Impressions of 56th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, May 3 – 5, 2017 at Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA) at Sylviander House

Dr. Dorjee Rapten has asked me for some flowers for the morning prayer, which is a daily ritual before starting the consultation. I stepped out in our big garden, where always something is blossoming, and found these three beauties for the Medicine Buddha. 

On Youtube: Tibetan Morning Prayer for the Medicine Buddha:

https://youtu.be/mM9dfvm_4PI

Early morning of May 3, the tibetan team had arrived with the night train from Bangalore: Dr. Dorjee Rapten Neshar, Dr. Lhundup Dorjee, Tenzin Gelek (who has just become a doctor), Tenzin Nangsel, Yeshi Chodon. 

A couple from Germany, Jeannine and Rolf, had arrived two days before with the plan to care Sylviander House and our three cats during our travel to Germany. They both also consulted Dr. Dorjee. 

Rolf, an ayurvedic practitioner interested in the work of the tibetan doctors, later joined the consultations with the patients. 

Sometimes he will offer reiki treatment to patients.

On Thursday the doctor Rangjung Dolma arrived to learn from Dr. Dorjee, sitting beside him during the consultations. 

I am happy to meet again my dear friend Mrinalini, who had come to consult the doctors and to get her medicines. 

We had some time to spend, sitting in the kitchen having snacks and talk …

… later accompanied by the tibetan team during the tea break.

Of course Rolf took the chance to discuss with Mrinalini healing treatments, since Mrinalini works in a nature cure clinic. 

On this Wellbeing Camp three ‘guest learner‘ joined the consultations in Dr. Dorjee‘s Room, listening to his diagnosis and advises to the patients. 

We were happily surprised to see Suresh Babu being back to the Friendsoftibet team after a long time!

He is a good english translater, having a great understanding in buddhism, in natural medicines and healing therapies. 

Since he will be with us from now on at each coming Wellbeing Camp, I am looking forward to an interesting person, having interesting conversations with …

I really had missed our discussions! 

On one afternoon during the Wellbeing Camp, Yazin T Azad had an interview with Rolf, while I took some pictures. We were sitting in the shadow of the east verandah or morning-tea veranda, to where always reaches a cooling breeze from the sea – traveling through the many coconut palmes, mango-, cashew-, jackfruit-trees, crossing then our ‘Kavu‘, our biotope of wild nature as a sacret spot on Sylvianderland, flying over the pond …

To read the report »The One Who Sold His Ferrari To Be A Monk« by Yazin T Azad: 

http://www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/reports/wellbeing_may_2017.html

One day, Alexander‘s elder brother Johny came to get a check up by the tibetan doctors, and afterwards Alexander showed him some yoga exercises by practicing together. 

Finally on the last day, just before everybody would leave to different destinations, we called for a group picture …

It took quite some time until all had gathered, until we are nearly complete …

… only Moojoo was not in the mood for a picture!

The 56th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp 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 will be held from May 3 - 5, 2017 (Wed-Fri). The venue for the medical camp is Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA), Sylviander Land, Chettikad Beach Road, Alappuzha, Kerala, India. 

The next Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp will be held from July 12 – 14, 2017 (Wed-Fri).

Please register:

- Registration by SMS: 9400354354, 9061354354

- Registration by Fax: 011.47615142 

- Registration by Email: wellbeing@friendsoftibet.org 

- Registration Online: www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/

• Google Map Directions to CSPA: http://goo.gl/dnraot

Impressions of 55th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, March 9 – 11, 2017 at Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA) at Sylviander House

I love coincidences or better to say synchronicity! I imagine then, the flow of life creates a fruitful cooperation between incidents as meant for eachother. For oneself is nothing else to do than flowing with the life with open eyes …

Two days before the opening of the 55th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp on March 9, our friend Kathleen from Canada visited us gifting me a beautiful bouquet of flowers with gerbera, one of my favorite and the first bouquet of flowers I got in India. 

I placed it on the table in the entrance hall, where I would see it very often, since preparing for the Wellbeing Camp means I have to run up and down the whole day, always passing the entrance hall – now with this colorful spot on the table. 

When Sethu Das arrived next day – as usual with organic vegetable and rice – and then seeing this bouquet of flowers it was clear, this would be a perfect decoration for the Wellbeing Camp, which was a special one this time of two reasons. 

