A Brief Background of Karma Chholing Goenpa, Chali, Monggar Bhutan

When asked, my parents told me of the birth of our special village, in fact, I already confirmed this study through conversations with local officials and other senior people. During Guru Rinpoche’s second visit to Bhutan with Khandro Yeshey Tshogyel in 822 AD on his way back from Tibet, it was said that he visited 10 sacred places in Tashiyangtse, Mongar, and Lhuentse.

Source: Buddha Weekly

It was during that period; that the lives of people were shattered by two demons residing there (present Karma Chholing Goenpa). Thus, Guru Rinpoche subdued the local demons and their negative forces and he prophesized the Karmapa Lama to build a monastery to keep the people safe from the evil forces of those demons. 

When you visit Karmacholing Goenpa, you will notice two deep forests separated by a single elfin footpath. People used to travel day and night from that path, where the rovers were faced with many horrible scenes and thuds, causing them to become a sick time and time again, claiming lives, and many more unpleasant moments that the locals had to bear. People in the area, however, had no choice.

 

My father once told me that he was late from office work and had to cross that deep forest to get home (our ancestral home), where he noticed a tall lady without a nose coming out from the enormous hollow tree, wearing Bhutanese traditional Kira in the opposite direction. There were numerous instances of such presence during the night.

I still get goose-flesh thinking about my father's late-night discussions, and I'm still baffled as to how he managed to avoid such horrific events, but now I realize that he wasn't an ordinary man. He was a notable man, a true trustee of His Eminence Gangtey Tulku Rinpoche, and he completed his three years of strict mediation somewhere among the mountains and ridges, far from any civilization. I am blessed to have him as my father among many others.

 

Let us not forget Guru Rinpoche's tales...

Later in the middle of 1798 to 1868, 14^th Gyalwa Karmapa Thekchok Dorje along with his disciple Ngang-Shing Lama arrived at the village (present Karma Chholing) and was said to have conversed the matters with the local deity known as Dhe-Yen- Zangpo to which he has given his full support.

14^th Gyalwa Karmapa Thekchok Dorje

As prophesized by Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), Gyalwa Karmapa built the monastery strengthening peace and prosperity. “Succeeding Karmapa’s visit, the village was named Karma Chholing Goenpa”. 

To these days, the people of Karmacholing Goenpa celebrate and pay homage to Guru Rinpoche, Gyalwa Karmapa, and Dhe-Yen-Zangpo, many religious rituals involving worship and prayers are conducted thrice a month on the special Bhutanese calendar on a household basis. The people are blessed with good health, wealth, long life, safety, quick rebirth, success, and essentially in all affairs of life.

 

 

Disclaimer: To err is human, any blunder in the story is solely my responsibility and anyone is free to use the content of my study conscientiously. 

¢ Love,

Sherab lhoyang (Lhoyang the Young Wolf).  

 

THE TURQUOISE HEART

Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal 

The Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal is supposedly has been built a few centuries after the Par Nirvana of the Buddha. They say that there is a relic in there. Some say it’s Buddha Shakyamuni, some say it’s Buddha Kassapa. But, there is a relic in there.  

The stupa itself was built by a lady called Gajema and her three sons. Now, when they built it, the stupa was supposedly the world's largest stupa. Gajema herself, unfortunately, passed away before they completed the stupa. So, the stupa was built by her three sons.

The three sons upon completion of the stupa make the most amazing aspirations and we should all pray that we can make aspirations like this.

v  The oldest brother, he went to a stupa, and he aspired to be reborn to take Buddha’s teachings to the land of snow- Tibet.

v  The second brother, he went there and he said when my brother is reborn to take the teachings of the Buddha to the land of snow, let me be reborn as his patron to help him.

v  Then, the youngest brother went forward and he said, when my two older brothers are doing this, let me be reborn to dispel their outer, inner, and secret obstacles.

 

Now, while all this was going on, there was a small irritating mosquito that was buzzing around and it is said that the mosquito landed on the neck of the second brother, as he aspired to be reborn as a patron. He swept at it but he accidentally killed the mosquito.

So, by the law of cause and condition, the mosquito was forever wept together with the life of the second brother. Let’s fast-forward a couple of centuries, through their power of aspirations made at the Boudhanath stupa, three brothers were reborn.  

The eldest brother was born as Khenpo Shanta Rishta, commonly known as (Khenpo Bodhisattva) Nalanda Scholar and he was the one who took the Buddha Dharma to Tibet.

The second brother, who accidentally killed the mosquito was reborn as King Trisong Detsen (The Great Dharma King of Tibet).

The youngest brother, who aspired to be the dispeller of obstacles was reborn as the Lotus-born, Guru Rinpoche and the three brothers once again came together and they built another stupa. This time it was the great Samye Monastery in Lhoka, Tibet.  

Let’s not forget about the mosquito…the mosquito forever tied within the life of the second brother was also reborn. But, the mosquito was reborn as Princess Lha Chen Pema Sal (Radiant Lotus), as the daughter of King Trisong Deutsen.

Excerpt from the Turquoise Heart: A Bhutanese Remembers a Bhutanese by Pawo Choyning Dorji1, Mountain Echos Festival, Bhutan. 

~Sherab Lhoyang, MBA, 2020.