Buddhist nuns travel for the first time - A touching journey through India

here ten years ago in this tiny non Renaissance Cavalli push three thousand seven hundred meters at the foot of the Himalayas I met some remarkable women eleven Buddhist nuns aged between twenty seven eighty years old we live in the village of Hungary in wonderful harmony as a hydraulic engineer I was following the flow of water through Asia alone from Lake Baikal to the Bay of Bengal in the middle of this 22 month journey I discovered Zanskar and I experienced my first Himalayan winter over the course of the many seasons spent there I learned their language work with them taught them and shared in their prayers and their lives they turned mine upside down I fell in love with them from the moment we first burst out laughing a dream was born from our friendship for all of us to discover India together the plains the jungle the ocean my friends knew nothing of these things an India is so vast that its many inhabitants don't even know that this little Valley nestling between Pakistan and China and with the Tibetan culture is actually Indian I promised them a journey to all four corners of the immense homeland from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean from the Zanskar Valley to the Nicobar Islands you gotta love my fans again candy-colored video for lighting lanterns are son of a I'm seen generally larger not a about my lease and Jenny Taylor called FMB need ya kobori we have any time if I was bigger walking through the snow would be easy if you but I'm tiny so I sync up to my knees in the snow and it's hard to climb while carrying the water [Music] [Music] you'll lose some karma after throwing snow at her like that yes and look she's still doing it no one girl know was getting too hot so she needed a wash like they give the elephants probably it's really slippery the edge is so narrow when I first arrived what did he think of me have you seen many outsiders before no no we didn't think it was anything special we couldn't say anything more than mmm mmm when we gave you food it was like talking to a donkey and when we met for the first time did you ever think our friendship will ask for this long oh no the thought didn't even cross my mind you came here you're going to leave and we didn't hold any hopes of seeing you again I think nobody could imagine that you would be taking us all across India look there are prayers engraved into the rock the ancients went to a lot of effort we don't even know how to read or write we no longer have the patience they would engrave lots of prayers and images of Buddhas on stones [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] please look after our name's Caroline they're like don't you miss they don't travel very much you must be like a builder to lead them and our names up take care of them you can even carry them on your back okay she was carrying the camera all the nuns are you excited to be travelling across India Singh oh yes we're delighted you're not afraid of the frozen river yes I am not me what are you afraid of well just a little afraid no we're not afraid walking on the ice walking through the water yes the frozen river can often be difficult but there are a lot of us so we'll be okay but I'm scared of walking on the ice Nonna's crying she doesn't want to travel abroad what's wrong aren't you excited I'm crying tears of joy I want to visit the monasteries but g'yahhhh [Applause] you can't welcome guests without offering them something that would be bad but that's a rule we have in Zanskar really if you don't it brings you bad luck the tea isn't even ready yet don't worry about it but I do worry it's important and now I'm late for my duties at the temple what duties do you perform on the air what does that involve I have to look after the temple and make the daily offerings I have to refill the bowls of water in the mornings empty them in the evenings light the candles in the mornings and evenings and read prayers throughout the day and how long do these duties last for two whole years and then another nun is chosen yes that's right for these women praying is their job they pray for health happiness and positive reincarnation z' for themselves and all living beings though there is sight tibetan prayers they don't fully grasp the entire meaning and regret not having benefited from any form of education which is essential to Buddhism the lack of a school at this nunnery doesn't encourage newcomers to join and is condemning this place and it's ages old cultural heritage to extinction it's difficult to fill these gaps but there is one life forming experience that I can offer them that of a journey this is the only gift fitting for the priceless secret they revealed to me the knowledge of happiness [Music] hey Abby Bennett yes are you gonna stay here this evening oh no this winter once we've left yes aren't you afraid no I'm not afraid really and you know what good is it being afraid I don't know have you ever traveled down to India I have bad knees so I said I wouldn't be coming me but a few years ago didn't you go to Dharamsala yes too bad guy yes I went to vodka young sauna Varanasi and 1 upon D does it like now I have bad knees I won't be going and I told them not to put my name on the list but I won't be very happy that's for sure somebody I won't be very happy that's for sure so Marshall nuns have left I'll be unhappy for a few