I just g...

I just got home from my Tibetian Buddhism class, in which we took a field trip to the shrine room of the Shambhala Center. It was gorgeous - its so strange how ignorant prejudice can turn to awe with just a little understanding. We sat on meditation cushions facing the main shrine (there were at least 4 other minor shrines in the room - including, much to my delight, one dedicated to Wrathfullness (which has a slightly different meaning than we tend to think of it, it isnt a negative thing), which was dark and had a golden skull implanted in it). We recited a chant, which was really long, at least 10 pages, and is recited for the purpose of helping to relieve materialism. It was written by a Tibetian who came to the West after he was exiled from Tibet, and was horribly dissapointed to find how caught up in materialism and ego Americans were. I had a tough time, stumbling over the words and growing impatient after about, heh, 2 pages. At one point we did a HUM chant, which gradually increased in speed until it all blended together and then we sat in meditation for a few minutes. At that point, my perspective shifted. Im not sure exactly how, and my stumbling over words didnt improve one bit, but a tremendous feeling of peace and compassion washed over me. When we finished, I was a bit suprised to learn that my experience was shared by virtually everyone in the room. Everyone had stumbled over the words. And everyone had felt a change come about after the HUM chant.
I dont really know what to make of it, and i dont even know why im posting about it on here, so ill just let it be as it is.
Also, I rode in the car of a boy i have a little crush on, there and back. He dropped me off right outside my apartment. He is so gentle and sweet, i liked him a little more than i did yesterday :P However, I was tired and out of it, so i hope i didnt make too much of a fool of myself.
One last thing - my grandfather, who i called Bompa, died last night. I am rather relieved. He has been on his deathbed for about 4 years now, everyone was just holding their breath and waiting. I do feel a little bad about my grandmother tho, she is an incredible woman, she has more energy than a 10 year old on speed. Most of her friends have died off, and tending to her dying husband was all she really had left. Two years ago, I told her i wanted to transcribe the story of her life (she partied with Ernest Hemingway, as an example), but i havent written or called or spoken to her at all since then.