Here comes the long-awaited "Life in Nepal: Q & A" Part 2!! Read on to learn updates on life after Nepal, my history with Buddhism, birthplace of Buddha and more...
(Missed Part 1? Read it here.)
Reading time: 5 minutes
Q: (re: village) You said the family you lived with got gas/cooktop a year or 2 ago. Was it provided by Government or NGO? To reduce pollution?
A: My boyfriend's family purchased the gas tank and burners themselves. They did this for multiple reasons, especially regarding the difficulty of cooking exclusively with firewood - wood shortages due to deforestation, logistics of monsoon season and having access only to wet wood, and the smoke factor. Many older women in that society have gone partially or fully blind due to the amount of their life that they spent in smoke while cooking with firewood.
Q: (re: village) What’s source for electricity? Solar?
A: Hydropower is the main source for electricity there. This means that they use the rivers for power. Unfortunately, this comes with quite a bit of inconsistency throughout the year; in summer and winter, the river water level gets low and thus power outages are frequent, while in monsoon season the floods and rains themselves often cause power outages.
Q: Now, 4+ months into your cross-cultural journey, how are your soul and spirit doing? How is Sanam?
A: I will say, the word "journey" is quite accurate regarding the process of integrating back into the US. Some times are easier than others, but overall I am okay and along for the ride. Sanam is overall okay too. We miss each other a ton, but we have had a video call every day since I left, and that helps a lot.
Q: How did you become attracted to Buddhism? What does it mean to you??
A: I first learned about Buddhism at the age of 11, when my Dad brought home books about Zen (namely Everyday Zen, which is still on my bookshelf today). He was doing a martial art at the time that closely linked with Zazen meditation, hence the books. My interest continued into high school, when I took a comparative religions class and felt so inspired to learn more about Buddhism. The language in Buddhist teachings always made more sense to me than the vernacular of other religions. In college I minored in the Study of Religions with an emphasis on Buddhism. In my third year of college, I travelled to China and officially declared myself "Buddhist." My travels after this were focused on Buddhist areas, namely Thailand and Nepal.
To me, Buddhism encompasses a set of teachings on how to reduce suffering - mine and others' - and increase the benefit I can have in this world. Some core teachings are impermanence, karma (cause-and-effect), the interdependence of all phenomena, and the vital need for compassion. I know that the teachings reduce my suffering and thus make me better equipped to help others.
Q: (re: birthplace of Buddha) I looked on map and saw that Lumbini covers an area in Nepal. I wonder why it’s an entire area, as opposed to a city? Is the whole region sacred??
A: Lumbini is the name of both a province and a city. The main part that is sacred is the city, which is deemed a Buddhist pilgrimage site. This site includes the Buddha's birthplace and dozens of surrounding temples from all different cultures (see my video of the birthplace of Buddha here). The province covers a much wider area, including the district of Dang, where my boyfriend's village is!
Q: Do you plan to go back to Nepal?
A: Absolutely.
That's all for this Q & A. All photos in this post are from my trip to Lumbini, the Birthplace of Buddha. Thank you so much for reading! May you be well.
XO
☸️
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