In slow, rhythmic motions Zin gently sweeps her paddle, propelling her long boat across the calm waters. An immense lake stretches before her for miles. Squinting against the sun, she looks ahead to a small cluster of huts rising out of the water on stilts near the middle of the lake. While a tourist might think the village quaint, she knows it’s also a fortress of deep spiritual darkness.

Remember the saying, “It’s raining cats and dogs”? That happens often during Nepal's rainy season, which begins every year in June and runs for 4 months. The rice and other crops that sustain the Nepali people depend on the rainy season.