Taksindu

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

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

This blog post contains a lot of photos and videos, please scroll all the way to the bottom to make sure you see them all! April 24th This is a unique week at the monastery as most of the boys are away at a mantra program in Salleri and the classes have not yet resumed since they just got back from their winter vacations. There are only about 20 boys here right now – the youngest ones who aren’t old enough to sit for the mantras and the most senior students who are needed at

Writing about the week I spent at the Taksindu Monastery participating in the annual community medical clinic is difficult because everything from the people, the place, the energy, the work, and the joy comes together to form the most beautiful and unique moment in time that is hard to describe. Out of the 21 incredible weeks I have spent traveling so far in this gap year, this one was the most transformational, memorable, and closest to my heart. During this experience I m