Leh. Surroundings
Bike is undoubtedly the best way of moving around at short distances. Many tourists either buy their own bike or rent it. Somehow it happened that the author is this article cannot drive even a bicycle and therefore has to depend on the goodness of somebody who would take the author at their backseat.
On that day everything was wonderful with the goodness and our small company on two bikes moved out for sightseeing.
Travelling on bike
Travelling on bike’s back seat has a lot of advantages. Firstly the drivers back is not only a nice object for gentle not obliging embraces but also a firm protection from wind and cold which is extremely important for a girl who has forgotten her jacket in Moscow.
Secondly holding the driver with one hand only is much easier than driving with one hand only, which means the other one can hold a photo or video camera always ready.
Ladakh is the place where one always has to be ready. Either snow peaks appear at a distance together with tibetan houses.
Or old and new stupas with prayer wheels get in sight.
Or one would see very strange styled buildings. Who lives inside a stupa? Are these Buddhas? Or Gods? This is a state institution.
However, after a while this photographic itching decreases. You start to understand that snowy peaks can be seen virtually everywhere in here.
It’s rather a problem to make a photo without them.
Stupas also are everywhere: both old and new. It’s impossible not only to take pictures of all of them but even to count, like stars in the sky which never can be counted.
Tibetan houses, snowy peaks, stupas, prayer wheels, flags with mantras, monasteries… It’s not exotic here. Here it is life.
Monasteries as it’s been since long are located on the tops of the mountains. Once can drive only to their bottom and then has to walk up by a stairway or serpentine path admiring the surrounding views at every step.
Both up and down.
Coming to the top one understands that he’s not the only one admiring. Some people are ready to not only press a button few times, taking no more than five minutes to configure the camera, but even to spend a few hours of laborious work with brushes and paints.
Shey Palace is the leader for views but time does not stand still, the driver starts the bike and you hold him as usual. New roads and monasteries are waiting for us.
One of the many advantages of monasteries being located on the tops of mountains is that they can clearly be seen. Theoretically you can even manage without a guide, only looking around carefully.
And then it’s not problematic to find a way.
Again there are stupas and snowy peaks, carved entrances.
A monastery of Drukpa Kagyu lineage. Everything here reminds you of Drukpa Kunley.
The architecture is circled, entrance to the meditation hall is inside.
So it becomes a small, cozy yard.
Statues, paintings, numerous kadas.
Varvara even wanted to stay here for a small retreat, but, alas, because of some unknown reason one is allowed to live here but not allowed to meditate. Such a pity, isn’t it?
Not allowed, okay. If not here than in other place, just as long as Buddha nature is still there. We are making good-bye kora - going around monastery’s building.
There are more stupas.
And then one can see another big monastery at a distance.
We go by a familiar road, through a bridge with flags…
It gets closer…
And closer…
We are parking our bike.
We see luxurious gates.
But where did we arrive to?
Which lineage is this monastery?
The lingams are deceptive, this is Gelugpa. And women are not allowed into some places.
Women here cannot even stay for a night, not even mentioning making a retreat. Gelugpas are very strict.
But the men are allowed everywhere if only they can get through these tiny doors.
However, on that day these doors all were closed tightly by locks with dorge and wheel of dharma.
Not a single monk here. Only lonely artists, bored europeans and sleeping dogs.
Constantly wonderful views.
Here I would like to make a small digression from the subject and tell about architecture of local monasteries.
A wide path or stairway usually leads to the main entrance.
Once you come inside there is very dense distribution of different leveled buildings connected with stairways.
And sometimes with small bridges.
In this sense all the gompas of Ladakh are very similar. What makes difference is only if the monastery was restored or not. If the stone stairways are old or they already have been tiled.
Lama Dances described in one of the last articles were taking place in Spituk monastery which must have been recently restored.
Thin steel railings somewhat break the harmony of old shapes but the general idea is the same.
The main material is wood. Original texture on the tops of the roofs is not stone, not tiling but numerous shoots.
Walls are made of clay, just like houses in Iran.
And rarely Ladakhi altar can go without an image of Dalai Lama, whatever lineage it belongs to.
But why is so tightly closed and deserted this big, fresh and obviously functioning monastery? Why does not work even the cafe, not giving the pilgrims any chance to have a cup of tea admiring the mountain views?
Being surprised and little bit disappointed we descend and run into a crowd of Ladakhis.
Smart clothes, turquoise, corals. So that’s the answer: everybody is waiting for a Lama!
It proved to be that H.H. Karmapa Orgyen Trinley is coming every minute. And here I can easily imagine somebody else in out place. Having met in such a miraculously incidental way with this high tulku they would be remembering the first meeting for many years and be delighted with connections, blessings and luck. Though there actually is nothing special as there is nothing special to run into a priest in a christian country. Everything happens just like this in all the buddhist countries. You drive, you drive and then suddenly meet a Lama, attend an initiation, take Refuge repeating words in unknown tibetan language after him. Later on you would be coming intentionally, joyfully and delightedly waiting for your Lama with flowers and while scarves…
And you would only wonder why these two stupid Russians on a motorbike only make a few photographs and leave. Why not staying for the blessing at least? Do they understand their luck?
Oh ignorant beings in Sansara… What can you do for them? Only make a wish: let everybody reach Enlightenment. All the beings of all worlds and all the buddhists of all the tibetan lineages.
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March 20, 2009 1:41 pm
