed by Red Indians from old America for contemplation. Everybody laid down with closed eyes to watch inner imagery arising … 

After the children started with their drawings. 

It was interesting to see, that the drawings of 3 or 4 kids sitting next to each other were always nearly the same. 

This was a good chance to explain, that everybody has an own view of the things, and how important it was to develop the individual inner voice. 
For that as a training I sat as a model for the children. 

The results were amazing. Everybody has tried very concentrated to draw what the eyes saw. 

These are my favourites. 

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Happy ONAM! 

These are the most wonderful gifts for Onam without any noise creating: 

silent … 

… peaceful …

… flowers during the process becoming our food. 

Do you recognize some? 

thanks – nanni – danke – merci – grazie … to these little beauties. 

Pictures of the Lecture on “Sowa Rigpa, the Science of Healing“

Sept 7, 2013 in the Sylviander House

It was a great joy for us to welcome Dr. Dorjee Rapten and his team from Men-Tsee-Khang, the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in Bangalore. 

This first event of such kind in our Sylviander House Art Museum was organised by Sethu Das, the founder of Friends of Tibet (www.friendsoftibet.org), and his Wellbeing-team. 

After the arrival of our guests we had lunch together, cooked by Lila-Amma, our good helper from the village, and Alexander. I only added my selfmade curd – from the milk of the grass fed neighbor cow – with herbals and chillies freshly harvested in our garden. 

Already 3 pm the first people came for the program, among them some of ‘our‘ curious kids from the neighborhood, who visit us very often for seeing Alexanders painting exhibition in the Art Museum, for the Children Class or just for playing on my old piano. 

Punctually 4 pm we started the program. I welcomed our guests and explained shortly the ‘wellbeing‘ plan, construction and materials of the Sylviander House. 

Appu Jacob John, a campaigner of the Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing, translated into malayalam since many villagers don‘t speak english, and Dr. Dorjee Rapten and me don‘t speak malayalam. 

Suresh Babu, also a very active Wellbeing campaigner, gave a brief introduction to the issue in malayalam language. 

More and more people had come, friends, strangers, villagers, even some foreigners. 

When Dr. Dorjee Rapten started his lecture, the Museum was quite crowded. 

Again Appu Jacob John had to translate so everybody could follow his explanations of tibetan medicine and tibetan understanding of healing and being in health. 

Between his speech, Dr. Dorjee Rapten and his team did a prayer in tibetan language, a kind of sang-spoken murmers. 

In the end of this interesting lecture the audience could ask questions, while tibetan tea and biskets were served to everybody. 

Finally Dr. Dorjee Rapten demonstrated a pulse diagnose with our close friend Malu, a thirteen years old poet. 

He explained the importance of respect to the patient, of compassion and relation a tibetan doctor must have to those, he wants to heal, and the different functions of his fingers to ‘understand‘ the pulse. 

Afterwards Dr. Dorjee Rapten spoke to some people of the audience, among them some of his patients – 

and always with his humor …

Around 7 pm he and his team had to leave to catch the train back to Bangalore: 

Pinnekanam! We see us again! 

To the audience was then shown the documentary film Blue Buddha. 

We all had a wonderful afternoon, thanks to Dr. Dorjee Rapten, thanks to the wellbeing team Suresh Babu, Sethu Das, Appu Jacob John and Mukta Ojha, who came traveling all the long way from Patna. 

www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing

The Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp in Kochi, Kerala is organised jointly by Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing and Men-Tsee-Khang, the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

(written by Sylvie Bantle)

Sunday 25.August 2013, 3 pm: 3rd Children Class

It is not easy to find the right date. In March the children class was cancelled – accidentally on that Sunday afternoon the church organised a children prayer. From April to June we have been in Germany. When we came back monsoon was going so strongly that nobody felt to leave the house. Schools were closed because of the floods everywhere. 

