In the White Monastery of Copan. Kathmandu. Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal Discussion and lecture

Turning off the camera and taking off my sneakers, I hesitantly walked up to the open door and saw girls with close-cropped hair in burgundy clothes and strange berets on their bald heads arranged in even, dense rows. They all, sitting in the lotus position, sang enthusiastically and rang bells. In front of them, on low benches, lay various ritual objects necessary for the service.

The nun at the entrance invited me in and showed me the direction. ...but I didn’t dare... Because for the first time in my life I found myself serving in a functioning Buddhist monastery.

The Hindus, who quickly crowded behind me, persistently asked me to move and give them way. Seeing how they unceremoniously marched along the perimeter of the temple to the altar, I also decided to enter and, reaching the end of the hall, sat down under the window.

The nun on duty, already familiar to me, brought me a soft pillow so that I would not have to sit on the floor, although it was wooden, but still cold! Having settled down behind everyone, I perfectly saw everything that was happening in the hall and gradually began to make out the words and motives of the chants! YAY!!! I learned some of the mantras!!! That's how it dawned on me that I was at a puja!!!

Only it was a big puja - ganapuja, and it was carried out in an expanded format according to the monastic order! The action captivated me so much that I involuntarily joined the harmonious choir of singers and began to sing familiar places along with them! The sounds of big drums and small drums, bells and horns, a friendly sharp PHET, had a life-giving effect on every cell of my entire being!!! Having lost track of time, my soul rejoiced and my body soared!!!

They rushed around the hall to distribute some food, as required by the ritual. From a distance it looked like our breakfast cereals or oatmeal, such as muesli. The next girl carried something that strongly resembled puffed rice, most likely it was this. Another began to pour something out with tiny ritual spoons. At this time, another young lady from Australia joined me (I found out about this after the end of the service).

A crowd of Hindus followed her! Without exception, the person on duty at the temple or at the service (I don’t know what they call it correctly) offered pillows for a soft place. And a pandemonium formed in our corner. I was pushed and shoved from all sides. The women were clutching their bags. Someone managed to step on me. Someone leaning on his elbows feels like one’s own! One word - Indians!

...but I was so high that all this Hindu fuss and bustle didn’t bother me at all. And yet, to my complete happiness, the Indians were not enough to sit in one place for a long time, and what’s more, to remain silent! And the bulk of them quickly gathered and subsided, creating another wave of fuss and hubbub, leaving their seat cushions for me.

At this time, the last nun who was distributing some small pieces, having bypassed all the practicing nuns, went to us and also gave each of those present a tiny piece of some unusual food. In appearance it didn’t resemble much... perhaps it was very old and weathered chocolate???

• Address: Kathmandu 44600, Nepal
• Telephone:+977 1-4821268
• Website: kopanmonastery.com
• Founders: Thubten Yeshe, Zopa Rinpoche
• Opening year: 1972
• Affiliation: Tibetan Buddhism

Historical reference

The shrine was founded in 1972 by Lamas Yeshe and Rinpoche on lands that once belonged to the royal court. It is noteworthy that, in addition to the Kopan monastery, the temple complex includes the Khacho-Ghakyil-Ling nunnery. Today, over 7 hundred monks and nuns who came from Tibet and isolated areas of Nepal live and study in the monastery.

Meditation courses

Recently, the doors of the Kopan monastery in Nepal are open to everyone. For the convenience of pilgrims and monks, the abbot has developed a special set of rules that must be followed. To learn the basics of Buddhist philosophy and immerse yourself in healing meditations, just enroll in a special group. The most popular are short courses based on Lamrim teachings. The course is recruited every 2 months. Classes include meditative dives, lectures, and special diets. The cost of the course will be on average $60. In addition, at the monastery you can take the Nuung-nyes fasting course, which cleanses the body and spirit.

Accommodation at the shrine

Guests of Copan undergoing training live at the monastery in comfortable rooms for 2-3 people. Payment per day - $7.5. Monks and pilgrims eat together, and exclusively vegetarian dishes.

How to get there?

You can get to the place by public transport. The nearest stop is Simaltar Chowk Bus Station, located 500 m from the target. Buses from different areas arrive here. You can also order a taxi or rent a car. You can get to the Copan Monastery on your own using the coordinates: 27.7420555, 85.3622648.

