Inner Peace at the Kopan Nunnery in Kathmandu, Nepal

“The lotus is born in the mud, but its flower is always white and clean. This is our greatest challenge: to live at the heart of the problem and not be undermined by it. That is the joy of freedom.” – Singing for Freedom—Ani Choying Drolma

Namaste! Tashi Delek!

Dear Nepal, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to walk on your sacred land, which holds the wisdom of the Buddhas.

On October 25, 2018, my long-term friend Dominique and I attended together the Kadampa Center, a Buddhist meditation center in Montreal. While sipping a delicious hot chocolate on a rusty and frisky autumn day, I said to my friend, “You will study Buddhism, and one day we will travel in the land of the Buddhas.” At that time, I had said Tibet, but little did I know that the whole story started in Nepal with the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the enlightened Buddha.

We had picked a wisdom card about “gratitude,” and later on we attended a conference given by a very young Buddhist monk, who spoke about gratitude as well. He invited us to practice gratitude every morning, to just stop one moment and realize how many people are in our service at every given moment; and that stayed with me.

And here we are, on October 25, 2024, a huge karmic year of the Dragon, traveling together to the land where Buddha Shakyamuni was born and turned the wheel of dharma. Prophecy fulfilled!

Journey to Nepal

This year my reiki teacher and the Academy, with whom I share my spiritual journey, went to Nepal with two groups of twenty-two people each. The number twenty-two represents completeness, fulfillment, and revelation. The first group had an option to arrive earlier and stay at a Buddhist nunnery before the whole itinerary of eleven intense days would start. The number eleven symbolizes intuition, enlightenment, and a bridge to the spiritual realm.

There is a long way to get from Montreal to Nepal, thirteen hours to Doha in Qatar, and another five hours to get to Kathmandu in Nepal; this is one of the possible routes. The tourist agency sent a car to drive us to the Kopan nunnery, our home for the next five days. We each got a tiny, cozy, and clean room with our private bathroom. Inside the furniture, the smell, the blankets, and the simplicity and hominess reminded me of my aunt’s and grandma’s houses. I took a warm shower and slept a bit more.

The nunnery felt so peaceful.

A Little Walk in Kathmandu Streets

In the evening, we walked outside the nunnery. The streets are narrow, with uneven sidewalks. There are many tiny stores, one beside the other, as to gain every inch of space. People smile instantaneously when you bring your hands in prayer in an Anjali Mudra and slightly bow and greet them with the traditional Namaste, a word filled with respect, connection, and reverence that means “I bow to you.”

In Nepal, they drive on the right side. The funny story that evening is that as I saw the car coming down on my side of the road and saw the left front seat empty, it gave me the illusion for just a split second that the car had no driver.

The houses are each of a different and vibrant color, which makes it all look like a beautiful painting. There is honking everywhere; driving looks chaotic, yet everyone is very respectful and caring on the road; they all seem to know when and where to go.

People are so calm, and there is a vibe of warmth and familiarity. Many stray dogs walk up and down the streets; they are also so calm and walk beside you like guardians.

The stores have fruits, spices, seeds, local clothing, street food, pillows, and silky blankets. We passed a butchery, and my heart sank as I saw right beside it a few chickens in cages and two goats on a leash, probably ready to be sacrificed on demand. I ended up buying only water.
I had this sudden feeling of simple, light, and just bare minimum.

BACK TO NUNNERY

We walked back into the nunnery, where our healthy meal smelled so inviting: a veggie soup, homemade pita, boiled green beans, and mint tea.

I went to bed with a content belly. The jet lag didn’t allow me to sleep through the night. I woke up and listened to the sound of Kathmandu. The dogs barked for a few hours, a noise I was no longer familiar with since I left Romania by myself when I was just eighteen years old.
Some unfamiliar noises broke the silence of the night; it sounded like screaming monkeys or some other animals.

I was there alone in my little room, contemplating how everything conspired to embark me on this wonderful journey, which, at the beginning of the year, I would not have been able to dream of.

