December 2009- January 2010
This visit I began my time in Delhi, visiting our sangha friends at The Dhammachakra Center, practicing together, meeting with Board members to discuss our projects, and spending fun time in one another's company.

From Delhi, I headed south for our first retreat with the Kerala sangha, where we practiced conversational English within the context of a Buddhist retreat; studying Buddhist Dhamma and meditation, along with the teachings of Dr. Ambedkar. It was a small retreat, all men except for me! Our last activity was creating team-based 5-year plans, and we all left inspired and invigorated. The retreatants have since formed JAI BHIM KERALA, to continue meeting together for Dhamma study, to create community projects, and to plan for our next retreat December 2010. They have even set as their own goal for there to be 50% women in attendance then.

From Kerala, I headed East to Chennai and up to The Sakya Hostel, with its 49 young students and its committed team of graduates from The Nagarjuna Training Institute in Nagpur. I practiced English with the children, as well as meditation and puja, and spent time with the wonderful team. When I asked one team member what most inspires him about their project, he replied, "This is not a project. It is our dream world." I felt very lucky to be part of their dream world; a place of love, creativity and possibility. I delighted as the children prepared for New Year's Eve, decorating the hostel, reflecting on their confessions from the past year, and their aspirations for the year ahead, writing them carefully down, and then offering them in a puja to the shrine.

From Chennai I returned to Delhi and, by lucky coincidence, connected with Tempel Smith from San Francisco, on tour through Asia with a group of American Buddhist youth. Tempel and Maitriveer Nagarjuna had met in Thailand, and in Delhi their two sanghas came together to spend time practicing meditation, socializing, and studying Dr. Ambedkar's vision of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Jai Bhim International!

From Delhi I took the train north to Bihar, staying on the land of The 3 Jewels Center in Bodh Gaya, where several hundred Tibetan monks and nuns were camped out, for The Dalai Lama's visit. The sangha team and I sat together meditating under The Bodhi Tree. Such an experience! In Bodh Gaya I deepened my connections with this sangha, and also visited the nearby Ambedkar hostel to discuss Dr. Ambedkar's vision and lead some communicative English workshops.

Back in Bodh Gaya, Maitriveer Nagarjuna and I met up with Tempel's group again, and Nagarjuna gave us a tour of sacred Buddhist sites.  We also spent time with our friend Shashi, who has opened his own thangka painting studio. Then we took the train back to Delhi to re-connect with the sangha, and I flew home to San Francisco, very full.