Our Visit to Tibet and the 17Th Karmapa
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1 Introduction Our Pilgrimage to Tibet By Michael & Margaret Erlewine 2 Introduction This Book is Dedicated To my Kids: Iotis Michael Anne May Michael Andrew 3 Introduction An ebook from Startypes.com 315 Marion Avenue Big Rapids, Michigan 49307 Fist published 1998 © Michael Erlewine 1998 ISBN 978-0-9794970-0-1 All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover photo by Margaret Erlewine. Photos mostly by Margaret Erlewine. Some by Michael Erlewine or Kate White. 4 Introduction This book is dedicated to The Venerable Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche 5 Introduction Table of Contents Preface by Michael Erlewine ......................... 10 Our Visit to Find the 17th Karmapa ............... 12 Getting Ready to Go ................................ 18 Passports, Visas, and Cash ..................... 19 The Overseas Flight ...................................... 26 Tokyo....................................................... 28 Hong Kong!.............................................. 29 Hong Kong To Kathmandu ...................... 34 We Arrive in Kathmandu ............................... 35 The First Day in KTM ............................... 42 To the Airport and on to Tibet .................. 48 Tibet ............................................................... 49 Gonghar Airport ....................................... 49 Our Guides: Penba and Tashi ................. 49 The Tara Shrine ....................................... 53 The Tara Shrine ....................................... 54 Altitude Sickness ..................................... 56 In Lhasa: The Jokhang .................................. 59 The Roof of the Jokhang.......................... 60 Beads and Malas Along the Barkhor ........ 62 On To Tsurphu ............................................... 64 Tsurphu Monastery at Last ...................... 66 Monks and Ceremonies ........................... 69 The Ramoche Oracle ............................... 74 The Karmapa ................................................. 78 Small Streams Run Deep and Fast .......... 89 The Road to Tsurphu Monastery ............. 90 With the Karmapa .................................... 91 Drupon Dechen Rinpoche ........................ 93 H.H. the 17th Karmapa ............................ 94 A Typical Tibetan Bathroom (for two) ..... 107 6 Introduction Samye and Chimpuk ................................... 108 The Boat to Samye Monastery .............. 109 Main Gompa at Samye .......................... 115 Climbing to the Chimpuk Caves ............. 116 Cave of Guru Rinpoche ............................... 123 Guru Rinpoche Statue ........................... 124 Inside Guru Rinpoche’s Cave ................ 137 Leaving Tibet ............................................... 143 The Food in Tibet: An Opinion ................... 150 Bhadrapur and Bharitpur ............................ 157 Bhadrapur and Mirik .................................... 170 The Kalachakra Stupa ........................... 175 Very Venerable Bokar Rinpoche ............ 178 Ralang and Gyaltsap, Rinpoche ................. 180 His Eminence Gyaltsap Rinpoche .......... 185 Rumtek Monastery ...................................... 186 Rumtek to Darjeeling ............................. 188 Darjeeling .............................................. 191 Kalu Rinpoche ....................................... 193 Driving in the Third World ........................... 197 The Mountain Roads ............................. 202 Strike: Bhadrapur to Biratnagar.............. 206 Pullahari ....................................................... 213 Khenpo Lodro Namgyal ......................... 217 The Last Days .............................................. 219 The Great Swayambu Stupa .................. 221 Boudha .................................................. 224 Happy Valley ......................................... 229 Monks ........................................................... 234 Escorting a Monk to America ................. 235 Tibetan Astrology ........................................ 240 Margaret Erlewine’s Notes .......................... 242 7 Introduction We're Going to Tibet! ............................. 242 Tulung Valley ......................................... 246 The Road to Tsurphu ............................. 248 His Holiness, the 17th Karmapa ............. 251 The Tsurphu Foundation........................ 254 After the Interviews ................................ 256 The Protector Shrine .............................. 257 A Young Monk ....................................... 259 Shel-Drak ..................................................... 261 Still a Long Way to Go ........................... 