My Dream Vacation

High in the Tibetan Mountains, down a near perpendicular face, rested a sub-tropical valley out of place among the frozen ranges that surrounded it. This valley, which James Horton describes in his fantastic book ‘Lost Horizon’, is where the Lamasery of Shangri-La resided (HortonCh3-4). One of the oldest and most popular practices of Buddhism, a multi-national belief system dating back millenniums ago, is the Kalachakra. The Kalachakra speaks of a mystical place called Shambhala, and it was the stories of Shambhala on which James Horton based his fictitious book ‘Lost Horizon’. The legends of Shambhala tell of how the knowledge of the east and west are stored in Shambhala until humans are brought to the brink of destruction. Similarly, Shangri-La had many aspect of western culture, despite its isolation from the world. Through

The Dhammapada is a Pali version of one of the most popular text of the Buddhist canon. The Dhammapada, or “sayings of the Buddha”, is a collection of 423 verses that tell about the ideals and teachings of the Buddha. When taken together, these verses provide a structured form of teaching within the Buddhist religion. These verses are a kind of guiding voice to the path of true enlightenment.

I chose to do my research paper on the colorful and extraordinarily detailed mural titled “Dhrtarastra (Dharma King of the East Direction) with 16 Attendants” by Shashi Dhoj Tulachand. Shashi is also known as Guru Nawang Chhogyall Tenzin is a 69 year- old spiritual leader of the Chhairo gompa, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism from Tuksche, a remote village located in Mustang, Nepal's northernmost district, adjacent to Tibet. He is a master in Buddhist thangka painting who is committed to re-establishing the lost teaching tradition of Chhairo gompa. Shashi comes from a long line of Buddhist artists, his father Kamal Dhoj Tulachan, and grandfather were responsible for many wall paintings and statues to be found in gompas, chortens and private household shrines in the villages of the Thak Kola and the upper Kali Gandaki area.

Unfortunately, this walk included causalities that included a nun and monk whom fell victims to gunshots between government troop firing on a group of Khmer Rouge (Mahatthanadul). Maha Ghosananda reached out to those following in his mission for non-violence and neutrality, with the following statement: “this violence is the reason we walk”, “our journey begins today and every day… Each step that goes slowly is to pray, each step is a Bhàvanà, and each step will build a bridge” (Mahatthanadul). Although this walk created a lot of controversy, it was another approach for him to offer an engaged Buddhist philosophy to such deplorable events. Ghosananda continued to advocate in ways that focus on Buddhist teachings. Explaining violence is never the answer, only non-violence achieves peace and happiness. Thus, the continuation of peaceful Dhammayietra was essential to participants to behave according to Buddhist teachings, even during violent periods. One year preceding the third walk, the fourth Dhammayietra occurred. This pilgrimage was initiated to rise awareness to a campaign against land mines all over Cambodia. These land mines cause social crisis due to the massed amount of Cambodians who's lives are taken because of them. Not only did citizens join in the pilgrimage but up to 20,000 Buddhist sign a opposition that Maha Ghosananda wrote to the minister (Mahatthanadul). He

I had been with the temple in Tibet for as long as I can remember, I’m gifted, for the super healing factor and enhanced strength, but Master Dhala hid my powers, for protecting me from the threats.

Gautam Buddha was a world-class talent at archery and chariot racing. The Villas Mani Manjri is

An estimated 282 people have died on Mount Everest since the year of 1924. Considered one of the highest peaks in the world, Everest has drawn experienced climbers and thrill-seeking adventurers to it for years with hopes of reaching the summit of the massive mountain. This snowy, beast isn't your average climb though. Many intrepid climbers have faced it with the plan of making an easy, quick climb, but they would be surprised when a sudden blizzard whips up on a seemingly clear day or when one of their fellow climbers happen to wander straight into a crevasse! Everest is filled with hidden dangers and other threats that have taken many lives upon its treacherous slopes. Whether it be a sudden change of weather or an unexpected avalanche climbers

There is no doubt that anyone has heard about the famous Mount Everest. A majority of people go every year, whether they want to just see the sights or they actually dare to climb it and reach one of the greatest achievement of anyone's life. But for some people they do not enjoy the thought of people climbing the mountain and risking their life, in some cases taking their lives. In my opinion, I believe that if someone chooses to take the risk of climbing this potentially dangerous mountain, then they should understand every risk and every dangerous situation that they are going into.

