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WHEN
TO VISIT
Tushita is
beautifully located on a forested mountain slope at an altitude of
2100m (7000ft) in the foot-hills of the Himalayas. Like most other
places in India Tushita has NO heating system, so please come prepared
in ALL seasons! Especially when you come from the plains of India,
where it is considerably warmer. When visiting Tushita warm clothing, a
sleeping bag and an umbrella are advisable throughout the year.
Please
note: There is no website that shows exact temperatures for McLeod Ganj
or Tushita. You do will find a weather forecast for Dharamsala
– please be aware that there is a difference of app. 1000m in
altitude between Dharamsala and Tushita, so do not take information
about Dharamsala as your guideline when visiting Tushita!
To
give you some idea about the highlights at Tushita & McLeod
Ganj during the year, what the weather might be like and what to bring, please have a look at the following
calendar.
January
| February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
February
Tushita starts its Introduction to Buddhism courses in approximately mid February.
Tushita hosts the annual Pre-Ordination Course (POC) in February. The
POC is designed to prepare some of those, who will get ordained by His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, for monastic life.
At this time of year it is usually still very cold here (sometimes it
still snows) and there is no heating system at Tushita (like most other
places in the area), so please come prepared with a lot of warm clothes
and a good sleeping bag!
The positive side of taking an introductory course so early in the
season is that the February course often has far fewer participants
than later courses, so it is much more personal and people usually get
a lot out of it (not despite the suffering of cold but because of
the suffering of cold!). The February course is also designed as a
preparation for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Losar teachings
and can give newcomers to Buddhism a real head-start in the potentially
difficult topics that His Holiness will teach on. The February course
is traditionally 8 days long and non-residential, since we have many
nuns and monks staying on at Tushita for His Holiness’
teachings after the Pre-Ordination Course.
Losar, the Tibetan New Year, falls in February/March (for exact dates see our Calendar of Events). Losar
is a
very family orientated holiday (lasting usually 3 days or longer), so
there is not much for visitors to see unless you get invited by a
hospitable Tibetan family to join their celebrations.
March
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings!
March is one of the best months to come to this area. It is getting
sunnier and slowly warmer, though usually it is still very cold at
night (there may still be occasional snow storms). His Holiness the
Dalai Lama gives his annual public teachings at his temple in McLeod
Ganj (starting 2 weeks after Losar) – a very special
experience, so don’t miss it! For more information about HH
the Dalai Lama’s teachings, the topic being taught, what to
bring etc. please visit: www.dalailama.com or www.tibet.com and McLeod Ganj > HHDL’s teachings.
Tushita will offer introductory courses before and after His
Holiness’ Losar teachings, which will respectively be a great
preparation for the teachings, or one of the best opportunities to
discuss/explore all those questions which arose during His
Holiness’ teachings.
We do not hold any courses during His Holiness’ teachings
(neither do any other centres and institutions in town). There will be
review sessions either at His Holiness’ temple (led by His
Holiness’ English translator) or at Tushita. The location and
times will be confirmed only on the first day of the teachings.
Most accommodation in McLeod Ganj will be taken during His Holiness
teachings, so it is advisable to arrive in the area at least a few days
before the teachings start. Please note that many places do not take
advance reservation, unless they are in a higher price bracket (see our McLeod Ganj accommodation page).
April
& May & early June
Peak Season!
These (pre-monsoon) months are main season in this area, since the
temperatures in the plains of India often get unbearably hot, causing
many people (Westerners and Indians alike) to seek refuge in the cooler
hill stations. This means that the tourist season in McLeod Ganj and
the surrounding villages is in full swing!
The weather at Tushita (which is located on an even higher altitude
than McLeod Ganj) is especially pleasant at this time of year, and
consequently this is one the busiest periods at Tushita and all our
introductory courses have long waiting lists.
We also offer intermediate-level courses around this time (e.g. on
Emptiness and Death & Dying) and the Nyung Nay retreat (1 Nyung
Nay takes 2 days, and there are 8 sets conducted) takes place during
Saka Dawa (May/June).
Mid
June – September
Monsoon: long retreats and short courses!
These are the monsoon months and it rains A LOT here! This area (and
especially Tushita, due to its higher altitude) has one of the heaviest
monsoons in India. It is not unusual that it rains ALL day and at other
times Tushita is blanketed in heavy mist, so please come prepared.
People tend to have mixed feelings about the monsoon. On the one hand,
many things go mouldy, it is impossible to dry laundry (other than by
using our excellent laundry service!), and some people find the rain
and lack of sunshine a bit disheartening. On the other hand, there are
preparations you can make to protect your belongings against the mould,
there are fewer people around and the misty forests have a certain
atmospheric beauty which many people find most conducive to
contemplation and spiritual practice.
Unsurprisingly then, the monsoon months are traditionally used for
doing retreat and Tushita offers experienced students the opportunity
to do a 3-month group Vajrasattva retreat from mid June to September
and a Medicine Buddha retreat in August/September.
For these retreatants’ benefit, we try to keep Tushita
relatively quiet by not running any residential courses at the same
time. However, in recent years even the monsoon has not diminished
demand for courses about Buddhism and meditation, and Tushita has tried
to find a compromise by offering short non-residential courses, guided
morning meditations and Dharma video screenings (most of these offers
will be at short notice, so check with the Tushita office when you are
in the area).
This is the only time of the year that Tushita is able to offer most of
these opportunities, so monsoon is by no means a total wash-out here!
Especially as His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives public teachings at his
temple in McLeod Ganj once or twice in late June, July or August
– a very special experience, so don’t miss it! For
more information please visit: www.dalailama.com or www.tibet.com and McLeod Ganj > HHDL’s teachings.
Tushita won’t offer any courses during His
Holiness’ teachings (neither do any other centres and
institutions in town). There will be review sessions either at His
Holiness’ temple (led by His Holiness’ English
translator) or at Tushita. The location and times will be confirmed
only on the first day of the teachings.
Mid
September - November
After the rain, before the snow…
The post-monsoon months are excellent for a visit to this area, since
the weather is very pleasant and McLeod Ganj is less busy than in the
pre-monsoon months. The air is fresh, the weather is often sunny with
clear views of the mountains and there are beautiful sunsets. Through
November the temperatures get slowly colder and it can be quite chilly
especially at night time, so warm clothes and a good sleeping bag are
essential!
Tushita’s introductory courses restart in late September, and
in the past few years we have been very fortunate in having Ven. Robina
Courtin teach a course in October, just before she leads an annual
pilgrimage through India and Nepal: see
(www.liberationprisonproject.com and www.chasingbuddha.org). Our
introductory courses in November are ideal for those who like smaller
and more personal groups.
Tushita also offers a Green Tara retreat for experienced students in
October.
 December
& January
Winter break - Tushita is closed in these months!
In general, December and especially January are not such good months to
come to McLeod Ganj. It can get very cold here, most guest houses do not
have heating and with the snow come the power cuts! Many centers have
their winter break (the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives still
holds classes in December, but not in January) and most of the
guest houses and restaurants will be closed.
Most Westerners (and many Tibetans) escape the winter here and go to
warmer places, where there are also more Dharma activities (especially
in
Bodhgaya!). This is the main season for Root Institute, our sister
center in Bodhgaya (www.rootinstitute.com).
MAY ALL BEINGS
BE HAPPY!
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