On the first day, March 9, we celebrated the completion of 19 years of »Friends of Tibet« as a Tibet Support Group. To commemorate, Friends of Tibet has produced a set of Post-Cards on Tibet with photographs from the Tibetan community in exile by renowned photographer Sarthak Banerjee. The gift set of 10 photographs is sold for a price of Rs 100/-.

Early morning of March 9 the tibetan team arrived with the night train from Bangalore: Dr. Dorjee Rapten Neshar, Dr. Tenzin Methok, Sonam Wangmo, Tenzin Gesar. 

The Wellbeing Camp started punctually with the morning prayer in the room of Dr. Dorjee Rapten. 

– see on youtube: Tibetan Morning Prayer for the Medicine Buddha: https://youtu.be/mM9dfvm_4PI

While patients are waiting for their consultation, Simba – called Little Buddha by the tibetan team – loves to watch the scene, sometimes joining the consultations under Dr. Dorjee‘s bed. 

For the first time student Dr. Tenzin Methok had come, listening to the pulse of the patients together with Dr. Dorjee. 

In the entrance hall Sonam Wangmo was writing the bills for the medicine, while Yazin Azad helped the patients to fill the form and having an eye on the scedule. 

Tenzin Gesar was really busy with counting and packing the medicine, since he was alone this time for that task. 

On the 2nd day of the Wellbeing Camp, March 10, we commemorated the 58th anniversary Tibet Uprising Day. It was on this day in 1959 that the first armed rebellion was fought between the people of Tibet and China. 

– see the report by Yazin T Azad »The Struggle For Freedom and Dignity Completes 58 Years!«: 

http://www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/reports/wellbeing_march_2017.html

Everybody gathered in the museum, where Sethu Das gave an introduction for the Tibetan National Uprising Day …  

… he also points to the radio, which was used by the Dalai Lama during that time and on the way to his exile. 

This radio is a permanent exhibition piece in the Sylviander Art Museum – sometimes carefully guarded by our cat girl Moojoo. 

After Dr. Dorjee had spoken some words, we contemplated in a 2-minute silence in memory of all those who sacrificed their life for Tibet's freedom and independence. Then the tibetan team performed a prayer.

The Wellbeing Camp went on until March 11. As always during these days, a peaceful atmosphere filled the Sylviander House and the garden, a silent wellbeing sensually awared by everybody. 

Nobody seems to be in a hurry, the patients just patiently waiting, reading or having some conversations. 

When the last patients left, it was dark already, but before one could witness the »Pokuveyil«, the dissapearing light with its magic glowing, which lasts a few minutes only …

On the 3rd day, Eldtho Matthew came for a visit. As a longtime campaigner for Friends of Tibet he is an important part of the Wellbeing project, his preparation work for each Camp is indispensable. 

Clearly someone is missing in this circle: Eswar Anandan! The distance to his new living place outside of Kerala made it difficult to participate, but we all hope once in a while he is able to join the camp …

Accidentally two guests from Germany were staying with us during the Wellbeing Camp. Glad about this unsual experience, they took the chance to consult the doctors and to listen to the morning prayer … 

The flowers of the bouquet remained vividly throughout the whole Wellbeing Camp, representing their joyful beauty to every eye … 

While the Sylviander House was filled with activities, outside in the garden something special was going to happen. Hidden in a big pinapple plant a new pineapple baby was born, very tiny and not yet visible from outside. 

I discovered it, when I was watering the garden. According to my habit, always having a look into the biggest pineapple plants, desperately waiting for a fruit. 

This one, 3 days old only, will be my 4th own grown pineapple fruit …

The 55th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp 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 will be held from March 9 - 11, 2017 (Thu-Sat). The venue for the medical camp is Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA), Sylviander Land, Chettikad Beach Road, Alappuzha, Kerala, India. 

- Registration by SMS: 9400354354, 9061354354

- Registration by Fax: 011.47615142 

- Registration by Email: wellbeing@friendsoftibet.org 

- Registration Online: www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/

- Google Map Directions to CSPA: http://goo.gl/dnraot

Impressions of 54th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, January 11 – 13, 2017 at Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA) at Sylviander House

As I thankfully witness every morning the first sunlight dipping all the green around Sylviander House in a golden gleam, I did so at the first morning of the 54th Wellbeing Camp, when the sunrise‘s reflexion on the nature created a remarkably mystic moment …

We expected a row of unusual changes. Before all, Sethu Das couldn‘t make it to come. Eswar Anandan with the assistence of Alexander and volunteers managed the schedule smoothly.  

