Garchen Institute TIBET.

DESCRIPTION:

Tibetan Medicine is closely connected with the natural world. Garchen Institute is located in an area that is famous for its natural medicines. The traditional doctors in the region have sustainable harvest techniques that comply with environmental standards. The local doctors would like the opportunity to demonstrate the riches of their homeland and teach others how to heal with the earth.

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FEE INCLUDES:

Domestic airfare and overland travel, 3 meals a day (mostly vegetarian) and accommodations for 2 people per room. Soft drinks and extra snacks not included. Daily yoga, Tibetan Medicine and meditation instruction.

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*Additional personal expenses: passport + Chinese Visa $130 + Personal travel Insurance (1 month) $80 + Spending Money $300 (special additional day tours to go to a Panda sanctuary etc. are offered through the guest house)

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Deadlines: Applications due to the Pureland Project by March 11 to hold your spot. The passport must be obtained by March 31st.

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Air Travel: We will be working with a travel agent to book a block of tickets so that participants can travel together if they so desire.

 

THE STUDY TOUR:

We will begin the tour in Chengdu in the Sichuan Province of China. Chengdu a culturally rich and diverse city in the Western region of China. From Chengdu, we will drive up to Yushu in Qinghai Province and travel to Nangchen.

                    

Our time in Tibet will be spent primarily at the Garchen Institute Tibet in Nangchen. Yoga, qi gong and meditation will be offered each morning, followed by a local breakfast. There will be morning and afternoon teachings by Dr. Yonten. Guests will stay in a newly remodeled Garchen Institute. Where homestyle vegetarian Tibetan meals prepared by our favorite chef will be offered. The group will take field trips to meet lamas and receive teachings, hike and meditate at a sky burial site, and forage, harvest and prepare natural medicine, learning local sustainable techniques of relating to the powerful earth and waters.  

 

After our studies in Nangchen, we will return to Yushu and fly to Lhasa for a 4-day pilgrimage tour. We will visit Chagpuri, the Potala Palace and the holiest sacred site-the Jokhang temple. From Lhasa, we will fly back to Chengdu. We will have a final celebration dinner in Chengdu before boarding our flights back to the US.

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Expectations and Conditions: This trip includes three days on the road. In order to reach the monastery of Gargon, the group travels over roads that are long, bumpy, and dusty. We may need to cross rivers in jeeps, wait for landslides to clear, push our vehicles out of sticky spots, or make detours. The altitude is high (4,200m/13,780ft), and the food choices are limited. Hot showers are mostly in Chengdu and toilets on the road are mostly outhouses. The travel is challenging but rewarding! Stamina, patience, and good teamwork are required. Showers are limited and so are seated toilets.

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TRIP LEADERS:

Dr. Jampa Yonten is a well respected traditional Tibetan doctor. He travels internationally sharing his wisdom and skills. It is his wish to return to Tibet where his family and practice originates. Dr. Yonten will be teaching throughout the course. He will be accompanied by guest teachers- local doctors and Khenpos.

 

Terri Nash has been studying and teaching healing arts and midwifery for decades internationally.  She has offered service to the Gar communities twice, becoming a mentor to local students as well as offering health screenings and care for the villagers.

 

Margaret “Meg” Ferrigno, Ph.D. is the founder and Executive Director of the Pureland Project. Meg voluntarily runs the Pureland Project and organizes annual tours to raise funds for Garchen Rinpoche’s village schools and medical projects. Meg speaks Tibetan and spent several years in Tibet at GarGon.