A notice posted inside the silent retreat cells reads: "Welcome to the Kopan Monastery, a quiet environment conducive to learning and meditation. We ask that you avoid singing, dancing and playing ...

The next morning, our group visits Kathmandu’s Kopan Monastery. A Buddhist monk in flowing robes leads us into the temple and speaks with uplifting potency about the secrets to contentment: love ...

She bought the land on which Kopan Monastery now stands in Kathmandu Valley for the Nepal Mahayana Gompa Retreat that she set up with Lama Yeshe, (above, right) whom Rachevsky met in Darjeeling.

“Death day”, as we’ve facetiously called it; the second-last day of a Buddhism retreat at Kathmandu’s Kopan Monastery, when 130 fellow travellers and I will meditate on our own deaths.

In Kathmandu, Dwarika’s Hotel (dwarikas.com) has doubles from $375 (£277), B&B. Kopan Monastery (kopanmonastery.com) has a 10-day introductory course for $140 (£103), including lodging.