Cosmic Alignments
I leaned against the wall outside Ounce Coffee on March 14th, the sunlight bright and flat upon the brick, as I surveyed the Friday morning crowd in the thriving suburb of Westbourne, Dorset. I was meeting up with my friend…
Category Stories
Nepali Birthdays
Today, July 6th, is His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama’s birthday. Apparently it will be celebrated here; I’m eager to find out how. My curiosity is piqued because though the names of all Sherpa people reflect the day of the…
Wood-chopping Day
Pasang and I were in the kitchen working on the Tibetan alphabet after breakfast when Cook came in and told him his assistance could be used at the woodpile out the back door. We peered out, and sure enough, a…
Uncovering the Mysteries at Pema Choling
I arrived at the monastery almost three weeks ago with many questions about Buddhism. I’d taken a World Religions course focused heavily on eastern faiths and have continued to read about the Buddhist tradition in books such as those by…
Puja
There are many reasons why I continue to attend puja (chanting) each morning, and none of them is that I am a devout Buddhist. I enjoy waking up early, and the 6:30 am start time gives me something to look…
Tiger at Pema Choling
The first thing we heard yesterday upon our return from trekking yesterday is that “Jing Mai was killed by a tiger!” Jing Mai – one of the monastery’s four dogs – is nowhere to be found. After some loud noises…
7 weeks until my new beginning
It’s hard to believe Ghana is so close. In just 7 weeks, I’ll be packing up and flying to the other side of the world. I have been waiting for an opportunity such as this for as long as I…
Name-Giving & Culinary Favorites
Several of my little monks have received new names! After the Nyune festival last week, celebrating Buddha’s birthday, one of the Rinpoches gave some of the little guys new Buddhist names in a sort of rite of passage. Two days…
Nyune Festival – Part II
The Nyune Festival took place at the monastery just a few days after we arrived. Everything was abuzz. The eight older monks (age 20+) ran around like crazy making preparations for the three Rinpoches (high lamas) who were to arrive…
Lesson 3
“If it doesn’t bite, don’t bother.” Anyone who knew me when I was a kid and witnessed one of my hysterical reactions to a large flying bug might be hard pressed to believe this, but I’m not exaggerating when I…