Cathy Briner's Journal
copyrighted by Cathy Briner, June 2001
Briner Journals
176 Thomason Lane
Eugene, OR 97404
541-689-1833
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Part II:
Thimphu, Punakha, Tongsa and Bumthang
Tashichho Dzong, Zilukha Nunnery, Special Prayer Ceremony, Dochu La Pass (10,500 feet), Simtokha Dzong (the oldest dzong - 1629), Chhimi Lhakhang (a temple dedicated to Divine Madman), Punakha Dzong (1637), Wangdi Phodrang Dzong (1638), Pele La Pass (10,825 feet), Trongsa Dzong (1644), Bumthang, Jambey Lhakhang (oldest temple - mid 7th century), Tamshing Lhakhang....
Kay Kirby's talk (an American woman & newspaper journalist (Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, etc.), who is a practicing Buddhist & who married a Bhutanese man & lives in Thimphu)
Diana Myers' talk (author of "From the Land of Thunder Dragon", Serindia Publications, London,1994)
(7)Sunday, April 22 (partly cloudy/sunny)
Got up early & bought a few more treats from the bakery next door to accompany the hotel breakfast (omelettes & toast).
Headed out for a morning of sightseeing in Thimphu, passing the National Library, the High Court & other government offices in traditional Bhutanese-style buildings, & Bhutan's only golf course (9 holes). Visited the magnificent Tashichho Dzong (also spelled Trashichhoe, the name of which means "the Fortress of Auspicious Religion"), one of the largest dzongs in Bhutan (a dzong is a very large combination fortress-monastery complex that serves as a civil & religious center & is considered uniquely Bhutanese), for which we had special permission to enter; the dzong was built here in 1641-2 on the site of a previous fortress built by the Shabdrung; it burnt down & was rebuilt in 1772 & was enlarged in the 1960's; before entering, Sonam & Pema donned the required kabneys, plain white raw silk scarves denoting their rank & told us about the other ranks/scarf colors: saffron yellow for the King & Je Khenpo only, blue for Advisory Council members, red for senior officials recognized as dashos by the King, orange for lyonpos (government ministers), white with red stripes for gups (village headmen), white with blue stripes for National Assembly members, & white with red border for members of the army. Entered the dzong & spun the very large golden prayer wheels (each spin releasing 1000's of prayers) at the entrance; found the interior buildings (huge whitewashed structures built without nails!) & courtyards to be quiet (only sounds were fluttering pigeons & spinning prayer wheels) & beautifully decorated & planted with rose gardens; decorations included many garudas (mythological birds) on building corners for protection for evil, snow lion (which look more like dogs) friezes on top of the buildings, & the dharma wheel with 2 deer (Buddha's first teachings were in a deer park); also saw several old temples (one for each deity) with impossibly steep steps, each of which has a monk caretaker, & saw the building that houses the King's throne room & offices (Sonam's office when he worked in the Finance Ministry was in an adjacent building); the National Assembly used to meet within the dzong, but they have moved to a new building nearby. it was so frustrating not to be able to take pictures. Learned that this dzong is the home of the Je Khenpo, the chief abbot of the country (who is afforded the same respect as the King) & that the dzong's monk body resides here from April to October & winters at the dzong in Punakha from November to March (the current Je Khenpo is Sonam's wife's grandmother's older brother's reincarnate!); there are approximately 3,500 ordained monks (gelongs) in the country who are supported by the state, plus another 3,000 or so who are supported privately; saw a few monks walking around in maroon robes & the living quarters for the several hundred monks who live here in the summer (Sonam said it was no longer the custom that a son from each family automatically goes into the monastery). Within the dzong's courtyard is held an annual festival in September-October known as a tsechu which involves many sacred dances; a special giant religious painting called a thangka (this type known as a thondrol) is brought out only every 25 years, with its spectators gaining merit by merely seeing it. Sonam explained one of the large wall paintings: the Buddhist Wheel of Life, which is held by a creature known as Yama, the Lord of Death, who controls the cycle; there are 6 possible realms of rebirth based on one's karma: the realm of demons (i.e., hell, the worst realm), the realm of the hungry ghosts (a character with a big greedy stomach but a thin throat so he's always hungry), the realm of animals (all kinds), the realm of humans (the best before enlightenment), the realm of the gods (where there is no need to improve life), & the realm of the demigods or titans; in the center, there is the boar (representing the sins of delusion & ignorance), the rooster (representing the sins of desire & lust), & the snake (representing the sins of jealousy & hatred), all chasing each other. Sonam told us that to the Bhutanese the death ceremony is the most important ritual--that's why it's so important for your children to do well so they can take care of you in old age (there is no social security here) & arrange for a proper death ceremony for you (which must happen quickly within 49 days) & set up prayer flags after your spirit is gone (Sonam told us that it takes time before you realize that you're dead & you realize finally that people don't recognize you & then you have 49 days to search for a new body).
