The roads in Nepal are terrible. This makes sense given the yearly monsoon rains which cause constant landslides, the mountainous Himalayan terrain, and the 2015 earthquake which devastated much of the country. We had already experienced this on our way to the Manaslu trek, on probably the most terrifying bus trip of our lives. We were reminded again on a bus trip from Pokhaha to Kathmandu. The 200km journey took us over 9 hours!! This was a real test of our patience, and a great reminder that travelling even a short distance in Nepal can take a whole day. 

So what were we doing in Kathmandu? Let’s rewind slightly back to the time when we were doing our yoga teacher training in Dharamashala, India. This is where His Holiness the Dalai Lama resides in exile after Tibet was occupied by China over 60 years ago. We were lucky enough to meet His Holiness and while waiting in line we made friends with a guy called Dan. Dan had recently completed an ‘Introduction to Buddhism’ course at Kopan monastery in Kathmandu and highly recommended it to us. We already had the monastery on our radar, so speaking with Dan was the final push we needed to book it in. Kopan Monastery is in the Mahayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the branch practiced by His Holiness, so it was a very special full circle after our blessing while we were in Dharamashala. The only course that worked for us timing wise was ‘Buddhism For Modern Times’, which appealed to us given all we were learning on our trip, and the general state of the world.

Arriving at Kopan I had no expectations and very limited knowledge about Buddhism, with the little I had mostly coming from our time in Sri Lanka. I knew we would have no access to the internet for the entire week as you are required to hand your phones and laptops in on arrival. Branches Camp (my year 10 school camp) was the last time I went an entire week without access to the internet or my phone, so I was surprised at how nervous I was about this aspect of the course. How would I keep my 1000+ day Duolingo streak, or know if WW3 was starting!? Shout out to Mum who took over my account and diligently kept my streak, and thankfully WW3 hasn’t started yet.

We had a small group for our course of around 50 attendees from all over the world (some of the courses have over 150). We were asked to maintain silence for the majority of the day, with the only time we were allowed to speak being from 2:00 PM to 6:30 PM. The final two days of the course were fully silent meditation retreat days, and the schedule changed to be a full day of guided meditations. Everyone was really nice and it was a challenge to stay silent when I really wanted to get to know some of the lovely people in our course. Only on the last day of the silent retreat did people start breaking the silence as everyone wanted to chat before we finished and said our goodbyes.

We had two main teachers during the course, Ven. Tenzin Namjong who ran the teaching sessions and Ven. Lektsok who guided us for most of the meditations. Namjong was born in Hawaii and now lives in Dharamashala, India. He is highly intelligent and scholarly in Tibetan Buddhism having nearly completed the infamous Geshe academic degree which involves on average around 20 years of study. He was an excellent teacher and having come from a Western background, was very relatable and had many interesting personal stories to share. Lektsok was from England and was one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met. He guided us in the daily meditations and had such a calm voice as well as countless stories about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teacher and one of the founders of Kopan monastery, who unfortunately passed away recently.

The Buddha lived around 2500 years ago and one of his key teachings was the principle of Karma, that intentional actions lead to corresponding consequences, either in this life or future lives. The main goal in Buddhism is to escape Samsara (the cycle of rebirth) and achieve Nirvana (enlightenment). 

One of the key differences between other schools of Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism is the interconnectedness of all things and a particularly strong emphasis on cultivating the Bodhisattva ideal. A Bodhisattva is an individual who has attained enlightenment (bodhi) or is on the path to becoming a Buddha, but chooses to delay their own liberation (entering nirvana) to help others achieve enlightenment. They embody compassion and are seen as ideal figures in Mahayana Buddhism, with his holiness the Dalai Lama being an example of a living Bodhisattva.

My biggest takeaway from the teachings was the importance of compassion and kindness. An incredible example of this is his holiness the Dalai Lama, who has spent 70 years of his life fighting an endless struggle for the independence of Tibet from China and freedom for the Tibetan people. He has published an excellent book this year called ‘Voice for the Voiceless’ which details this lifelong struggle. Here is a quote from the book about maintaining compassion: 

And another quote from an ancient Indian master which has inspired and motivated his holiness throughout his life which I also really like:

“For as long as space endures, 

— Shantideva

Everyone wants to be happy and everyone experiences suffering. The world would be a much better place if instead of harboring enmity and anger towards others, we have kindness and compassion. It is important to remember that we are all human beings going through our own individual struggles and problems. The idea of Ahimsa (non-violence) also resonated with me. Buddhists believe that intentionally killing any sentient being gives you bad Karma, even mosquitos and centipedes!! We were asked to avoid stepping on or killing any bugs while we stayed at Kopan. It really does feel good to be a little more aware of other living beings. Next time you instinctively swat at a fly, take a moment to consider the life of the fly. It is probably not even aware from its perspective that you exist, and it is definitely not aware that it is making you annoyed or frustrated; it’s just trying to live. This is an example of how we can start trying to have more compassion for all living beings, even an annoying fly.

I came away from this course with a new understanding of Buddhism, yes it’s a religion and like all religions there are parts that can be hard to believe. I’m not sold on reincarnation just yet, however, there are also so many amazing insights which I am really going to try and embody going forwards in my life. Most importantly, compassion for all sentient beings and non-violence. Here is another quote which I really resonated with.

— Buddha 

As an immediate lifestyle change, I’ve decided to try going vegetarian. Over the past few months, especially while in India, I’ve been eating less and less meat, and I haven’t felt like I’ve been missing out much. I know that once we’re in China and Central Asia, it might be more challenging, especially with so many iconic local meat dishes. But increasingly it no longer feels justifiable to me to support factory farming and the killing of animals purely for the sake of my own pleasure and enjoyment. 

During the course, we discussed many of the challenges the world faces today including war, global warming, polarization, racism, and oppression. One of the key takeaways was the importance of not giving up hope, and continuing to do our part each day, even through small actions like picking up rubbish when we see it. Just as crucial is approaching every sentient being with kindness and compassion, even when they hold views that are vastly different from our own.

Polarization has become a major issue, often fueling anger and hatred, both deeply harmful emotions. Instead of reacting with judgment, we can try to understand that people may hold certain views because of difficult experiences or misinformation in their lives. Meeting others with empathy doesn’t mean agreeing with them, but it opens a space for greater connection and the possibility of real change.