And I put my hands on my heart and felt gratitude for my teacher, who kept the spot for the trip in faith that I would be healthy enough to travel, for my friends and family who have been praying for me, and encouraged me to take this journey and helped me in any way to do it.

May you be infinitely blessed!

The Nunnery Immersion

The Kopan Nunnery in Kathmandu is currently the largest Tibetan nunnery in Nepal, home to four hundred nuns.

Buddhism was known in Tibet and was flourishing for thousands of years until the Chinese invasion in 1959, which forced the Dalai Lama to exile in India along with thousands of Tibetans, who transmitted the Dharma (the teachings) unaltered through a lineage of teachers to our present day; these teachings are taught in monasteries and nunneries established by the Tibetans during their exile.

The Kopan Nunnery, also known as Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery, which literally means “land of bliss,” was founded by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche and admitted its first nuns in 1979. It provides full scholarships for nuns for education, accommodation, health care, and food.

After the completion of its building plans, the Kopan Nunnery will be the largest Tibetan nunnery in the world, able to house a thousand nuns.

The nunnery is part of the Kopan Monastery

The nunnery is part of the Kopan Monastery and is located ten minutes away by car, which is also a member of the Foundation of the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition.

Mahayana in Sanskrit means “the great vehicle,” and according to its beliefs, every being has the potential to awaken their inner Buddha nature.

The huge red gate squeaks as we step into the nunnery, and to the right, the security guard greets us with a smile. Beside him there is a room with a gigantic Wheel of Dharma, and an older nun is turning it clockwise while chanting the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, which means “praise to the jewel in the lotus.” Mani Padme means “the heart of the lotus,” a metaphor for the journey to enlightenment from the mud up to the lotus blossom.

We are quickly surrounded by a few welcoming dogs. I learned later on that the nuns adopted a mama dog that had many puppies; and now they all live together as one happy family. They all carry such a Zen energy, like they are all inhabited by the spirits of wise monks.

My room number is 44; this number represents amplified energy. Each one has its private room, and to respect the customs of the place, we are not allowed to spend time in each other’s room. I love my new toilet with its portable bidet, practically nonexistent in North America.
The smell of incense, the faint smell of naphthalene, the thick blankets, the chirping of the birds, and the warmth of a perfect summer day with a clear sky all make their way to my heart, and I slowly fall in love with this place.

Light Festival

I will always remember the calm feeling of sitting on the staircase going down from my room and contemplating this new scenery. I can see the part of the city from up here; there is a frenzied energy of festivity preparations. Thousands of blinking lights are hung on the façade of each building; it reminds me of Christmas.

Kathmandu is preparing its entrance into the Light Festival (Diwali, also known as Deepawali and more commonly in Nepal as Tihar). Tihar is five days of celebrations of life and love and the triumph of good over evil and also marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year. The homes and the temples are illuminated with clay lamps (diyas) and colorful lights, and beautiful designs made with colorful powders called ranjoli are made at the entrance of homes and buildings, with flower offerings. It is a time for celebration with family, friends, and the whole community; people enjoy delicious food, especially sweets; they dance in the streets, but also perform puja (prayers) to different deities. It is a time of sharing and joy.

Puja and the Visit to the Kopan Monastery

I woke up at 4:30 am and got ready to join the puja. I put on my meditation Buddha classic burgundy shawl, made in the Himalayas, and I step outside my room towards the meditation center. I am greeted by the dogs, who come together barking at first and happy and wagging their tails once they have recognized me. They accompany me to the steps of the little prayer temple.

A nun is already up the stairs, lighting incense and chanting protection mantras. And the gong rings in the silence of the morning. It smells like wet grass. On each side of the stairs, two colorful lion statues with their right paws sitting on a golden sphere are guarding the place.

