A guided tour to the sacred sites of Tibet with Khentrul Rinpoche
15 July – 3 August 2007 (Part 1)
15 July – 10 August 2007 (Part 1 & 2)
Itinerary (Part 1)
| 15 July |
6.00pm: The tour
begins in Chengdu, China, with participants meeting with Rinpoche
in Chengdu City for dinner at a traditional Tibetan restaurant. Then
stay overnight in a hotel.
|
| 16 July |
On the second day,
the group will catch a bus and travel about 320 kilometres to Balkam
province in Tibet by bus and stay overnight in a hotel, for some
relaxation. Balkam is surrounded by high, steep mountains and vast
forests, providing excellent photo opportunities. The Marchu river
flows from Chengdu through the centre of Balkam, the sound of the
roaring river echoes throughout the village. The Tibetan
community live mostly on the outskirts of the town on the steep
forested slopes, where the views are very beautiful. The Tibetans in
the Balkam region have a very distinctive lifestyle that is interesting
when compared to our Western culture.
|
| 17 July |
Free morning, you
may choose to relax or go shopping & meet the local people,
meet at lunchtime. Afternoon visit to monasteries and visit with local
Tibetan families.
|
| 18 July |
Travel 190
kilometres to Dzamthang region and stay at Dzamthang Monastery
(home to 3,000monks and over 1000 years old) it was here that Rinpoche
was chosen to be a teacher and where Rinpoche’s own Root Lama
lived. A very special official welcoming ceremony and a meeting with
Abbot & Kalachakra Master Gutrul Rinpoche Jigme Dorje and other
lamas.You may sleep in a house or a tent.
The actual
topography of Dzamthang is very different to that of the mountainous
Balkam region. Dzamthang is a beautiful place of vast
plains covered in wildflowers and surrounded by many ancient
monasteries. Summer is an amazingly beautiful experience in
Dzamthang as all flora is fresh and newly grown after the barren
winter. There will be excellent photo
opportunities.
The “Dzamthang
Gompa”, which dates back nearly 1,000 years houses monks of the
Jonang lineage who have occupied this monastery for at least
640 years; before this “Zamthang Gompa” was a monastery
belonging to Bonpo, a religion that predated the introduction of
Buddhism in Tibet.
|
| 19 July |
Morning relaxation.
Lunch with Rinpoche’s friend Khenpo Karma Dorje. After
lunch meeting Lamas and Tulkus (recognised reincarnations) to receive
blessings and a tour of the monastery. A visit with a nomad lay yogi.
|
| 20 July |
Viewing of rare relics at Dzamthang
monastery, observe the monks practising many levels of Kalachakra
six yoga retreat and enjoy and receive blessings from tantric dancers. |
| 21 July |
Visit Chotung
monastery and practise some meditation in Rinpoche’s
master’s house to make a connection with Rinpoche’s master.
Chotung Monastery is the home of Rinpoche’s root teacher, where
monks and the lay community may welcome Rinpoche and the group with a
traditional formal welcoming ceremony. Such welcoming ceremonies are
held only for distinguished guests and as part of the tour we will be
privileged to share in this colourful and exciting spectacle.
Chotung monastery is
situated in the Dzamthang region where there will be many interesting
activities to partake in. Rinpoche will introduce us to the Tibetan
community and give us the opportunity to stay in a monastery and be
blessed by the abbots and monks We will see the traditional
colorful
religious ceremonies performed by the monks playing Tibetan horns,
drums and other musical instruments. |
| 22 July |
We will have the
good fortune to visit and be blessed by a Buddhist yogi Lama Kontsul
Kyangngak ,who has been in solitary retreat for 16 years, a very rare
opportunity made possible by Rinpoche’s close connections. This
is a unique chance to discover how a recluse, completely cut off from
the world practices.
