16 Jan Trip To Tibet

Robert Thurman is a scholar, author and academic who founded Tibet House and was in 1965 the first American Tibetan Buddhist ordained by the Dalai Lama.

For many years, Thurman biannually lead groups on tours of holy sites in Tibet. In the late 1990s, I sought to join Thurman on such a tour.

Geographic Expeditions (GE) is a tour operator out of San Francisco that organized Thurman’s tours.

Two years before his next trip, I contacted GE and was placed first on the list of those going.

Periodically I called GE for an update on the timing and particulars of the trip.

Finally, some months before the trip, I was told that as they were overwhelmed with interest from people than available slots for the trip, 15, everyone was required to write an essay as to why they wanted to go.

My essay spoke about my collection of ancient Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhist art and that I had read a couple of Thurman’s books on the subject.

As the tour was coming together in final form, GE contacted me to say that Thurman was allowing only “serious Buddhists” and the trip. He deemed I was not; so my application was rejected.

Upon further inquiry, I was told the number of essay applications was 16. I was the only application rejected.

I was surprised and not surprised by this turn of events.

Ultimately, I found it funny.

“Serious Buddhists” sounded like an oxymoron.

Yet, what’s truly funny is that some people would have been upset or even angry had they been rejected after waiting two years and never doubting they would go as they were first on the list of reservations.

It’s hysterically funny when people get upset by essentially meaningless things in the scheme of things.

Beyond a good laugh and story I can share with others which in turn will laugh, I felt good that now I had extra time and money to spend elsewhere.

In hindsight, had I gone on the trip, some other attendees might have enjoyed by presence. But as only “serious Buddhists”, maybe having a good laugh is not their interest.