Field Notes

Witnessing the End of a Life and My Reflections on Death What is our life but this dance of transient forms? This week I had the unique experience of witnessing a funeral at the monastery. I had the privilege of being present for all three days of the ceremony and the cremation. This gave me an incredible opportunity to learn about an important part of Buddhism and for deep reflection on my personal beliefs, fears, and perceptions surrounding death. I have separated this blo

The day I was planning to go to a Sherpa wedding in the village across the valley I woke up and immediately knew something was wrong. My stomach was seizing in pain and I had to run to the bathroom and throw up. I was supposed to meet Wangden in Chulamu village, about an hour hike down the mountain from the monastery. He had told me to text him when I left the monastery and he would come meet me for the last section of the hike so I didn't get lost. Unfortunately, the night b

My first day of teaching was quite disorganized. Yesterday (Monday) the boys were busy cleaning out their classrooms since they hadn’t been used in a long time. We did lots of drawing and a few informal lessons but today was the first day of classes. However, all of the teachers, Khenpo, and the older boys were cleaning out the monastery and preparing for Buddha Jayanti (Buddha’s birthday festival this Friday). I was not told this but after eating breakfast together, Tulku to