Mongolia and the Buddhist Nun

“During an earlier diplomatic mission, I had spent fourteen enlighteningly cold January days in another former Soviet colony, the ancient Buddhist land of Mongolia… I was in an altered state of mind, all alone. I determined to make one last manistic offering — a self-sacrificing visit to Mongolia.” “On 6th January 2014, while sheltering from the cold inside the temple, I got talking to a Buddhist nun (monashka, in Russian). She invited me to a workshop on how to begin a Buddhist practice. I didn’t have any intention (mens rea) or even interest in religion before I went to that teaching… Something however in that moment, and in those circumstances coalesced.”

Source: Journeying · Ancient Ukrainians First Indo-Europeans

The Mongolia encounter is the Buddhist origin story. A diplomat sheltering from cold in a temple, invited by a nun — the accidental discovery that transforms everything. Note the author’s characteristic parenthetical: “mens rea” even in a spiritual narrative.

← Previous: The Dalai Lama Initiation | Back to Journeying | Next: The Womb-Like Pit →