Kopan Monastery (Nepal) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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A corner of the unity of nature and man, harmony and self-contemplation is located within the walls of the Kopan Monastery, a popular place for studying Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. The meditation retreat is located on a hilltop just north of Boudhanath Stupa, one of the main Buddhist shrines in the Kathmandu Valley, and the views from it are stunning.

The monastery was founded by lamas Thubten Yeshe and Thubten Zopa Rinpoche and named it after this hill. Khacho Ghaki Ling Nunnery is located nearby. Today, more than five hundred monks and nuns live and study within the walls of both monasteries, and since the 70s, pilgrims from all over the world began to come here.

How to get there

From Kathmandu Airport to Kopan you can take a taxi for 1000 NPR. The monastery is open from 9:00 to 19:00. Since Kopan is located in the suburbs of Kathmandu, it takes 20 minutes to reach it by car from Boudhanath Stupa. It costs 300-350 NPR. Prices on the page are as of November 2018.

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Rules for visiting and meditation courses

For those who have no idea what it means to live in a monastery, the ministers of Copan have worked hard and published a kind of manual and set of rules of conduct. The monastery is considered the spiritual oasis of Kathmandu, an international center for the study of Buddhist philosophy and meditation.

Local meditation courses are based on traditional teachings of the lam-rim, a textual guide to the steps to awakening. The most popular courses last 7-10 days, which take place every 2 months. The classes are accompanied by an intensive 3-day meditative immersion under the guidance of experienced masters. The cost of the course is 62,000 NPR, in November the course will cost 103,000 NPR. Here you can also take a course of fasting in solitude (Nuung-nyes) to cleanse the spirit and body.

Kopan Monastery is located a few kilometers from Kathmandu on the top of a hill overlooking the valley.

The monastery belongs to the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1969 by Lamas Thubten Yeshe and Zopa Rinpoche.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the reincarnation of Lavudo Lama, a famous yogi from the Solo Khumbu valley in Nepal. When he passed away, the lama promised that in his next birth he would build a school and monastery for the children of this region. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was born not far from where Lavudo Lama meditated in the cave, and in 1967 he came to Solo Khumbu and built a small school and monastery.

Lama Thubten Yeshe, the mentor of Lama Zopa, is from Tibet. After 1959, he lived in India in the town of Buksa, where he met Zopa Rinpoche. In 1967 they came to Nepal and founded the Kopan and Lavudo monasteries. More than five hundred monks and nuns live and study here, both from Tibet and from the highlands of Nepal, located in the valleys of the Himalayas. Lama Yeshe passed away in 1984. Soon his incarnation was found in Spain. The boy received the name Lama Ozel Rinpoche.
Copan Monastery is also famous for its special connection with the West, and this is not only due to the choice of its birthplace in Spain by Lama Yeshe. Since 1970, the monastery has been conducting special classes in Buddhist philosophy and meditation. For Western students, 7- and 10-day initial training courses and more in-depth courses lasting a month are organized.
The courses provide an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, meditation skills, and include a short retreat. Classes are taught by experienced mentors, monks and nuns from Europe, as well as Tibetan lamas. There are daily meditations and group discussions. Discussions or debates are one of the forms of assimilation of material accepted in Tibetan monasteries. In addition, you can receive individual instructions at any time.

The language of instruction is English. It is possible to organize Russian translation.

Nepal. Tour program by day:

Day 2. Kathmandu
Tour of Kathmandu. The world's largest ancient stupa, Bouddhanath, is the center of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. Light lunch in a cafe overlooking the stupa. Transfer to the Shiva Temple - Pashupatinath. Hindu cremation takes place here on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. At sunset, visit the Buddhist shrine of Swayambhunath Stupa, located on a 77-meter hill overlooking the Kathmandu Valley. It offers views of the Kathmandu Valley and the Himalayas. .

Day 3. Kathmandu - Kopan Monastery
In the morning – transfer to the Kopan monastery. Beginning of a course of training in the practice of Buddhist meditation.

4–12 days. Copan Monastery
Continuation of the 10-day course of training in the practice of Buddhist meditation.

Day 13 Kopan Monastery - Kathmandu – Pharping – Kathmandu
After returning from the monastery, we suggest you go to the cave of Padma Sambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. Here he meditated on the road from India to Tibet at the invitation of the king.