Studying in nepal

Question

A friend of mine has decided to move to Nepal,to study there. In his country there are no Nepali embassy should He contact them online? Links would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Near Kathmandu there's a place called Boudha.

Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, one of the most famous lamas in Kagyu lineage, has his teaching center there. Check out http://www.rinpoche.com/boudha18.htm

You can go as a tourist first and then figure out permanent status.

The Kathmandu Valley is a major place of pilgrimage for Buddhists. Around the city of Kathmandu are ancient Buddhist stupas such as the Great Boudhanath Stupa. The area surrounding the stupa which is known as “Boudha” has over sixty Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. There are many teachers and high lamas, either living in Boudha or visiting. Due to this, many students of Buddhism from all over the world come to stay here to receive teachings. Some monasteries provide situations for study in Higher Buddhist Philosophy. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche’s main monastery known as Thrangu Tashi Choling is located in Boudha close to the Boudha Stupa.

In the hills nearby Boudha, Phullahari Monastery, the seat of HE Jamgon Kongrul Rinpoche is located.

In the area of Swayambunath, is the Swayambunath Stupa also known as “The Monkey Temple”. Located on top of a hill, the whole hill itself is considered to be a self arisen stupa. According to legend, Lord Manjushri cut into the lake that was once the Kathmandu Valley and as the water was set free the hill rose up simultaneously. Thrangu Tara Abbey, Thrangu Rinpoche’s nunnery for Buddhist nuns is in Swayambu. There are many monasteries in the Swayambu area including Benchen Monastery, the home of Tenga Rinpoche and Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche.

Among the many places of pilgrimage is Namo Buddha, one of the most important, where, in a previous life as a prince, the Buddha gave his body to a starving tigress and her cubs. At Namo Buddha, Thrangu Rinpoche has a temple, school for young monks, a college for Higher Buddhist Studies and other projects.

Answer 2

To start with, here are general information on visa. Beware that the specificity depends on your citizenship (basically, what country issued your passport). Just some general points are:

• Generally, a tourist visa is US$ 100 for 90 days Visa.
• Retreat visa do not exist for all countries. They are not even mentioned on the official website. Last time I wanted to get such a visa, they asked for a motivation letter and proofs that I will do retreat from the center I planned to go in.
• You are likely to be able to stay longer if you get a student visa. However (1) The number of study centers that enable you to get such a visa is small, and they are mostly universities. It is likely that if you study in a monastic setting, or a Dharma lay setting, they will not allow this. (2) If you plan to stay for, say, one year, you have to send a bank statement from a local bank in Nepal to the Nepali government , showing that you have a balance of - give or take - $3,000. The amount depends on your citizenship. This rule also applies for India, etc.

For these reason, I concur with Andrei: try on a tourist visa. And I suggest you also give a try to the Himachal Pradesh in India.

In Nepal, if you don't speak Tibetan, I believe you can study in English at the following places. I'm not entirely sure, though.

• Rangjung Yeshe Institute. I would assume they might open a door to a student visa because they work in partnership with Kathmandu University.
• Rigpa Shedra.
• Kopan Monastery. The Basic Program, for instance, but it is not all year long.

In Buddhanath, there are a few Shedra (i.e. "places of teachings") open to Westerners. The question is always: do they teach in English?

In India, there is the Institute of Buddhist Studies and Dialectics.

I am sorry I cannot help you much with this. But do not think that you have to live in one of these countries to be a monk in a Tibetan tradition. There are places in the West.