Reincarnated monks. Burning corpses. World’s most dangerous airport. 20 Days in the Himalayas and how I found the key to happiness and life.
December 2022
I felt like I just escaped death.
I’d just landed on Lukla, Nepal - the world’s most dangerous airport. 9383 feet above sea level, surrounded by mountains and with a runway of less than 1700 feet - it’s a land or crash type of airport.
I survived. And I’m getting restless.
It was all too exciting - Solo trip. 20 days of trekking across the Himalayas. Meditation in a cave 4000m above sea level. Conversations with reincarnated monks. Rituals of burning of corpses publicly.
Little did I know - I was about to go on a journey that’d change my life forever. I’d learned so much about life and happiness that it transformed my life, business, my relationship with others that I see it absolutely necessary to share it with as many people as possible. Here we go.
What is happiness and how to have it
Day 1: The journey begins.
12 days of hike to a temple at 4000m above sea level on top of one of the Himalaya mountains. Nothing but my backpack and no one but myself and a guide who doesn’t speak a word of English except stop, pee, eat and of course - beer 🍻
And I had only one goal - to reach the temple and meditate in this mysterious cave built by a reincarnated monk. Nothing else mattered.
Turns out - the hike was extremely tough. My heart rate was 170-180, I had to stop every 30 minutes, oxygen was thin, I was out of breathe. I was burning with heat on the inside but if I take my jacket off the cold wind pinched my skin like a thousand needles.
What the actual fuck have I signed up for? I was in pain. I was complaining and I was suffering.
“How far away am I..? I can’t wait to be hanging out with the monks.. I can’t wait to arrive the temple!”
Two days in - I ran into a solo American trekker who apparently had food poisoning - he was all curled up and crying “Send me a helicopter! I can’t do this anymore!”
I was like “Poor guy. Didn’t get to enjoy this beautiful journey. Wait.. this beautiful journey…”
BOOM. Then it hit me - I had been so focused on the goal of getting to the temple, the end result, that I’d completely ignored all the beautiful things around me - the birds chirping, the cattle’s walking around with payload, the horses with bells ringing gently around their necks, the river, the mountains.. the local kids running around with the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen on a human being.
As I journey along, my desire to reach the temple disappeared and was replaced with the joy of taking in every single thing around me.
I wasn’t in a hurry. I’d stare the river for hours. The sound of rocks crackling as I walked became so crisp and soothing. The wind, still cold, didn’t matter that much anymore. I became light. I became one with the nature.
Secret #1 Open your eyes to everything that’s happening around you right here right now and you’ll find miracles and joy all around. Be excited about the goals, but remember - the journey is what matters.
Happiness lies in the everyday. It’s right in front of our eyes. The smallest things. If we have to chase for it - it’s not happiness.
What is Love?
Top of the mountain. Story of reincarnation.
Eureka! I made it to the mysterious temple. I was greeted by nuns and monks, we sat down for lunch. And it’s story time.
Before the temple was built, there was a guy. And a cave. The guy was a Buddhist monk by the name of Lawudo Lama. Legend has it that he found the cave when he was 51 and decided to meditate in the cave day & night until he found ‘the wisdom’. 20 years went by, he claimed to have became enlightened and ready to share his wisdom to the world. The problem? He was getting old. So he promised his disciples that he’d build a temple around the cave and pass on his learnings in the next life - he’d be reincarnated as a boy.
Talk about succession planning.
4 years later a 4 year old boy claimed to be Lawudo Lama 2.0, his parents shat their pants when he was able to locate the cave without Google Maps. Long story short, he became Lama Zopa Rinpoche - a world renowned monk with thousands of disciples, wrote 11 books, and of course - built the temple around the cave. Mission accomplished.
Great lunch. It was my turn to ask questions.
Me: “Why did you become a monk? Is it to escape something?”
Monk 1: “Not to escape but to be free. Not to be free from the world, but to be free of the mind. Not just the endless chatter, but also free from the endless desire, wants, fear, attachments. These things.. all lead to suffering and emptiness. And it’s a huge void that can never be filled.”
(I am not good with names. I know. I suck.)
Me: “Very cool. Do you not have desire at all? What if the desire is to make the world a better place? Isn’t it contradicting?”
Monk 2: “It’s normal to have desire. The key is to not cling to it. To not chase. To not push it away. But to look at it with curiosity. To ask if the desire brings about suffering, or peace. To check our intentions. If you become too attached to desire, it becomes your master. And suffering begins.”
Monk 3: “The wish to ease suffering, in other words - to make the world a better place - is one of the most compassionate desire a human being can have. This is what we call Chanda. Desire that is not born out of attachment or ego, but of love and compassion.”
Me: “What is love?”
Monk 2: “Love is simply wishing others happiness.”
Secret #2 It’s ok to own things, just don’t let things own you. It’s ok to have desire, just check your intentions and don’t let it consume you. Love is wishing others, even your worst enemy, highest level of happiness. Try it: “May you be happy, may you be free, may you be safe” you will instantly feel — happy.
Love is wishing others happiness.
I’ll be sharing part 2 where I actually meditated in the cave where Lawudo Lama became enlightened and my experience in witnessing death with burning corpses.
See you in the next one.
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I wish you happiness.
See you on the next one!