Discover Nepal: It May Change Your Life
By Franka Cordua-von Specht • 1 1/2 min read
By Franka Cordua-von Specht • 1 1/2 min read
Anna Ko, a Taiwanese-Australian, came across Osel Ling monastery quite by chance last year. She was looking to learn more about meditation when she discovered Mingyur Rinpoche and his Buddhist Studies program at the Tergar Institute. Little did she know it would affect her life so deeply.
She’d never been to Nepal and, due to various circumstances, had only a week to prepare for her trip. She spent that week on the essentials of sorting out health insurance and getting a couple of vaccinations.
“When you arrive in Nepal, things tend to work out one way or another,” said Anna, a bubbly 33-year-old who makes her home in Melbourne.
In Nepal, it’s quite normal to encounter some inconveniences, such as power outages. She noted that a battery pack for her cell phone and headlamps were top items on her packing list. Other essentials were sturdy shoes, face masks, insect repellent, and a first aid kit.
“We are used to everything working all the time,” she said, adding that the helpfulness and the kindness of the people in Nepal make all the difference in sorting out any challenges.
Any challenges were negligible compared to what she gained. “In a way that I would never have imagined, the time in Nepal allowed me to connect so strongly and deeply with Rinpoche’s teaching, the lamas at the monastery, and the beautiful monastery itself. Now, for me, Tergar Osel Ling is my spiritual home.”
Anna spoke about the beauty of Osel Ling and the joy of doing kora, or circumambulating the monastery, and the sacred sites of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath. She particularly loved the monastic environment and sitting with 200-plus monks in the Osel Ling shrine hall during drupchen, a seven-day meditation retreat.
For Anna, the choice between attending teachings online or in person is clear — the latter offers an unparalleled depth of experience. “The experience is completely different from when you join online. It’s so inspiring to see all of the practitioners who have traveled from afar to receive Rinpoche’s teachings,” she said. “An opportunity like this is really precious.”
The Nepal trip has turned out to be life-changing for her: she recently quit her job in the financial sector and enrolled in a meditation teacher program in Australia. She is already making plans to return to Nepal.
Franka Cordua von-Specht is a communications advisor with Tergar International.
with Mingyur Rinpoche
The essence of Tergar’s Path of Liberation is cultivating the recognition of nature of mind. During this in-person retreat, Mingyur Rinpoche will introduce us to the first and second pointing out instructions. Rinpoche will also bestow the White Tara empowerment, as White Tara is the principal deity of Tergar’s lineage.
with Mingyur Rinpoche
This retreat marks the completion of Tergar’s 2023/24 transmission on Tilopa’s Ganges Mahamudra. Rinpoche will continue to guide us through the seventh topic of the root text — the manner of practicing Mahamudra — and teach us how to continue to stabilize the recognition of the nature of our mind.
with Mingyur Rinpoche
For the first time, Mingyur Rinpoche will teach the cycle of Dorje Drolö — the wrathful manifestation of Guru Rinpoche. In the first year of this cycle, Rinpoche will give us the foundation for the full transmission, teaching us about the lineage of Dorje Drolö and the history and contents of the cycle, and in particular, offering instructions on the foundational practices of Dorje Drolö.
“Letting go means just being yourself, following the natural flow: whatever arises in your mind, you’re just being with it. Your awareness is like a house, and all the meditation experiences are like guests.”
“When we address issues in the outer world, we start by looking inward, and we take care of the inner environment so we can be in better shape to care for the outer environment.” - Mai-Linh Leminhbach
Like the mind, the Earth is imbued with resilience, enabling it to return to harmonious equilibrium if only we allow it enough time undisturbed.
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