We will make a lunch offering to the Lama, then we join together for
lunch. Rinpoche has a long discussion with the Lama while others
may relax, experience the mountain environment and observe the
lifestyle of the local people. Or a free afternoon. |
| 23 July |
Catch a bus or taxi
to Yarthang monastery 160 kilometres, in Golok Pema region,
Rinpoche’s master’s secondary monastery where he
first taught when he was young. From this time onward he was respected
as a great realisation master and people were completely devoted to
him. We stay the night in a hotel or a tent. We will have dinner
with the Khenpo’s of the monastery.
|
| 24 July |
Travel 100 kilometres to Golok Denang
Gompa Nyingma monastery where Rinpoche was first ordained. This is the
neighbouring area of Rinpoche’s home village. This is the home of
many Dzogchen masters who Rinpoche has known since childhood. We
will attend a great puja celebrating Guru Rinpoche Day. |
| 25 July |
Relaxation and
entertainment with Rinpoche’s childhood friends and cousins, we
will also meet with a few lamas from the monastery. We then travel 40
kilometers to Dong Yang village where Rinpoche was born. A
welcome ceremony will be held and the traditional offering of scarves
from everyone from the village will be made followed by a speech from
Rinpoche. You may stay in a house or tent. We have the oportunity
to ride horses or yaks if you wish. Then we will stay in the local
monastery, house or tent near the beautiful and famous Machu river.
The people of Dong
Yang live in tents called Rwas that are made from yak hair. They are
very strong and thick and last for nearly 50 years.
The community there will cook for us and invite us to visit them and
eat inside their Rwas. We are able to go for walks in the mountains, go
swimming and ride horses and yaks. From the mountaintop the view to the
far distance can be seen in all directions, the scenery is spectacular,
the air is fresh and wildflowers can be seen everywhere as the sound of
the flowing river fills the air.
|
| 26 July |
Watch the local horse and yak riders,
athletics competitions, weight lifting, high jump, long jump and
running races etc. You may also offer to challenge the locals to
a swimming race in the Machu river if you wish. |
| 27 July |
Morning
meditation followed by a tour of the monastery. Afternoon visit
to the Machu river for swimming, relaxation and enjoying the unpolluted
natural environment and clean air. The Machu river begins it’s
journey in Tibet and flows down through China into the ocean. |
| 28 July |
Walk to a Sherwod
monastery, a local Gelugpa monastery for a tour. The monks of
Sherwod monastery hold the practise of not eating meat which is very
uncommon in Tibet. The monks of this monastery wear yellow robes
rather than the traditional maroon colour, they generally adhere to the
practise of Nyonyi, which is to only eat one meal every two days.
Relaxation afterwards or the option of doing other things.
|
| 29 July |
Tsog Puja with
monks for the full moon to accumulate merit and blessings.
Rinpoche’s brother will give a small empowerment as a gift for
those on the tour. Monks prepare for their summer retreat. |
| 30 July |
View the opening of the summer
retreat, visit Rinpoche’s nomadic summer village and have dinner
with his extended family. |
| 31 July |
Travel 60
kilometres to the beautiful turquiose coloured sacred Shintso lake and
Yetse mountain and camp overnight. Shintso lake is renowned among
Tibetans to be the mandala of Buddha Drupa Kagyud. The scenery is
magnificent with the snowcapped Yitsey Mountains high above and the
famous lake at their feet, If we are fortunate we will join with
hundreds of monks who will be conducting a special ceremony for
world peace. Entertaiment with the nomads by the lake in the
evening. |
| 1 August |
Travel 150
kilometres to Amdo Ngawa region and stay in a hotel. Amdo Ngawa is
topographically different from the Dzamthang region and the beautiful
scenery there will make for good photo opportunities. This area is also
home to many Jonang monasteries such as Se Gompa which we can
visit. There is also a very large Gelug Monastery where Rinpoche
used to study, which is home to about 3000 Monks. We will be able
to visit the monastery and attend a debating class to experience the
style in which Rinpoche and all monks are trained.There are many
spectacular shops where we can buy a variety of Tibetan and Chinese
goods. We will have free shopping and relaxation time.
|
| 2 August |
Free day in Amdo Ngawa, visit monasteries, go shopping and enjoy the sights. |
| 3 August |
Travel 500 kilometres to Chengdu city
in a bus and stay in a hotel. The three week tour finishes here, you
may wish to stay on and visit the panda park, go shopping or take in
the local sights. There is no need for a guide in Chengdu city, you may
fly out from here to any destination. |
Itinerary (Part 2)
| 1 August |
Travel 110 kilometres to Sangtuk
Teksay monasteric museum and visit the magical Dharma King Gesers
palace. See the exquisite art gallery and relic museum. |
| 2 August |
Travel 130
kilometres to Tawo town, the capital of Golok and stay in a hotel for
some relaxation. In the afternoon, meet with Geshe Delek Rabgye
one of the Rinpoche’s teachers and Lama Choeyang, a Jonangpa yogi
and several other siddhas with magical memory powers. This is a large
city with many shopping pportunities, we will visit some of
Rinpoches’ cousins.
