Full Moon Over Kathmandu

At 7:00 AM the bus arrived at it's final destination, nearby the entrance gate of the stupa in Boudhanath (Boudha for short). The Boudhanath stupa is the largest stupa in the world and at around 5:00 PM, many Tibetans and other Buddhists alike do kora, circumambulate the stupa.

The best way for me to describe the area around the stupa is like a piazza, and rather than a church, there's the stupa. The stupa is surrounded by a red cobblestone walkway and on the border of the walkway, the circular area is lined with guesthouses, restaurants and shops that sell different kinds of dharma wares - statues, thangkas, malas, and more. Boudha has anything and everything related to Tibetan Buddhism.

Boudha is saturated with Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, twenty-eight in fact. There are also many shedras, schools for learning Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and language, for westerners. Kathmandu is a dharma rich city for sure. There are so many resources here and so many teachings by respected masters available that I feel like I've accumulated good merit toward my karma by just being here.

The day that I arrived in Kathmandu was the first day of the full moon. That evening there were many carts full of lit butterlamps to offer at the stupa. The full moon also lit the final hours of an auspicious day that hosted the cremation of a great Buddhist master - Chogye Trichen Rinpoche.