Kia Ora Tibet

Photos and stories of life in Tibet from an expat in the Himalayas, adventuress, pilgrim, photographer and writer. All content is original and copyright. Insta @beckygcnz

[kiaoratibet]

Debating is a full-energy activity here at Dzongsar Monastery Shedra! I wish my philosophy classes in university had been more like this. #tibet #kham #sichuan #philosophy #monastery #debate #dharma #pilgrimage #dzongsar

[kiaoratibet]

Picnic time, resting above a nunnery overlooking Garze town after we were invited to hear a teaching there 🙏🏻📿 #tibet #kham #sichuan #dharma #tibetanbuddhism #buddhist #pilgrim #picnic #travelphotography #highaltitude #summercolours

[kiaoratibet]

Beautiful faces at the Gyalten School Children's Day Celebration. Hundreds of people from all the surrounding villages came to the small school for the day, ready to picnic, socialise, and have a good time for the holiday. #tibet #kham #sichuan #tibetan #childrensday #beauty #portrait #travelphotography #family #motorbike #rurallife

[kiaoratibet]

The monastery I'm currently living in doesn't have hot water, but it does have a natural hot spring right behind it ... not a bad spot to spend a quiet morning! #tibet #kham #sichuan #highaltitude #monastery #pilgrimage #hotspring #monasterylife #bathtime

[kiaoratibet]

If you love Tibet, study Tibetan language. If you cherish Tibet, speak Tibetan language. 🙏🏻 (sign in a monastery) #བོད་ #བོད་ཡིག་ #བོད་ལ་དགའ་ #tibet #kham #sichuan #tibetanlanguage #tibetanbuddhism #pilgrim #monastery

[kiaoratibet]

Today I returned to one of my favourite places in Kham: Yachen Gar. Well off the beaten track, it's an enormous monastery/nunnery positioned at 4000m altitude in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by grasslands and nomads - it's quite literally a breathtaking place to visit 😍📿🙏🏻 #Tibet #Kham #Sichuan #pilgrimage #pilgrim #tibetanbuddhism #buddhist #monastery #highaltitude #travelogue #offthebeatentrack #nomad #grasslands #purejoy

[kiaoratibet]

From one 'Du to another ✈️ #alwaystravelling #ontheroadagain #kathmandu #chengdu #himalaya #welltravelled

[kiaoratibet]

Whirling and twirling in devotion during the Shechen Tsechu Cham #nepal #kathmandu #boudha #buddhist #tibetanbuddhism #tsechu #cham #bhutanese #tibetanculture #travelphotography #sangha #dharma #twirl #dance

[kiaoratibet]

Leaping several feet into the air and contorting their bodies into little colourful balls was the highlight of this particular dance at the Shechen Tsechu #nepal #kathmandu #buddhist #tibetanbuddhism #tsechu #cham #monastery #travelphotography #sangha #dharma #tibetanculture #bhutanese

[kiaoratibet]

Buddha walks among us #Buddhist #tibetanbuddhism #kathmandu #nepal #monastery #buddha #dharma #sangha #karma #reincarnation (at Shechen Monastery)

[kiaoratibet]

So blessed to meet Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche and Matthieu Ricard today! 🙏🏻🙏🏻 #tibetanbuddhism #Buddhist #karma #dharma #shechenmonastery #rinpoche #pilgrim #kathmandu #boudha #nepal @matthieu_ricard (at Shechen Monastery)

[kiaoratibet]

“Politicians need religion ever more than a hermit in retreat ...” 

Wise words of truth from H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama, displayed on a wall at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu 

[kiaoratibet]

Now that’s how you rock pink and red together! 

Tibetan fashion has its own rules. 

[kiaoratibet]

Walking around Boudhanath during Losar it’s easy to feel transported back to the Barkhor in Lhasa. Surrounded by Tibetan people, language and religion, I’m so glad this little bubble in Kathmandu exists. 

[kiaoratibet]

Types Of Offering: Prayer 

The root of all other types of offering: any physical gesture is meaningless without the correct intention, aspiration, and dedication through prayer. 

Whether it’s reciting mantra in sanskrit, memorising lines of Tibetan texts, or making a prayer in your own native language, a prayer from a pure heart and clear mind is unbeatable. 

[kiaoratibet]

Types Of Offering: Butter Lamps 

Flames, or light, illuminate wisdom and the path of dharma to lead us away from ignorance and samsaric suffering ... No wonder butter lamps are one of the most iconic offerings made in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and festivals. 

[kiaoratibet]

You'd better watch out when the monks start jumping ... Cham dance this morning at Shechen Monastery #tibetanbuddhism #kathmandu #nepal #buddhist #chamdance #religiousdance #dharma #pilgrim #monk #tibet (at Shechen Monastery)