|
| 3 August |
Meeting Dongpas, very special people
who remember many lives and stories and who have written many books on
the subject. Some shopping and relaxation. |
| 4 August |
Travel 310 kilometres to Tsolho region and stay in a hotel for some relaxation.
|
| 5 August |
Travel 70 kilometres to a sacred and
holy lake called Tso Amitabha, 400 kilometres in diameter where many
ancient sages attained enlightenment. Meditation and a blessing
ceremony in the evening and a stay in a tent hotel with a view of
the lake. There may be an opportunity to meet great beings there. |
| 6 August |
Travel 300
kilometres to Kubum monastery, Lama Tsong Khapa’s monastery and
see a spontaneously formed tree with 100,000 images on the leaves from
his birth place. Then travel 40 kilometres to the 14th Dalai
Lama’s birth place and then to Xining city, the capital of
Quinghai province and stay in a hotel.
Once a key trading
post on the southern Silk Route, Xining is perched on the northern edge
of the Tibetan plateau and has a large Muslim population.
|
| 7 August |
Relaxation and
shopping, there are many Muslem Chinese and Tibetan shops.We may have
the opportunity to meet famous Tibetan actors and singers.
|
| 8 August |
From this day we
have two choices. We may either get a flight to Chengdu or travel over
1000 kilometres to Kanlho province by train to experience the
incredibly beautiful Tibetan environment. Many believe this to be the
most incredibly beautiful environment in the whole world.
|
| 9 August |
Rinpoche has friends (Lamas) at a monastery in this area who we may meet if we have time. |
| 10 August |
Continue traveling to Chengdu by train whilst experiencing the beautiful environment and different cultures and customs.
|
| 11 August |
Stay in Chengdu at a
hotel. The tour finishes here by the next day, you may stay here for
longer if you wish to enjoy the Chinese city, shops, temples and
pandas, everything is available and easy to access from here. You may
easily continue traveling to any destination from here.
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Introduction to the regions
Chengdu
The tour begins in Chengdu, China, with participants meeting with Rinpoche in Chengdu City.
Balkam Region
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| Balkam Region |
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| Zamthang Rapka village |
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| Zamthang monastery |
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| Welcoming ceremony |
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| Ceremonial tent |
On the second day, the
group will catch a bus and travel to a moderately sized town called
Balkam, in Tibet. Balkam is surrounded by high, steep mountains and
vast forests, providing excellent photo opportunities. The Marchu river
flows from Chengdu through the centre of Balkam, the sound of the
roaring river echoes throughout the village. The Tibetan
community live mostly on the outskirts of the town on the steep
forested slopes, where the views are very beautiful. The Tibetans in
the Balkam region have a very distinctive lifestyle that is interesting
when compared to our Western culture.
Kham Zamthang Region
After two nights in
Balkam, we will travel about 200 kilometres to the Zamthang region,
home to many large Jonang Buddhist monasteries. This was the region
where Rinpoche's own root lama lived and Rinpoche himself lived here
for seven years.
Zamthang & Choethang Monastery
The actual topography of
Zamthang is very different to that of the mountainous Balkam region.
Zamthang is a beautiful place of vast plains covered in wildflowers and
surrounded by many ancient monasteries. Summer is an amazingly
beautiful experience in Zamthang as all flora is fresh and newly grown
after the barren winter. There will be excellent photo
opportunities.
The “Zamthang
Gompa”, which dates back nearly 1,000 years houses monks of the
Jonang lineage who have occupied this monastery for at least 640 years;
before this “Zamthang Gompa” was a monastery belonging to
Bonpo, a religion that predated the introduction of Buddhism in Tibet.
Before his departure from Tibet, Rinpoche was invited to teach the many
monks belonging to this monastery on a permanent basis.
We will stay at Zamthang
Monastery for five nights and travel to Choethang Monastery the home of
Rinpoche’s root teacher, where monks and the lay community will
welcome Rinpoche and the group with a traditional formal welcoming
ceremony. Such welcoming ceremonies are held only for distinguished
guests and as part of the tour we will be privileged to share in this
colourful and exciting spectacle.