Next drove up into hills to the Zilukha Nunnery, where we were privileged to participate in a special prayer ceremony with the Buddhist nuns (anims) there in recognition of Carol's 80th year; Sonam told us he had picked this place because our group was composed of all women & it therefore seemed more appropriate than having the ceremony at one of the monasteries; the nunnery has about 25 nuns (mostly from Tibet originally) who are highly respected & who look after several orphans; Sonam reminded us that Green Tara is the most important deity for women--she is considered a Bodhisattva of Compassion--born from the tears of the Buddha of Compassion who was sad about the sins of mankind. Took our shoes off & entered the temple (feeling nervous about not knowing exactly what to do but Sonam had told us to just watch & follow him) & saw the maroon-robed barefoot & close-cropped nuns chanting under the direction of a ponytailed lama visiting from Rawabi Gompa (monastery) who presided over the ceremony along with a lay monk since the nunnery was temporarily without its own lama; also noted on the altar the 7 required offering bowls (of holy water to drink, water for washing, rice & dried flowers, rice & incense, candle, fragrant water, rice & food), as well as platters of feast food & numerous butter lamps & torma (elaborately decorated sacrificial cakes made from butter); one by one, each of us offered a khadhar (a white ceremonial scarf imprinted with the 8 Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism) to the lama who blessed it & then placed it around our necks; Carol stood up & lit a special butter lamp & then Sonam performed 12 prostrations toward the altar on her behalf & there were prayers said for Carol's good health & long life; we were then served butter tea (suja) blowing out as we sipped (as Blyth had previously suggested if we didn't like the taste) & sweet rice with golden raisins (which is served only for special occasions); one by one, each of us took a stick of burning incense up to the altar & lit a butter lamp; we also left more incense sticks & money on the altar (which goes to buy special butter for the butter lamps); at intervals, listened to more chanting & the wonderfully haunting sounds of the horns & drums & watched as the nuns & the lamas prayed & prostrated numerous times, while a cat strolled through the whole proceeding until one nun grabbed it & put it outside. Following the ceremony, ate lunch in the temple (red rice, spicy mushrooms, asparagus, beans, & mixed vegetables).
Received special permission for a private audience with a 69-year-old nun from Tibet who escaped in 1959 when the Chinese arrived & who has spent her whole life meditating; currently she was doing a special "light" meditation in a small hut at the nunnery (Sonam & others sponsor her), which differs from the many sets of longer meditations lasting 3 years, 3 months, & 3 days (known as lo soom chu soom) that she has completed during her lifetime (if she had been doing that kind of meditation, she would not have met us or talked with anyone for the duration); Sonam told us she has divination powers, so some in our group asked her questions about their future. Visited the nuns' dormitory where the 25 nuns sleep together in bedrolls on the floor; as we left, some of the nuns posed for pictures which they asked us to send them.
Shopped as a group at the Choki Handicrafts Store; Cathy bought a Bhutan poster, prayer flags, a bamboo tea strainer & bookmarks. Then the group dispersed downtown for more shopping, especially at the Norling Handicrafts jewelry store (where the owner, Ms. Karma Wangmo, gave us a 10% discount); stopped off at the Swiss Bakery for a supply of their delicious potato chips, before returning to the guesthouse to pack & get ready for dinner.
Drove to the lovely Rabten Restaurant (which specializes in the cuisine of Central Bhutan) for an evening with two special guests & dinner; for cocktails, some tried ara (a Bhutanese liquor which "will give you a kick," according to Sonam), while others drank beer & enjoyed the ubiquitous potato chips. Blyth introduced her good friend, Kay Kirby, an American woman & newspaper journalist (Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, etc.), who is a practicing Buddhist & who married a Bhutanese man & lives in Thimphu. She now works for the United Nations as the Special Assistant to the Resident Coordinator.
