28 July 2006 * Dzongsar Institute Tour

The next morning, we purchased medicine and toured the medicine production facility, which was filled with amazing fragrances of the various herbs and substances used for the traditional formularies. It was an impressive operation, and much larger and more sophisticated than we had expected. We saw:

• Grinders, mixers, and machines for rolling medicine mixtures into balls




• A storage room filled with sacks of many kinds of herb



• The packaging equipment and inventory control room
  
  
• Drying racks
  
  
• The shrine hall, where all finished batches of medicines are blessed through special meditation practices.

I did not want to depart so quickly from Dzongsar, but Buru had to leave, as a group of several men from Nongte were waiting for him in Dege. I half-decided to stay on my own and take the bus from Dzongsar to Dege. But my mind was confused and I could not come to a firm decision. As I sat in my confusion, Palmo came in and started packing up our stuff for us. This frustrated me and a moody cloud began to fill my mind.

My face grew dour and I refused to speak. I did not want to look at anyone and my mind was filled with sullen frustration. Pouting like an angry child, I climbed into the cramped back seat of the breadloaf van, squashed behind our large suitcase and refused to budge. I closed my eyes and did Vajrasattva mantras all the long bumpy way down the canyon. Gradually, the cloud lifted and I eventually found myself enjoying the rocking rolling ride, swaying in the way-back, next to Tsultrim Dorje, as we wound our way along the mighty ruddy Dri Chu toward Dege.