The next unusually incident was, that this time Dr. Dorjee would be the only doctor, accompanied by 2 new staff members, Lhawang Bhuti and Easmay Wangmo, who is a nun. 

The 3rd unusual change was in the kitchen. Alexanders elder sister Amini will be our cook for the Wellbeing Camp.

A great surprise appeared with Mrinalini, my good friend, who knows a lot about healing plants. She had come to consult Dr. Dorjee. We haven‘t seen us about 2 years – we both don‘t know it exactly. 

Some years back already she had shown me some medicinal plants in our garden. On this visit she suddenly discovered another plant near the kitchen verandah, which I sometimes pull out, cluelessly thinking it was just weed. But now I learned about the power of this plant, helping to cure kidney problems. 

{more on my blog from 2013: (Label) nature – (Post Title) Lecture of Mrinalini Rajgopal on healing plants in our surroundings}

The camp went on in a peaceful atmosphere, patients came to meet with Dr. Dorjee and the team was quite busy with counting and packing the medicines. 

While waiting, patients never get bored, it is a good chance for having a talk. Sometimes Alexander is free and will join the conversations … 

Eswar had informed me already about a special guest, whom he had invited. I should take some pictures while Yazin T Azad, who is a volunteer with Friends of Tibet, should make an interview. 

Finally the special guest arrived: Nirmal Antony! His wife Simi accompanied him. He is a musician, the drummer of the know music band Wrenz. 

For the interview we choosed the cool and airy place upstairs.

This interview will be online soon: http://www.friendsoftibet.org

Nirmal Antony has been part of the professional music scene since 1992. Starting with the then popular rock band Wrenz, he has performed with musicians in India and around the world. 

He is also a supporter of the Tibet cause and is a campaigner of Friends of Tibet. In 2016 during a performance in one of the most popular music shows in Kerala, Wrenz dedicated the song »Paradise named Tibet« written by Eswar Anandan to the Tibet Cause – Friends of Tibet. 

Friends of Tibet - Wrenz - Music Mojo Season 4 - KappaTV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHQ-ufJ-fJ0

Of course Nirmal Antony and his wife Simi had the tea break with us in the kitchen …

And of course Dr. Dorjee made us laughing with his dramatic humor as so many times during the breaks in the kitchen … 

Before Nirmal and Simi left, we arranged a group photo infront of Dr. Dorjee‘s consulting room and then said good bye.

The Wellbeing Camp went on …

Eswar and Lhawang Bhuti were constantly busy in the entrance hall …

Outside on the groundfloor veranda, Easmay Wangmo and Tenzin Gesar were always moving around in search for the right medicines in the storing boxes.

Easmay Wangmo is the 1st nun visiting the Sylviander House. It was interesting to talk to her. May be we see her again and then would make an interview with her …

Sometimes a patient arrives, who is not able to walk out of the car. Then Dr. Dorjee will listen to the pulse and discuss with the relatives infront of the Sylviander House.

Finally he had to treat Eswar‘s foot with a hot brick piece, which became a bit painful. That is why I focussed on his foot only. 

Anyway, a short time later we could see a happy Eswar during the tea break.

And for the end of this report, there was another unsual feature: Full moon!

See the report for Friends of Tibet, January 2017 from Yazin T Azad: 

"The Energy of Tibetan Spirituality Is More Powerful than Any Weapon": Nirmal Antony. Full interview: 

http://www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/reports/wellbeing_jan_2017.html

See also the report for Friends of Tibet, November 2016 from Victoria Sheldon: 

http://www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/reports/wellbeing_nov_2016.html

The Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp 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. The next Wellbeing Camp will be held in beginning of March  2017, the venue is Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA), Sylviander House, Chettikad Beach Road, Alappuzha, Kerala, India. 

- Registration by SMS: 9400354354, 9061354354

- Registration by Fax: 011.47615142 

- Registration by Email: wellbeing@friendsoftibet.org 

- Registration Online: www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/

- Google Map Directions to CSPA: https://goo.gl/Y2mMA0