Kay Kirby's talk:
"I came to Bhutan for the first time on a trip with the Sierra Club & I met my future husband on that trip. After we were married, I was received here quite warmly, but my husband's family & mine weren't crazy about it at first. I had always been obsessed with this part of the world, even as a little girl, & I did lots of reading. I started out as an intellectual Buddhist--I wasn't interested in what I call "monk training" (i.e., chanting). When I first came to Bhutan, I thought it was great because I found that Buddhism pervaded all aspects of life here. Back in the US, I met my root lama in San Francisco & then began to practice. Ironically, it turned out that my root lama was into chanting. I found it enormously liberating & that it worked! It helps with my approach to life. I commuted back & forth for 9 years before I finally moved here. There's a seamless blend of government, arts & religion here. It is a very profound experience for a non-Buddhist to become one as an adult. Here you are born into it. I don't kid myself--I'll never be a Bhutanese."
Blyth then introduced another of her friends, Diana (pronounced Deanna) Myers (who was dressed in a gorgeous kira, the national traditional dress for women), who is currently in Bhutan serving as an advisor to the youngest Queen in the development of a national textile museum scheduled to open on 6/2/01, the anniversary of the King's coronation. She is affiliated with the Save the Children organization & is the foremost expert on Bhutanese textiles & author of the book, From the Land of the Thunder Dragon: Textile Arts of Bhutan.
Diana Myers' talk: "I was a consultant for the World Bank when I first came to Bhutan in 1984. I then developed a personal interest in textiles. My mother had been a weaver. I started on Tibetan rugs & then became fascinated by Bhutanese textiles & eventually in 1994-96 organized the traveling exhibit for the Peabody Museum which led to my book."
"Of the 13 traditional Bhutanese crafts, 12 are traditionally done by men & only weaving has been done by women. The youngest Queen has decided that this woman's craft should be acknowledged & honored with a textile museum. I am on a 6-month leave of absence from Save the Children to assist with this effort. The Danes have funded the construction of a museum building & there has been grant funding received to provide for a curator. The museum concept is foreign to the Bhutanese. The goal is to interest the Bhutanese in their own history. The museum will show the diversity of weaving & dress in the country. We will have a special section of royal family-loaned textiles & we'll also have a section of religious embroideries & appliques. Visitors will be able to touch some things. There will be an international board of directors & there may be a membership support program."
"In 1984, there was a government mandate for all Bhutanese people to wear the traditional national , especially in offices, temples & dzongs & it must be worn properly, otherwise one can be fined (there is decentralized enforcement). On formal occasions, the Bhutanese would never dream of wearing machine-made clothes & will wear only handwoven garments. These are not inexpensive because it takes a long time to weave the fabrics & the labor isn't cheap."
Then Diana showed off her own elegant kira which she said was made of an old pattern & demonstrated how it is worn. The kira, a full-length piece of cloth (composed of 3 woven panels stitched together), is wrapped around the body & attached at the shoulders with a pair of silver brooches; a blouse is worn underneath & a short jacket is usually worn over it with solid-color cuffs turned back. She told us that all the various color combinations have names, such as the red & gold pattern, the green & red on a yellow field, the gold & white on a plain field. Only women wear horizontal-striped patterns & men the vertical-striped patterns. The average woman will have 3-5 kiras, with at least 1 of those being reserved for special occasions.
Sonam demonstrated the wearing of the men's gho, a garment that can be loosely described as a cross between a kilt & a kimono, which is very difficult to put on properly. The Shabdrung brought the gho robe from Tibet & there is a complex etiquette about wearing it, as to the proper length of the turned-back cuffs, etc. It is a long robe which is wrapped around the body with an inverted pleat in the back & cinched up at the waist with a belt (which is considered very special) & resulting in a chest pouch into which Bhutanese men carry their belongings. The length of the gho used to show status, with only the King supposedly wearing his below the knee. We laughed as Sonam the good sport struggled to get his gho back on properly without showing off his underwear!
After the presentations, enjoyed dinner (white millet soup, red rice, white rice with corn, buckwheat noodles, chicken curry, beef, potatoes with cheese, mixed vegetables, with watermelon for dessert) & enjoyed talking more informally with Kay & Diana. Returned to the guesthouse & went to bed.
(8)Monday, April 23 (partly cloudy)
Arose early to get ready to leave Thimphu; ate breakfast at the hotel (hard-boiled eggs, toast, juice & sweets from the bakery), with Cathy getting nervous about the upcoming day's drive after studying the incredibly squiggly line for a road on the map.
