I planned a meeting with the Citta Nepal board before I had to leave for India. Their were two knew members and I wanted to share some time with them so they knew more about Citta US. Not all members could make the trip since two of them live in Nepalganj on the other side of the country.

We had a nice afternoon together gathered in our office in Mahankal (outside Boudhanath). After eating loads of cookies and Tea we spoke about the upcoming year and what we all had envisioned for the organization. We spoke about the Humla project to a larger extent, since that is the largest project growing at the fastest pace. The board expressed their special interest in that particular project because everyone in Nepal is aware Humla is a difficult district to work and the poorest and most remote in the country.

It turns out that the secretary of the board is a scholar and teacher of the Bon religion in Tibet. He was fascinating to listen to. A Bon practitioner is called a Bonpo and it predates the presence of Buddhism in the Tibetan Himalayas. When Buddhism moved from India into Tibet it merged with the local practices of Bon. That is apparently where Tibetan Buddhism gets its colorful, shamanistic flavor.