Chapter 6

EXILE

Yien watched as the cousins were retreating. By name Jinyoung din’t seem to be Thai. He wondered how the Thai princess is related to Jinyoung. They seemed familiar by the casual way Jinyoung was addressing the princess. There is no indication in Jinyoung’s way of conversation that his sister is of royal lineage. Even the princess interaction with Jinyoung seemed playful and warm.

In comparison the cousins had few resemblances, however their temperament is contrasting. The Thai princess bemused him with her demure and warm nature, whereas Jinyoung appeared to be condescending. Even with the limited interaction he had with Jinyoung, he felt that the other male had an air of superiority.

His thoughts moved to the conversation he had with Jinyoung. The questions were brusque, and it appeared the answers Jinyoung got only made his further inquiries increasingly intrusive. Yien had a feeling all along that Jinyoung was not interested in learning about the monastery or the lives of monks. He didn’t ask a single question with respect to the subjects despite the fact that he had a 40 minute tour of the monastery. Jinyoung’s only questions were precisely aimed at him and he stated the inquiries as though testing Yien's life choices. He wondered if Jinyoung acted the same with everyone he met or is it just him that Jinyoung seemed to disapprove.

Although Jinyoung’s questions were blunt, it is true that Yien has never been anyplace outside of this little kingdom. His life mostly revolved around monastery and monks. He is an orphan who was raised in the monastery. He din’t go to school in his early years, they educated him in the monastery, with monk's helping him with various subjects. The Je Khenpo of the monastery was a spiritual guru and a warm grandfather figure for Yien.

Sometimes Yien wondered what it is to have a family. The monk’s here were not orphans like him, they choose this life; they had parents who cared for them and loved them. As a child, he would question Je Khenpo why he din’t have a father and mother who cared for him. In his early teens, he cried to Je Khenpo, asking if it was his bad karma that took him away from his parents. Je Khenpo would always comfort Yien with warm and wise words.

Yien at the age of 8 confessed to Je Khenpo that he wants to be a Samanera and when he is old enough, he wants to become a Bhikku. Je Khenpo din’t object to his wishes, but he advised Yien to take time and think about it. Je Khenpo encouraged him to go to college and gain knowledge. He urged Yien to experience life outside the monastery and see if he wanted to have a family of his own one day.

Yien had contemplated on his life all along, his world revolved around the monastery and monks till he joined the Royal University of Bhutan for bachelors and masters. During the years in college he proceded his life as a Samanera and upheld the ten precepts.

Refrain from stealing.

Refrain from unchastity (sensuality, uality, lust).

Refrain from lying.

Refrain from taking intoxicants.

Refrain from taking food at inappropriate times.

Refrain from singing, dancing, playing music or attending entertainment programs (performances).

Refrain from wearing perfume, cosmetics and garland (decorative accessories).

Refrain from sitting on high chairs and sleeping on luxurious, soft beds.

Refrain from accepting money.

 

At 23 he was back at the monastery after graduating with masters degree, ready to be a Bhikku and serve the humanity in his capacity. Yien had to admit he was a bit disappointed when Je Khenpo advised him to continue as a Samanera for few more years. He din’t understand why Je Khenpo din’t seem eager to ordain Yien as a Bhikku, but he believed in his guru and decided to wait it out.

Yien realized that he was staring at now empty space, previously occupied by the princess and her cousin. He had a lot of things to do before he retires for the day. He had a bus to catch early in the morning to Punakha. Je Khenpo requested for his presence at Punakha Dzong.

The morning came by and his journey to Punakha Dozng was uneventful. It was mid noon by the time he reached his destination. He was eager to see Je Khenpo; he missed his warm words and loving presence. Punakha Dzong monastery is large when compared to his monastery in Bumthang, it housed lot more Samaneras and Bhikkhus and had numerous visitors. Punakha Dzong is up to date with current times. The monastery had lot more facilities, and technology and gadgets were rampant in this place.

Je Khenpo divided his time between Punakha and Bumthang for the past 8 years. Je Khenpo was in his late 80s, but he was young at heart. He loved teaching and guiding young people; he said youth amazed him, sometimes with the freshness of thought and ideology and at times with childish petulance.

Je Khenpo liked the concept of learning throughout his life, it was not just spiritual texts he was interested to know about medical advancements, innovation and technology. The young samanera’s of Punakha Dzong got him hooked with internet and Je Khenpo was thankful to them.

When Yien reached Je Khenpo’s room the door was open and Je Khenpo was looking at him with a smile on his face.

“Yien, I hope you had a pleasant journey, come here to grandpa, you seemed to get older by the day,” Je Khenpo laughed.

“Je Khenpo, I am old, not everyone can maintain their youthfulness like you and my journey was fine,” replied Yien

“I agree with that, I am as youthful as anyone can ever be,” Je Khenpo stated.

“Ok settle down here, I need to talk to you,” Je Khenpo gestured Yien directing to the floor mat next to him.

Yien sat down comfortably next to Je Khenpo and asked, “What is it regarding Je Khenpo, is everything all right? Are you in good health?”

“I am as good as I was in my youth Yien, don’t stress over me. It’s about you, there is a lady who wants to get in touch with you. She sponsored your education, and she is interested to know what you are up to these days,” Je Khenpo stated.

