Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Issue 3 | Page 41

Buddhism in Nepal

several Buddhist shrines and every day, hundreds of people visit to
perform circumambulation and light butter lamps. Also in the area
is Thrangu Tashi Yangtse monastery that was founded by the ninth
Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche in 1978 and is a center for Buddhist
meditation, worship and study. About 250 monks live there and
there is also a school for young Buddhist monks.
Lumbini
The exact spot where Buddha was born is preserved within
Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini. The current temple was opened
for the public in 2003 and houses the original Maya Devi Temple
that was built in the 3rd century B.C. Recent excavations have
unearthed human settlement in Lumbini that go back to 1300
B.C. Prior to this, the oldest record of Buddha was the stone
pillar that was erected by King Ashoka in 249 B.C. Maya Devi
Temple is the most important Buddhist temple in Nepal.
Solukhumbu
Rebuilt after a fire in the early 1990s, Tengboche Monastery (also
called Thyangboche) is in the Khumbu Valley at 3,867 meters. It
is in the vicinity of some of the world’s highest mountains such
as Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. There are ten
monasteries in Khumbu valley and the area is referred as a holy
place in the Tibetan scriptures. Tengboche was founded in 1916,
though some of the temples and shrines in and around it date
back to 1880. The largest and the oldest in Khumbu, it is also
the first monastery under the Nyingmapa lineage of the Vajrayana
Buddhism. About 60 monks live there and the monastery is a
center for Tibetan Buddhism rituals for the Sherpa community of
Nepal. Around 15,000 people visit it annually.
There are ten monasteries in the area including those at
Pangboche, Thame, Lawdo, Khumjung and Kunde. There are
other monasteries in Solukhumbusuch as those at Chalsa,
Phaplu and Jumbesi.
Learning about Buddhism

For those interested to learn about Buddhism, where better to
come but to the country where Buddha was born. There are
numerous monasteries and institutions where visitor can learn
more about Buddhism, meditation and where volunteers can
help teaching monks.
Kopan Monastery
A stone’s throw from Boudha, Kopan rises up and can be seen
for miles around. Kopan Monastery is a monastery following
the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism under
the guidance of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. There are 360 monks,
lamas, teachers and workers. Coming from all over Nepal and
Tibet, they are aged between seven to sixty years old.
Affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the
Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), this organization is devoted to
transmitting the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values
around the world through teaching, meditation, and community
service. FPMT provides a series of courses throughout the year.
Rangjung Yeshe Institute
For serious scholars, degree courses are offered at Rangjung
Yeshe Institute at Boudhanath that include topics in Buddhist
philosophy, as well as Tibetan, Sanskrit and Nepali languages.
Specialized non-degree courses including summer intensive
short courses and a year-long translator training program are
also available.
Yoga, meditation, reiki, short courses in Buddhism
For those who want to go on a yoga retreat, or take a course
in reiki, hatha yoga, massage and other healing techniques,
there are several places to go to in Kathmandu and in Pokhara.
The Nepal Vipassana Centre in Kathmandu offers ten-day and
occasional shorter courses involving silent retreats, getting up
at 4am every morning, not talking or making eye contact with
anyone over the entire period, and not eating after midday.
Alternatively, FPMT’s Buddhist Centre in Pokhara’s Lakeside
provides a more gentle introduction to Buddhism.

Tengboche Monastery. Photo: M.Heredge.

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