How I met my monks
In November 2019, I and my friend Joe were travelling in India. One of the places which I desired to visit was Kushinagar, a very famous and important Buddhist place. It is told, that Lord Buddha went to Kushinagar to leave his body. I was longing to see the stupa and the temples. I was so excited to enjoy this place so when we arrived and exhausted Joe stayed in the hotel having a nap, I decided to go for a walk. I passed all the big famous and well-marked temples, the great stupa and all the restaurants and cafes and went out of the village.
Walking out of the village, I was thinking about finding a quiet place for meditation, when all of the sudden a boy on a motorbike stopped in front of me and asked me the standard Indian question: how am I doing. But his second question took my breath. He asked me if I wanted to do some meditation. I felt like he was reading my thoughts. It was strange, weird but impressive at the same time. Of course, I answered yes, but with the question mark on the end. So he only asked me to follow him. At that moment I noticed we were standing in front of a house with a high wall around. I was asking myself if I am crazy enough to follow a strange guy to a strange house. But something inside was telling me that I should do it. So he opened the gate and took me inside. I was looking around and feeling very good. He opened another door and I saw the big Buddha statue and red carpet, a few candles and incense sticks. It was a temple!!! I was invited to sit down for my meditation. I did. And after I finished we started talking. There was also one young novice who made chai for us and offered a tour around the temple. Such a nice place, very simple but with stunning energy. I also met a young monk who was talking with a few Indian guys about a wedding tomorrow, so they invited me there and also for meditation the next day. Me being very surprised, but happy to accept this invitation.
Next morning I woke up earlier than Joe and went for morning meditation. After the meditation, I was invited for chai and the first time I met the old Guru Ji. None of them speaks fluent English, but where there is a will, there is a way, so we spend hours talking. They explained to me a lot about dr. B. R. Ambedkar, his life and his work. And then, suddenly, Guru Ji asked the young novice Sheelu to bring something for me. He gave me a thin book about Buddha and his teaching. I felt blessed, that I met them and got the opportunity to learn something about Buddhism, which I always wanted to know. After a few minutes, they invited me to their small library and got me a thick book written by dr. B. R. Ambedkar, and I was told that I am always welcome to stay in the temple with them.
The time passed, I finished my journey with Joe and also my yoga course in Rishikesh and I was thinking about where to go and what to do. One of the options was to fly to Cambodia to warm me up. I was almost about to buy the flight ticket but then suddenly I said no, Hana, you are going to Kushinagar. So only I sent a message to Sheelu if I can come, and with their warm kindness, they said that I was welcome. I bought the bus ticket to Delhi and train ticket to Gorakhpur and was ready to go.
In three days I arrived in Kushinagar, pretty late in the evening. The temple is approximately 4 kilometres from the bus stop, but because of money-saving, I decided to walk. I refused some riksha and tuk-tuk drivers. Then all of a sudden a tourist police on a motorbike stopped next to me and I was told that it could be dangerous to walk alone in the night so they offered me a lift to the temple. Of course, I did not reject something that is for free. He took me to the temple, asked Bhante Ji junior if they knew me and then left me there. I didn't have any idea for how long I would stay there, it might be a few days, even a few weeks. No plans in my life.
In the end, I spent more than one month there, and for ten days I attended my second vipassana camp. The rest I spent with “my lovely monks”. I learned a lot about Lord Buddha’s teaching, but of course, it is only the beginning of the path. I learned how to cook Indian food, even though in the beginning they didn't allow me to come to the kitchen and help. But in a few days from being the guest, I become the family member. Sometimes we had English class, sometimes we spoke about Buddhism, sometimes we only talked about life.
When you really want something, the Universe will always help you.