Passed Simtokha Dzong, the oldest in Bhutan (built in 1629 & consecrated in 1631 by the Shabdrung), which now houses a language school; its strategic ridgetop location controlled all approaches to & from Thimphu & invading Tibetans were repelled here. Passed a horticultural test area (the Bhutanese economy has been based primarily on agriculture & forestry, with maize & rice as the most important crops & increasingly potatoes); 80% of the population is engaged in agriculture (including livestock), & 98% of the farmers own their own land. Along the way, observed many wild strawberries & other wildflowers, especially primula, Eupatorium, ferns, blue pine, bay, oak, chestnut & other nut trees, cedars, junipers & apple, cherry, pomegranate & orange trees (the last growing especially in the south where the fruit is exported to Bangladesh). Drove through Hongtsho, a Tibetan village whose residents are sponsored by patrons so they can practice (Buddhism) all the time.
Reached Dochu La Pass (10,500 feet), where we saw hundreds of prayer flags surrounding a chorten with a gilded Buddha inside & numerous tsa-tsa offerings (small chorten-like cones made up of cremated ashes) around the base; enroute saw Andromeda bushes, tall magnolias, pink & red rhododendrons & cypress (the national tree), as well as our first yaks, some of which were black & some were black & white; learned that the yak is an endangered species (but they are considered to be "semi-domesticated highland oxen") which can live only above 10,000 feet. Descending the mountain on a narrow winding road ("the one & only road," according to Pema), drove through such a variety of trees in the forests in an environment which was reminiscent to Cathy of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina; along the way, saw many Indian & Nepalese workers sweeping the roads & breaking rocks (paid by piecework!) & learned that they & their families live temporarily in the mountains so they can repair rockslides & washouts quickly.
Sonam pointed out Chhimi Lhakhang in the distance, a temple with a yellow roof, which is a place where childless Bhutanese women go in order to receive a monk's blessing so that they may conceive (recently it has even become the tour destination of foreign childless women hoping to be blessed); it was built by Drukpa Kunley (who lived in 1455-1529), who as the favorite saint of the Bhutanese people is known affectionately as "the Divine Madman."
Arrived in Punakha (altitude: 5,500 feet), the old capital of Bhutan until 1959, where the climate was quite warm & tropical & we saw banana trees, eucalyptus, poinsettias, willow & flame trees, & cactus. Ate a good lunch (rice, noodles, ferns in cheese sauce, delicious momos, fish balls, chicken, a tofu dish, pea salad, with watermelon for dessert) at the Damchen Restaurant located amidst banana trees on the Punatsanghhu River, an oasis for Cathy after the winding road of the morning.
Stopped to take pictures of the dzong from across the river & admired the lovely blooming purple jacaranda trees in front; saw monks washing their clothes in the river. Crossed a bridge & visited the Punakha Dzong, located picturesquely at the confluence of the Mo Chhu ("mother river") & Pho Chhu ("father river") Rivers (heard a story about a fight between the mother & father rivers which caused the mother to run away & it is the father running down to catch her); this dzong, which was founded in 1637 by the Shabdrung (he had a dream in which Guru Rinpoche told him to build here & no Tibetan would ever kill him) & which houses his sacred embalmed body (he died here in 1651), became the most important dzong in Bhutan & is now the winter home of the country's central monk body; it burnt down several times & was rebuilt; there are very intricate paintings & carvings here not found elsewhere. Entered the dzong, which contains 21 temples, after climbing very steep stairs & passing the ubiquitous prayer wheels; in the courtyard saw a bodhi tree, symbolic of the tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment; also saw a temple dedicated to the mermaid-type deity (Loo), who lives in a small lake underneath the dzong, in order to keep her happy with offerings. Sonam told us that the Shabdrung came from Tibet & spent the night here in a small temple; he had stolen a small statue of the Buddha of Compassion which was a relic belonging to the Drukpa Kagyu sect; the Tibetans came & wanted the relic back, so he decided to fool them & supposedly threw it into the river but he really threw a replica instead; this story is re-enacted at the annual festival (tsechu) held here. While touring, came across a monk carrying water, which Sonam told us is considered an auspicious sign.
