RYI STUDENT BLOG

Familiar Friends, Familiar Places:  Lessons From the Dogs of Boudha     When I first came to Boudhanath after several months living abroad in other parts of Asia, one of the first things I noticed aside from the spectacular beauty of the stupa and the sweet gentle nature of the local people, was the large presence of street dogs dotting the pathway that circled the stupa.  These pups, however, seemed like no ordinary street dogs, and I quickly became well aware of how many people, locals and foreigners alike, took the time to care for them. Being an animal lover, I have come to develop a number of personal relationships with several of the dogs in Boudha during the course of my two years here.   Each day as I walk to and from the Shedra I am met with several familiar faces—some napping in the sun in the same little nook and others joyfully running up to me for a pat on the head or a nibble of leftovers from my lunch.   In many ways, my exp...

Studying In a Western Academy                   I did my schooling in Kathmandu. After finishing my grade 10, I joined a diploma course in Civil Engineering which is actually a technical course. It was for three years. One can actually go and get a real job after passing the course. But thinking that I want to continue my study further, I got admitted in Rangjung Yeshe Institute.                 Of course I had a feeling that studying in Rangjung Yeshe would not be same as studying in typical Nepali colleges or schools but not to that extend where I had to give up the way I have been studying. It is so different being here in Rangjung Yeshe.                 For someone who has spent all his time memorizing and copying, Rangjung Yeshe has on the g...