Being inside the RYI classrooms has been fascinatingly surreal to my ears. I can easily drift into the memories of chanting and sounds of ritualistic instruments being played at the lakhang situated on the ground floor of the RYI building.

The voices in unison chanting the ‘Praise to Manjushri’ during the traditional Khenpo classes in the mornings were motivating. Additionally, the vibrations of the Tibetan drums, horns, and cymbals that were felt in my body as I sat above the cushion that was laid on a wooden floor in the classroom were deeply moving. I also remember feeling a profound sense of purification with the vibrations of those sounds.

In the meantime, I also recall the hum and roars of airplanes flying above the building in certain intervals. This would make a hilarious moment for most of us in the classroom, especially for our translators who had to stop translating for a few moments within every ten minutes or so.

The other kind of sound that enchanted me was the silence between the prayers. I feel it held a greatly powerful space for me to observe my thoughts and my way of being in those kinds of spaces. It also offered me a practice that would allow me to mingle with my awareness and surrender to that very moment. These are some of the instances I am unable to describe in words, no matter how much I tried. I am deeply thankful for all these sounds that I have heard at the Seto Gompa.

~ Shreeti Pradhan