What pushed us to choose Assisi as the destination for our trip was the possibility of introducing our Abbot Gheshe Thubten Chonyi (who spends most of his time in Kopan in Nepal) to the profound spirituality in which our country, Italy has its roots in a great tradition of male and female monasticism.
In those days, we received a great welcome from our Franciscan brothers, such as that given to us by Father Massimo Travascio, Custos of the Porziuncola, the small church located inside the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, counted among the most important Franciscan places.
Within its walls, Saint Francis understood his vocation, welcomed Saint Clare and the first friars, finally received the so-called Pardon of Assisi, becoming one of the Saint's favorite places.
He often stopped there to pray and in the place where the Transit chapel is now located, Saint Francis died on the evening of 3 October 1226.
Father Massimo guided us in the visit of the Basilica and invited us to a moment of prayer inside the Porziuncola, where with our abbot we recited in Tibetan, among other prayers, the eight verses of mental training according to the version performed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
It was a moment of great sharing and closeness, even with the faithful present in prayer. Hosted in the monastic area, not accessible from the outside, for light refreshments we were able to chat about our experiences, the studies undertaken, the different traditions that make up the respective monastic communities and much more.
We believe that these inter-monastic meetings can help to better understand the differences of each religion and appreciate them with mutual respect.
The creation of our Monastery goes in this direction, that is, the creation of a place where dialogue between different faiths is encouraged to help preserve a world of peace.
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