Nothing in My Life is Ever a Coincidence
Few days ago, maybe the next day I landed in Nepal, I opened Facebook..mind you I only created a facebook account because I realised that to find a place to rent long term, then those places are on facebook groups.
Somehow in East asia whether Nepal or Indonesia or even the West surprisingly people still use Facebook groups! I never knew 😂 only boomers hang out there I thought, well apparently not!
Anyways on the Kathmandu group I stumble across an event of By some Himalayan Buddhist center for An Australian Buddhist Nun who was went from backpacking across east asia to becoming a nun!
And I got so curious to hear her story so I signed up and I actually completely forgot about it until I received the email reminder today.
I went there, with zero expectations, and there was 5 other people than me, all are europeans, the nun, and yours truly (along with people who signed up online).
Let me tell you, I loved that nun even before she started talking..she had playful mannerism, she was cracking jokes, making silly expressions and she was just funny! And if anything that attracts me in humans is actually their sense of humor, so I knew I’d love whatever will come next.
She started talking, she was in her mid twenties, her father died suddenly and that event was very traumatic for her, she had her fair share of heart breaks and she decided…I’d like to travel, so she packed her backpack and hopped on the closest spot possible for Australians to start traveling over land, going from Singapore to other countries and then went to India because she heard many Australians go to India for backpacking.
While she was there she met a guy and they got along and started travelling together, that guy didn’t tell her but the plan in his mind was to travel around and actually end up in a Monastery and not coming back…but she didn’t know.
Anyways they kept on going from one place to the other and ended up in Dharamshala and there was a free meditation course (she had absolute no clue about buddhism at that time but she was open minded to anything) and it was free anyways so why not!
The night before the course started the guy with her who she went to Dharamshala in the first place for him as thats what he liked and not her, told her..he decided to drop out! He’s not doing the course,
She said whattt!!! What do I do now??? She already signed up, its free, she thought she’d see what this is about, so the guy left and she stayed and did the course.
She loved the teachings, something resonated with her so she stayed for more and she felt soo connected to that teacher that she decided! Yup thats my teacher! Without even thinking about it she just followed him, and that led her to Kopan Monastery,
And if that sounds familiar to you, then you are right :) thats where I signed up to go do the 7 days course starting in 2 days…and it was completely unplanned for me and so it was for her.
She went there and she loved it, so she said okay i’ll stay for a year more and volunteer there, she got along with the monks, all of them were men and she was the only women but she was happy so she stayed (that’s in the 80’s btw) and after a while her teacher said you should become a nun! And she said:
“BUT WHAT ABOUT MY MOTHER???”
Her only concern was how her mom was already upset with her life choices, she cannot tell her she want to become a Buddhist nun for her rest of life, so she didn’t become a nun at first but then it took her few years and she decided to actually become a nun (ordained).
She told us her mom’s disapproval didn’t change and she kept on telling her, why cant you be like other people where you do your Buddhist things on the weekend and have a normal life the other days? Don’t you want to get married?
It was a constant back and forth, she used to write her mother a letter every month, and it took many christmas cards, birthday cards and monthly letters as back then that was the only method of communication, and it took her mom 20 years to finally come to terms with her choice of becoming a nun.
The first part of the session was her story, and for some reason whenever she was talking she was looking mainly at me…even though there were others, but maybe because I didn’t look like them, they are all olders, maybe I looked too “quirky” to be in that session hahaha, and I was sitting there with my black cap and super casual clothes, tattoos and whatnot 😂 so yeah I understand her curiosity, especially when she asked you do know who Lama Zopa is…and I said no clue and they all laughed!
Apparently its a very famous Buddhist figure and his pictures were actually all around the room we were sitting in, its like someone going to the church and not knowing who Jesus is…so yeah I understand why they all laughed.
And the moment the French lady that was the organizer of this event asked us if there’s any questions, I knew I had many (as always) but I was silent for a bit because I wanted to give a chance for others to ask…but the Nun looked at me and said, I’ve got a question, and she asked me:
“ why did you come here” and I told her how it randomly happened and that I am actually starting a 7 days course in Kopan where she lives in 2 days…everyone around started laughing again hahaha like that girl is mad! She doesn’t even know who Lama Zopa is…but she signed up to a 7 days Buddhist course 😂
I asked her two questions initially (and then so many more), but my questions were:
- You've been a nun for over 37 years now, did you have a moment in your life where you doubted you decision or regretted?
Her Answer: No..never! she found herself very content with the path she chose, initially she just wanted to travel for as long as her saved money lasts her and then she really loved the teachings of her teacher, and she loved how the monks were very easy going and light hearted, taking everything easily, nothing is every a big deal, and she knew she never wanted to go back to work..so for her she just knew in her heart that's her path and she never looked back, and she never felt any regrets.