days these and then it will be over [Music] we'll be leaving in a few days we have to get ready but life seems so peaceful and in winter time seems to slow down I find it hard to believe that we'll be leaving on a long journey do you think I'll make it there you have to make it there what are you looking for the stand for a stove can't find the stand that we need to take over the frozen river hey little sister what are you doing you're giving off a lot of steam why we have soap in my eye you look like a boy I do mustache you can take it with me for now Oh Caroline thank you know you're always filming why are you doing that doing what but if you keep your hair you'll be warmer on the frozen river but then people would be ashamed of us don't keep the hair they would point at us don't keep our hair any longer than this bunch of young who you knitting socks for me for the frozen river I already have some you have some eat them you use them tonight if not wear them over the frozen river and why have the men from the village come we invited them over to thank them for having the Lama who will stay behind and also because they will sweep this know after roots and bring water by from time to time the about ballot receivers we want to thank them for taking care of the nunnery because we will be away for four months but the young tuck they have to stop the snow from getting inside so we invited them all to the nunnery as a good deed they're more talkative if we left without thanking them that wouldn't be right [Music] [Music] thank you we won't forget your kindness [Music] now the day after tomorrow seems good we just need to check the time what about Monday that will be too late the ice on the river might not be solid enough that she never wondered about this because Outsiders don't take the days into account they don't believe in this we are Buddhists and this is what we believe it's important that we make sure we leave on a day blessed with good omens this is butter so the men can make themselves tea the apricots are for the Lama well that's everything but it's you have an apricot the answer very many antique felicidad what did it be now that I've never been til attack not even to the city of lay know whenever really never so you've never walked across the frozen river each other no this will be my first time that I'm scared the river will be unsafe and in India there are a lot of people there are thieves and if we aren't strong they say that people will kill us so I'm a little bit scared leader we've never been there so we don't know yeah be fairly measured for leaving tomorrow yeah yeah like a one drink your soup is enough now he worried no but she will face many difficulties in the city of lei who will be meeting three older nuns for whom crossing the frozen river which they called the cha da would have been too difficult there have been impatiently waiting for us for three months since the only road leading to Zanskar has been sealed off by snow a few men will accompany us across the river including our guy Tashi who consulted the Lama when choosing the day of our departure with him I have nothing to fear ten years previously I had worked alongside him as a carrier across a particularly difficult shadow but for now the villagers welcome our party and honor this journey with a lovely surprise of tea barley beer and even a little money [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I've crushed the chadar before but in the other direction I was receiving instructions from the Dalai Lama and I walked the chadar on my way back it was very hard very hard I was exhausted way because I was in Varanasi for the Kalachakra teachings and my father died in Delhi that was 25 years ago [Music] at the start of the chatter I felt scared I didn't say anything you did not see this but I was so scared of crossing the ice that I had tears in my eyes if you need it I swear then afterwards it was extraordinary under the water above the ice if you slide with your feet you don't fall I ended up loving it and I was thinking about India and I was getting excited about getting to India [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I am your mother again I'm again [Music] [Applause] [Music] until we reached her plane for the capital it was a nun who held the reins to our Caravan after we reach Delhi they would follow me with joyous discipline I was simultaneously a guide and organizer a translator a camera woman and a nurse the sole leader of a 12th member troop 10 nuns and two boys from the village who managed to convince me [Music] [Music] we will stop our for all the important Buddhist sites for the nuns but this journey is also an opportunity to discover the extraordinary diversity of India where almost everything is unknown to them I chose the route of this Trek from the desert of Rajasthan to the Andaman archipelago in the footsteps of Gandhi and mother Teresa we'll be meeting people who live and think differently but let's hear about it from the nuns [Music] if there was water this place would be beautiful with lots of grass and trees but it's all dry here not a single drop of water still this desert is beautiful it was completely flat and open and then on the dunes there are lots of people to laugh and talk some of us heard on the camels but I didn't want you they look pitiful those skinny with bones sticking out they have nothing to eat no water no grass when they bring them back