Kopan Monastery, Nepal

I recently had the opportunity to pretend to be a travel blogger for a few days, and while I was not totally inspired to start blogging about bus trips and food stops, I decided to write some of my previous “spiritual” or “sacred” travel adventures and see if there is a place for this type of travel blog- more for inner journeys and retreats.

My first big overseas trip where I was going just to do things that I wanted to do (not with friends, not to volunteer, but just travelling for me) was in 2011 to Nepal. I really wanted to go trekking, so I booked a 3 week trip to Everest Base Camp, but then figured, as I was in the land of prayer, I could hang out and do a bit more. So I googled and googled, looking for a retreat, or meditation or something and eventually stumbled on the November course at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu.

Young monks waiting for blessings

There were a couple of things that really appealed to me about the Kopan course. It was expanding year by year, indicating that it was hitting the mark for westerners wanting to explore Buddhism and also it was cheap! I don’t remember how much it was 3 years ago, but this year’s course was US$460, which includes 3 meals a day and dorm accommodation. You can pay a bit extra to upgrade your digs, which I did and didn’t regret that for a second!

The course is aimed at teaching Westerners the basics of the Lam Rim- the fundamental teachings of Buddhism. I found it to be a bit more like bible study than philosophy, but there was some amazing and fascinating learning in there. There were also quite a few people who had been before plus others who were already Buddhist as well as people like me who were completely new to it all, so lunchtime conversations were always interesting!

The food at the retreat was fantastic! Sometimes the lines were a bit long but the vegetarian fare was great and plentiful. There was a 10 day semi-fast in the middle were we only had 1 meal a day, but this was optional as you could always go to the café or meals were available for anyone who had a medical or personal reason to not fast. I lasted 9 days on the fast (we were getting malt types drinks for the other 2 meals…), before I cracked and had breakfast at the café. Having been trekking for the previous month, I don’t think I was at my most resilient, plus it was getting colder by the end on November and I never do well in the cold.

Kopan monk on a misty morning

Overall, the 250 people who started the course were divided on their outcomes. Some left early, frustrated by the lack of philosophical discussion and debate in the teachings. Some took vows by the end of a month when they had not been Buddhist before (not like monk vows, just prayer vows!). The teacher we had the year I went was not a fan of questions or debate- he had been an aimless Australian pot smoker before finding Buddhism, so I think for him, it was a bit like being a reformed alcoholic- all or nothing. He could not really fathom a middle ground in this belief system and got frustrated with the endless “but what if” questions.

As I was one of the question askers, I found this challenging, but I stuck it out for the month. I loved the learning, even if I didn’t agree with all of the absolutes. I still think I am far too optimistic to believe that all existence is suffering, but I am a big fan of non-attachment and the idea of karma- not as payback, more as a balance. Overall, I came to understand that I am definitely not Buddhist, but that there are some lovely and really amazing teachings there.

Boudhanath Stupa

My most enduring memory is a full moon total eclipse on our last night when some of the more enthusiastic participants undertook to do 108 circumnavigations of the Boudhanath Stupa- a distance we guestimated to be about a marathon! I did about 12, then went for pizza and marveled at the fact I was watching a total lunar eclipse at one of the holiest sites in Nepal!

Kopan Monastery is a large and fairly well known establishment about 5kms from the famous Boudhanath Stupa. The November course is now fairly well known and getting harder to get into- get your application in early!