The Lung cont.

We were speeding down the off road of the Tibet-Schiuan highway into the fields of Manigango in our little toy van. The road quickly disappeared beneath our wheels and we undulated over mounds of dirt toward Dzogchen Monastery. All trace of buildings disappeared and the rolling hills were dotted with black nomad tents billowing smoke and endless herds of yak grazing on the green. We were surrounded by large mountains on all three sides and heavy clouds began to loom overhead. I was desperate to get to this monastery carrying the loss of not making it to Palyul but I kept my eye on the storm hoping it would wait for us to traverse the pass. The roads in Tibet often fluctuate between paved and non-existent, this road was dirt but seemed ok if it would hold up. I asked the driver " Di Lam Ya Pon Dug" ( Is this road good?) hoping to find out some information about the next 1hr and 1/2 of travel. He said, " Di Lam Ya Pon Min Dug" (this road is not good), "Pem Po Jab" I said (sucks to be us). He barreled on and we climbed and climbed and climbed in our little van and the road roughened and roughened. Like so many times before in eastern Tibet I got the feeling we were out there, out there in the wild. As we climbed it began to rain and the road started to turn to mud, I wasn't too worried we would make it there but I began to wonder if conditions would permit our return. The pass was beautiful and nerve wracking, the rain remained fairly light but still taxed our barely functional wind shield wipers.
After about 2hrs into the mountains we saw the Dzogchen Village, bordered by large Stupas. We descended into a glacial valley (altitude unknown, later we learned higher than even Derge). We travelled through the little village and into the monastery compound. The grounds were untamed and wild, hermitages and temples seeming built right into the mountain side. There was a monastery, a shedra (monastic college), a nunnery and a retreat center, all complete with their own temples and communities. The retreat center was surrounded on three sides by a glacier. There was a large tent community of pilgrims and lay Tibetans residing outside the retreat center constantly engaged in practice. There was an undeniable energy in the entire valley and Jenn found it a bit overwhelming, I felt like I wanted to stay here forever.
We had so many temples to choose from, we were not sure where to go first and our driver didn't offer much advise. I pointed to a smaller temple straight ahead and we drove there first. We gathered our camera, our katags our texts and anything else we might need and headed toward the temple. As we walked toward the temple compound three monks mounted the hill and I asked them "Di Gompa Ka re re?" (what temple is this). They told me " Di Shedra Gompa Re" (this is the monastic college temple. They instantly became our guides, one monk happened to be the key holder of the temple and let us in. We were alone in there with the monks and we began to do some practice together. The temple was beautiful and ornately decorated, the head Lama's (Dzogchen Pema Kelsang Rinpoche) picture sat on a large throne.
My Tibetan language skills improved miraculously as I somehow communicated with the monks who we were, where we had come from, what we were doing there, etc. I somehow understood when they told me they were students of the shedra and that they would take us to see the sacred spots of Dzogchen. One of the monks ran to his room and returned with mendrup (a sacred medicine made in the monastery and taken as a blessing pill to increase the experience of practice). He also gave us a picture of Dzogchen Pema Kelsang Rinpoche. I asked if we could meet with the high Tulku and they said yes and pointed to the retreat center.
The three monks then guided us into the hillside explaining to me (I couldn't beleive how much I was understanding) and I translated to Jenn, all the sacred spots here. We first went to the rock where Shri Singha meditated on his way from China to India to meet with Manjushrimitra to receive the Dzogchen teachings. Shri Singha is one of the most revered and historical figures of Dzogchen. Next they brought us to Patrul Rinpoche's cave where he worked on composing one of his famouns texts. Paltrul Rinpoche was one of the most famous Nyingmapa meditators of his time and composed many elegant texts explaining the view, meditation and conduct of our current tradition of practice. They then took us to a large rock where Khenpo Ngachung had revealed a terma (treasure teaching) on Dakini (enlightened female) practice directly from the rock.