they don't give them anything the poor things you insisted that I rode one of them but I wasn't brave enough yeah better [Music] my mother told me about this place she had traveled to India the Sun is so small when it rises like a flagship a tea and then it disappears on the other side as if it had been swallowed by the ground I thought she was lying but now I believe I love seeing such a bland landscape [Music] there are people who make salt it's enough to make you stand there in silence all I could do was stare completely oblivious these coarse grains of salt are beautiful and they sweep them into cone-like piles which resemble the thumper mountains we took some with us like it was a precious relic they say that it is difficult to harvest salt and rice it burns your hands if the water doesn't sting because of the cold it stings because of the salt [Music] by naming them did fancy Mirim Jill look how much Gandhi helps people he gave us independence seeing the effort as Gandhi went to has made me and Gandhi did his own housework he ate simple meals and he said that you had to make your own clothes and live alongside nature either you born endotronix campaigned for peace without violence with an honest heart and compassion so if us nuns are unable to live together in peace [Music] [Music] you can do a phantom [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Applause] chiana Cavani Gazzola I'm thinking kinda keep on saying gossamer agony handle Chara visiting Aloha and Ajanta and their places were so many Buddhist of pass through but what an incredible opportunity it's just incredible for us it's difficult to build walls whereas they carved into the rock in order to make the homes inside extraordinary there's a prayer that says you can cut wood with a bird's feather that's what they practiced here patience and effort [Music] [Music] but [Applause] life here is very different in comparison to Zanskar they work all night long to catch fish shellfish and worms bring everything here place it here like like abundance of grass manure it's a lot of work just like back home tomorrow all those fish will be killed and eaten back home we pray a lot in order to make up for our bad actions but for them after taking so many lives they have no chance of improving their karma right you find this difficult to watch yes it breaks my heart I promise you that [Music] [Music] mm oh hey you know what you know why you we do better [Music] [Laughter] [Music] Finnegan I'll go to them you then did he love silty keys study is very important we don't know any other languages it's difficult to Binyamin is an awesome I thought just learning the prayers would be enough now I know that it's very important to study the prayers and also are the languages I thought that everyone spoke our language in India but nobody does [Music] [Music] what are you in India Hakata la comisión de village on Russia Metro tempest nomination [Applause] [Music] how long [Music] who [Music] human diversity read Romani he doesn't love money money need for Mira I'm an imprudence my idea money is for the mirror [Music] [Music] - oh wow Olivia my mother moon Dunican g19 boots who I am even Porsches era your dominant [Music] and a manatee apology I just loved the Andaman Islands this was where we stayed the longest nine days in total I loved it and we found shells in thousands of shells why be no Sam I wanted to take lots of them with us but with pencil domo we wondered where our home was after such a long journey nam little when we'll be going back home one day of course but fear which group a Kosovo loser we only brought a few shells with us as offerings to place in the charter bus children now who say no they're not once we got back a lot of traditional healers came to see us saying you were in the Andamans there are lots of shells there I need some very important so I gave away I didn't have many [Music] [Music] [Music] domina Raja you too Tina la la no Timmy Tanya - Raja you can achieve it too slow not go for BBC and gardening pajama receive and remand on demonic over the Nick over the embassy [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] there aren't any women here but back home when somebody dies everyone comes out and office money candles spread those kind of things it's good to see this because we will also die one day this allows us to contemplate death and this inspires us to pray you must hear feel and see death is often hear talk of death but our eyes don't often see it like today exposed like this before all those people we don't often see it [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] after four months of traveling across landscapes as amazing as their spellbinding we have all chosen to return to Zanskar via the shortest route over 5000 meter pass we walked in order to best savor the return trip as summer begins to dawn only 77 year old abbey our oldest traveling companion returned via the long way around four months of traveling with intermittent comfort there wasn't a single drama or single complaint their constant joy and the in shakable trust they placed in me gave me the strength to bring this adventure to a close I returned exhausted and I find it hard to explain how much seeing them blossom in the outside world will fill me with joy for a long time to come because our story continues beyond this journey our that seeing our friends and families again and coming home that's what I'm looking