Part Three: Nepal, Marriage, Family

From left to right: My father, sister, Rachel, mother, Kamala, and me.

MUDRA LOVE: Ok, you left the monastery, and you went to Nepal? What happened next? 

RICHARD JOSEPHSON: I returned my robes formally and decided I wanted to get married and start a family.

ML: Was this a difficult transition to make?

RJ: It was a very natural transition. I met your mom while she was doing a puja (prayer ritual) at Swayambu (Buddhist temple in Kathmandu). Mom meditated too and I just continued as before with my practice.

ML: Did you think about Shr Fu? 

RJ: Yes, I still felt very close to Shr Fu during this time.

Lamas reciting prayers in our house, Kathmandu Nepal.

ML: How did your Buddhist practice influence the way you raised your children?

RJ: Often you guys would sit down and meditate with us. I took you and your sister on my back every day to get blessed by lamas. You were completely immersed in Buddhism. 

ML: Any piece of advice you want to leave with people?

RJ: Getting married doesn't obstruct a spiritual lifestyle. Bringing children in the world if they are dharma practitioners and do good work is also a dharma. Introducing the dharma to your partner can also be very beneficial. Mom didn't have any teachers before she met me and then became close to many masters and embraced the spiritual Nepali lifestyle. She has her own unique dharma- she doesn't put on any facade or anything like that, she meditates, and lives very close to the earth.