After a long day’s drive (8 hours) we finally arrived in Punakha. The sun was just beginning to set, a warm breeze was blowing and the wonderful light at dusk began to set over the Punakha Valley. We decided to take an evening stroll through a small village, across wheat and rice paddies to the Temple of the Divine Madman. En route we were invited to come and visit one of the local village farmhouses. The house had no furniture, the mattresses were rolled up in the corners, but there was a beautiful shrine room. Kinga explained to us that in every house in Bhutan, no matter how poor or rich, you can always find a beautiful and ornate shrine room.
Once it got dark we went back to Mr. YT’s Hotel. Mr. YT greeted each one of our travelers personally and surprised us with home made village ara (rice wine) and a bottle of local Courier Whiskey!
This morning after breakfast, we gathered under the avocado tree in front of Mr. YT’s hotel for Judy’s lecture on loving kindness, compassion and the practice of tonglen. Our next stop was the famous Punakha Dzong where the coronation of the young king took place. The coronation room houses a huge golden Sakyamuni Buddha statue, a statue of Shebdrung and of Guru Rinpoche. The wall paintings reflect the live story of the Buddha which Kinga patiently explained to us one by one. The group was fascinated by Kinga’s ability to make the paintings come alive.
By mid-day we had reached Thimphu for an afternoon of shopping. However, the highlight of the day was our dinner since we finally got to meet Kinga’s family, his wife , Mrs. Dechen who works as a nurse in the operating room, and three beautiful daughters (age 7, 9 and 12). Mrs. Dechen was happy to share stories of how the two of them met many years ago in their home town of Mongar. Wine was served, we toasted to Kinga’s wonderful family and saw them off with hugs and hopes to meet them again in the future!
The Sadhana Mahamudra on Top of the World
Today marked the highlight of our journey – we hiked up to the famous Tiger’s Nest
which is perched high up on a cliff at almost 10,000 feet. The hike is strenuous but every once in a while we catch a glimpse of the famed monastery. Next to Mt. Kailash in Tibet, Taksang is the most sacred pilgrimage site in the entire Himalayan world. To visit Taksang is the dream of every devout Buddhist. It is said that in the 9th century Guru Rinpoche arrived here on the back of a pregnant tigress and sat and meditated in a cave for three months.
This is also the site where Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche received a transmission and
subsequently wrote the Sadhana Mahamudra. We were granted access to one of the shrine rooms, overlooking a 3,000 foot steep drop into the valley.
Together with our monk Jigme and Judy who led the practice, we recited the Sadhana Mahamudra just a feet away from the famous cave. We sat in silence for a while before we headed back down to mountain. Dark clouds started to come into the valley and it began to rain and storm. Judy said it was an auspicious sign.
Now we are off to our farewell dinner at Ms. Sonam
Trophel’s restaurant in Paro. She will serve her famous tomato soup and ginger potatoes. Everyone will sleep well tonight!