KAPAN MONASTERY

One of the most popular monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism is the Kapan Monastery which is perched on a hill not far north of Boudha. Each year a large number of foreigners arrive here to study Buddhism and meditation. Kapan Monastery was founded by Lama Thubten Yeshe who died in 1984. Interestingly, a small Spanish boy named Osel Torres became his successor after he was declared a reincarnation of the great Lama. However, the reincarnation does not reside at Kapan anymore.![26187363_2025045084399774_2002624193631354880_n.jpg] Courses deal with Mind Training, Karma, Death and Dying, Bodhicitta, and more. There are 5-day and 10-day courses and a month long course on meditation. There are also short courses on Tibetan medicine, Thangka painting and the very popular 10-day residential courses in Buddhist psychology and philosophy. Courses vary in length and some students spend months at the monastery devoted to their studies. In the past many were housed in tents due to lack of space but now there are enough rooms to accommodate them.

There is a sealed road all the way to the monastery but it is also a pleasant hike from Boudha. People from many different Nepali ethnic groups also join the monastery as young boys to become monks. These young lads get formal education in math, science and other subjects just as their contemporaries in local schools. Kids can join at a tender age and are mostly from families who traditionally send one child to become a monk or a nun. (https://steemitimages./DQmXpETmaHu44w738z56Sv9k35rhof9zdDP6pdp81XoHXmY/26187363_2025045084399774_2002624193631354880_n.jpg)