Term 2, Journal Entry #1, Jan 21st, 2015

There is great excitement being spread throughout the village this week. Word of the newly discovered ancient texts from the expedition to the caves have reached the ears of those no too busy to listen. Now that the scholars have had time to translate these texts, there is new information coming to light regarding one of Padmasambhava’s hidden valleys. The significance of this hidden valley, if it truly exists, is revealed in the extent of the scholar’s knowledge on the subject. Thus, along with a group of other devotees, who are interested in the nature of what this valley holds, we have decided to absorb as much information about the valley from the scholars and plan a pilgrimage to journey to it. It is necessary to first educate ourselves on the knowledge and history of this valley because the understanding of Buddhist tradition directly entails the ritual experience that the Tibetan pilgriams travelling alongside me will have to use, myself included. The goal is for our pilgrimage rituals to be as ‘pure’ as possible, in the sense that we embody mortality, where the authenticity of our actions is righteous and correct. The perceptions and experiences of the activities of this ‘pilgrimage’ directly correlate to the cultural history of what happened there and why it is so significant, rather than necessarily having to do with canonical Buddhism.

As told by the scholars, It all began a long, long, time ago, in the land of snow, where Padmasambhava’s predicted the future of Buddhist practice, after the noble doctrine of the Buddha would disappear. He predicted that lawless, evil, and disruptive practices and activities would replace the once pious practices of devout Tibetan Buddhists. He predicted that this change in tempo was inevitable that that certain obstacles such as disease, famine, and war would prolong the negative implications that diversification from the Buddha’s main doctrines would entail. Thus, Padmasambhava blessed four great hidden lands in the four directions of Tibet, where devout followers, such as myself, could travel to in order to be free from fear and harm. His ‘guide book’ to this place informs of various skills and ways to overcome any obstacles we may face along the way; how to settle upon arrival; which eating, drinking, farming, and planting practices are necessary to follow; and finally how to make offerings to the guardian spirits and local deities of the land, appointed by Padmasambhava himself. It is the latter of these factors that I will be focusing on because the minute differences between pleasing these deities and offending them will either lead to our demise or our success. According to the prophecy of Guru Padmasambhava, the first incarnate discoverer of the hidden land, began to open the gates to the sacred land and brought many texts with him. The guardians and local deities were bound by oath to reside there and the incarnate undertook to bestow blessings, build monasteries, and transform the hidden land into a sacred space. The gate was further opened until the northern gate was fully open and a kingdom was formed based on the tenets of Buddha, in order to benefit the Buddhist doctrine and all sentient beings therein.

This is the hidden valley of Sikkim, and is described as rectangular in shape, where rocky hills below the mountains are like celestial palaces, and from these flow sloping meadows that lead to the lower region of the valley, where a forest sits. I am excited to reach the bottom, because here are a matrix of rivers and streams. Here, according to legend, there will be seven famous medicinal springs that will cure different types of diseases which I plan to enter in order to become fully healthy and regain my strength after such a long journey — one can only imagine I will be weakened. Furthermore, there grows many types of medicinal plants used to cure fevers and colds, which I intend on bringing back to the village for anyone who may be sick. As an artist, however, what I am most excited about and what truly evokes and inspires my creative soul are the lavish pigments that preside there that can be used to paint the most sacred images. Imagine such numerous colors readily available such as black, white, yellow, green, and red representing body, speech and mind. Furthermore, there are other types of colours such as gold, silver, copper, turquois, iron and other precious minerals that can be used for amazing detailing. These materials are what every painter dreams of, on top of the fact they are in the valley blessed by Padmasambhava, and thus have blessed qualities in themselves.

At the center of the valley is Tashiding, the central spiritual core of the land, which is considered to be as sacred as Bodh Gaya is to the center of the whole world. As Padmasambhava set foot in Tashiding, he blessed it as the center of this sacred land. It is comparable to the Heaven of Padmasambhava, a repository of abundant wealth, because the Dakinis actually assemble here in this sacred place. Those who go here experience spontaneous growths of knowledge; and whomever undertakes spiritual practice will acquire great supernatural powers comparable to those who inhabit heaven.

