At The Royal Tour, we understand that travel is amazing and paradigm altering. But it isn’t life. Between Sam’s last article two weeks ago and now (both on Nepal), a devastating flood took place, with casualties being severe. So while we hope you enjoy this article, we also would encourage you to donate to organizations that will help with rebuilding, supporting families in need, and helping the country move forward. (A link to World Central Kitchen can be found here, but feel free to choose any agency you wish.) Thank you.
Sincerely, Jonathan Berg (Editor) and Sam Spector (Staff Writer)
Editor’s note: if you are a regular follower of The Royal Tour, you are undoubtedly familiar with Sam Spector, our traveling rabbi/writer. The majority of Sam’s trips are packed, trying to see as much as possible in the limited time his busy life affords him, and his articles about maximizing stays in places are – I’m sure – highlights for you in our community. This article is different. Here, Sam takes us through a slow down, spending time outside Kathmandu learning meditation. I hope you all love this glimpse into what travel can truly be as much as I did reading it. For more of Sam’s amazing writing, be sure to click here to visit his index page, especially if this is your introduction to him. Trust me, you’ll eagerly await each of his contributions.
In my last article, I wrote about the spectacular sights to see in the heart of Kathmandu, where you should spend a couple of days. However, what brought me to Nepal was that I was on a sabbatical to learn more about how people use mountains to promote spirituality, ritual, and worship (after all, I am a rabbi in Utah), and secondly, to learn about how to be a calm leader and presence for my community. While I love the Jewish community and am proud to be a part of it, let alone the rabbi, we are a bit more known for our neuroticism than we are for our calmful Zen; that award goes to our Buddhists friends, who I sought to study from. Though Nepal is 81% Hindu and only 9% Buddhist, Buddhism is important to Nepalese culture, and Nepal, as the birthplace of the Buddha, is important to the Buddhists. After spending a couple days in the city, I went out for the next five days to find myself, learn, and grow in other parts of the Kathmandu Valley.
Swotah Travels arranged two monastery stays for me, one at the Neydo Monastery in the town of Pharping, located 20 kilometers south of Kathmandu with a population of 10,000, and the other at Namobuddha, 40 kilometers southeast of Kathmandu. Namobuddha seemed a bit more catered to tourists as it is considered the second holiest place in Nepal for Buddhism and receives large tourist crowds. 300 monks call the large monastery home, and the sprawling complex has many temples. A kind guide took me around Namobuddha, which took a few hours to do. The monastery is on top of a hill and there are thousands of prayer flags all over the mountain, and pictures of deceased loved ones are hung on the hiking paths to bring their souls peace. The complex is also surrounded by large gates welcoming those who visit.
At Namobuddha, there are many depictions of tigers. The reason for this is that it was at this site where an early incarnation of the Buddha saw a starving tiger and its cubs. He decided to sacrifice himself as an act of selflessness so that the tigress and her cubs could eat, hence the holiness of the place. At Namobuddha, there are opportunities to eat in the same room as the children-monks, which is interesting and you get to eat the same foods as the monks, but you do not get to interact with them and are more of a spectator. The same holds true for the morning Puja prayer service. While Namobuddha is a great trip for half a day or so, especially as such a significant place for Buddhists, I found myself far more drawn to Pharping’s Neydo Monastery.
When driving into Pharping, you will find yourself in a rural, hilly community that has a giant statue of Buddha in it. The Neydo Monastery is located on top of a hill. The accommodations at the monastery’s guesthouse were very high end and comfortable and had a welcoming staff. The monastery, while smaller than Namobuddha, was spectacular, intimate, and I found myself more able to meditate during the evening and morning Puja services. Another highly beneficial activity at the monastery was taking a meditation course with the director of the monastery, who oversees the training for the young monks, some of whom are as young as 6 years old. Dawa, the director, was a monk who had lived most of his life at the monastery and was now in his mid 30s. He was incredibly generous with his time, answering my many questions thoughtfully for over two hours and helping guide me into learning how to meditate. One of the fascinating parts of our interaction, and travel in general, is getting to meet people who see the world through a completely different lens. When I told Dawa about my life, I mentioned that I had a wife, children, a home, and a career, all of which society encourages us to obtain in the United States. Dawa told me that this sounded like tremendous responsibility and stress, and that his life was free from stress without those things.
My two hours of talking with Dawa was among the most beneficial of my entire sabbatical. Afterwards, the staff of the hotel led me on a hike to a suspension bridge over a canyon and to a sacred forest at sunset. While I spent about 24 hours at the Neydo Monastery, this is a place where I would love to return for several days.
Finally, the last three days of my time in Nepal were spent outside of the town of Bhaktapur, a significant suburb of Kathmandu of 80,000. Bhaktapur has one of the three UNESCO Durbar squares, which I drove past, but regrettably did not get to tour. In a rural village, Nagarkot Phedi (population 5200) is the Niru Yoga Homestay, which is led by a husband and wife team, Rajan and Niru. For three hours a day for the next three days, Rajan taught me yoga (he can teach the most advanced students, or like me, the very beginner) and meditation. Niru, his wife and the namesake of the homestay, is, by their own account, the heart and soul of the place. I do not recall meeting a kinder person, with a more constant smile and more infectious laugh than Niru. Throughout the day, Niru prepares delicious and healthy vegetarian organic meals that are completely farm to table from their own property. Each time she does, she greets you with a song, most notably her world-renowned teatime song. Every day, their son leads a hike up the strenuous hills of the area where you are likely to spot wildlife (I saw a green viper snake, but he says that he has spotted even leopards and tigers) to temples and waterfalls. He also led me over the second largest pedestrian suspension bridge in Nepal and through beautiful forests. The homestay program has a strictly regimented schedule and adheres to Ayurveda practices of diet, exercise, meditation, yoga, and morning nasal cleansing. While intense, after three days I felt healthier mentally and physically than I can remember in a long time. I can only imagine what the 10bday detox program that follows a similar method would do for me (and it costs under $500 for the ten days including food and accommodation!). Rajan told me that there have been people who have stayed for as long as 6 months doing this program with him.
While I usually travel to see spectacular sights and bring back photos and memories of historical places, this was a trip that was dedicated to learning and growth. In many ways I got much more out of this type of trip than those I typically do. Getting to stay with a family in a rural village for several days, learning from a Tibetan Buddhist master how to meditate and asking him life’s important questions, and receiving guidance on habits that I can develop to improve my life and health, all while meeting fascinating people, was one of the greatest adventures that I have had and that I can recommend doing; if it were not for my responsibilities back home, I likely would have stayed for many more weeks to be able to prolong the peace that I felt.
Recommendations:
Swotah Travel & Adventure Spiritual Retreat Nepal: https://www.swotahtravel.com/spiritual-retreat-nepal
Neydo Monastery Hotel: https://www.neydohotel.com/
Niru Yoga Homestay: https://niruyogahomestay.com/
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