The Road to Dharamsala: My Unexpected Life

by Maureen Fallon

As seen on Australian TV's Australian Story, Maureen Fallon's life has been an amazing one. Maureen once had a number of government executives working for her but she became increasingly disenchanted with the career she was moving through. So she gave away her big pay packet and top ranking position to organise and manage one of the biggest "tours" this country has ever seen! Every year for the past ten years, a group of exiled Tibetan monks from the Gyuto monastery in remote India, travel thousands of kilometres around Australia in an old mini bus. Famous for their chanting, the monks are brought here by the former corporate high-flyer. This personal journey intimately looks at Maureen's life, her recent search for fulfillment and the fanfare she has created in managing the much-loved Gyuto monks. The Road to Dharamshala is her amazing story...

Genres: Nonfiction, India

247 pages, paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Libby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maureen Fallon has led an interesting life from many perspectives, I guess I just didn't find it all that interesting personally. I was hoping that this book might be one persons account of their spiritual journey to Dharamsala...it wasn't. It was heavy on beuraucratic detail and light on spirit - just the wrong balance for me thats all.

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping for much more information on her times with the Gyuto Monks, but this book was more about her life. Whilst she has lead a somewhat interesting life, it didnt make for good reading. I ended up skimming through the second half of the book looking for Gyuto information, and even when I found it, it wasnt that interesting.

[Panda1602 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I initially found this book challenging as I felt the title was misleading in some way. It never really "hit" me until page 169 (which is quite a way through the book) whereby the author makes a statement about 'Taking Care' and supporting the values of kindness and compassion in the community that it really dawned on me what this woman was doing and why. If it were not for her upbringing and the life turmoils that she had gone through, then most likely Australia would not have been exposed the Gyuto monks when they did. It was because of Maureen's tenacity and pure non acceptance of "no'" that has allowed the culture of Tibet to become infused within Australia.

The book also shows the Gyuto monks as "real" people. Whilst their paths are clearer than most, and they have a channel of wisdom centuries old, they are still human and with that comes the traits of being human. This book shows that side of the monks and this makes them so much more loveable.

I think too often people hold "spiritual/mystic" people on a pedestal and do not realise that they are also on their own spiritual path. Whilst being more advanced than the average person they are none the less still evolving in a human skin.

This book is a journey, but not in the way I think people will feel when they read the title. It is one woman's inner passion to bring care, kindness and compassion to Australia in the only way she knew how. Through her own journey you come to the understanding that it does note matter what the monks actually "do", just being in their presence is enough to have one or many karmic shifts.