Monlam's Afterglow: A United Nations of Dharma

Xia Liu doesn't speak any Spanish. Elsa Gomez doesn't know a word of Chinese. But after five days at the North American Kagyu Monlam, the two women feel like they've known each other for years.

"Most of the time we understand each other, even without using words," says Xia Liu, who also goes by the American name Gloria. "Sometimes I wonder why that is, and I think, maybe we were sisters in a previous life!"

Although it's called the North American Kagyu Monlam, this week's event at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra has become a United Nations of sorts - participants have come from many states and several countries to be a part of the landmark event.

Sitting together at lunch on the final day of Monlam Saturday, Elsa and Gloria - and two of their new friends Marcella Elizabeth Castor Benitez and Emilia Urra - recounted the unusual set of circumstances that threw them together into what appears to be a fast and wonderful friendship.
Gloria, originally from Beijing, China (and now living in Florida) and Elsa, born and raised in Colombia, met each other the way a lot of people do these days - in cyberspace.

Both had an interest in Buddhism, and met the dharma before they met each other. They connected with KTD through its various websites and webgroups. Eventually, they both connected (several months apart) with KTD teacher Lama Karma Drodhul and joined his Mahamudra Ngondro support group on Google.

"I had asked about Ngondro on the KTD website, and they guided me to Lama Karma's webgroup," Elsa said through an interpreter. "We found out later that I had been to KTD to see Lama Karma for his Ngondro Retreat in January, and Gloria had been to the Ngondro retreat in April. So you could say we had a connection through Lama Karma."

Independently of each other, they made the decision to attend the historic first North American Kagyu Monlam after reading about it on the Internet. After making their travel plans, fate finally arranged a meeting between the two of them.

"Lama Karma had arranged for me to stay with a woman near KTD, and she got sick, so I didn't have a place to stay," Gloria said. Elsa also had been guided by Lama Karma to a rooming situation, and when it didn't work out, the two "met" on the Google webgroup and decided to try to room together when they arrived in the Woodstock area.

Elsa had arrived by plane from Colombia in the New York area and taken a bus to New York City's Port Authority bus terminal for her connection to Kingston, where they hoped to grab a cab to their rooming place. Not knowing New York and not knowing English, Elsa had a scary time on the airport shuttle bus.

"I didn't know that the bus was taking us through a tunnel and eventually was going to take me to my bus to Kingston," said Elsa. "I thought we weren't even at the Port Authority bus terminal, and I refused to get off the bus, saying "I want to go to Port Authority!"

Luckily, a transit policeman who spoke Spanish came to her aid, and Elsa was soon on her way to meet Gloria in Kingston.

From the moment they met, they felt a strong bond, Gloria said. "It's like we've known each other for a long time, and we've only just met," she said. "I have to admit I haven't been this happy for a while."

After arriving at Monlam, Gloria, who is fluent in English, scoured the KTD grounds looking for a Spanish translator to help Elsa with the Monlam puja. That's how they met Marcella, a Colombian woman who traveled to Monlam from Germany (where she attends university), and Emilia, who traveled all the way from Chile to the Monlam.

"I was in Lama Karma's Ngondro group too," Emilia said. "It's like Lama Karma was the connection for all of us!"

But what was even more interesting was that after having lunch with Elsa, Marcella suddenly realized they'd met before - when Marcella came to Elsa's candle shop in Bogota some years before. "I'd forgotten about it completely … until I suddenly recognized her that day at lunch!"

A highlight of the trip for Elsa and Gloria was an after-puja trip to KTD's Three-Year Retreat Center at Karme Ling.

"We went one evening after puja, and it was just like heaven to me," Elsa said. They came home greatly inspired by the beauty and blessing of the grounds at Karme Ling, and returned the next day for an overnight stay at the Karme Ling Lama House.

All who have met the women say their bond, although improbable because of the distance they've lived from one another up until now, is very special. "It's wonderful to see how happy they are to have met one another," Marcella says.

Elsa agrees. "For me, Gloria is a surprise bos from which dakinis take treasures," she says, with Marcella interpreting. "She teaches me in every moment."

Although the Monlam is over, they're already making plans to attend the 2011 event in Vancouver.

"Elsa has promised to learn some English next year," says Gloria with a smile. "And I'll try to get better with my Spanish!"