1 - 10 NOVEMBER - 2013 IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE DRAGON YOGIS Discovering the Spiritual Heart of 1 - 10 November 2013 PAD YATRA

2011 Pad Yatra to Aa-ja Nye in Mongar. Bhutan, the Land of Thunder Dragon, also known as Druk Yul, be happy and spiritually fulfilled by visiting great sacred sites is one of the few remaining Shangrilas on this fragile earth. founded by Maha Guru Rinpoche and the Drukpa Masters in This exclusively designed itinerary has been instructed by His Bumthang. Eminence Gyalwa Dokhampa for the fortunate few, who are Welcome to Bhutan! coming for this joyful journey to unveil innate potentials to BUMTHANG PAD YATRA, BHUTAN

Gross National Happiness Development Philosophy of Bhutan

Bhutan adheres to a very different belief and advocates that amassing material wealth does not necessarily lead to happiness. Bhutan is now trying to measure progress not by the popular idea of Gross Domestic Product but by through Gross National Happiness (GNH).

The Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck emphasized that for Bhutan “Gross National Happiness,” is more important than “Gross Na- tional Product.”

The philosophy of GNH has recently received international recognition and the UN has implemented a resolution “…recognizing that the gross domestic product [...] does not adequately reflect the happiness and well-being of people,” and that “…the pursuit of happiness is a funda- mental human goal”. The UN has adopted Bhutan’s proposal to include Happiness as ninth Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).

Daily Program Tentative Schedule 6AM : Guru Yoga , Riwo Sangchoed (smoke offering). 7:30AM : Breakfast 1 November : Thimphu - Tharpaling, Bumthang 8:30AM : Start day’s journey 11:30AM : Stop for Lunch 2 - 9 November : Pilgrimage to various sacred sites on 1:30PM : Continue journey foot 4PM : Stop and set up tents 5-7PM : Soelkha; Teaching 10 Nov, 2013 : Closing with Ganachakra Tshokhor 8:00PM : Dinner 1 - 10 NOVEMBER, 2013

Tharpaling Monastery, Chhumey

Tharpaling Monastery is situated in the Chumey val- ley of Bumthang, Bhutan. The main part of the mon- astery was founded by Longchenpa., the founder of Longchen Nyingthig.

The First Gyalwang Drukpa Gyare’s disci- ples Gyalwa Lorepa Wangchuk Tsondru [1187-1250] founded a monastery in Tharpaling, which is above the main monastery. BUMTHANG PAD YATRA, BHUTAN

Luggye Rawa

The place, where the monastery is located is said to have been a meditation place of Guru Rinpoche. The first foundation is attributed to the Tibetan Lama Ngog Chöku Dorje (1036-1097), a disciple of the great Marpa.

Zhabjethang

In the 8th century Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated at Zhabjethang and left several imprints in the rocks which are highly vener- ated relics. Hence the name of the place “The plain of the Footprint”.

A beautiful statue of Guru Rinpoche is the main treasure. At the bottom floor in a small chamber is a rock bearing the foot prints of Guru Rimpoche & his consort Menmo Tashi Kheudroen 1 - 10 NOVEMBER, 2013

Thowa Drak

The remote hermitage of Thowadrak (or Thowa Drak) clings to the highest rocks above the north end of the Tang valley. It is said to have been founded by Man- darava, the Indian consort of Guru Rinpoche, and the Guru himself is believed to have meditated here. The goemba was built by Dorji Lingpa.

Tag Remochen

This temple is built at the foot on a cliff or rock which has numerous marks which looks like tiger stripes, hence the name of the temple ‘the one with drawings like a tiger’. Guru Rinpoche in the 8th century is said to have meditated in the cave near the present temple. Local belief has it that the deity of the rock attacked Guru Rinpoche in the shape of the tiger and that Guru Rinpoche changed it into a rock. Terton Pema Lingpa, the great treasure revealer later discovered a “treasure” in form of vase filled with long life water. BUMTHANG PAD YATRA, BHUTAN

Kuenzang Drak

This monastery, at 3,350 metres (10,990 feet), is located in the Tang valley about 12 kms on the Tang road from the Ja- kar-Ura-Mongar highway. It is above the great saint Pema Lingpa’s birthplace of Chel.

The main temple with a wooden gallery contains images of Pema Lingpa, Guru Rinpoche and Namkhai Nyingpo. The Wangkhang houses principal statue Avalokiteshvara with a thousand eyes and a thousand hands made by Terton Pema Lingpa himself. Oezer- phug is the meditation cave of Pema Lingpa’s son, Thugse Dawa Gyeltsen (1499-1586) with a holy spring (Drubchu) believed to cure epilepsy and stroke.

Maebar Tsho

Maebar Tsho (or the Burning Lake) is located in the southern part of the Tang Valley. It is more a gorge than a lake. In the early 1475, the great treasure revealer Terton Pema Lingpa holy relics hidden here by Guru Rinpoche and thus received his holy mission to propagate religion. It is still believed today that people with less sins and spiritual minds are able to distinguish an extraordinary sight in the lake while looking down from a rock overlooking it. 1 - 10 NOVEMBER, 2013

Kurje Lhakhang

Kurje is one of the most sacred sites in Bhutan. Guru Rin- poche meditated here and left the imprint (je) of his body (ku) on a rock.

This is the place where Guru Rinpoche turned himself into a holy griffon, (garuda/jachung) and subdued local demon Shelging Karpo. At the same time he made him promise not to cause any trouble for Buddhism and to become a protective deity.

Guru Rinpoche planted his pilgrim staff in the ground where it grew into a cypress tree in front of Kurje Lhakhang.

Jampa Lhakhang

Like Kyichu Lhakhang in the Paro valley, this temple is said to be the first that King of constructed in Bhutan in the seventh Century.

It is one of the 108 temples built by him throughout Tibet and the Himalayas to over- come a giant demoness. While Kyichu Lhakhang was erected on the demoness’s left foot, and was one of the temples built ‘to subjugate regions beyond the frontiers’, Jampa Lhakhang was placed on the left knee and was one of the temples built ‘to subjugate the frontiers’. BUMTHANG PAD YATRA, BHUTAN

Tamzhing Lhakhang

Tamzhing, is one of the most historically, spiritually and culturally significant monasteries in Bhutan. It has maintained living Buddhist traditions for over five hundred years. Tamzhing is also a great centre of Bhutanese sacred masked dance, and Pema Lingpa himself introduced many of the sacred danc- es that remain a vibrant part of the monastic dance repertory throughout the region. It was founded in 1501 by Terton Pema Lingpa.

Contact Details:

For International registration, please contact Organized and Coordinated by: [email protected]

For Bhutanese/local registration, please contact: Office of Gyalwa Dokhampa P.O. Box: 1258 Pilgrimage Coordinator [email protected] Thimphu: Bhutan [email protected] Phone: +975 1766 4721 / 1714 5005 www.gyalwadokhampa.org