Kids visited us again and again, asking for the next children class, so finally our 3rd children class took place on Sunday 25 afternoon. Half an hour to early most of the children arrived already exited, more than 20. Luckily there is enough space in the Art Museum. 

At first we refreshed the theme water from our first meeting, but since many new kids have come this time and for those who had been here in January this issue is such a novel understanding, that not much was in their memmory. And besides all started so eager to draw, that their concentration was quite poor to listen. We decided to continue talking about that subject on every gathering in future … 

Our friend Ajayan, an artist from Alappuzha, had come as last time too, this time accompanied by the poet Philipose Thathampally, who brought some of his publications to show. 

Ajayan asked the children: which language is more communicative – malayalam or english? Then he answered: art is the most communicative language! He wrote the malayalam alphabetic character ‘hari‘ on a big piece of paper, which every kid knew, and drew some birds on it. Everybody was amazed and started copying his example … 

Later Philipose Thathampally recited some of his poems which was a lot of fun for all, even for me not understanding any word, because he performed one as a sang refrain with clapping 1, 2, 3, 4 fingers on the other hand … 

Our grand nephew Joyal-kuttan is the only one saying he is doing everyday drawings. He has done a brillant collection already, one day we will do an exhibiton with his artworks! 

At last I made a drawing experiment with the children, which I like very much – it causes always big laughters. 2 people sitting opposite gazing eachother without looking to the paper infront, where they draw just what they see blindly. What comes out makes you laugh, but something true is astonishing visible in this funny drawing. 

Lecture on “Sowa Rigpa, the Science of Healing“

Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 4pm 
in Sylviander House Art Museum

Lecture on "Sowa Rigpa, the Science of Healing" at Alleppey

Dr Dorjee Rapten Neshar, Chief Medical Officer, Men-Tsee-Khang, Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of HH the Dalai Lama to lecture on "Sowa Rigpa, the Science of Healing" in the southern town of Alleppey, Kerala on Saturday, September 7, 2013. The lecture followed by a question & answer session and the screening of "The Blue Buddha" documentary (2006, Dir: David Suzuki) is being organised by Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing and Sylviander House Art Museum, Chettikad, Alleppey.

Even while China after its systematic occupation of Tibet is doing everything to annihilate the Tibetan culture, religion, science, art, etc, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan people, who had to seek political asylum in India in 1959 as part of his efforts for retention of Tibetans precious heritage, established Men-Tsee-Khang in 1961 at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. Today after 50 years of its committed services, Sowa Rigpa which ensured the holistic health of Tibetan people for more than three thousand years is now being recognised and accepted world over by the people as well as governments.

Dr Dorjee Rapten Neshar, born in Chinese-occupied Tibet in 1964 is now well- known as an expert in the treatment of cancer. Dr Dorjee who has been the former Chairman of the Tibetan Central Medical Council, has also presented papers in national and international forums. He has written umpteen articles and books on Tibetan Medical System.

Entry is free.

Date, Time: Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 4pm

Venue: Sylviander House Art Museum, Blue Star Library Road, Chettikad, Pathirapally PO, Alappuzha 688 521, Kerala, India.

Email: Life@sylvianderhouse.com Web: www.sylvianderhouse.com Google Directions: http://goo.gl/pfdb1c

To know more, contact: wellbeing@friendsoftibet.org, 9400354354, 9645817014

About Dr Dorjee Rapten Neshar: http://amchidorjee.wordpress.com/about/ Friends of Tibet Foundation for the

Wellbeing: www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/ 

Biota_01

Some Indians – not foreigners! – say we wouldn‘t have a garden. Why? Their concept of garden is a design with decorating plants, which have to be bought in gardening shops. 

My concept is different: Nature is the greatest gardener!

Walking through our big Sylvianderland I see a lot of green all around. But then plucking weeds close to the ground I discover tiny flowers in the green, hardly to recognize with the eyes. 

Fascinated I started taking pictures from close; later seeing it enlarged on the computer I was amazed. What a wonderful tiny world we tread down with our feet without having an idea of, saying there is no garden.