Katmandu: Kopan Monastery
Many of us have a very idealistic idea of monasteries, thinking of some high things.
In fact, everything is much simpler. The monastery is principally a school. But what they study and who teaches in this school is already a question of the quality of education and the matter of every educational institution.
What do the monks learn in the Buddhist monasteries of Gelug? First classes begin to read and then to recite mantras – the texts of static tantric meditation.
What is the purpose of studying? Teach the student to look at the world through the eyes of a child who can not speak yet and the teachings leading to it.
But apart from individual learning, the student joins the ideological structure of the Buddhist institution with its real and magical influence on the world around us. That is why every monastery is a small center of influence.
Kopan Monastery is located in a very colorful corner of the capital of Nepal.
Kopan is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Gelug school in Nepal. It is associated with the International Foundation for the Preservation of the Tradition of Mahayana and at the same time, it was his former headquarter. It is located on the top of Kopan Hill on the outskirts of Kathmandu, near Bodnath Stupa.
The monastery was founded by Lamas, Tubten Yeshe, and Tubten Zopa Rinpoche. In 1969 they bought the land from a Nepalese royal astrologer. Currently, the name “Kopan” connects two monastic organizations: the Kopan Monastery itself, located on the top of Kopan Hill, and the nearby, women monastery, Khachoe Ghakyil Ling. Today, over 700 monks and nuns live here, mainly from Tibet and the highlands of Nepal.
Kopan Monastery is especially known for transferring Buddhist teachings to foreigners. The first meditation course was led in 1971. Since then, hundreds of Europeans have come to Kopan every year. These courses combine traditional lam-rage, open discussions, meditation and a vegetarian diet. Courses lasting from 7 to 10 days take place on average once every 2 months. The instructor and the Tibetan lamas of the monastery also give individual consultations. The courses are usually accompanied by an intensive 3-day meditative deepening under the supervision of experienced masters. For the students, the monastery has hotel rooms.
