Dharamshala

Shri Nathji had been to the hill station of Dharamshala sometime in 1926. There He was going for a walk in the hills when he met a group of people coming towards his house.

"Let us walk together on this hill," he said. As they walked on the slope, he said to them: "Is this an ascent or a descent?"

"Quite positively an ascent," they said, "we are running short of breath walking up the slope."

Just then, a man came from the opposite direction, his feet slipping beneath him as he hurtled downwards.

"It appears to be quite positively a descent, for him," said Shri Nathji.

And then he pointed to a little ant that moved horizontally on a rock: "For the ant, there is neither an ascent nor a descent."

Shri Nathji elaborated: "Just like this slope has no inherent attributes in itself–it becomes an ascent for one per­son, and a descent for another–similarly the material objects of the world have no inherent attributes. It is we who either derive happiness from them or else experience sorrow in them. In themselves, they contain neither happiness nor sorrow. A change in the angle of vision is all that is required.” 

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Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city and a municipal council in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is the headquarters of the district. It was formerly known as Bhagsu. In May 1960, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) was moved to Dharamshala. The Dalai Lama's residence and the headquarters of the exiled Tibetan government are situated at McLeodGanj, within the Dharamshala municipality. Dharamshala is the centre of the Tibetan exile world in India. Following the 1959 Tibetan uprising there was an influx of Tibetan refugees who followed the 14th Dalai Lama. His presence and the Tibetan population has made Dharamshala a popular destination for Indian and foreign tourists, including students studying Tibet.