The academic event that colored October was, without a doubt, the ten-day journey to North India. As usual, an uncanny level of Buddhist karmic connection led me to travel to McLeod Ganj in Dharamshala—the town where His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama resides. The purpose was to observe, with my own eyes, the lives and religious practices of Tibetan immigrants there from a cultural anthropological or comparative religious studies perspective. It was a tour with 22 Japanese participants and one wonderful Tibetan local guide.

The most unforgettable experience was undoubtedly meeting His Holiness and exchanging words with him. We passed through incredibly tight security to see him. Having seen his powerful divine presence and charisma in hundreds of videos and articles before, my honest reaction upon facing the 90-year-old Dalai Lama was, “He has aged…” I fervently wished for his good health.

Yet what deeply moved me was the compassionate sight of him exposing his aged, down-to-earth self to bestow blessings upon us in public, despite his frail health. He embodied “impermanence” with his entire being in front of us, and I was truly moved, thinking, “He is a Buddhist monk to his very core…” Behind the aged body of the so-called “mundane truth,” I felt I truly saw the “ultimate truth” of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, and I joined my hands in prayer.

Additionally, we were fortunate to participate in the highly sacred ritual of the “Nechung Oracle” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nechung_Oracle) from very early morning. We joined the ceremony alongside members of the Tibetan-Indian Army’s special forces. Standing in line with an immense crowd of devotees, I received the extremely rare blessing of the “Chakne” from the medium. The various narratives surrounding this item were also profoundly fascinating from the perspectives of religious studies and folklore.

I also visited the library and museum at Nechung Monastery. Seeing the actual ancient Tibetan manuscript of the “Eight Thousand Verses of Prajnaparamita Sutra,” being the precursor to my beloved Prajnaparamita sutras, was truely thrilling. We were specially allowed inside the scriptorium and was moved to see ancient sutras written in gold-mud ink. We also received blessings from Geshe using that very sutra. Still, I was utterly astonished by the fact that all these treasures were carried on foot from Tibet, crossing the harsh Himalayas. Thinking of the Tibetan people’s profound faith brought tears to my eyes.

Though my stay in Dharamsala was only eight days practically, it was so intense I cannot possibly write about everything here. Rising at 4 a.m. each morning to make a 1.5-hour pilgrimage circling the Dalai Lama’s residence three times before sunrise, and the conversations with my tough Tibetan guide (a former soldier) and the equally super-tough Shingon Daigo sect monk who walked with me—all are so unforgettable.

I hope to write about it properly another time. I bow my hands together in deep, deep gratitude for this wonderful Buddhist event, that is literally once in a lifetime.

10月を彩った学術関連イベントは、何と言っても10日間の北インドへの旅でした。いつも通りに気味の悪いレベルの仏縁が重なり、ダラムサーラのマクロードガンジ、つまりはダライラマ14世法王猊下のおられる町に赴くことに。目的は、かの地におけるチベットからの移住者の暮らしや宗教生活を、文化人類学的または比較宗教学的に、この目で観察すること。22人の日本人と1人の素晴らしい現地ナビゲーターとのツアーでした。

最も忘れがたき体験は、やはり法王猊下に謁見し言葉を交わせたことでしょうか。物凄く厳重なセキュリティの中を通過してお会いすることができました。それまでに何百という動画や記事を通じて知るその力強い神々しさとカリスマを見ていたので、実際に90歳になられた法王を前にして「年を取られたな…」というのが正直な感想でした。「お身体にお気をつけて」と強く願いました。

それでも大変感動したのは、大変な体調をおして、我々に祝福を与えるためにその身をさらす慈悲の姿です。全身で「諸行無常」を体現されており、骨の髄まで仏教僧なのだな…と本当に感動しました。「世俗諦」の老いた身体の背後に、「勝義諦」の観音菩薩をガチで視た想いで、手を合わせました。

他にも、大変貴重な宗教的儀式である「ネチュン神の予言」に、運よく早朝から一般参加することができ、早朝からチベット系インド陸軍の特殊部隊の皆さんに交じり儀式に参加しました。物凄い数の信者の方と一緒に並び、霊媒の方から非常にレアな祝福の「チャクネ」を頂きました。それにまつわる諸々のナラティブも大変興味深かった。

そのネチュン寺の図書館・博物館も見学し、私の大好きな般若経典の嚆矢に当たると言われる「八千頌般若経」の古いチベット語の現物が見られて興奮しました。書庫の中も特別に見せてもらえ、金泥文字で書かれた古い経典にもお目にかかれてこちらも感動。その経典を用いてゲシュから加持もして頂きました。それにしても、これらを全てチベットからあの厳しいヒマラヤを越えて徒歩で運んできたという事実に驚愕し、チベットの人々の強い信仰心を思い涙が出ました。

実質的にはたった8日間のダラムサーラ滞在でしたが、濃すぎてここで全ては書けません。毎朝4時に起き、日の出前にダライラマ法王の居宅の周囲を1.5時間かけて3周する巡礼も、共に周った軍隊経験者でタフなチベット人ガイドと真言宗醍醐派のタフ行者との会話も、全て忘れがたいものです。

どこか別の機会に、かためて書けたらと思います。素晴らしき仏縁に深く深く合掌。