Nepal

Nepal Program

The Solu region of Nepal is an area of green river valleys, rolling hills, and magnificent mountain landscapes. In addition to it’s physical beauty, Solu is also homeland to the Sherpa people and a center of Vajrayana Buddhism. Dotting the vistas are monasteries, monks on pilgrimage, mani (prayer) walls, and villagers walking the ancient paths of Padmasambhava, who brought Buddhism to the Himalayas 1300 years ago. Sitting below Solu is Kathmandu Valley, the bustling cultural and political center of Nepal. Comprised of three ancient cities, Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, the valley offers a dazzling mix of Hindu and Buddhist temples, medieval town squares, fantastic craftworks, and wonderful, warmhearted people.

The focus of this program, which combined a Himalayan trek guided by Thapkay Lama, a local monk from Solu, with the exploration of Kathmandu, was the study of Vajrayana Buddhism within its natural milieu, the quiet experience of one of the most magnificent landscapes in the world, and the juxtaposition of this quiet with the excitement of a city where the sacred and secular appear to mix seamlessly. We believe that this immersion helped us to pause for a moment to reflect upon the modern world we have created, enabling us to view ourselves through the ancient prism which is Nepal, and to make new friends in this beautiful, distant land.