Studying with the monks
In 2008 I arrived in Boudhanath to take a break from my job and to study a little bit of Buddhist philosophy. Now, I am still here and am privileged to study – kindly supported by the Tsadra foundation – in the monks’ shedra.
At the moment we are studying Chandrakirti’s Madhyamakavatara bhashya.
From all the good things I have experienced at RYI in Boudhanath the monk shedra is certainly the climax. Khenpo Urgyen Tenphel unpacks Chandrakirti’s complicated text in a highly lucid way with clear Tibetan sentences … well, it’s still sometimes too fast for my limited capacity but there is also a review class and I also meet regularly with Paul, my intelligent Western colleague in this class, to go again through difficult passages.
But best of all is certainly the presence of the monks with whom we study. They are the most friendly, relaxed, humble, and faithful people I have ever met in this life. It makes me want to be one of them in my next life…
~Gerd from Austria