forward to [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] they'd be belly when we all left during the winter were you unhappy of course I was were you very unhappy no not very I stayed behind to read and learn prayers to water my niece she's going to become a nun she's studying to become one she will stay with Dharma and me here because she's a member of our family Abbey Pelle can barely hide her disappointment and not having been able to take part in the journey the village women are unable to contain their impatience to see the pictures we'd brought back with us [Music] [Music] daddy mummy there are lots of cars and lots of people some people are so poor they sleep outside and eat out of dust bins I swear and some people are so rich they have servants waiting to open doors for them it's incredible some of them clean while others wait on you hand and foot it's crazy I'm going to see a Balam Oh India is huge incredibly huge yes Ansgar must be tiny in comparison right it would take more than a whole day to tell you all about the different places she took us to we sometimes forget a lot of it Outsiders like to travel to zan Scott here there isn't a lot of noise or cars it doesn't get too warm but it's hot in India we've got so many bottles of water there are just so many hotels like in Mumbai there's the Taj Mahal hotel it's very well-known in India the waiters wear uniforms we went to this hotel it was really beautiful the single cup of tea costs 350 rupees I swear there were twelve or fourteen of us so it cost us over 4000 rupees just for tea [Music] in Hungary life has quickly returned to normal and already the nuns are helping to prepare the first marriage of the season there are great changes lying in store for them but after seeing my friends gain self-confidence through the journey I know that they will know how to rise to the challenge nobody could have imagined that this journey would coincide with the long-awaited opening of a school for the nunnery while we were in the Andaman Islands a Lama was appointed by the Buddhist authorities to teach Hindi English mathematics Tibetan and prayer studies to the village girls who are planning to become nuns they finally have the choice to study in their native Valley rather than having to go into exile in large far-flung monasteries from where more often than not they never come home upon our return we were met with the nunnery which was full of life and promise this is a revolution for the nuns who play an essential role in this society where religion remains at the heart of daily life if we hadn't have studied things would be very difficult nowadays however those of us who didn't study it's too late but if we have young nuns who study it'll be much easier for all of us how much is all this just wonderful school this is exactly what all of us wanted I kept in regression that's life within the tango Ilana is going to improve this is my hope for the lense to put hope again to a charity would you want to be rich if there are lots of names that will be what makes us rich she studied to secondary school level but before that she already knew she wanted to become a nun are you happy to become a nun and to move into the nunnery would that be Pelle yes yes Caroline now there are 12 of us again there are only 11 of us before there are 12 nuns which is wonderful Thank You Caroline don't you think she looks a little scared oh that's normal this is the very beginning she's a bit shy to begin with I remember that it was the same for me I didn't know any of the prayers and I didn't know about the work we had to do and you as her mother are you happy that she's becoming a nun nuns are the happiest people there are [Music] I was 15 years old when I became an amateur I was already fully grown can I have long hair like you I knew ever since I was a child I wasn't even ten years old when I said to myself that I wanted to become a nun when an ad in the barman I've never thought about getting married the thoughts never crossed my mind Sun sky is very fortunate and the nunnery in Hungary it's a paradise this year is happier than all the rest we have seen what we were unable to see before and been to places we could never have imagined the Lama told us we must meet in a previous life for us to have found each other like this [Music] [Applause] [Music] before I was happy but I didn't think about prayers as much I thought about the work that needed doing that now I think about prayers we are going to die we have seen so many things it now seems more important than ever to pray [Music] but you mustn't forget to laugh between pairs there is virtue in laughter yes the Dalai Lama said so do you remember yes when someone visits if we don't laugh together we can't be happy laughing and making people happy as a virtuous act don't you think that's right in Allah [Music]

Channel: wocomoHUMANITY

Views: 484,138

Rating: 4.9063797 out of 5

Keywords: Terranoa, Bhikkhuni, Chân Không, dalaï-lama, Buddhism, PLAY_EN, travel, Buddha, Buddhist chant, Hindu religious rites, Delhi, Jodhpur, Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mumbai, Bhutan, Zanskar

Id: iKxrowbXzvo

Length: 52min 51sec (3171 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 12 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/MrPillarOfRed]

Thank you so much for this. It was beautiful.

[u/Bluephoenix4]

This was very beautiful to watch, heartwarming. Nice find!