By Diana Finnegan

For those who haven’t been here, Bodhgaya is an extraordinarily underdeveloped place to be hosting complex events, such as, say, a week of public teachings by a world religious leader whose position requires tight security measures. Never mind providing public facilities to accommodate thousands of people or creating a teaching environment worthy to host His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Just to install a single phone line in the event organization offices required an effort of nearly heroic proportions. To pull it all off naturally required many months of careful planning and preparation, and then back-up plans to the back-up plans. The fact that to most attendees it all seemed pretty effortless was probably the greatest external measure of the organizational success of the event.

But for me, and I think also for many of the others involved in the event, an equally great sign of the event’s success was the spirit of joy in which so much of the event management was carried out. People with no affiliation to FPMT, and some who were not even Buddhists, gladly stapled and sorted badges until late at night and went bleary-eyed the next day to the teachings. Kopan nuns who were stationed at a donation desk outside the teaching site had to be persuaded to close down their post to go in and attend the teachings.

On the whole, volunteers seemed very mindful that they were there to offer service to an incredibly worthwhile cause. This flavored our interaction throughout the management of the event and I think was reflected in how effortlessly things seemed to run. Of course, much was learned from the Bodhgaya teachings that Maitreya Project sponsored last January and this no doubt contributed greatly to how well executed they were this time around. But the joy of serving somehow seemed to be the oil that kept is all flowing smoothly.

I had signed up for a job as press officer some months before the event. I had spent some years working as a journalist before I encountered the Dharma and, in retrospect, that time now looks quite poor in comparison to the richness that the Buddhadharma has since brought to my life. So I felt very fortunate to be given a chance to wring a little meaning from those earlier years by offering whatever meager experience I had collected from that time.

When I turned up in Bodhgaya a week before the teachings were to begin, a core group of volunteers was also on hand for a staff meeting, led by Ven. Marcel Bertels as the event manager. Ven. Pende Hawter was there heading administration and accounts, assisted by Judi Low; and Ven. Ailsa Cameron had the enormous task of arranging housing for one and all. Kathrine Carlisle managed public relations, which included VIP and lama care; Rudy Harderwijk was charged with security for the event, while Kopan’s Gelek Gyatso Rinpoche handled site management, staff canteen, and literally everything else, assisted by Ven. Shenphen and Geshe Dawa. Samir Sharma held the transport portfolio, while Uldis Balodis headed the ministry of sound. Meanwhile, Diego Hangartner corralled volunteers, Amanda Noonan was our database queen and Rafael Ferrer managed the group issuing badges. Finally, I was there representing the press office, to be joined soon by Dr. Renuka Singh as senior press officer. Later, Kathy Vichta would arrive to take charge of the long-life puja to be offered to His Holiness at the end of the teachings.

These faces that, to me, were mainly all new at this initial meeting slowly became as familiar as family during the course of the next week of preparation. We even had our own resident mom, Roxana Urbini, who had volunteered to manage staff care. Later, when Roxana fell ill, Beth Gough became our surrogate mom and proved equally solicitous.

All the offices were located in a row on the ground floor of the Mahayana Guest House. Many of the staff were also sleeping in the rooms that served as their offices the rest of the time, and this contributed to the all-in atmosphere.

As the volunteer contingent rushed up and down the hall trying to get their jobs done, “Have you seen Rudy?” and “No, have you seen Marcel?” were probably the most frequently asked questions. But Roxana and Beth’s “Haven’t you eaten yet? You must eat!” were a close second.

Roxana also shared with Amanda what they both described as the least-desired but most enjoyable job of the event: organizing the daily procession to offer khatas and bear incense for His Holiness on his walk back to his monastery. Although this job often required them to scramble about during the teachings to locate and mobilize those whose turn it was to enjoy those privileges, it also meant they greeted and saw His Holiness off before and after each session.

After it was all over, Marcel convened an evaluation meeting, and this was far and away the most upbeat post-event meeting I have ever attended. Many expressed a real appreciation for the opportunity to work together. Several people signed up on the spot to do the same job again next year – including Ven. Ailsa, who to my mind, had easily the most difficult job of all, accommodations coordinator.

Once this meeting ended, the volunteers all joined Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Osel Rinpoche for lunch. As a sign of just how complex the event was to manage, 150 people turned up.

Although after lunch Lama Osel presented each and every one with tokens of thanks, at least one volunteer felt it would be more appropriate for us to be giving thanks for the opportunity to be involved in this event.