Now this pilgrimage to Tibet had taken root in me, we were here at the places I had read about, paying homage to the lineage masters of the past and connecting with the living tradition of today.
We then headed to the retreat center and on the way down the road I saw a large rock with a painting of Vajrsattva on it, I told Jenn, " I have to go there before we leave". We visited the retreat center and cirumambulated the temple, we spoke with some more monks and arranged to meet with Dzogchen Rinpoche. We waited while he remained in meditation but the clouds continued to loom and Jenn urged me to head back. I conceded and gave an offering to one of the monks to deliver to Dzogchen Rinpoche for me and we headed toward the car. As we were heading away from the retreat center I saw the large painted rock again and asked the driver to stop.
I was sure this was a spot where I would find some holy object, cave or other pilgrimage site and climbed up the steep hill to the rock. I snapped a photo of the beautiful painting and a lay Tibetan man appeared from behind the rock. He laughed at me and pointed up the hill. I pointed in the same direction with a questioning look on my face and he nodded and pointed again. I climbed the hill, short of breath and the car disappeared behind me, I figured there was another cave this way. As soon as a mounted that hill another lay Tibetan man was there and he pointed up at a small hut, again I pointed and he acknowledged. This must be the cave of so and so I thought. I reached the steps of the small wooden hut stuck right into the mountain and looked back one more time at the man and he gestured for me to enter. I took off my shoes and walked up the steps.
As soon as I crossed the threshold I saw a yogi/monk sitting in his bed/meditation seat, he looked at me with some strange recognition and smiled. I offered three prostrations and entered at his request. I offered a katag and he smiled and we talked in my broken Tibetan. He was attended by a monk from the monastery and was remaining in retreat in this small cabin. It was just four walls maybe 5ft by 6ft with only a bed/cushion inside. I mentioned Dzogchen practice and he looked at me straight in the eye, he held there for probably 10sec, it seemed like over a minute, I didn't blink and I felt like he was looking right through me. He smiled and reached into his bed, he pulled out a text. He asked me to read the title to him in Tibetan and I did, this pleased him. He then said, this text is very very profound, written by one of the great lineage holders of Dzogchen and contained the pith instructions of the Dzogchen path.
He began to chant invoking the blessings of the lineage masters of Dzogchen and his attendant shrunk out of the cabin and we were alone. He performed further prayers of aspiration and then began to transmit the text to me (LUNG pronounced LOONG in Tibetan). I sat silent and listened to the transmission, dark fell and he read from the text in the dimming light. I soaked in the sounds of the dharma and soaked in the ambiance of this small hermitage and this man. Why was he giving me this transmission, could this really be happening, here at Dzogchen Gompa in eastern Tibet tucked into the side of the mountain overlooking the whole of the monastery and the glacial valley, I was sure this was why His Holiness Penor Rinpoche said it is the right time for me to go to Tibet, despite the fact that His Holiness Karma Kuchen told me it was not a good time to visit Palyul.
I had come to Tibet to visit Palyul, but Tibet had different plans for me, both Penor Rinpoche and Karma Kuchen were right and in this moment I felt like I had accomplished my goal of the pilgrimage to Tibet. How all the causes and conditions had to assemble for this moment to take place.
The yogi/monk explained he was the Dzogchen Khenpo Pema Ranjung and placed the text on my head. He wrapped the text in a white silk scarf and handed it to me. He asked me to spend the night there but I had to apologize, we had to get to a lower altitude and I knew Jenn was waiting. He said no need to apologize and we dedicated the merit of the transmission together. He said he hoped we would meet again and I agreed. Then I was off as quickly as I had came and this short dream was over.
As we headed back up the mountain I was still trying to process what had just taken place as I held this text on my lap. As we climbed in our little van the road had washed away quite a bit and the clouds loomed all around. Jenn began to recite mantra and I just relaxed knowing if we were to slide of this mountain now it was what was meant to be because we were certainly meant to come here. As we reached higher on the pass we were swallowed by a cloud in a complete white out and the driver burst into mantra, at that moment I was a little worried.