At the center of this sacred space, there are four meritorious activities that can be carried out here without impediment. There are four caves, each situated in the four directions of Tibet, where each of these meritorious acts can be followed through: the eastern cave, the western cave, the southern cave, and finally, the northern cave. The eastern cave, is the adobe of the peaceful white deity and making a pilgrimage to this sacred place just once will lead without fail to the path of ‘the five families of the Buddha.’ These are an infinite amount of self-arisen figures in the cave, for example, upon entering the cave one is immediately exposed to 42 peaceful deities, on your right, and 69 wrathful deities, on your left. There are many shrines and a mandala circle all which depict many more figures, however, the most important of which is Padmasambhava himself, because simply being told of his presents will cause all of one’s wishes to come true. If anyone makes the effort to cleanse their sins here they will overcome all illness. The southern cave, is the cave of longevity and increased knowledge, where all wishes for longevity, virtue and abundance will be fulfilled. By making a pilgrimage to this place, the act of going around it will cleanse the defilement of all sins accumulated during many past lives and cause one to be born anew in the future. There are twelve narrow obstacles, however, that must be overcome. However, upon passing over the first, one reaches the shrine hall of Guru Padmasambhava, containing his entire body, where the way to overcome to rest of the obstacles is made abundantly clear. Furthermore, as you proceed downwards a secret passage concealed by the Dakinis is revealed and inside it is a large sacred treasure left by the Dakinis. Simply by being told of its presents will generate enlightened thought. Thirdly, there is the western cave, which is on a hill that looks like a pig when seen from the central spiritual core of the valley, Tashiding. At the center of this cave is a square Mandala, that just by looking at it or touching it, one can acquire, respectively, ‘common’ or ‘supreme’ attainments. This is the cave I am most excited to visit, because the scholars say there are treasured stores that could feed almost half the population of the world are hidden here, including sacred images representing body, speech, mind, ritual objects, and the completed sutras and tantras translated in Tibet. Finally, going to the northern cave will produce signs favorable to the growth of spiritual realization of Tibetan men and women; along with, producing favorable signs of enhancing the meritorious affairs of Padamasambhava and his ministers. Once arriving here, one must make offerings and say prayers in order to elicit a sign indicating the diffusion of the Buddha’s teachings in Tibet.

The guardians of the upper, lower, and middle regions are worshipped by burning juniper branches and performing offerings of libation, accompanied by great festivities and religious dance performances. It is very important to get these rituals just right in order to pay proper homage to the local deities and guardian spirits. We have been warned to proceed with caution and exact ritual performance because if the spirits and deities are disrespected in anyway or not honored in the right way, severe consequences will ensue and fall on the perpetrator: rain will not come on time, diseases in animals and humans will occur and spread, internal unrest and famine will plague the people, and all kinds of hardship and suffering will follow. Furthermore, If the lakes, rocky hills, or streams of the valley are polluted in any way, its native guardian spirits and local deities will become agitated, and due to their ferocious fierceness, it is important to refrain from such offensive actions caused by insanity or the misuse of fireplace, such as burning animal skins on outside fires. There are many actions that we must master before embarking on our pilgrimage in order to the evoke beneficial responses from the local deities and guardians that we yearn for. These beneficial and respectful actions entail erecting stupas in the center of valley and at the intersection of three roads; burning juniper branches and sprinkling water; making offerings to the deities and refraining from harming any of the wild animals that reside there, such as deer, musk deer, peacocks, tigers, leopards, and bears, all found on the flat, higher regions of the valley.

The benefits in pilgrimaging to such a sacred place are beyond any of the dangers that such a journey might entail. I would risk my life just for the chance to bestow such honors on it and be able to bring it back with me to my village and family. Just by coming into contact with its water, grass, or plants all misfortune and obstacles will be removed from one’s life. Disease and defilement caused by sin will be erased and a single meritorious act can elevate its actor to a status of attaining the rank of Vidyahara, which is like becoming a god in Buddhist tradition. What I have learned from the ancient text translated by the scholars is that once I make it there, my goal is to show reverence, offer worship, render my services, and pay homage to this great sacred valley. In this way hopefully I can being honor to my people, but, furthermore, attain the ‘common higher attainments’ of perfect Buddhahood, in this life and the next.