Andrew Singer Talks About China and America
Vol. 3, Issue 19
The Land of the Thunder Dragon (Part 4)
Today is the last day of 2024. As we prepare to turn the page on a new year, it is a fitting day for the final issue in my series on Bhutan. For blessings. Our journey in the Land of the Thunder Dragon—beginning, middle, and end, was graced with personal blessings we received from Buddhist monks and a special Bhutanese man. I invite you to share some of them with me below.
Paro Taktsang, aka, the Tiger’s Nest Monastery, clings midway up a sheer cliff above the Paro Valley. During the eighth century, Bhutan’s spiritual founder, Guru Rinpoche, aka Padmasambhava, flew on the back of a flaming tigress from Tibet to this now sacred Vajrayana Buddhist site. He meditated in a cave here for three years.
The hike 3,000 ft. up to 10,000± ft. on our first full day in Bhutan was an unexpected challenge as our lungs, knees, thighs, and feet acclimated to being in the Inner Himalayas. But oh my, the energy, the electricity, the anticipation as we climbed higher and higher--the Elysian temple growing ever larger.
After climbing a final 700+ stone steps, we arrive at the Tiger’s Nest. Stepping over a prominent, golden-yellow threshold, we enter the main meditation hall on the second floor. We are standing directly above the Pelphu Lhakhang, the lower shrine room that houses Guru Rinpoche’s cave. Three more-than-life-size Buddhas gaze serenely outward toward the front windows and the valley beyond and below. The room, still rather dim, is warm and calm.
The High Lama of the Monastery is in residence today writing sutras beneath the front windows. We approach across wide, seasoned floor planks. Kelzang, our guide this day, speaks with him quietly. The High Lama gently clasps a small golden Buddha statue and dorje (diamond scepter) in one hand and beckons us toward him. One by one, we bow our heads while covering our mouths as instructed (sources of sin when open).
He touches our lowered heads with his Buddha-dorje hand and chants a blessing to our health and good fortune. My eyes are closed. The sweet aroma of incense fills each part of the room. Lasting but a few seconds, this act brings on the deeply comfortable, peaceful feeling I so often find in Buddhist temples. I am sure the High Lama does this throughout the day for repeated tourists; however, I feel special, a part of history and culture in a place far, far away. (Blessing One).
The world’s largest brass and copper Buddha rises 169 ft. into the sky on a mountain side overlooking Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital. Seated in a lotus position, Buddha Dordenma holds a massive begging bowl in his left hand, while his right hand touches the earth. A dorje rests on the open lotus flower in front of him. His face is gold-plated, and his third eye contains a whopping eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) of solid gold.
As we walk around the lower of the two temples in the base under the Buddha, a barefoot monk approaches. He explains the statuary lining the rear wall and then invites us to sit with him on the floor in a circle. This forty-year-old man becomes our teacher for the next forty-five, timeless minutes. He smiles as he tells us he is confident our meeting here and now has been foretold through our prior lifetimes.
He shares these thoughts on compassion and instructions in elementary tantric meditation (interpreted by our guide, Rinzin). To meditate, forget the past, do not think of the future, concentrate on the present. Above all, cultivate emptiness. The hardest part for me (notwithstanding that I cannot contort my legs into the correct lotus position on the hard floor) is emptying my mind. It almost always seems to be running a mile a minute.
What is compassion? He tells us that being born a human is a rare occurrence and that at death all we take with us are good deeds and compassion from this life to the next.
“To begin learning and practicing compassion in the face of another's anger and agitation, imagine that the other is your child or parent and not a friend or acquaintance or stranger or enemy. How might you respond accordingly in such a scenario?”
Sage advice to reframe our expectations, to breathe deeply before reacting, and to seek to understand the world around us and those in it, not just speed through with blinders on autopilot. But such a struggle to accomplish in the every day of complicated and polarized life! (Blessing Two).
Druk Wangsitse Lhakhang (Temple of the Peak of Conquest) stands on a ridge high above the northern end of the Thimphu Valley overlooking the city. We hiked here (there are no roads) along a path that Rinzin told us is frequented by the retired Fourth King and his wife. Alas, we did not meet them this day.
A large, gilt copper statue of Shakyamuni towers from the back of the high-ceilinged, main temple room flanked by a standing Manjushri (Bodhisattva of Wisdom) and Avalokitesvara (Bodhisattva of Compassion). Four, 12 ft. tall stupas line each side wall. These represent the Chorten Deshey-Gyed, the Eight Great Stupas that illustrate stories from the Buddha’s life.
This room radiates a hardness and solidity lacking in the softer meditation hall at Tiger’s Nest. The stone floor, heavy architectural columns and beams, and massive carvings are more reminiscent of the dzong fortresses of Bhutan. Yet, though darker and not as warm, the temple remains a place of tangible spirituality.
A gregarious, older monk sits near the entrance. In front of him lies a cloth-wrapped, 600-year-old sutra book, one of four volumes each containing 110 pages. He unwraps the silk outer covering and shows us a few pages. Each rectangular page has its own silk cover and contains ancient text written in the center with vibrant illustrations at either end.
He calls us over. We bow our heads and cover our mouths; this time without being told to first. The monk lifts a six-century-old page and touches our heads in turn as he recites a prayer. He blesses each of us with long life, specifically to age 105.
Why 105? I would understand if he had said 108. 108 is a popular, symbolic number in the Buddhist Himalaya region. It is the number of sacred Buddhist texts, the number of Buddhist prayer beads in a mala, and the number of ancient monasteries built in one day by the seventh-century, Tibetan Buddhist King Songstsen Gampo. But 105? I am not complaining. In 2071, I hope my body will remain in decent shape, my mind sharp, and my life continuing to be meaningful (Blessing Three).
Rinzin became our friend over the two-plus weeks we spent with him. He took great care of us while hiking through valleys, up mountains, and across muddy streams, in camp, and through fortresses. He entertained and educated us with his good humor, wit, and knowledge. He helped me buy the perfect gho (traditional men’s outfit).
On our last morning during the pre-dawn drive to Paro Airport, he asked us our favorite part of the trip. We peppered him with many of the wonderful and immersive experiences we shared. We asked Rinzin the same question.
“I like that you are real travelers who spent extended periods everywhere [blowing schedules in the process], asking questions, learning, meeting people. You didn’t just breeze in and out of places. You were flexible and melded like a family. This allowed me to better appreciate and reconnect with my own culture and people at the same time. I am grateful.”
As we pulled up to the departure drop-off, Rinzin ended by saying that we met here and now in Bhutan because of past karma, and that because we bonded, he is certain that we will meet again in the future (whether this or another lifetime). We all talk of returning even before we leave (Bonus Blessing).
The Bhutanese do not say goodbye. Rather, they say until we meet again. And so, until we meet again.
Please re-experience Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this series.
Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom with flaming sword that cuts down ignorance
As always, you have beautifully captured the essential components of the incredible journey Jen and I were fortunate enough to share with you.
Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy, prosperous, and meaningful New Year!
Thank you for this thoughtful description of your travels to Bhutan and its Buddhist traditions and practice. The monks' and your guide's conversations and blessings are to be treasured. Reading about this journey is a wonderful way to end the old year and welcome the new. Until we meet again!