RYI STUDENT BLOG

Muara Jambi – The Sources of Atisha’s Lojong                             I was born in Jambi, a town in Central Sumatra. Half hour from Jambi, there is the Muara Jambi Temple Compounds. Most people have heard of the Buddhist temple complexes in Indonesia, such as Borobudur, are located on the island of Java. Apparently, a lot of people do not know that in Sumatera island, precisely in Jambi, there is one of the largest Buddhist temple complexes in South East Asia – Muara Jambi Compounds. Compared to Borobudur, the Muara Jambi temple complex is much smaller and more dispersed. This makes it a bit challenging for visitors to see everything.                 The Muara Jambi Compound was believed by some archeologists to be a center of Buddhist studies and practices in the past. Moreov...

Basking Under the Dharma Sun "Buddhist Studies? Wow, so  interesting . Where?" starts the familiar drill. "In Nepal," I reply. "Oh!!.....where in Nepal?" "In Kathmandu." "Oh okay....is it in the main city of Kathmandu itself?" "Yes, but not in the city center. It's in a neighborhood called Boudha." "Ahh..alright. What did you say it was called?" "Rangjung Yeshe Institute." This is often followed by a head nod, an "Ahh, I see...," or the plain old awkward silence. Sometimes though, I am given an eager look anticipating a response, as if just uttering the name of the college was insufficient without an explanation of the intentions behind my decision. As I finish my semester of classes, this interrogative expression doesn't confound me as much as it did before moving to Kathmandu valley. Having to state the series of causes and conditions that contributed to me quitt...

Truckin’ The last 100 days in Boudha, as I approach the end of my first semester of study at Rangjung Yeshe and first time in Nepal, remind me of that line from the Grateful Dead song Truckin’:   Sometimes the lights all shinin’ on me, other times I can barely see. But lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it’s been. Such an odd choice of adjectives and perhaps song lyrics isn’t to convey a lack of enjoyment or signal discontentment, don’t get me wrong. The learning has been tremendous. Just that lessons have coalesced, spontaneously and unexpectedly across my windshield. I hope I don’t miss my turning. I decided three years ago I wanted to study Buddhism and I still think my understanding of the subtle and profound Dharma is basic and contrived. But the last three months have felt like I’m heading somewhere. I can’t explain why, but it’s a feeling I have. A friend here at RYI, who’s wiser than I will ever be, ove...

Come here and bring them over Kathmandu valley is certainly richly packed with holy places, and even the Boudhanath area alone, full of monasteries, lamas and holy objects as it is, would be a good destination for a potential pilgrim. If you’re anything like me, though, your family members (and many of your friends) might not be typical Buddhist pilgrims at all. They might not want to tour the four great places associated with Buddha’s life, or attend the Dalai Lama’s teachings, or even go to your local Buddhist center. However, if you are here, they might want to see how you’re doing—and, of course, tour around a little bit (how often do they go to Asia in general or Nepal in particular?) Don’t miss on that chance to hook them to something virtuous! Many of the objects in the Kathmandu valley have the reputation of “liberation upon seeing”. Tibetan Buddhists believe that seeing a holy stupa—or even a sticker with a mantra, for that matter—leaves a powerful imprint i...