267 Notes by Michael Andrew ........................... 271 OUR TRIP TO TIBET ............................ 271 Traveling Suggestions ................................ 273 Quick Guidelines for Asia Trip................ 281 Water ..................................................... 281 Food ...................................................... 282 Important Items ...................................... 283 Sleeping ................................................ 285 Personal Hygiene .................................. 285 Printed Stuff ........................................... 288 Luggage ................................................ 289 First-aid Kit ............................................ 289 Doctor-related Medicines ....................... 292 Michael Erlewine ......................................... 294 A Brief Bio of Michael Erlewine .............. 295 Example Astro*Image Card ................... 296 Personal Astrology Readings ................. 297 The Heart Center House ........................ 298 Heart Center Library .............................. 299 The All-Music Guide / All-Movie Guide ... 300 Heart Center Meditation Room .............. 302 Heart Center Symbol ............................. 304 Music Career ......................................... 306 Email: .................................................... 308 8 Introduction 9 Introduction Preface by Michael Erlewine That first trip to Tibet over ten years ago was a life-changing event for me and my family. Being asked by my dharma teacher of many years to stop what I was doing, take a leave from my business, and go to Tibet, all within about a month, was mind boggling to say the least. It turned my life upside down. Of course we would go. I had asked my teacher for years in every interview if there was anything special he wanted me to do and he always responded that I should just keep on practicing meditation and so on. It had become routine that there was nothing in particular he wanted me to do, and then this: go to Tibet and soon. 10 Introduction And my wife and I could not just up and leave the kids. After all, we had never even had a babysitter in all these years and we had four kids. That should tell you something. So of course, we had to take the kids with us, at least three of them. This is the story of our pilgrimage to Tibet to see the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorje, the actual golden child that the movie “The Golden Child” was based on. In the process, we visited many of the sacred caves and monasteries in Western Tibet. Margaret and I made a second trip to Tibet in 2004, this time accompanied by our teacher Ven. Khenpo Karthar, Rinpoche, but that would be another story. I hope you enjoy this one. 11 You Are Going to Tibet Our Visit to Find the 17th Karmapa By Michael Erlewine Although today it seems like some far off dream, only a few short weeks ago I was high in the mountains of Tibet at Tsurphu Monastery (the seat of the Karma Kagyu Lineage), where I met His Holiness Urgyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa. All of this is even more remarkable since my friends know that I hate airplanes and seldom travel far from my home in mid-Michigan. Although I have been interested in Buddhism for many years, I never seriously considered going to Tibet. Then suddenly, in less than a month, I am in Tibet, along with my wife, two daughters, and young son. How does such an event happen to a middle-aged businessman? It happens when your lama tells you to go to Tibet as soon as we could manage it. Here is our story: My wife and I are long-time students of Khenpo Karthar, Rinpoche, the abbot of KTD (Karma Triyana Dharmachakra) Monastery. Rinpoche was sent to the U.S. in the mid 1970s by His Holiness, Rigpe Dorje, the 16th Karmapa, to represent the Karma Kagyu Lineage in the United States. Just as the Dalai Lama is the head of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, so the Gyalwa Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu Lineage. And incidentally, the Karmapa’s lineage (stemming from Marpa and Milarepa) is the older lineage, with His Holiness the Karmapa representing the first tulku (reincarnated lama) in the history of Tibet, 12 You Are Going to Tibet and all other reincarnations of this sort being subsequent to the Karmapas. Ven. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche The Karma Kagyu lineage comes from the Adi Buddha Vajradhara, who imparted teachings to the Indian saint Tilopa, who in turn taught (also in India) his student Naropa. Marpa, the Tibetan translator, traveled to India and received these teachings from Naropa, and brought them to Tibet, where he imparted them to his main student Milarepa (Tibet’s greatest yogi). Milarepa went on to teach