Paul and Anita’s wedding.

By -


Yesterday a few friends from “Shedra” got together to celebrate a joyful event: Paul and Anita’s wedding. We got together in a nice garden-cafe beautifully decorated for the reception. Each one of the guests congratulated the couple as it is the tradition here in Nepal amongst Buddhists: we offered a khatag to Paul, Anita, their parents and close relatives. They all looked lovely with a growing pile of khatags around their necks!

Later on, a group of Tamang girls from a local school performed a beautiful dance in their traditional dresses. And even though the rest of us in the party didn’t know how to dance like them, we joined the dance anyway!

Nepalese are known by the ethnic indigenous group they belong to. This differentiates them from the other ethnic groups in their family life, food, dress, occupations and culture. It basically determines their way of life. There are many ethnic groups in Nepal amongst various communities mainly in the hills, valleys and the plains. These different groups, together with a complex cast system, have an important role in social stratification in Nepal. The Tamang are one of the ethnic indigenous groups of the Himalayan regions in Nepal. They are one of the major Tibeto-Burman speaking communities and trace their ancestry from Tibet. Anita is Tamang, and Paul is from the United States. This makes this wedding an even more special event, since usually the ethnic groups do not allow marriages with other ethnic groups.  

Paul and Anita are one example of the experience of coming to Nepal to study. In our Rangjung Yeshe Institute we make friends with people from all around the world! Last night, at dinner, I sat with a few friends from “Shedra” and one could hear conversations in English, Tibetan, Russian, Nepali and Spanish! That’s how it is everyday at RYI. Different cultures and languages meet there. One can tell the differences, but at the same time we have many things in common that bring us together in this place. 
That makes studying in RYI an even more interesting and rich experience. 

~Marcela from Mexico

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pharping – The Sacred Site of Asura Cave and Yangleshö

By -
Image
Pharping Azura Cave Monastery Every year Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche leads several seminars and retreats in Asura Cave monastery in Pharping. Many of us have heard that Asura Cave is a very special, yet we are often a bit unsure what exactly happened there and why it is so special. Thus I wanted to share with you, what I have found out so far.  Pharping: Pharping is a small but expanding village about 16 km southwest of Kathmandu, on a hillside above the main valley. Pharping (pronounced "Farping" by the Nepalis) is known to the Tibetans as Yangleshö and also sometimes as Phamting, as some say it is the birthplace of the Phamtingpa, the heart-­‐son of Naropa. Chatral Rinpoche explains that the 'Indian Phamting' (Tib. rgya gar pham thing ) derives its name from the presence of the great hood of the Naga king Lhakmachen or Shesha, which marks it as a site of his power. As such, learned masters of the past used to called it Phanathingu (Tib. pha na thinggu ), which ...
Read more

The Five Best Restaurants in Bouddha for Shedra Students

By -
Image
  Are you new to the Shedra? Not having much money to spend? Have to study a lot? Here comes a brief guide and recommendation to some nice places in Bouddha suitable for the average Shedra student, old time favorites and newly rising stars. Double Dorje 5. Double Dorje:             A cozy small restaurant, run by a sweet old Tibetan woman. It is known to tourists and is a place visited frequently by westerners since it has been recommended by various travel guides as a nice, cozy, local restaurant. Particularly in the evening in the winter, it becomes a great place to study, since unlike the other restaurants it is completely closed and inside. Thus the place stays warm and as long as there are no power cuts the ballon lamps create a warm and home-like atmosphere.             Also if you wish to spend the afternoon there, it is known for its special ho...
Read more

The Hidden Story of the Golden Temple at Patan

By -
Image
There are many stories in Nepal. Because these stories are very interesting-- as last time I had shared the story about the Jacket from the Naga land -- I would like to introduce the story of the Golden Temple in Patan at this time.   When people talk about Patan, the Golden Temple will show up in everyone’s mind. The Golden Temple is one of the famous Buddhist temples in Patan. However, few people know that there was a love story, which was between a king and a queen, behind the holy Golden Temple . Once upon a time, there was a king called Marwad and he had a lovely queen called Pingala. They loved each other very much. As a return for his lovely queen, King Marwad planned to make an image of Shakyamuni as a gift to her. When the image had been finished, another king, from other country, asked for a gift as a sign of good relations with King Marwad’s kingdom. For the people’s safety in the country, Queen Pingala chose to give up the image for the peaceful relationshi...
Read more