The second question I asked: As a nun you have some rules and restrictions, is there anything in our "normal" life that you miss?
She said: No! and here the room broke in shouts... oohh come onnnn what about music!! or dancing!!!
She said: Yeah well music comes anyways, like you'll be walking around and you'd hear it, or through a video somewhere, so you hear it whether you like it or not.
As for dancing, once she was feeling down when she was young and her teacher said, go to your room and dance! and she was like Noo what do you mean!!! and he said! just do it!!!
So she went to her room and she was shy at first, she closed all the curtains, and she danced!! and that feeling of being down went :)
So what she was trying to say is, when she needed to do so, she did! but for most of her life she never felt any desires of such.
The conversations went on and on, and I asked so many questions, and she asked me questions too and so many parts of her life resonated with me, and I can write about this for so long as the session actually went on for 3 hours, way pass the allocated time, but we didn't feel it! it was actually fun! she was so much fun! her company is such a delight.
At the end she said: Well...I'll see you in Kopan :D not for you to become buddhist, but for you to expand your mind! and I said that's exactly why I'm going there....so I'll see you there!
And the session was over and I left.
Wow you guys! you may think that this is all a coincidence but it's far from it! and I know that it's far from it!
Because the same thing happened to me few months ago, I travelled from Dubai to Nepal to a specific tiny ashram for Osho in the mountains to volunteer for a month and join their life, because I wanted to do a youtube documentary showing the truth of the Osho cult...but on the second day the daughter of the guru who also is also was her responsibility to operate the ashram was such a bitch! she blew up on me shouting that we had big fight and I packed my stuff in five minutes and left that place!
Mind you that place was on the borders of India! i was one hour by car away from India, and 12 hours away from Kathmandu that's how far away I was....and I left with one massive backpack on my back and small one on front and I was dragging my feet up hill unsure where to go!
I'm in the middle on nowhere, but on my previous day I walked to a village nearby uphill so I thought I'd just walk there and sit in some tea house until I figure out what I'll do with myself as my entire plan was to volunteer there for 1 month! what would I do now!!!
reached the teahouse and I asked the guy, do you recommend any hotels near by and he said go to: Kanyam (the area 20 minutes walk from here)... I opened Google and searched "Kanyam hotels" and the first one I got was Kanyam Ama resort, I messaged them on whatsapp and I booked for few days as I figured the area is so nice I may never come back here, so let me just explore it before going back to Kathmandu.
Let me tell you, Kanyam was one of the most beautiful places I've been to in my life, and I loved it to the extent that one day I'll go back an build a house there in the mountains, but that's not all!! meeting the guru in that tiny osho ashram he planted a seed of something called " Osho Dynamic Meditation" and everyone I met in that ashram said it's life changing, but I didn't get to try it!
So I went to google, and wrote: "Osho Ashram Kathmandu" what do I get?? Tapoban :)
Turns out Tapoban is actually at the moment the best place in the world for anyone to learn about Osho's teaching, like the most official place! a proper ashram! with programs and courses and all, unlike that shitty one I was planning to stay at, and to my luck! there was a course for beginners starting in a week, so I signed up :) spent amazing time in Kanyam, explored it all, and then flew back to Kathmandu and did the Osho experience in the best place to do it.
You see, if I didn't have that fight, I wouldn't have gotten to where I should go, nothing is ever a coincidence! Ever since November when I came out of my darkest year ever in my life, if I'd say the most thing that changed in me, it's to have faith in god, that he always have a plan for me and to trust it. And also...to follow my gut.
What did I say when I wrote the previous article "The Punk Becomes a Monk" I said, I got the intuition to check Kopan website and when I saw the course coming up, I knew I should sign up! and I just did instantly without thinking about it...and today I go to this session which I completely forgot about until an hour exactly of it happening and like the puzzle pieces felt like they are falling into place.
And I'm not saying that to say, I'll go to the monastery and become a nun haha no! I have soo much love for exploration to become a nun, and anyways I already know what my life purpose is (or like I think I'm sure) and being a nun won't serve it.
But this all of it above, proves to me again and again that there's "magic" that is unexplainable, and you may call it chance, you may call it a coincidence...but I know it's destiny.
So I'm nervous about the no technology for one week, but I'm excited to see how this mystery will unfold.
Today was magical, so magical that I didn't even post about it on the gram, because the gram is my superficial life, majority of my followers who are my friends, with all due respect are ignorant fucks! and yes I do say that to their faces, so I don't even feel the need to speak about such magic to them.
The only thing they always ask is why why why why?
And my answer is….why not?
But here on the blog, this is where my life story unfolds.
Peace out!
