The One with the Existential Crisis

On Wednesday afternoon in a monastery classroom, Aubrey, Kavya, and Sabrina found themselves having an existential crisis….

It all started the day before when their Tibetan Buddhism class went on a day trip to the Asura, the cave of Padma Sambhava a Buddhist practitioner who meditated there for months at a time. They started the day with a can-do mindset and with poise and grace faced their first challenge of walking up the exactly 1 million stairs to reach their destination. When they finally made it, they were awed by Padma Sambhava’s dedication to Buddhism and to reaching enlightenment. Sabrina wondered how one could possibly sit still for so long. Aubrey was amazed by the spiritual vibes that still reverberated through the cave after so many years. Kavya wondered about how he took care of his business. Although they enjoyed the cave, the class’s hunger for food took precedent over the hunger for knowledge and so, after retrieving their classmate Morgan from playing soccer with monks, they went to lunch. 

After lunch, the class enjoyed a trip to Namkha Drimed Rinpoche’s monastery. Inside the temple, Aubrey experienced some culture shock when examining the sometimes vulgar images depicted on the walls. Sabrina experienced sensory overload from the thunderous sounds of the unfamiliar instruments and the vibrant colors throughout the temple. Kavya, although awed by the beauty, was looking forward to the tea and cookies provided at the end of the tour.

The sun was setting as the class began their return to their temporary home of Sechen monastery. Because of the numerous events of the day, the bus was bustling with conversation some of which was of a serious note, some of a more lighthearted demeanor. Tired, the trio went to bed with visions of monks dancing in their heads. 

This morning, both professors were busy helping sick students. Using their extra time wisely, Sabrina reached out to her parents to share her tales of adventure. Aubrey reflected on the previous day in her journal. And Kavya decided to enjoy an extended breakfast. After all finally made their way to the classroom, the class enjoyed a relaxing session of meditation. The class’ collective mind slowly waded into the vast pool of Buddhist philosophy, gradually asking more difficult questions as the conversation progressed. As the discussion moved into the territory of Karma, Kavya, Aubrey, and Sabrina collectively went into existential crisis. Aubrey was thinking of her place in this world and what purpose her impermanent life has to serve. Sabrina was lost in trying to find the logic in the concept of karma being bereft of judgment. Kavya was concerned that she was collecting bad karma from accidentally squishing bugs by simply walking. 

As the day came to a close, Sabrina went immediately to write her daily reflection. Aubrey went to do rooftop yoga with some other classmates. Kavya went to find the karma bank. She is yet to return. Stay tuned… 

P.S. The nunnery was dope