Choethang monastery is situated in the Zamthang region where there will be many interesting activities to partake in.
Rinpoche will introduce us
to the Tibetan community and give us the opportunity to stay in a
monastery and be blessed by the abbots and monks We will
see the traditional colourful religious ceremonies performed by the
monks playing Tibetan horns, drums and other musical instruments.
We will have the good
fortune to visit and be blessed by a Buddhist yogi who has been in
solitary retreat for 16 years, a very rare opportunity made possible by
Rinpoche’s close connections. This is a unique chance to discover
how a recluse, completely cut off from the world practices
Amdo Ngawa Region
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|
| Horse riding |
After Zamthang, we travel about 150 kilometres to Amdo Ngawa where we stay in one of the local hotels.
Amdo Ngawa is
topographically different from the Zamthang region and the beautiful
scenery there will make for good photo opportunities. This area is also
home to many Jonang monasteries such as Se Gompa which we will
visit. There is also a very large Gelug Monastery where Rinpoche
used to study, which is home to about 3000 Monks. We will be able
to visit the monastery and attend a debating class to experience the
style in which Rinpoche and all monks are trained.
There are many spectacular shops where we can buy a variety of Tibetan and Chinese goods.
Golok Region - Mountain, Lake, and Jamda Monastery
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| Golok Kalachakra hall |
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| Visit to Dong Yang village |
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| Lake Shiyntso, mandala of Kagyud |
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| Tibetan villagers |
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After the stay in Amdo
Ngawa, we will visit a Jonang Monastery called Nginyu Monastery and
meet Khenpo Choezed. We continue on to Jamda Monastery where we will
stay the night. After lunch we continue on to Daser where we will stay
at Khenpo Lobsang Chopel’s house, and enjoy a delicious dinner at
the local restaurant.
Dong Yang Village – Rinpoche’s Birthplace
After staying with Khenpo
Lobsang Chopel, we travel to Dong Yang village where Rinpoche was
born. A welcome ceremony will be held and the traditional
offering of scarves from everyone from the village will be made
followed by a speech from Rinpoche.
Over the next 6 days, we sleep in tents and bathe in the river. We will sleep in an undercover communal place called a Rwa
where we are able to pitch our tents. We will take a day trip to
the Machu river, which begins it’s journey in Tibet and
flows down through China into the ocean. After this we may visit
some of Rinpoche’s relatives who live in the nearby valleys..
The people of Dong Yang live in tents called Rwas
that are made from yak hair. They are very strong and thick and last
for nearly 50 years. The community there will cook for us and invite us
to visit them and eat inside their Rwas.
We are able to go for
walks in the mountains and ride horses and yaks. From the mountaintop
the view to the far distance can be seen in all directions, the scenery
is spectacular, the air is fresh and wildflowers can be seen everywhere
as the sound of the flowing river fills the air.
After that we travel about
150 kilometres to a very huge mountain and lake renowned among Tibetans
to be the mandala of Buddha Drupa Kagyud. The scenery is magnificent
with the snowcapped Yitsey Mountains high above and the famous lake at
their feet, we will camp here for the night.
We then journey back to Amdo Ngawa and stay for 2 nights enjoying the luxury of a hotel room and hot running water
After this we travel back
to Chengdu where you may take the opportunity to visit the panda park
or do some last minute shopping.
Golokul
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| Golok region |
For those continuing on
the tour, we will visit Golokul, the capital of Golok and stay for two
nights. This is a large city with many shopping opportunities, we
will visit some of Rinpoches’ teachers including the renowned
Geshe Deluk Rabkye and have dinner with Rinpoches’ cousins.
We will have the
opportunity to meet with some of the local people who can remember past
lives and hundreds of stories of the King of Geser and we will visit
monasteries.
Blue Lake & Xilang City
We travel to the famous
blue lake about 1,000 kilometres in circumference. Many highly
realised beings stayed on the island mountain in the middle of the lake
and gained extraordinary attainments. We will stay the night in
the luxurious tent hotel.
We then journey to Xilang
city, the capital of Quinhai and stay in a hotel and visit Kubum
Monastery (Je Tsong Kapa’s monastery) We will see a holy
tree where Je Tsong Kapa’s mother gave birth to him and visit the
home town of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. We will have the
opportunity to meet some Tibetan scholars and singers and plenty of
shopping opportunities.
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