Entered the prayer & assembly hall & saw that an impressive prayer ceremony was going on (how auspicious for us!), with a lama clad in orange robes & long rows of red-robed monks sitting on the floor chanting & with drums beating, long horns playing (that haunting sound again!), cymbals clashing, & rice being thrown, all under the stern & watchful eye of a bald disciplinarian monk; learned that the present King was married in this hall in 1988 & the first King was crowned here in 1907. In the midst of much rebuilding going on, entered a temple which was once the residence of the Je Khenpo (the country's chief abbot), where we saw a giant clay statue of Sakyamuni Buddha (flanked by the Shabdrung on one side & Guru Rinpoche on the other side & a garuda above his head) being painted by artists & 1000's of Buddha paintings on the walls & Bodhisattvas around the side; interesting to see the painting work in process (some of the best painters in the country are working here, using vegetable dyes with animal glue & minerals used for the paint on the statues & plaster walls); Karen was able to purchase a tiny statue of Guru Rinpoche from an artist at the temple. Sonam pointed out statues of the first & second disciples of Buddha & a statue of Vajrapani, a Tantric deity which takes a ferocious form but is actually peaceful & only takes that form to subdue evil spirits. Sonam told us that Buddha's actual teachings were recorded in a set of 108 volumes called the Kanjur & a set of his disciples' commentaries are called Tenjur, both of which are the most sacred prayer books you can have; Buddha prophesied that he would come back & would be even greater, which he did in the 8th century as Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche who is called the Second Buddha; his return was needed because there were so many evil spirits which were keeping Buddhism from getting established in the Himalayas; Guru Rinpoche took on all kinds of fearful manifestations in order to destroy the evil spirits.
Passed the Wangdiphodrang Dzong, which was built by the Shabdrung in 1638; Sonam told us that there is an old story that the dzong was so named because the Shabdrung encountered a small boy building a sandcastle here & asked his name which was Wangdi, so he named the new dzong after him. Passed a unique village where the country's dzong masons live. Drove through the village of Wangdiphodrang (known as Wangdi for short) which appeared very clean; saw signs that read "Keep Wangdi clean;" heard a story about the mayor here who, in an effort to clean up the town, shipped all the dogs to another village, but the mayor there sued him & won, so the dogs were returned; then the mayor shipped them to India!
Arrived at the Kichu Resort outside Wangdi, the awesome situation of which along the Dang Chhu River felt just like being on the McKenzie River in Oregon. Retired to the bar to enjoy Tiger beers (from Singapore) & delicious potato chips from our hoard bought at the Swiss Bakery in Thimphu, while watching women in kiras easily lugging our bags onto their backs & carrying them up the stairs to our second-floor rooms. Ate an excellent vegetarian dinner at the hotel (rice, potatoes with cheese, noodles, mushrooms in a sauce, eggplant, & mango for dessert). Went to bed; the beds were hard but we slept well with the sound of the rushing river outside instead of barking dogs!
(9)Tuesday, April 24 (sunny with almost-cloudless blue sky)
Got up early on a beautiful day & ate breakfast at the hotel buffet (oatmeal, scrambled eggs, toast with jam, tomatoes, french fries, bananas); pleased to see that Margo was feeling better after sitting out dinner the night before with a bad cold; chatted with some German tourists who had been on a trek; sat outside in the lodge's lovely garden (iris, nasturtiums, bougainvillea, etc.) along the river relishing the sunshine & catching up on our journal writing; Cathy studied the Bhutan map on which Pema showed her the location of his village (in the Dungkhar area of Eastern Bhutan) where the first King (who was the Penlop of Trongsa) was also from; Sonam is from Waway in the same area.
Reached the place where Mary Lou's group had to turn back on her previous trip to Bhutan due to a major landslide. Stopped for several pictures along the way, especially of the lovely terraced ricefields. Finally saw the masses of rhododendrons we'd been told to expect; they were very large trees (not the bushes we know in Oregon), with many different colors dotting the hillsides (as "red splotches," according to Anne); Sonam told us that there are over 50 species of etho metho (as it is called here). Ecstatic to be able to see the Himalayas clearly on this sunny day which we'd been told we likely wouldn't see during the trip due to the cloud cover in the mountains this time of year; the peaks of the Middle & Inner Himalayas vary in height from 5,000 to 24,000 feet, a zone which supports extensive & magnificent forests of conifers, oaks, maples, laurels & magnolias, some of which are almost totally unique to Bhutan, not having suffered the mass deforestation of other Himalayan countries (in fact, Bhutan has the highest original forest cover of any nation in the world at about 75% & a 1995 government ruling mandates that over 60% of the country will remain forested permanently); the entire region boasts a richness & variety of plants & wildlife that are perhaps unequaled in the world (it is estimated that over 6500 species of flowering plants grow in Bhutan). Stopped again for pictures of yaks which were munching on dwarf bamboo (cham), one of their preferred foods.
