Be healthy

It has been about eight years since I started studying at the RYI. If I were commencing my studies in Nepal now I believe this is a simple piece of advice I would benefit from listening: Be healthy.

It is very important to keep ourselves healthy while studying the Dharma, in both body and mind. If we are willing to take studies seriously, it can be very to neglect this fact. As many times I did it, I thought that if I had warned a friend not to fall on the same hole I would have written something meaningful here.

The ways are particular. Go for walks. See the temples, the mountains. Don’t waste much of your limited days in Nepal there too. But make sure you are healthy. This is important. You have probably heard that we need the two wings of method and wisdom to fly, haven't you? But before flying we must stand. And to stand we need these two forms of health: of body and mind. These are our two legs that give us the first jump in the air. Without those, we'd better forget about flying.

My point here is not much about how to be healthy in Nepal. But to call attention to the importance of being healthy anywhere, when dealing with pressure and tension. This sophisticated inner alchemy between activity and relaxation has been one of the most difficult disciplines for me in my studies. But I do feel my life has changed for the better when I took the lessons from it to my routine.

Since I cannot think of anything more important than this, it might be the best thing I could say here. Take care. All the best.

Jigme Rigdzin,

or George, born in Brazil.