“You know the person who sponsored my education? I thought my tuition was paid from the donations to our monastery,” questioned Yien in confusion.

“The lady who sponsored your education wished to be anonymous, so we din’t divulge into the details of where your tuition came from. She donated a considerable amount for the upkeep of the monastery,” Je Khenpo replied.

“Why is she willing to reveal herself now? For what reason does she need to know me?” Yien asked.

“As I said she cares for your well being and wants to know what is going on with the individual she assisted with attending a university, I know her for past few years Yien she is a kind lady,” Je Khenpo stated.

“Is she here? When should I be meeting her?” Yien asked curiously.

“She is not here, unfortunately she can’t travel with her current predicament. She wants to talk to you over a video call,” replied Je Khenpo, glancing at the time on the wall clock. “We can call her now, she will be pleased to talk to you,” Je Khenpo suggested.

With that, Je Khenpo turned his laptop on and made a Skype video call. It was answered shortly with a sweet voice greeting Je Khenpo and getting information on his wellbeing. Je Khenpo replied to her questions cheerfully and added that Yien is here and she can talk to him. With that Je Khenpo directed the laptop screen towards the younger and Yien got a glimpse of the lady on the screen. Her appearance radiated warmth, and her smile was disarming.

“Yien, I am happy to see you,” the lady smiled and introduced herself to Yien.

“It is nice meeting you madam, hope you are doing well,” asked Yien.

“I am doing fine Yien and I hope you are doing well. I would have preferred to meet you in person and spend sometime with you and get to know you. Unfortunately, I cannot travel at the moment, but I am happy with seeing you and talking to you even from a distance,” she replied with emotions in her eyes.

“Tell me something about yourself, anything that you are comfortable to share with me,” the lady suggested with a smile.

Yien din’t know what he was feeling. He never had a female figure in his life. The way the lady was looking at him with admiration in her eyes was something similar to the way a mother looks at her child, as if they are the centre of her world. She is a stranger to him, a person who existence was revealed in the last ten minutes. But from the way the lady was looking at him, she appeared to know him all his life. She was politely suggestive and seemed to be patient just to hear Yien’s voice.

Yien thanked her for her donations to the monastery and for funding his tuition. He also spoke about his university days and how he loved learning. She informed him she would like to call him once in a while just to know about his whereabouts, Yien informed her he would welcome her checking on him. The discussion ended with greetings, and the lady wished to speak to Je Khenpo. They spoke for a minute or two and the call ended.

“Je Khenpo, it looks like you know the lady for a long time?” Yien looked questioningly.

“I know her for few years. She is an amazing person. I truly wish you would become more acquainted with her too,” Je Khenpo patted on Yien’s shoulder.

It was not often Je Khenpo spoke so highly about someone. Yien is rather intrigued about the lady. He wondered how Je Khenpo knew her and why she is showing interest in knowing him more personally. He had to admit the conversation with the lady had rather started awkwardly from his end, but the lady made him feel at ease and welcoming. By the end of the brief conversation he din’t feel that he was talking to a stranger. He had a feeling of having a conversation with a well-wisher with whom he had lost contact for a long time.

“Yien how did it go with the student who wanted to work on their project at the monastery?” Je Khenpo enquired.

“It went without a hitch Je Khenpo, the princess is smart and I really din’t have to pitch in a lot, all I did was give few inputs on her project,” Yien replied.

“Princess?” Je Khenpo eyed Yien.

“Yes Je Khenpo the international student is a member of Thai Royal Family, I din’t have a prior knowledge of it, but I was informed of her lineage the day I would meet her,” Yien replied.

“Your friend and my dear unruly student Henry Lau called me this morning. He complained to me you were purposefully ignoring his calls. It would be nice if you talk to him often, he misses you,” Je Khenpo stated.

“Je Khenpo, he is too enthusiastic and energetic, I can’t keep up with him. The few months he spent in the monastery had me running up for hills. He claimed that he wanted to search for meaning of life and his purpose of his existence, but all I felt was he just wanted to experience this aspect of life just for the thrill of it and cross it off his bucket list of things he wanted to do,” Yien stated just feeling exhausted at the thought of Henry.

“Yien, you really sound like a 100-year-old. Henry is a youthful man full of life, I really enjoyed teaching him, I am not sure if any of my teachings impacted him, but regardless he is a kind person,” Je Khenpo stated.

“Je Khenpo I always had a feeling that you had a special place in your heart for unruly and bratty kids, correct me if I am wrong,” Yien smirked.

“Yien, they are just being their age. And you know that I love all my students equally, I may pay a little more attention to a few of them, but it’s just that they need that little extra support and guidance,” Je Khenpo stated.

“Yien, I trust you to always remember to be open to fresh experiences, people and live your life. Your life doesn’t have to be confined to the monastery, never feel obligated towards the monastery or to me. The monastery is your home, and we are your family. If you ever want to explore options in your life, I will be glad to let you go on the chosen path and if you come back, we will always be here for you. The doors to the monastery will be always open for you,” Je Khenpo said.

“Je Khenpo I am well aware of it. You have been repeating these words as long as I remember,” Yien replied.

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