There are eight auspicious symbols in Buddhism (the name in Sanskrit is Ashtamangala): the red umbrella, a symbol of royalty, with its dome representing wisdom and its skirts representing compassion, which offers protection from the sun and from diseases; the two golden fish, which are symbols of good fortune and rebirth from the ocean of suffering; the conch shell, which represents the spreading of the dharma; the lotus flower, the symbol of our true nature, and our journey from our darkest place towards our enlightenment;

the flag of victory, symbol of Buddha’s victory over the demon Mara; the vase, which is a symbol of long life and abundance; the eternal knot made of a single line or thread intertwined in a closed pattern, which symbolizes the interdependence of all phenomena; the wheel of dharma, which turned for the first time after the first Buddha offered his first sermon after his enlightenment.

THE LION

Besides all these symbols, the lion is one of the most important symbols in Buddhism and represents the royal past of the Buddha and the power of his teachings, like the roar of a lion.

Behind one of the lions we can read, “If you integrate into one listening, reflecting, and meditating on the essence of pure wisdom’s victorious teachings and strive to collect merits and do purification, enlightenment will be at your fingertips.” – Gungtang Konchog Tenpai Drohme

FRIENDLY FACES

The nuns start arriving slowly, walking softly like they are almost not touching the ground. They are surprised yet happy to see us and welcome us inside.

As the first rays of sunlight began to softly transform the nunnery into a stunning painting, my heart began to fill with gratitude for another day, for that specific day, when I would be able to sit and pray with the nuns, who welcomed me into their way of life of devotion, compassion, simplicity, and service.

In addition to their monastic presence, the dogs’ gentle energy and peaceful, enduring character were present all around the nunnery.

Inside the prayer hall, there is a middle path that leads to the altar, with two huge gongs to the right and left and four rows of low mattresses on each side. Every single inch of each wall and the ceiling is filled with symbols, Dakas and Dakinis, emanations of the Five Buddha Families, and tankas that speak in great detail about the full history of Buddhism and the path to enlightenment.

The colors are rich and festive; it feels like I am entering into a frozen-in-time and perfectly balanced garden, a miniature Tanaduk (the Medicine Buddha’s pure land).

The first rows have little finely sculpted and also very colorful little tables, the site of the nuns that will read, pray, sing, and blow into all kinds of instruments during the puja ceremony.

PUJA MEANS PRAYER

Puja means prayer, and today they will be praying for our health and prosperity. They pray every day starting at 5:00 am for 2 to 3 hours straight. They pray for specific causes and for the world.
We are welcomed to sit to the right, close to the windows. The nuns start by prostrating themselves many times before they take a seat.

There is always one nun that officiates the whole puja, and the rest pray along; they read each one a designated text. There are about seven nuns who sit on each side of the middle path.

I don’t understand a word, but each cell of my body reacts to the vibration of their voice and singing. I look at their faces; they express the essence of the present moment, service, meaning, and communion.

I connect with their hearts, their journeys; each one of them, like us, has a story. Are they there by choice, or did their family leave them at the door of the nunnery for them to have a chance at a decent life? How did it feel when they had their head shaved for the first time? Since they always put out there the most genuine, heartfelt smile, it is hard to imagine them crying or being angry or sad.

But I get slowly in sync with the singing, and I feel joy and peace in my heart. I am welcomed in their sisterhood; I feel part of them, and I want to hug them and thank them for connecting me to the source, for them being so generous to pray for me, although I just met them.

MORNING MEAL AT THE NUNNERY

After the prayer, the younger nuns are bringing a hot beverage with honey, freshly baked pitas, and some mornings there are boiled potatoes with spices. They serve each one of their sisters, including us. We only get the hot beverage; our breakfast awaits us at the end of the ceremony.
When everyone is served, they eat in silence. I can feel their gratitude for this communion. The way they serve each other and us is heart melting. That beverage makes its way to my gut, and it feels warm and cozy, reminding me yet again of my maternal grandmother or the tea my dad used to prepare at breakfast before leaving for school. Great power resides in taking care of each other! They share the little they have with so much joy and gratitude.

I feel rich in generosity and in pure love among the nuns. My heart chakra expands with the speed of light.

Written by Adina D.