Reached the Pele La Pass (10,825 feet) where there was the requisite chorten & many prayer flags; this pass is traditionally considered the boundary between Western & Central Bhutan. Enjoyed a good picnic lunch (cheese sandwiches, potatoes, eggs, mango juice, with rich pastries from the bakery for dessert) among the yaks (& their dung, so we were careful where we sat & stepped!); were warned that yaks, although they may seem quite docile, can attack without provocation.
Stopped for a picture at Rukubji, where we could overlook a large long field & a temple which was built on the head of snake demon which had been terrorizing this area. Next stopped at Chendebji Chorten, a Nepalese-style chorten & had eyes painted on it, which had been constructed by Sonam's ancestors; it was built to subdue a demon so that it could not rise again; it is a copy of the main chorten in Kathmandu, Nepal; also saw a square chorten built next to it in the Bhutanese style, which was built by the Queen Mother.
Drove over bamboo placed on the road to be flattened by bamboo weavers whom we saw working alongside the road making mats. Were forced to stop when we were told that road crew workers were dynamiting ahead; found the road blocked with boulders after the blasting; to the workers' amazement, all of us got out of the bus to help move the rocks while Chozang took up a sledgehammer to break up the largest rock in the way; then we were able to proceed through first the rocky detritus & later the sandy remains of a sandstone blast to continue our journey. Enroute taught Pema many American sayings & sang songs & nursery rhymes; luckily, Mary Lou, Linda & Carol could remember all the words! Stopped for views of the beautifully situated Trongsa Dzong with a round watchtower (the only Bhutanese structure that is round) above it on the hillside.
Arrived at Sherubling Tourist Lodge in Trongsa (the name means "new town") (altitude: 7,200 feet), which had a nice setting with a view of the dzong in the valley below. Enjoyed tea/beer time in the lodge while looking at pictures of Sonam's 3-year-old daughter (Dorji Tso), whom Sonam said is very intelligent & cute but can be quite naughty, & his 4*-year-old son (Lhaksan) who is a trülku, a reincarnated lama.
Ate a good dinner at the hotel buffet (rice, noodles & vegetables, cucumber salad, chicken, roasted potatoes, potatoes with cheese & cilantro, mixedvegetables, with oranges & bananas for dessert). Went to bed with no shower (no hot water in our room).
(10)Wednesday, April 25 (sunny in the morning, rainy in the afternoon)
Awoke to a chilly morning & surprised to see a great view of the mist-shrouded mountains from the tiny window above the toilet. Ate a good breakfast at the hotel (made-to-order cheese omelettes, toast, juice, coffee/tea). Had a mini shopping spree at the hotel, buying kiras, jewelry & other items, some of which had been made by Puntsho, a woman working at the lodge; Cathy bought a cotton kira to be used as a bedspread & a tingsha (a set of melodious cymbals used for water offerings).
Visited the Trongsa Dzong on the Mangde River, the most impressive in Bhutan & the only dzong with a yellow roof, which was built in 1644 & has been enlarged several times but it has never burned (there are many cracks evident throughout but they are working to restore it); there are 23 temples now, each with a dark red band around it which designates it as a religious building; as we arrived, watched a long procession of monks of all ages leaving the dzong on their way to bathe; Sonam told us that every morning the monks burn cypress in a special fireplace as they say their prayers & they throw rice up in the air for the ravens to eat; entering the dzong, we were impressed by the beautiful old artwork, mandalas & the paintings of the 4 Direction deities (standing which is unusual-- they're usually pictured as seated). Sonam told us about the saint Pema Lingpa (1450-1521) who was the reincarnate of Longchen Ramjam (who was a was reincarnate of Guru Rinpoche) & was a very unusual & very talented person born to a poor family; as a terton (treasure seeker), he went to a small lake (Mebartsho or "Burning Lake") where he retrieved some of the sacred relics & texts hidden by Guru Rinpoche (in order that future Bodhisattvas would find them & revive Buddhism); the king of Bumthang region didn't want to believe him so he said he'd have to prove it in front of everyone, whereby Pema Lingpa jumped into the lake with a lit butter lamp & said "it will still be burning when I come back up" which proved he was a reincarnate; all the dances that are now performed at the annual tsechu festivals held at the dzongs were introduced by him after seeing them in a vision of Guru Rinpoche's paradise.
Spent an hour in the town of Trongsa shopping & taking pictures, before eating a good lunch at the hotel (vegetable spring rolls, pork with radishes, rice, mashed potatoes, cabbage, tomato & cucumber salad, & a dish of spinach, peppers & lentils in hot cheese sauce).
