DEEPAVALI:
The Festival of Lights
Thursday, 1st November

The MCG once again celebrated Deepavali at the Temple of Fine Arts in Brickfields.  Shankar Kandasamy, teacher, choreographer and Assistant Director of TFA began by telling us about the beginnings of TFA and the work that they do. TFA is a cultural and service oriented non-profit organization with centres in Malaysia,  India,  Singapore,  Australia  &  Sri Lanka.  Today, they are well-known and respected as an institution whose primary motive is that of service and promoting arts and culture.   In every center, TFA is well known as one of leading arts institutions with special expertise in Indian dance, music and culture. Though essentially Indian in nature, the TFA is run on non-sectarian lines. TFA includes not only a center for music and dance, but also a restaurant, a gift shop which promotes Indian handicrafts, a free medical clinic and more.  All of this run by a group of very dedicated people, mostly volunteers! Deepavali or Diwali commerates the day Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating  the demon King, Ravana.  It is a time of great celebration, wearing new clothing, eating delicious foods shared with family and friends, but especially forgiving and forgetting the wrongs done by others.  As a special treat, several of Shankar’s dance students re-enacted the fight between Lord Rama and King Ravana which symbolizes good over evil, or light over darkness.  This is the reason Deepavali is known as the Festival of Lights and throughout this period homes are  lit with small oil lamps, lighting the way out of darkness and into the light. As the ending to a perfect morning, we enjoyed a delicious vegetarian lunch prepared by the volunteers at Annalakshmi, the Temple of Fine Arts restaurant.  In the spirit of giving, the MCG donated RM2000 to the TFA building fund. Cindy Peters Zeier .

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SISTERS IN ISLAM:
Promoting Women's Rights
Wednesday, 7th November

How lucky we were to have Sharifah Zuriah Aljeffri, founding member of SIS and Razlina Razali, senior legal advisor for SIS to speak to a full house about SIS and women’s rights in Malaysia.  It is rare that one can discuss Islam, the judicial system, the media, the government in a relaxed atmosphere. SIS is an independent, non-governmental organization formed in 1988 which believes in an Islam that upholds the basic principles of gender equality, justice, freedom and dignity.  They are committed to promoting the rights of women within the framework of Islam. SIS upholds the revolutionary spirit of Islam, a religion which uplifted the status of women when it was revealed 1400 years ago. They believe that Islam does not endorse the oppression of women and denial of their basic rights of equality and human dignity and are deeply saddened that religion has been used to justify cultural practices and values that regard women as inferior and subordinate to men and we believe that this has been made possible because men have had exclusive control over the interpretation of the text of the Qur’an. The objectives of SIS are: to promote and develop a framework of women's rights in Islam, which takes into consideration women's experiences and realities;  eliminate injustice and discrimination against women by changing practices and values that regard women as inferior to men; and to create public awareness,  reform laws and policies, on issues of equality, justice, freedom, dignity and democracy in Islam. Sisters in Islam offer free legal advice and regularly hold seminars and workshops aimed at empowering Muslim women.  They also do long term research studies and are currently working on a study of how polygamy affects the family. SIS has an excellent website that you should checkout, if you want to know more about this fascinating group of women.  Thanksfully, Sharifah and Raz have already agreed to come back and speak to us again and I am certain we would once again have a full house. Cindy Peters Zeier

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TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
Tuesday, 13th November

