Kopan Monastery

It's been a while since I've made an update - alot has happened since the last one. I'll start with the course.

As you may or may not know, one reason for my trip is to learn more about Buddhism. I have had some great luck thus far with the 7 day retreat in France, sitting in on teachings in Dharamsala, India and at Shedra in Boddhanath, Nepal just ouside of Kathmandu. Up to this point, everything I have experienced has exceeded my expectations and has had a major impact on me and my life. I wanted to continue this process at Kopan monastery by enrolling in the 30 day retreat. Keep in mind, I've only started to learn about Buddhism since June, 2005.

This retreat focused on an intensive study of the Lam Rim. In addition, we also received 2, one hour guided meditation sessions each day in addition to some meditation sessions to start the various classes each day. We had two western instructors, one of which grew up in Chicago, Illinois, I believe.

I thought to myself at first, ok, fine, I don't know what "Lam Rim" means but what the heck - I'll learn about it. However after the first week, my first impression of the course was not good. Several things played a role in this. For one, several people got sick, including myself. Seemed like at least 4 new people each day had to stay in bed with some kind of viral or bacterial infection including fever - this continued for 10 days from the start of the course. About the time one person would feel better, a new person would get sick. I realize that it is common for a few people to get sick from the food in a new country however, it seemed excessive. In some instances people would clear out of class only to hopefully make it outside to up-chuck!

The teachings themselves were rough. It wasn't so much the content as it was the delivery of the material - unskillful. It was obvious to everyone and as the course progressed, more and more people would skip his teachings and instead, just read the material or related materials on their own. More and more gaps in the "classroom" became apparent as folks either left the course all-together OR just hang outside reading, stretching, or meditating waiting for the evening meditation session. In fact, I counted at least 3-4 people left the course entirely every day since inception - that I knew of for certain! However, I do want to note that upon the second week I noticed that the teacher became a little more skillful in his presentation with the material.

A significant turn-off for me was how the material's delivery was implied. It seemed to get conveyed that I must believe such and such instead of, these are the facts - learn about them if you like. Very difficult to explain this point but I could definitely feel a different tone being communicated versus all the other teachings I have listened to. I didn't like that and it came across as very religious; some descibed it as dogmatic.

The material seemed a bit heavy for me and unfortunately, I was hoping for a more gentle approach especially since I'm not yet ready to accept everything as my own belief.

I decided to leave the course early and retreat to samsara (cyclic existence) earlier than expected. It was for the best especially since I didn't want to harbor any negative feelings around those that were attending in peace. However, I did learn alot including some great meditation techniques and I met some really fabulous people. And I'm happy to report that I had an opportunity to listen to Robina Corbin, an Australian monk, speak one evening. I had heard so much about her and missed an opportunity to experience her teachings in India. Amazing lady!

All in all, I'm glad I experienced part of the course and in no way does this experience deter me from my quest for knowledge about Buddhism. Although it is sad to me that it seems they had a significant drop-out this time, for me it is just a stepping stone to the next level.