In pursuit of happiness - an Inner Journey in India & Nepal
Get ideas and inspiration for your own sabbatical from work
Travel Tales of Karin's Spiritual Sabbatical
For years I’ve wanted to travel to the spiritual lands of India and Nepal. I had been there before, in 2006, and it changed my life. Ever since, my soul was longing to return. In 2017 my husband and I decided to take the plunge. We rented out our house, he quit his job, I mentioned to my clients I’d be taking a break for a while, and off we went. A one-way ticket to the top of the world.
The idea was not to tick off all the famous destinations in the travel guide. We wanted to journey inwardly. So our first stop was a one-month immersion course in Buddhist Philosophy at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Early awakenings, meditation, chanting of mantras, Buddhist teachings on compassion, kindness, generosity, patience, equanimity, patience and the nature of reality.
Imagine being surrounded by monks and nuns, deep maroon robes wherever you cast your eye, vast views over snowy mountain tops, the sound of mantra in the air, the smell of incense, the murmer of prayer and the clicking of prayer beads. If that doesn’t bring more peace of mind, what will?
Is there a longing for a journey like this in your own heart?
May you read this and feel inspired. Maybe it feels impossible right now, with family or financial responsabilities keeping you where you are. But rive yourself permission to brainstorm about what you can do, beginning with the smallest step.
Life is precious
Use it well.
Ideas and inspiration for your sabbatical
Two Years in Two Minutes
What have I learned and how have I grown as a person during my two year spiritual journey in India and Nepal?
Imagine watching your own mind. Noticing what you're thinking, how this affects how you feel. And how this in turn determines what you say and how you behave. Watching how these patterns became habits, based on beliefs that we think are true and real.
Imagine being a witness, aware, your thoughts like clouds and your heart-mind like the sky. That is the most precious gift I received during this trip, a glimpse of an open awareness. Now my practise is to remind myself as often as I can to be one with the vast, spacious and loving nature of our heart-mind.
Enjoy the video and be enchanted.
In the video I mention a free Inner Journey, called Inner Compass. Download it today and enjoy the clarity and direction in brings.
Meeting the Dalai Lama
Mesmerized, I cried happy tears. Being that close to a man whose love, kindness and childlike playfulness radiates out like the brightest light-bulb.
The Dalai Lama.
He was teaching Buddhism for three weeks in Bodhgaya, India.
I was there.
Richard Gere was there too. We joked and made a selfie.
And there where 48.997 others. It was fantastic. No words.
Watch the video to see my radiant face, moved to tears, live on the massive screens (at 0.27 sec).
celebrating Holi, festival of colours, in India.
between the monks and nuns at Kopan Monastery in Nepal. Photo credit: Bill Kane.
lighting butter lamps on an auspicious day at the stupa of Bouddhanath, Nepal. Photo credit: unknown.
Ideas for Your Sabbatical
the Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh, the yoga capital of the world.
Different conversations compared to back home…
Making friends: being part of a spiritual community
I’ve met the most amazing people on this trip. Yoga teachers, acupuncturists, entrepreneurs, corporate escapees in search of inner peace and meaning. During dinner or over a cup of chai we spoke about karma, reincarnation, spirituality and the purpose of our life. We reflected on subjects like “can anger ever be a good thing”, or about the power of breaking down in order to break through and have a kind of re-birth in this life, completely re-inventing oneself. We spoke about religion and about who or what “I” actually is. Hours of discussion about what “thoughts” really are, where they come from, how they affect our choices, behaviour and life and yet they are ephemeral, coming and going like clouds in the sky. We meditated, got distracted a million times within each meditation session, but slowly started to notice the profound effects.
The entire experience was mind-boggling, compelling and one of the most precious memories of my life.
I hope it’s your turn to go on a sabbatical from work soon…
Deeper stillness - an epic journey
The first time I met the Dalai Lama was in Dharamsala, India in 2006. He was teaching from the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, a famous and universally loved poem for daily living that has inspired many generations of Buddhists all over the world. Ever since then, I try to be in his presence as much as I possibly can. It is as if simply by his way of being my nervous system calms down and an incredible feeling of love and gratitude washes through me.
During this sabbatical I was fortunate to hear him teach on several occasions. In case you’re curious, his schedule is published on this website, and the teachings are free of charge.
One of his teachings was literally on the roof of the world, high up in the Himalayas, Zanskar, Ladakh, India. It took an adventure of two days in a jeep to reach the remote location where the teachings took place.
Enjoy watching the video, and may it bring the final bit of inspiration to follow your own dreams.
I believe in you.
Karin Peeters
Coach & Psychotherapist
Founder of Vitalis Coaching & Therapy
Zanskar - India, July 2018. Photos by Tenzin Choejor and myself.
Watch video of an epic journey to the roof of the word, to attend magical teachings by the Dalai Lama.
