Ladakh Trip, My First Time Experience

Ladakh is a land of high passes, located in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. We, a group of 4 people – me (Nicky), Noryang, Phat, and Tashi – went there for a study trip. It was fun and enjoyable. The view during the trip was the most beautiful scenery I’d ever seen.



There were thousands and thousands of people at HH Dalai Lama’s teaching. It was my first time seeing and attending such a big event. It was also my first time seeing His Holiness. He taught about unconditional love, interdependence and the Six Paramitas. It was a very good and touching teaching.


We went to the historical site of a Buddhist castle on top of the hill in Leh. It was quite sad that we found waste on the route. We could see garbage in almost every corner on the way up to the place. We can see the beauty and the flaws that colour the place.




From all of the experiences, our home stay in Likir was the best experience I had. It was my first time working in the fields for harvesting with the local people. We would sing one after another. After the male finished his verse, the female continued hers, and we sang all through our work. We had a break in the field sitting together and drank some milk tea and ate some Ladakhi bread.

We continued our work after the break. The host family was not the only one there; members of other families joined and helped the work and fun. After we finished pulling out the grass, we collected it and tied it all in bundles. They helped each other with the harvest, so for example after their relatives came to help them, the next day this family would be the one that helped the other family. The bond as family, bond as community, communication, togetherness and collaboration values were stronger among them. For me, as a city person, it was not a usual sight to see. These were values which I thought only existed in the old days.

After the grass was tied together, we carried the bundles which weighed about 4-5 kg on our backs to the house up the hills. We had to walk about 1.5 km uphill. It wasn’t really an easy job. We stopped many times for a rest. I went up and returned two times and it exhausted me already. But our host father, who was 70 years old, lead the line and went up and down 3 or 4 times. I was also amazed that the grannies, who were also quite old, did the same thing. I couldn’t believe how weak I was despite my young age.

We got all the ingredients for the dinner from their own garden and then we made our dinner together with the host family. I cannot cook and don’t have any experience preparing food and cooking. So it was also my first time doing it.


There was also more communication and exchange of information, which brought us closer like a family together, creating a warmer bond.

On our way back home, I saw snow for the first time, and finally we got stuck in the snow and had to spend a night in a tent. As a city person from a tropical country, the cold I had was awful, but luckily I managed to survive the weather.

Maitreya's Uttaratantra

In mid-September we held a 10-day study group on Maitreya's Uttaratantra, based on DVD recordings of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's teachings on this classic Mahayana text. The subject of the teaching was not easy since it talked about ultimate truth, but Rinpoche was able to use various examples to bring it down to earth for us to understand.

The metaphors of the “glass and the dirt” and the “dead leaf” were great examples to illustrate the profound concepts of Mahayana. Rinpoche’s joyful expression and humour brought laughter to the group and made the teaching come to life. Participants from different levels who attended the class felt they were able to gain certain insight that would be beneficial in their lives.

Home Calling - Noryang reflects on her Ladakh ecology exposure

My recent study tour to Ladakh was one of the most amazing journeys that I’ve ever embarked on. For me it was like living my dream, the dream of being in Tibet that I’ve been deprived of since my birth. I was thrilled to see mountains hiding behind each other like a newly wedded bride and the rivers and streams so serene and uncontaminated. The fluttering colorful Buddhist flags seemed to be singing a welcoming song and the red cheeked people in their traditional Ladakhi dress reminded me of my people in Tibet.

Moreover, the best part was the presence and the teaching of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which boosted my self-exploration and uplifted my spirituality.The meetings with inspiring people, like Helena from Ladakhi Women’s Alliance, Becky of SECMOL and Sonam of Zomsa Eco-Shop, have left a footprint within me to stretch my own personal boundaries and to be more responsible towards the nature and society we live in. Overall, this trip has been very inspiring and so much fun that while leaving Ladakh I closed my eyes and said “I promise to come back to you and experience all the wonders that you provide to make me feel at home.”

Waste segregation at Nyingma monastery ,Bir

children's expression of the ecological crisis!

Zero waste training

Deer Park just concluded a 2 day residential workshop for over 15 participants who represented various organizations involved in waste and ecological issues in the Kangra valley.

Theme- GLOBAL ECOLOGICAL CRISIS & THE ZERO WASTE APPROACH

This workshop focused on the Global Ecological Crisis and its causes and conditions, as well as on its interconnectedness with our modern consumption system on the large scale and the actions of every individual on the small scale. After examination and discussion of the Global Ecological Crisis, the group was introduced to the Zero Waste Approach. This was followed by discussion of the role that every individual can play to create a sustainable change.

Finally we focused on the local context of Kanga Valley (Dharamsala and Bir in particular) and reflected on the changes needed on the level of local politics and civil society and especially on the actions needed from the individual level.

It was a participatory workshop in which participants discussed and found possible solutions to various ecological issues through games, discussions, film screenings, etc. The methodology used for this workshop could be transferred to programs organized by participants own organizations.

The purpose of the workshop was:

• To create awareness about the ecological crisis on a global and on a local level.
• To introduce the participants to the Zero Waste approach
• To inspire participants to take responsibility to act both individually and collectively for positive change

eco future!

Upcoming Programs at Deer Park