Drove to Bumthang, climbing Yutong La Pass (11,200 feet), & seeing dogwood, pussy willow, wild plum, spruce & fir along the way & also scarecrows in the fields. There are 4 valleys (Chumey, Choekhor, Tang--which we would not be visiting--& Ura) in the Bumthang region which is sometimes called "the Switzerland of Bhutan;" this region is considered the spiritual heartland of Bhutan as Buddhism was first introduced here in the 8th century by Guru Rinpoche; saw many pine forests & beehives (this area is known for its honey) in a landscape that differed from the one of the previous day, as well as numerous mani walls (stone walls with inscribed mantras); passed the Royal Grandmother's House. In the first valley of Chumey, stopped at a series of shops where weavers from the nearby weaving village of Zungney sell their wares, especially yathra (colorfully patterned twill-weave woolen fabrics); watched some weavers working & then proceeded to shop like crazy in the dark shops, as it rained outside.
Arrived in Jakar in the Choekhor valley, administrative center of the Bumthang region, & checked into the Pilgrims' Lodge, which is owned by Sonam's cousin, where Cathy & Donna were assigned to a charming & cozy 2-room cottage decorated with Bhutanese fabrics & furniture with a bathroom shared with Jean & Joan. Enjoyed teatime in the lodge's main room where we all sat on cushions on the floor around a woodstove.
(11)Thursday, April 26 (cloudy in the morning, drizzly in the afternoon/evening)
Awoke to another chilly morning & had breakfast around the woodstove (omelettes, toast, cheese, potato chips, juice/coffee/tea); couldn't take showers as there was no hot water. Anne told us about a scene she had witnessed on her early-morning walk: she had seen a couple & their child planting a flowering apple tree branch in the middle of a plowed field next to a small smoky fire; Sonam said they were praying to a local deity for a good harvest.
Walked through blooming apple trees past the compound of the King's Guesthouse to the nearby Jambey Lhakhang (also called Jampa temple), the oldest temple in Bhutan (along with Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro) which dates from the mid-7th century; it was built by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo as 1 of 108 temples he built to subdue a giant ogress who was terrorizing the whole Himalayan region & not allowing Buddhism to spread (it is situated on her left knee & the temple in Paro is on her left foot). Longchen Ramjam (1308-1363) predicted that the future Buddha would be born in Bumthang & it is said that he will return when the 3 stone steps at this temple sink into the ground; Guru Rinpoche preached his teachings from the roof of this temple to King Sendhaka, the king who invited Guru Rinpoche to come to Bumthang & was the first to be converted to Buddhism. After passing many prayer wheels & walking over the stone steps, entered the temple decorated with many colorful banners & saw the main statue of the temple, that of Jampa, the Future Buddha (also called Maitreya), which was gilded & draped with scarves; Sonam told us it was an unusual statue which portrayed the future Buddha as very humanlike; to the Buddha's right & left were statues of the historical Buddha (Sakyamuni); around the altar saw many bells, butter lamps, torma & money offerings; interesting to see a building in the center of the courtyard which houses a thousand butter lamps (not located in the temple because of fire danger); learned that the former lama of this temple lay in a meditation posture for 6 months; every October, there is a major religious festival (Jambey Lhakhang Drup) held at this temple which involves naked dances.