This ecological wonder has become scattered with garbage and dotted with corpses. A writer named Mark Jenkins ‘describes how he had to step around the dead bodies of four climbers on his way up and down from the top of the world. Overall, 10 people died on its slopes during the 2012 season. This death pattern is not unusual for Everest. The climb up Sagarmatha (as it is known in Nepali) is far from being an environmentally-friendly endeavour. Despite several clean-up efforts retrieving tons of trash from the mountain, and forcing excursions to take back their trash, empty oxygen bottles and other lost or abandoned gear remain scattered on the peak. Possibly/perhapsthe most disturbing is the view of corpses that could not be safely removed. Some of the bodies have been lying in the same spot for decades, becoming part of the route’s landscape. That not only proves that Mt Everest is heading towards destruction, but it also shows how the human trace has once again managed to destroy the beauty of this world ‘with their greed and

The buildings are two story house structures with a big mural/painting of Buddha hung on the left-hand side. The vibrant painting of Buddha with blue, white, yellow, and red adds beauty to the house along with its symbolic meaning. With a big front yard, Lama Dudjom Dorjee, the senior Lama of the center holds his morning practices for his members and public attendees. Lama Dudhom Dorjee is the resident teacher at the center. The center holds classes on Buddhist philosophy which is under the guidance of the senior Lama Dorjee. The inside of the center is very aesthetic. With modern exterior, the center has managed to preserve the authenticity of the culture and the practices. There are multiple rooms in the center, which hold classes for children and adults. Filled with wooden cabinets with a different version of Buddha’s statutes the center of the room has a four tire table where it sits a golden statue of Buddha along with prayer incense and flowers. There were bells and vajras, Sand Mandala, and butter lamp place alongside Buddha’s statue.

Lion’s Roar Mandala Tibetan Buddhist Meditation & Dharma Center meets at the Do Nga Dhargey Temple, meaning “Sutra and Tantra Flourishing” (Location). Sutra means “a collection of aphorisms relating to some aspect of the conduct of life” (Sutra). In other words, they are sayings that are meant to help you to reflect on life and how we should all act. Tantra is when you try to make a connection with the Buddha(s) through yoga and meditations. Upon approaching the temple, one cannot help, but to notice how clean their temple is from outside; the lawn is mowed, the path is swept, the building is without stains or damages, the bushes and trees are pruned, even the gate looks nice!

We used to manage taking an off from world to go into lap of nature, being pampered by sounds of river detoxifying us of any negativity in mind. Simple lives of people inhabiting those areas always have been inspiring us to achieve what seems impossible. It feels great to let nature unwind you. I and few friends of similar interests used to visit this one special place while in med school, it is very serene. I suggest you to definitely go there when you visit India. We used to go there quite a number of times. This is tale of my last year in medical school when everyone was juggling with various options to continue studies vs. join a primary care program. The answer to my confusion lay in that place it seems. My friend felt seriously ill, (she had asthma attack, she is perfectly fine now) and I realized that the place didn’t have even ONE doctor nearby. Since it was a place away from main city, we had to wait for morning for transport services to start. Whole night, we kept giving her hot water to drink and sitting in my room, under the pine trees, I couldn’t help thinking about residents of the area. And I knew the answer to my confusion as

Looking to go on a great vacation? The Atlantis is in Nassau, Bahamas is the best place to go. It was built in 1998 and is located on Paradise Island, Bahamas. The Atlantis is a huge resort made up of five different hotel towers, a water park, casino, aquariums, pools, water sports, and animal interactions. This is my favorite place to vacation because of The Water Park, The Aqua Adventures, and the food.

Everyone wants to go to Hawaii, well, unless they don't like the perfect weather, gorgeous oceans, and beautiful plants. When I found out I was going to Hawaii for the first time, I almost died, figuratively speaking of course. When people say they almost die, it is almost immediately assumed that they are joking. Before going on my dream vacation, I could say that I was always being over dramatic when saying that, but in January of 2013, it all changed.

Almost everyone has their own idea of a dream vacation. It's the perfect place to get away from the reality of every day life and the stress that goes along with it, and the choices and ideas of the “perfect vacation” are as varied as the people who dream about them. Some fantasize about lazing on a warm, sunny beach with soft ocean breezes and a cold exotic drink at their side. Some dream of forests and wildlife, cool running streams, and fresh mountain air that is thick with the scent of pine. There are those whose ideas of the perfect dream vacation involves the thrill of stock car racing mixed with the roar of the crowd, the smell of fuel and hot asphalt that's