Kopan Monastary

Compassion 101: A Retreat at the Kopan Monastery 

Kilometers Traveled: 15,150 

Countries Visited: 4

Cities Visited: 10

Tibetan Refugees Living in Nepal: 13,514

Yes, that's a monkey on the lower rooftop.

Back in April, we signed up for a Discovering Buddhism course that was focused on learning the art of meditation along with an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Before we arrived, we were a little nervous about what to expect. Other travelers we encountered along our journey told us about the challenges they faced during their experiences at a retreat like this, i.e. not talking for weeks and the pain of contorting your body in the full lotus sitting position for an entire day. But in the end we found our 10 days at Kopan to be a truly transformative experience. We were lucky to discover early in our travels that the inner journey is the only one that matters.

Kopan Gompa

Up on a hill overlooking the Kathmandu Valley a Tibetan monk in exile started a Monastery to teach westerners about the Mahayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Thubten Yeshe started Kopan after fleeing Tibet in 1959 after a brutal Chinese invasion that continues to this day. I'm sure many of you have heard of the "Free Tibet" slogan that was trendy a while back or maybe you saw "Kudun" or "Seven Years in Tibet".  The reality is that the Tibet culture is being systemically destroyed along with 2500 years of Buddhist knowledge on the art of achieving happiness. Ironically, the Chinese attempts to stamp out this tradition in that part of the world has lead to the spread of Buddhism in the western world - where despite all of our material wealth, many people are still looking to fill a glaring gap of happiness in their lives.

Thankfully, countries like Nepal and India have been hospitable to the Tibetans and have allowed Buddhist monasteries to spring up all over their lands. But who knows how this can last. The situation in Nepal, for example, could soon get tenuous for the Tibetans Buddhists as the upcoming elections are leaning towards Maoist Party who may be more inclined to developed more ties with China rather than maintain the ones with India.

Speculation aside, Kopan is currently a very prosperous monastery with 360 monks and 380 nuns down the road at the nunnery. They offer a multitude of retreats and courses, including a one month long November course for the more advanced comtemplators and has been a pioneer of bringing eastern thought to the west.

The largest stupa (buddhist shrine) in Kopan overlooking the eastern hills.

More stupas near our room which our teacher, Ani Karen, dubbed the "Hilton" of Kopan. We had hot water and private bathrooms while most of the others stayed in crowded dorms. It wasn't very Buddhist of us to live this lavishly, I know.  

I don't know what these are called, but it was on the rooftop of one the smaller gompas and one of my favorite places to see the valley.

We usually weren't allowed near the main gompa since it was used extensively by the monks, but one day they allowed us to witness a puja (a prayer ritual with chants). They would do this every day at 5 am right next to our rooms. There was no sleeping-in at Kopan which was great source of unhappiness for Janelle.

Another Tibetan monastery across the valley with amazing architecture. Walking the grounds provided great views at every corner.

Kopan Nunnery

Down the hill from Kopan is the Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery, which is undergoing a major expansion to its facilities including a brand new gompa.

The new gompa with a vibrancy that outdid Kopan. Amazingly cheerful colors everywhere.

One of the rules of of the retreat was no PDA. We were just posing for the camera I swear.

English class for the nuns. As you can see, they need new buildings ASAP.

The Retreat

The October "Discovering Buddhism" meditation course was one of the largest in the history of Kopan. We had 160 people in attendance ranging from practicing lay Buddhists to backpackers with little interests other than a cheap room. It was a larger group than we expected but the experience was unforgettable nonetheless. The days were highly regimented with silent time(meaning no interaction with other people) for the first half of the day for 7 days and two full days days of silence at the very end of the retreat. We were fed amazing vegetarian food and fell in love with the Nepal milk tea. After we left Kopan, we had a hard time adjusting to the "fend for yourself" lifestyle. We still miss our Tibetan fry bread and the delectable peanut sauce that we came to depend on for every meal of the day.

Our morning meditation session being led by one of our teachers (a western lay Buddhist) Tim -  who had a uncanny resemblance to Steve Jobs.

In case you're wondering what a meditation retreat consists of. Lots of tea. 

On the second to last evening of the retreat Ani Karen had us perform a light ritual. The stupa and fountain are covered with hundreds of tea candles. Amazing site to see on a clear night.

The Venerable Ani Karen who was our primary teacher and a student of the original founder of Kopan, Lama Thubten Yeshe. A Swede turned nun who taught us some unforgettable lessons on compassion and contemplation. Here I am offering a kata (white scarf) which is a way to say thanks in the Tibetan tradition. You give someone a scarf then that person puts it back around your head as acknowledgement. 

Who's that cat? This cat was enamored with Janelle. She would sit on her lap during mediation sessions and even broke into her room one night to sleep on her bed. This is her waiting outside of Janelle's room.