Next visited another temple, Kurjey Lhakhang (the name literally mean "the body impression"), one of the most sacred sites in Bhutan, which was founded in the 8th century on the site of an older temple when Guru Rinpoche came here to meditate; Sonam told us the story about King Sendhaka (whose house we had seen near our hotel); he had been fighting a war & lost his only son in battle; in grief, he had destroyed all the temples of the local deities so the deities decided to take his life force; the only way to save his life was to call on Guru Rinpoche who came from Nepal & tried to subdue the local deities; he went into a small cave to meditate (which we later saw in the temple) leaving his body impression ("ku jey") on the rock; Guru Rinpoche danced which drew out most of the hidden local deities because they were curious & so Guru Rinpoche was able to subdue them, but the main deity did not come out, so he devised a trick involving his wife, the king's daughter, which drew out this deity, & by turning himself into a garuda, he was able to subdue him & make him return the king's life force. Walked up many steep steps to reach the temple sanctuary & went inside; saw a statue of Guru Rinpoche dancing over the cave & glass cases along 2 walls filled with gilded Bodhisattvas & 1 wall which was done in beautiful relief; also saw a crystal statue of Buddha from Thailand & a brightly painted statue of a local deity that Guru Rinpoche had converted; Sonam made a special butter lamp offering at the altar on behalf of the whole group; returning outside, we watched as local worshipers circumambulated the chorten in front of the temple & as Pema skinnied through the narrow opening between 2 rocks, an indication (supposedly) that he was without sin; saw a very tall cypress tree which it is said came from the walking stick of Guru Rinpoche. Toured the Vegetable Dying Project, which was located in a house with painted phalluses flanking the front door (to ward off evil, not as fertility signs) & which also had wooden phalluses hanging from the eaves. The manager first showed us the various natural materials which are boiled to make dyes, such as peach bark--light brown, lac (an expensive dye from the worm in a tree)--red & pink, madder (cheaper than lac)--orange/red, walnut husk--blackish brown, indigo--blue/green, zim (a local tree with no English name)--yellow, & even mud; learned that sour fruit (like monkey apple) & alum are used as the mordant (i.e., fixative) & that such natural dyes start out more subdued than chemical dyes but the color lasts longer over time; looked over various yarns & fabrics for sale which had been dyed by the cooperative; Cathy bought a rose-colored raw silk shawl which had been dyed with lac.
Ate a tasty lunch at the Swiss Guesthouse (the Swiss have concentrated in this area, teaching the locals to make apple juice & an Emmenthaler-type cheese), including lentil soup, red rice, delicious fried eggplant, green beans, carrots, beef, emadatse, shredded potatoes, with apple juice & tea.
Then visited Tamshing Lhakhang (Pema Lingpa's Temple) which was built by Pema Lingpa in 1501-5; Pema Lingpa (1450-1521) was the reincarnation of Guru Rinpoche & Longchen Ramjam & is the ancestor of the Royal Family. Entered the temple, which is made up of a vestibule with 2 sanctuaries, 1 above the other with a path for circumambulation around it, where unfortunately it was too dark to see the 16th-century paintings which had been painted by Pema Lingpa himself; saw an unusual statue of Guru Rinpoche looking up with a smile (supposedly at the khadrons, female angels, who were flying away), with manifestations of Guru Rinpoche on each side; all the statues & pillars were made by Pema Lingpa, but the faces have been re-gilded over the years; Sonam pointed out 2 (Tibetan) dragon statues & told us the story that blood had come out of their mouths which was a bad sign for Tibet just prior to the country being taken over by the Chinese; saw statues of the past (Sakyamuni), present (Amitayos) & future (Jampa or Maitreya) Buddhas; saw a monk in the process of prostrating 100,000 times, which Sonam told us was purifying his body before going into a prolonged meditation (lasting 3 years, 3 months & 3 days) & that he kept track of the number of prostrations with his 108 prayer beads; Sonam put on the coat of chain mail weighing about 50 pounds which Pema Lingpa had made, the wearing of which while circumambulating the sanctuary 3 times is considered auspicious; saw 3 thrones representing the 3 reincarnate forms of Pema Lingpa: body, mind & speech; as we were leaving, met the lama of the temple who had the nicest smile & spoke with us. Sonam told us that there are 4 auspicious days of the month: the 10th when Guru Rinpoche was born (which is the date of the annual tsechu here), the 15th when Buddha was born, the 25th & the 30th.
Did not visit the Jakar Dzong which was founded in 1549 & is known as "the Fortress of the White Bird." Stopped off at a shop selling Swiss cheese & liqueurs, samples of which we bought (the cheese was tasty); Pema left us to journey on ahead to Ura to make arrangements for our visit there the next day. Shopped for a bit at a handicrafts store in the village of Jakar, before returning to the lodge for teatime; followed by sitting around the woodstove in the lodge's communal room drying our hair & drinking Tiger beers, while Jean & Joan told us about their day's adventure when they went to the Jambey Lhakhang on their own & received a blessing from the lama there. Before dinner, Sonam showed us how Buddhist prayer beads work (there are 108 beads which can be counted in several ways) & told us about the meaning of prostration (which involves placing prayerful hands at one's heart, then over one's head, then to one's mouth & back to the heart, before dropping to the ground, as a gesture to ask forgiveness from all the sins committed by the heart, body & mouth). Ate dinner (mushroom soup, buckwheat pancakes, rice, broccoli, tofu & peas, ferns in a sauce, & emadatse), before heading off to bed after a full day.
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