Lumbini

Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha, is situated about 22 km. from Bhairahawa (Siddharthanagar), below the Churia range, 24 km. south from the foothills of the Himalayas, on the western bank of Telar river in Rupandehi district of Lumbini zone in Nepal. It is about 300 km. west of capital city Kathmandu. Kapilvastu, Rupandehi and Nawalparasi Terai districts of Lumbini Zone are around Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha, which are fertile and densely populated. 

 It is about 34 km. from Naugarh Railway Station on the North-Eastern Railway of India. Buddha, Known as the Lord of Asia, was born in Lumbini during the full moon day in the month of Baisakh in 623 BC. He was born under a sal (Shorea robusta) tree when Mayadevi was going to her maternal town on the occasion of delivery. 

 Lord Buddha 

In general, 'Buddha' means 'Awakened One', someone who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and sees things as they really are. A Buddha is a person who is completely free from all faults and mental obstructions. There are many people who have become Buddhas in the past, and many people will become Buddhas in the future.. There is nothing that Buddha does not know. Because he has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and has removed all obstructions from his mind, he knows everything of the past, present, and future, directly and simultaneously. 

Moreover, Buddha has great compassion which is completely impartial, embracing all living beings without discrimination. He benefits all living beings without exception by emanating various forms throughout the universe, and by bestowing his blessings on their minds. Through receiving Buddha's blessings, all being, even the lowliest animals, sometimes develop peaceful and virtuous states of mind. Eventually, through meeting an emanation of Buddha in the form of a Spiritual Guide, everyone will have the opportunity to enter the path to liberation and enlightenment.

It is impossible to describe all the good qualities of a Buddha. A Buddha's compassion, wisdom, and power are completely beyond conception. With nothing left to obscure his mind, he sees all phenomena throughout the universe as clearly as he sees a jewel held in the palm of his hand. Through the force of his or her compassion, a Buddha spontaneously does whatever is appropriate to benefit others. He has no need to think about what is the best way to help living beings - he naturally and effortlessly acts in the most beneficial way. Just as the sun does not need to motivate itself to radiate light and heat but does so simply because light and heat are its very nature, so a Buddha does not need to motivate himself to benefit others but does so simply because being beneficial is his very nature.

580 Year Old Gompa In Mustang

One of the major reasons to pay a visit to Muktinath in Mustang region is the splendid beauty that accompanies the trekkers while another is the presence of Hindu holy site where the Lord Vishnu is enshrined. However, for those who are interested in neither trekking nor a Hindu pilgrimage site, especially the followers of Buddhism, there is one reason why they should visit Muktinath.

Passing through the Kali Gandaki River’s floodplain is the ancient fort city of Kagbeni. There still lay a special gompa or monastery of Kag Chode Thupen Samphel Ling, although its walls are crumbling and its king is present only as a memory. The tall stone and mud building belonging to the Sakya lineage of Buddhism stays right in the center of the town.

Kagbeni is recognized as a place where Tibetan Buddhist lifestyle is followed in a way that does not even exists in Tibet itself. It is nestled at the foot of Upper Mustang surrounded by huge rounded sandstone hills. Roaming around the place makes one wonder if they are still in Nepal or somewhere else.

The locals are engaged doing their kora or rounds around the town and the monastery from early morning to late evening. It continues throughout the day with the haunting sounds of a Manakal protection ritual, a tantric ritual which has continued for centuries and is led by the monks of the monastery.

The gompa was started more than 580 years ago by Tibetan scholar Tenpai Gyalsten and was built by the locals to be their spiritual center. Hundreds of monks from 12 surrounding villages used to live here in its glorious days, however, the number has done down to 40 in present days and even the Rimpoche, The highest teacher lives in India. While you visit the monastery, do not forget to enter into its ritual room in the middle of the three floors where the main golden Buddhist idol as well as many items such as tantric masks adorn the room and its walls. The ceiling is painted in mandalas, the cosmic roadmaps of life, which is used for meditations. The splendid views of the mountains with the scene of crumbling city in the foreground can be seen from the gompa’s roof. There are many prayer wheels around the monastery, however, some fist-sized ceramic conch-like items are tucked in behind the wheels which encase items such as grains of rice from past rituals.

This 580 years old gompa is definitely a place to be for those who are in search of inner peace and wants to observe Tibetan Buddhist culture.