Not long after the trek we went back to Kathmandu where I discovered that a 10-day meditation course was about to start at the Kopan Gompa, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery situated up one of the sides of the beautiful Kathmandu Valley. I signed up and moved into a double-room together with a guy from Switzerland named Toby. The course participants numbered about 60 or 70 people of all shapes and colors and ages from all parts of the world. Each day we followed a schedule and attended several meditations and teachings. We had two teachers: Venerable Karen, a Swedish nun who had been practicing Buddhism for about 21 years, and Geshe Tashi, a Tibetan Geshe (a high degree within the system). Karen ran all the meditation sessions and the pre-lunch teachings, and Geshe Tashi taught us in the afternoon. Early in the afternoon we also met in discussion-groups to go through relevant topics from the teachings or just discuss Buddhist philosophy in general.

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Before I came to Kopan I had only a vague idea what Buddhism was about, and I had never had a successful meditation session before. To explain in detail the complex systems of Tibetan Buddhism would be to transcribe completely the teachings I received during the course, which means that it would be many hours of non-stop dialogue. This is obviously not possible, but I can give some hints and outlines as to what it is about, and if you find yourself remotely interested I encourage you to obtain relevant literature or attend basic meditation courses like those I have. I believe that the most important rule in Tibetan Buddhism is the Karma Law, the law of cause and effect. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to become an enlightened being through knowledge and good deeds. This will free oneself and eventually all others from the seemingly endless cycle of rebirths and delusions called Samsara.

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After the evening meditations we were instructed to keep a period of silence until after the next morning meditation. This was to help us put in place the massive input of information we had been fed all day, and to observe our own minds better, a form of meditation in its own right.

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After the 10-day course a three-day retreat followed for those who were interested. In the retreat we were to keep total silence and spend all day attending meditation sessions, going through all we had learned in the past 10 days. I didn�t find the retreat so beneficial, mostly because of emotional and physical distress (it can be very painful to keep a straight back for so many hours each day). For the retreat we had also gotten a new session-director, whom I liked, but I couldn�t hear every other word he said, so my meditation-guidelines were kind of fragmented and blurred. Therefore I became a �renegade-retreater� and whenever the others gathered in the meditation-hall I would go to the top of a beautiful hill with a full view of Kathmandu, and sit in the shade (because the sun always shone on Kopan) and do mindfulness meditation while listening to birds singing.

�During the course we went through many different types of meditation, although they all have root in basic rules about the posture of the body (which must - but not strictly necessarily - be in lotus or cross-legged position and with as straight back as you can maintain) and constant observation of your breath going in and out of your body. People can choose themselves if they want to close or open their eyes while meditating. Our teacher Karen suggested half-closed eyes, while I myself liked it better with fully closed eyes. The most simple, but also effective, type of meditation is one where you simply count your breaths. This is called Mindfulness Meditation. As you breathe in and out you count how many times you inhale and exhale, 1�2�3�4 and upwards, until your thoughts have suddenly carried you away and you have forgotten which number you have reached. This may happen at 3 or at 30 or wherever. It is a fine example of how distracted we are and how riotous our mind is. When you discover that your concentration is elsewhere, you return to your breathing and start over. This time you might get a little further than last time. It is a nice and easy meditation practice that in the long run will increase your level of concentration at all times, and it will give your sub-consciousness a better idea of how your mind works.

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During the meditation course we also meditated on the mind and how it is separated from the body, which can give astonishing insights into the nature of our reality and what we really are. We also meditated on death, going through the different stages of physical death whereafter the mind is released from the inhibiting body to a realm of freedom from our limiting senses. All of this is amongst many other things beneficial for preparing for the inevitable death of our body. Tibetan Buddhism teaches us that our mind and body are separated and that the mind will continue where the body is left behind. With the right amount of practice and wisdom it is possible to avoid confusion and fear at the moment when the mind is released from the body, and direct the mind into a body of own choice. This option is however only available to highly trained Buddhists. Other sentient beings are simply put into the body that their karma determines.

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Buddhism teaches us that there is a certain balance in this universe that must always and will always be upheld. If you take something you must replace it. Whatever goes up will always come down, and whatever goes down will always come up. Just like the forever expanding and contracting universe. When you act good or bad according to the karmic laws you will sooner or later experience the good or bad results from this action. These results don�t necessarily appear immediately, they may not even appear in this lifetime.

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And regarding lifetimes and reincarnation, this is where most people loose the thread when it comes to Tibetan Buddhism because it is for many people inconceivable that we should be born again after this life. Through specific meditations it is possible to gain a direct understanding of why Tibetan Buddhism says that it is inconceivable that we should not be reborn after this life. The theory is that the experiencing mind which channels all of reality (or at least that which our senses doesn�t screen out) to us continues experiencing even after the body has lost all power. Then the mind moves on.

