Back in the Throes of Travel
By Jane O'Dea and Christian Mass
Bon Voyage, Pokhara
Today was our last day in Pokhara. It was an early morning of breakfast, packing, and getting ready to go to the airport.
Once ready and outside, we met as a group with the director of the hotel, Lama Rigzin, and the other staff members with whom we’d cultivated a relationship. Lama Rigzin had gifts of khatas and notebooks with postcards in them for each and every one of us. It was such a beautiful moment because it just really felt like we were a family.
Pokhara Airport Terminal photo by Christian Mass
That feeling was solidified the moment when he said to all of us, “This is your home, you don’t have to knock. '' I thought of my mom saying the same things. The way that he cared for all of us individually and as a whole really shows how a lot of the people have been to us here, but also how important community is.
The community has really shown me how important it is to keep people around who care about you. Just as I have seen in the Buddhist tradition, having a group of people sharing a journey with you and also being able to discuss all things is important. From a cultural anthropology perspective, I can see that it really shapes people in a positive way.
Then, after a tearful goodbye, we rushed to the airport because we were thinking we were going to be late for our flight. We got to the airport, got our boarding passes, then got through security. After all of that, we waited for about 45 minutes for our flight. We then flew back to Kathmandu. Experiencing all of that really showed me how to try to stay compassionate towards other peoples’ stresses while traveling.
Finding Compassion
Systems in different airports can be challenging to deal with, so keeping calm helps me (Jane) understand that everything will work out. In the airport I was a part of a conversation with our professors about the frustrations of traveling and the power of meditation and how it can be a helpful tool in stressful situations. In one story professor Kramer told of flying from Costa Rica back to the US. The flight turned out to be overbooked; many passengers were upset and screaming at staff. Professor Kramer chose a separate path: she meditated and cleared her mind of everything going on in that moment. In some form of de-escalation of negative energy, there ended up being room for her and her friend to get on the flight.
Also, in the book “Awakening Dignity,'' Phakchok Rinpoche and Sophie Wu say, “The whole purpose of meditation is to realize and stabilize our dignity, the essential quality of our pure nature” (pg 201). This also adds to the understanding of compassion and how to use meditation to feel unburdened with negative feelings.
Kickin' it in Kathmandu
After we landed, we put our bags in a car to have them taken back to the Shechen Monastery, and we went to the area of the city known as Thamel to explore–walking and seeing what a new city has to offer. Then after a long day of travel and exploring, we went to bed to be rested for the next day ahead.
Thamel city rooftop view, photo taken by Jane O'Dea
Kathman-who?
Today was our second day in Kathmandu; despite being here so shortly, it already feels like home. According to Phakchok Rinpoche and Sophie Wu in Awakening Dignity (2022), “We arrive in the world empty-handed, and we exit the world empty-handed” ( Pg 186). Despite buying countless things in Pokhara and overfilling my suitcase, in the end nothing I have bought on this trip will last forever… except for the overcharge fees from Qatar airlines for packing way too much.
Buddhist Practice Text at Shechen Monastery School: Photo Credit: Christian Maas
SMC student David Pitterle talking to the class. Photo Credit: Christian Maas
Education Is Our Shared Right
Many in our group immediately returned to our old routines. Myself (Christian) included, a small group of students woke and headed off towards the Boudhanath Stupa meandering through the web of streets, eventually reaching our favorite café, Himalayan Java Coffee. After another delightful breakfast, we returned to the Shechen Guest House. We all congregated at the guest house and headed towards Shechen School where Principal Jabindra Subedi gave us a tour. The school was founded in the Nepali year 2062, or according to the Gregorian calendar 2005.
During our tour we saw their library where they had numerous shelves dedicated to Buddhist practice texts, along with countless fiction and nonfiction texts in Nepalese. After talking to numerous classrooms, I discovered some of the students' favorite artists ranged from M&M, One Direction, and Justin Bieber.
Unsurprisingly their favorite sport was football (soccer), with one brave soul saying basketball. Eventually, our tour of the Shechen School came to an end, and we ventured toward the temple.
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
After ascending the stairs, we reached the stupa dedicated to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Khenpo invited us into an adjacent room where a shockingly life-like wax sculpture of the monastery founder Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche resided.
Within Tibetan Buddhism, sometimes when a person of high realization passes away, their heart remains warm for several days following their passing. When the time for cremation eventually arises, it has been said that among their ashes are diamonds, according to Khenpo Kyunkyab. Following his talk, we circumambulated Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's shrine, and then headed toward the Tsering Art School.
The relic stupa of Dilgo Kentse. Photo Credit: Christian Maas
A sketch in Progress At Tsering Art School. Photo Credit: Christian Maas
A finished painting at Tsering Art School. Photo Credit: Christian Maas
Tsering Art School
The Tsering Art School is a nonprofit organization whose mission is "for cultural preservation and humanitarian aid in Nepal, Tibet, India, and Bhutan." We were warmly welcomed into the school by the headmaster, who graciously answered our barrage of questions about the school's various art styles and medians.
As we wandered the halls, we greeted the most intricate and detailed paintings highlighting various aspects of Buddhist practice.
The Tsering Art School also specializes in making multiple kinds of incense for personal and spiritual use. If you’re curious about the incense they make, you can find more information on their website. After our tour concluded, we were given the rest of the day to ourselves to explore Kathmandu and get some much-needed rest.