by Mary Mike/Jigme Pema Chutso

Travelling through mountains of various colours and hues, through dust, heat and desert landscapes, we arrived at a retreat nunnery in Kordza - a days journey from Leh, the capital of Ladakh. While the tents were being erected, the nuns served us rice and tea as we adjusted to the new altitude of 3,500 m. The nuns were an inspiration as they chanted for hours in the nunnery, some of them giving up their rooms to accommodate those of us who needed more shelter than the tents provided. We received daily teachings from His Holiness and were frequently reminded by Him to check our motivation and to do prostrations in order to survive the stark conditions of Kordza; tents were for sleeping and the temple for awakening. The local monks and Ladakhis walked miles across desert to receive the blessings from our Guru and each day the crowd became larger and larger as they gathered around the temple door to hear the Buddha’s teachings from His Holiness. Our Guru blessed us all with daily ganachakra offerings and teachings on the nature of mind in the form of Vajra Yogini, on refuge-taking and prayers for our deceased friends and relatives. It was such a unique experience and opportunity to go so much further and deeper into the discovery of our own Buddha nature. Kortza Nunnery seen from above