High again in Bhutan!

One of the most attractive perks in my job is to travel a lot on work assignments. Official trips to beautiful locations with paid expenses are double perks. All these will never come as cake walk. One has to walk extra miles, burn midnight oil at times, and think out of the box to be considered for those trips. I should thank my organization for providing me endless opportunities at my workplace to learn and also considering and trusting me to represent them in different places.   

Druk & Himalayan ranges

I got another opportunity to visit Bhutan this February on official trip. Dreaming of Bhutan and one is already on cloud nine. This "Land of the Thunder Dragon" is unquestionably a Himalayan paradise, where religion and mysticism is the way of life. Traversing the snow-flaked Himalayas and charming mountainous terrain are real thrill with sky piercing majestic alpines dotting on the hillsides on one side and lush green valley on other side. After completing my meetings, presentations, networking sessions, official dinners in Thimpu & Paro, I got a gap day for my return flight to India. My friends in Bhutan strongly recommended Tigers Nest trekking as I was there already in Paro town. 

The crystal clear river stream

Nestled amidst this mystifying environment of upper Paro valley is the Paro Thaksang translates to Tiger Nest monastery, the bejewelled crown of Bhutan.  The Tiger Nest monastery in Bhutan is counted as one of the fascinating sights in the world due to its splendid visual appeal. Human imagination stays bewildered with the thought how this monastery could have been built at such an altitude of 3,120 metres. I started the hike to Paro Thaksang from Paro valley. It was estimated to take two and half hours to reach the destination at 10,200 feet above the mean sea level.  

School kids on an excursion

The trail started with a slow and gentle climb into the pine forest. In the midst of forests, I came across interesting Buddhist chortens. The cylindrical prayers wheels inside the chorten contain scrolls that were inscribed with Buddhist mantras.   The prayer wheels are water-powered in design, such that the natural water stream spins the prayer wheel clockwise. It is believed that the mantras inside are activated and released during each spin. These mantras are said to purify negativity, generate compassion, remove barriers to enlightenment and bring benefit to all sentient beings. 

Prayer flags 

Whenever I travel to the North Eastern states of India and countries in the Himalayas where Tibetan/ Mahayana Buddhism thrives, I’m always enchanted with the ubiquitous sights of fluttering prayer flags. They’re such blissful and mystical sights to behold, and so are the prayer flags here in this trail along with me. These Prayer flags are five colorful rectangular clothes inscribed with prayers, mantras and auspicious symbols. Each color represents the 5 basic elements: blue for space, white for air, red for fire, green for water and yellow for earth. Buddhists believe that balancing these elements brings harmony and good health to the body and the mind. 

Tigers Nest Monastery

Look deep into the nature, you will understand everything better. I stood awe-inspired in mid trek at one of the breath-taking views of the paro valley and tigers nest monastery.  I felt the surreal experience of green pine forests and beholding contour of the Tiger nest monastery parched on the distance cliff. The very first clear view of the tigers nest was a complete visual extravagance.  The trail was quiet challenging from this place, descend further through 700+ narrow steps in the valley with no handrails, cross a waterfall and ascend few hundred steps to reach tigers nest. The roof of the monastery is gold platted and it glittered in sunshine.  A mystic moment engulfed me at this moment; I was lost in the bliss of mystic surroundings. 

Surreal

An interesting story goes around this Paro Thaksang monastery dedicated to Padmasambhava called as Guru Rhinpoche in Bhutan. He was believed to be the second incarnation of Lord Buddha. His birth was pretold by Buddha. Guru Rhinpoche was born in Dhanakosha of Swat valley in Pakistan. Lord Padmasambava left to Nepal to practice secret tantric consort rituals of Mahayana Buddhism. He also introduced tantric Buddhism into Tibet. The entire Paro valley was under the control of evil demon in eighth century. Padmasambhava flew to this exact spot from Tibet on a back of a tigress. He subdued the demon using tantric Buddhism and magic dagger. Later the demon was transformed into a protective deity of the entire valley. Since then, he established himself on the summit.  Padmasambava took residence in a cave where he meditated for 3 years, 3 months and 3 days. The shrine itself, however, was first built about nine centuries later, and subsequently rebuilt many times. 

Let there be light!

It is an exhilarating experience to reach Tiger’s Nest Monastery finally.  Unfortunately, photography and videography were not allowed inside the monastery. I have to deposit all my electronic gadgets at the entrance. The beauty of the inner sanctum of the monastery is imprinted in my mind forever. The air was thin as I curved the inner complex of monastery. There were eight temples in the monastery where statues of Guru Rinpoche in his various manifestations were on display with beautiful religious paintings. The atmosphere throughout the monastery was mystical.  Next to butter altar lamp room, I found a path descending to a dark cave. The steps in this cave were made of wooden logs in between the giant rocks and deep valley. I maneuvered on those logs carefully to reach the basement of cave. The spot was breath-taking; behind me the darkest cave and in just front of me the deep green gorges and distant snow-capped mountains. I was exactly standing between the obscure darkness behind and optimistic bright light before me. I was enveloped with deep sense of calmness tranquility and peace. Trekking to this tigers nest was definitely a physical exertion, but at the end I feel it was indeed a mental relaxation sitting above the valley and clouds.  

A wish to live in the present!

While I greatly reverent Lord Buddha, I reflect on how many beliefs and philosophy resonate with me. This trail to tiger monastery was a faith to get rid of all my anger, ignorance, fury and resentments to reach Nirvana. In fact, Buddha himself has been quoted as saying, “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”