EXPLORERS GROUP B:
Kechara House - Pearls and more
Monday, 19th November

Explorers B group visited "Kechara House," a Buddhist Dharma Center founded in 2000 by His Eminence Tsem Tulku Rinpoche of Gaden Shartse Monastery in India to teach the ancient wisdom of Buddha to practitioners in Malaysia and surrounding regions.  By a twist of fate, Fran Turland, who was instrumental in arranging this tour, used to visit this same Gaden Monastery when she lived in India----a small world indeed! We were welcomed by Henry Ooi, Business Liason to H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, who led us into the newly renovated extension, past the attractive reception area, into an inner lounge.  Here, surrounded by serene Buddhist artwork, Henry gave us a fascinating overview of  guru Rinpoche's Mongolian-Tibetan heritage and his journey from Taiwan via America and India to Malaysia, where he has lived for over 10 years. We were introduced to Andee Uetz, a writer and musician from Switzerland as well as a student of Tibetan Buddhism.  Andee spoke about the four noble truths of Buddhism and the search for compassion in our daily lives.   After tea and some delicious treats, Henry led us on a tour of Kechara House II. We admired the beautiful Tibetan wall hangings, the Setrap Chapel with Lord Setrap's pearls and vestments, and the Dzambala Chapel with its golden statue and offerings of water, pearls and semi-precious stones. Offering pearls in lieu of incense eliminates the strong smell in a small, enclosed area and makes for a beautiful sight. An entire wall was filled with sealed compartments, each holding a beautiful vase from the Gaden Monastery. We were told these contained secret and precious ingredients including holy items and special herbs which are consecrated and sealed by Tibetan High Lamas. The second floor is a hostel where guests can rent rooms.  We walked to Kechara House I, which is in the final stage of renovation. The large spacious room on the second floor will be a chapel and a teaching space for Rinpoche. The Kechara House organization, under the leadership of Rinpoche, has initiated a variety of programs.   A year ago, Kechara Soup Kitchen was established to serve hot food and drinks to homeless people in downtown KL.  It is run by volunteers and operates every weekend. Volunteers also work at the four retail outlets run by Kechara House.  These stores specialize in artifacts from Nepal, Tibet and India, as well as DVDs and CDs on Dharma.  Kechara House is also to build a retreat at the base of Genting Highlands. The building will house a hostel as well as an 11-storey-high statue of Buddha.  The ground-breaking ceremony has been held and architects are working on designing a building to house the statue. It should be a remarkable building! After our tour, the Explorers moved to the Chinese coffee shop under KH II for lunch and conversation.  It was an interesting morning of expanding our knowledge of Buddhism and learning about the spiritual and entrepreneurial aspects of Kechara House. Check out  www.kecharahouse.com for more information. Cathy Weston and Pam Boucher, with photos by Cheryl Hoffmann

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TIBET:
Travels to the Roof of the World
Thursday, 22nd November

is a land that fascinates many people, but which few get the opportunity to visit.  On Nov 22, an interested group of MCG members met at the beautiful home of Nisha and Nikolai Dobberstein for a talk and slide presentation of their trip to Tibet in July 2004. Inspired by the book, “Trespassers on the Roof of the World”, Nikolai was eager to travel to this remote, mountainous country.  Tibet has little tourist infrastructure and this makes coordinating a trip challenging.  Nisha found that the internet was the best source of information and spent months planning the trip.  She found a tour company on the net that provided good service and was flexible in arranging the trip for them. Nisha, Nikolai, and a friend first took a flight to Kathmandu.  They stayed there for a couple of days touring the city and surrounding area while their visas for Tibet were being processed.   Nisha had many wonderful pictures of Kathmandu, including some striking views of the rooftops with beautiful mountainous backgrounds.  They then flew to Lhasa, a short but incredibly beautiful flight.  In Lhasa, they were met at the airport by their Tibetan guide who presented them with white prayer scarves.  On the way into the city, they stopped at a rock wall for a special ceremony.  Picking up a small rock from the roadside, they wrapped the rock in one end of the scarf and slung it at the mountain.  When the scarf caught on the jagged rock face, they were considered “blessed”.  Nisha had a wonderful picture of the mountainside draped in white scarves. In Lhasa, they visited various sites including two large monasteries, as well as the Barkhor which is a famous kora or pilgrimage route around the Jokhang temple, the Tibet Museum (very good) and the Potala or former winter palace of the Dalai Lama.  Tourist sites are highly controlled by the Chinese government in Tibet, especially the Potala, were photos are not allowed and microphones record everything that is said throughout the buildings…not encouraging for political discussions with your guide! With humour and honesty, Nisha described their drive to Shingatse.  Unfortunately, the Friendship Highway was closed due to heavy rains. What should have been an attractive journey was turned into a nine-hour ordeal over barely passable dirt roads with a driver who seemed to be asleep at times.  “Absolutely terrible” she said, but the scenery was spectacular.  Arriving at their destination, Nisha was determined to end the trip and return home but finally agreed to continue on.  They visited a huge “red hat” monastery and also took a day trip to Gyantse, a small traditional Tibetan town to see the famous stupa. A highlight of the trip was the Ganden Monastery, a large monastery outside Lhasa.   Typical Tibetan food can be challenging.  Yak meat and yak butter tea especially, seem to be acquired tastes.  Since the butter tea is often served to guests as a special treat, a visitor to Tibet will be expected to consume it with pleasure (or at least pretend to).   According to Nisha, one of the few benefits of the Chinese influence is the food. Chinese food is widely available.  However, menus are written in Chinese, so the best method of ordering is to check what other people are eating and point to what looks good! After many years of Chinese rule, the country has lost much of the traditional Tibetan heritage. The roads are rough, the food can be challenging, and the toilets are terrible. However, the scenery is spectacular and the Tibetan people are very hospitable. It was a trip to one of the most fabled countries in the world and we greatly appreciate Nisha sharing her memories and photographs with us. Thank you, Nisha, for a very interesting and informative morning. Pam Boucher

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