RYI STUDENT BLOG

Now we are at the beginning of the “spring semester” in RYI (Rangjung Yeshe Institute), however in this  time is very, very cold in Nepal!!! Everyone are using all the warm clothes that is possible to protect from the freeze weather, thus we  have a huge variety of colorful and creative styles around. Even the nuns and monks display their warm  neckerchief and gloves as well different kinds of very warm bonnet, as me they do not have natural  protection from the chilliness… That way, despite of the cold weather everyone is very happy and with warm heart!!! All the students, teachers, staff and nuns and monks are very glad and rejoicing to see each other after  a short vacation of one month. When we meet each other the curiosity to know what we did during the free time is the first subject of  our talking. Some students went home, what means for some to travel for their countries - what mean all the  continents, as our Shedra – university, i...

Nagi Gompa is a small nunnery situated above the Kathmandu valley in the Shivapuri National Park. It was home to one of the greatest meditation masters of recent times, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. He lived, practiced and taught in Nagi Gompa for more than 20 years. These days around 100 nuns live in Nagi Gompa, and about half of them stay in long-term retreat, dedicating their life solely to practice and deepening their meditation experience. Furthermore it is also home to the young reincarnation of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, who currently is deeply involved in his studies, education and training. Every year Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, Chokling Rinpoche and Phakchok Rinopche travel to Nagi Gompa for the annual Ngakso Drupchen, two weeks before the Tibetan New Year (Losar). This year for the first time also the young incarnation of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche joined and participated in the drupchen fully. The Tibetan term Drupchen is usually translated as “great or vast accomplishment”. A Drupc...

This semester is my last in the MA program, so I decided to spend most of my time at Nagi, our nunnery, so that I could write in a relaxed way and hopefully digest the information more thoroughly from having few distractions.  Although I miss our shedra sangha and especially the opportunity to talk about the dharma with such kind and learned students and teachers, it has been extremely helpful to have more mental space for contemplation and less activity to take my mind away from the material I’m writing about.   Since I haven’t enjoyed writing until now, much of what I have learned so far this spring is how this can be a creative and artistic project, something both fun and meaningful which hopefully will clarify my many doubts, partial understandings, and misunderstandings regarding “the path” and how all the different levels of teachings fit together for the individuals who travel it.   In my past years of study writing papers was always something...

Every time a semester ends at RYI, I feel especially joyous. One reason  is that I have a sense of strength in my abilities to survive one more semester  with its exams and to learn many profound key points of Buddhist philosophy  and practice. Another reason is that I get to reward myself with some free time  to spend either in Nagi Gompa or Asura hermitage. These two holy places have  become my prominent get away from hussle-bustle of the city. Having these two  getaways has been a key part of my experience in Nepal the last six years. The first time I came up to Nagi Gompa to attend Chokyi Nyima  Rinpoche’s retreat I completely fell in love with the beautiful scenery, warm  atmosphere and of course the amazing nuns. Above Nagi Gompa is Shivapuri  peak, an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, because Kashyapa the  previous Buddha visited the high top of the mountain where he cut his hair as a  sign of renouncing t...

Every year, starting on the 8 th day of the 12 th lunar month in the Tibetan calendar—which usually falls in late January or early February—a nine-day ‘drubchen’ is performed at Nagi Gompa according to the Ngakso (Ocean of Amrita) sadhana belonging to the Chökling Tersar collection. These are the new terma texts discovered by the tertön, or "treasure revealer", Terchen Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa, a great Nyingma master of the 19th century. Some blog-readers may wonder: “What is Nagi Gompa? What is a drubchen?” Nagi Gompa is a beautiful nunnery located high above Kathmandu, lying in the midst of the jungles of the Shivapuri National Park.   Nagi is an hour’s drive by taxi or about three hours by foot from Boudhanath. To reach the nunnery, one can climb the pleasant path of the natural reserve or, if you prefer, taxi up on the bumpy unpaved road. If one decides to take a taxi up to the nunnery, one must officially enter the park by way of the big front gate, sign in ...

Upper Temple Hall, Nagi Gompa I first encountered Nagi Gompa, a nunnery in the Shivapuri National Park at the outskirts of the Kathmandu Valley, three years ago, during Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche’s seminar.  It was love at first sight, and since then, an unending affair.  This is so for many reasons: the kindness and holiness of the nuns; the spectacular views of the valley; the clean air, and the great trekking trails to the top of Shivapuri and down to Boudha.  In the long run, this place is one of the most important reasons for me to stay in Nepal. Nagi Gompa was the seat of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, a renowned Dzogchen master who passed away in 1996.  He was the father of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche.  Many of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche’s foreign students continually came to visit him and stay for some time.  This why now there are rooms available for the steady flow of foreigners coming here.  Other of his students built their own retreat places. ...