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Tibetan Buddhism teaches us that we as humans are exceptionally gifted in having the abilities we are born with. We have as humans the potential of becoming enlightened in this very lifetime. Animals, who range lower than humans on karmic scales, do not have the capacity to learn about Dharma or Buddhism. They live in constant fear and are totally instinct-driven. Therefore they more resemble machines than living beings. They have very little choice in the individual situations. According to karmic laws humans are also at all times placed in situations that their past karma has determined. But we at least have the option of acting or thinking in certain ways. If we remember what the Buddhism has taught us and acts according to this we generate good karma that will be beneficial for us later. But most of the time our desires and delusions drive us into the actions we perform and that generally generates bad karma. One of the major goals of Buddhism and meditation is to develop the ability to see through all these delusions that make us chase the wrong and short-lived goals in life. Basically all we ever want and try to achieve is happiness. At this point in evolution humans believe that happiness comes from outside and external sources. We believe that if we get this or that object, drink Coca-Cola, get so and so much money we will be happy. But time and time again we discover that this happiness is short-lived, and that once you have flown so high you have that farther to fall. Buddhism is about dealing with all emotional states and all external encounters in a sensible way. You can learn to deal with all situations and maintain a happy state when you discover and utilize the fact that true happiness always comes from inside yourself. Before you can go outside and deal realistically with the external world you have to go inside and gain control over your emotional universe. If you think about it you will know that you can never maintain one emotional state for more than a few moments. You are constantly thrown about in a furious sea of wild emotions, leaving you at times exhausted and miserable. Buddhism is about going with the flow, riding on the stream of external input, recognizing things for what they truly are, and dealing with all situations in the best way according to the karmic laws. Then you will gain a power over yourself that you never thought possible before.

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Before I came to Kopan I had heard of meditation courses in Thailand where participants were instructed to be silent for something like 14 days, spending all day alone, eating small meals of rice while the monks ate western food and candy and watched television in the evenings. This I thought of as a great hoax for all those western seekers, and a great way to make money for all those eastern teachers. How easy mustn�t it be to run a 14 day course, if the basis of it all is to keep people silent.

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But at Kopan, and later during a meditation course in Bodhgaya in India, I learned the true values of keeping the silence. When you don�t communicate yourself to other beings you necessarily have to direct all your outputs and questions inward, a direction seldom chosen for many of our thoughts. This way we truly get to experience who and what we are, since total honesty to oneself develops quickly when there is no other to turn to. When you don�t speak to others you find yourself communicating with your surroundings. Not talking to trees and furniture, but experiencing the external and truly seeing. As I was told many times during the courses I have taken, �if you have a question, don�t ask somebody else, ask yourself. Eventually you will find the answer within yourself�. And this is true in many, if not all, cases. People are generally too quick to push their thoughts and feelings away, not examining what our own reactions to internal and external events truly are. We wander through life pulling ourselves forward instead of gently flowing.

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The problem of keeping silence in a place like Kopan (or anywhere else where there are other humans, for that sake) is that the silence is not just about talking, it is about communication in general. You are not silent if you write messages to each other, and you are not silent if you look another person in the eyes or wink or wave or nod. Therefore many Tibetan Buddhists engage in year-long retreats in mountain caves, obviously something that would be highly irregular for a westerner to do. If a silent meditation course should be successful, all participants would have to live in isolated chambers, with a video/computer projection of the teacher, whenever the teachings are supposed to take place. But even though what we practiced at Kopan was not total silent non-communication it was still an astonishing and beneficial experience because so much of the normal communication was screened off. The mind then starts to work on a completely different level, and you become much more intimate with these processes of experiencing, instead of just being a non-participating spectator to the movie of your life.

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Kopan Monastery was established in 1970 by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Rinpoche as a monastery for the monks and nuns of Solu Khumbu, and as a center for Buddhist study and retreat for their students from around the world.

The monastery is now home to approx. 260 monks and a place of study for approx. 150 nuns from many parts of Tibet, Nepal and India. The nuns live at the Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery on the road towards Boudha.

Many people from all over the world visit Kopan every year to attend the meditation courses, or do retreat, and renew their inspiration to make life more meaningful.

Kopan is part of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international network of some ninety centers dedicated to the study and practice of Buddhism, publishing companies, hospices and healing centers.

At Kopan we make every effort to offer our visitors comfortable accommodation, good vegetarian meals and an environment conducive to study, practice and relaxation.

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Meditation courses are held throughout the year at Kopan: seven to ten-day courses in March, April, May, June, September and October; as well as a month-long meditation course in November. The November course is usually taught by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the spiritual director of the FPMT and founder of Kopan, and guided by a senior member of the Western Sangha.

The meditation courses are a combination of teachings, guided meditations and discussion groups.

The teachings present the principles of Buddhist thoughts and practice, with emphasis on the experiential. Participants are shown how to meditate, and how to make the Buddhist principles part of one�s life: the point of Buddhist practice.

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Discipline: Please keep the five precepts while at Kopan: no killing of any creature, no lying, no stealing, no sexual conduct, and no intoxicants, including cigarettes. Please dress appropriately; no revealing or skimpy clothes.

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During courses we request participants to keep silence after the evening meditation until breakfast the following day, or as recommended by the course leader. The meditation hall is an area of silence at all times.

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Kopan offers all facilities free to its monks and nuns as most of the monks and nuns living at Kopan are from poor families who could not afford an education for their children otherwise. They receive food and accommodation, a good education and medical care completely free.

Kopan can do this only because of the kindness of sponsors from around the world who support it in this effort. If you would like to sponsor one of the monks or nuns and support Kopan in this way, please talk to the sponsor coordinator. It costs 1 US$ a day to completely support a monk. The monks and nuns are very happy to have contact with foreigners, they are all very keen to learn English and appreciate the opportunity to make contact with people from other cultures and countries.

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We are always looking for volunteers who would like to spend some time at Kopan working in the library, or helping in the clinic. If you are interested in this and would like to offer your time, please contact the office for de tails.

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If you have been staying at Kopan and found your time useful and enjoyable, we are very happy to hear about it. You can stay in touch with us by becoming a member of Kopan, which includes membership for the FPMT. For 30 US$ you will receive our newsletter and program, and the MANDALA, the news magazine of the FPMT.

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G. P. P. Box 817

Kathmandu,