We joined the throngs of Tibetans who had already begun the day’s festivities as we circumabulated the Jokhang, Tibet’s holiest temple. While I attempted to find a local bookstore, two young Tibetan students joined me. We conversed and they confirmed a sad rumor, that Chinese officials had forbidden any government employees or students from going near the Jokhang on this special day.

We found that government officials had been following our progress from the Tibetan border – it was hardly a surprise. We were a large group with a lama that had been drawing crowds, much to the consternation of the Lhasa police. From this point on, we were always accompanied by at least two police and were limited in some ways with our movement, but overall, did manage to go where Rinpoche wanted to go.

In Lhasa, we accompanied Rinpoche to the Potala, and were allowed into rooms not normally open to visitors. Sequestered away in the present Dalai Lama’s room, accompanied by our three Potala guides that appeared almost spontaneously upon our arrival, we chanted His Holiness’ longlife prayer together. One monk-guide told us the story of the discovery of the 14th Dalai Lama as a young boy. When the young candidate was approached by his former teacher, disguised as a beggar, His Holiness said “I am the one working for all sentient beings”. At this point in the story, Rinpoche broke down and cried loudly, as did we.

On our way to Tsurphu, the seat of the Karmapas, we stopped for a picnic lunch, sitting around Rinpoche on carpets in an idyllic setting surrounded by snow peaks and green pastures. We were close to leaving, when Ven. Marcel Bertels noticed some small ponds nearby loaded with frogs. We encircled one pond as Rinpoche proceeded to do mantras and prayers over what he described as nagas. At first the little frogs looked frightened and clung to each other, but a few minutes later, they seemed to look attentively at Rinpoche with their little eyes fixed upward. Back on the bus, we headed for a cold and snowy campsite near Tsurphu Monastery. The area had an empty and sad feeling, as we remembered the much publicized story of how the young Karmapa had fled to India just a few months before. The local story was related to us about his escape. He had apparently gone into a strict retreat with instructions that he was not to be disturbed by anyone, only his closest attendant could bring food. And then by stealth of night he slipped out in a highly planned escape.

The highlight of the pilgrimage for me, was the time we spent at Reting, the monastery Drontompa, Atisha’s disciple, that was built in the 10th century. The sight of the special Cyprus-type trees that grow only on the side of the mountain surrounding Reting was a pleasant surprise after traveling for many hours through equally beautiful, but dry and treeless terrain. We learned later, as Rinpoche read from the history of Reting, that the trees had grown originally from Drontompa’s hair. They surrounded our campsite, like comforting mothers, as the river valley and accompanying village fell below.

The monks of the monastery allowed us to view their most sacred relic, a 12 inch high, 5,000 year old statue, Sangdu Jampa Dorje, made by Manjushri, sponsored by Chenrezig, and protected by Vajrapani, that had been in the pure lands until 946 . Hidden and protected during the Chinese destruction of Tibet, it is normally unveiled only once a year, but an exception was made for our group. Rinpoche offered a bath to the deity as the monks took off the adornments and applied a layer of gold. We joined in making offerings for the gold leaf, and also for the two-story Maitreya statue being constructed there, that amounted to US$1200. Also at Reting is a spring that comes from a lake under the monastery that when consumed, purportedly prevents one from falling into the lower realms. We hiked high up above the monastery to the ruins of the room where Kyabje Tsong Khapa wrote the Lam Rim Chen Mo (The Great Exposition on the States on the Path to Enlightenment), and performed puja with Rinpoche until well after dark.

Returning to Lhasa from Reting by way of the Pembo Valley, we visited more of the Kadampa geshes’ historical sites, including Geshe Sharawa and Geshe Potowa’s ancient monasteries and Geshe Chekawa’s stupa seen from afar. Rinpoche wanted to capture the stories of this Kadampa lineage on videotape, as told by monks still living at these monasteries, before they were lost completely. Rinpoche taught us from the Eight Verses of Mind Training as we sat surrounded by ancient thangkas and burning butter lamps in Langri Tangpa’s gompa, the direct lineage complete.

The hardships we experienced with long bus rides, late nights, early mornings and skipped meals, were nothing compared to the asceticism experienced by Tibetan yogis and meditators in stories related to us from the past. Rinpoche told us more than once that there aren’t many holy places in the U.S. compared to those in Tibet, where devoted-ones achieved such high states of realization through their constant effort. That was clearly one main reason we were making pilgrimage, and paying homage to those holy places, and remembering that we had a different purpose from those simply traveling as tourists.

My lack of renunciation loomed large in front of my face, as I realized that I was not willing to sacrifice the smallest of samsaric pleasures toward the goal of benefiting others through spiritual practice. I realized then that after more than 25 years of practice, I had barely placed one foot upon the Dharma path. To make the pilgrimage worthwhile, I knew, at the very least, that I could follow the lazy practioner’s approach and rejoice in Rinpoche’s merit, as we offered scarves to the statues and images throughout Tibet. I tried, by his instruction, to visualize the holy objects as our gurus and to offer all the holy objects throughout the Dharma centers in the world to the Great Enlightenment as we repeated the verse from the “Jor Cho Puja,”

“I hearby offer you heavenly garments, sheer, soft and light, Oh you who have attained the unshatterable diamond-hard state of a Buddha. If I offer these garments with unshatterable faith, May I likewise attain the diamond –hard state of a supreme Buddha.”

May Lama Zopa Rinpoche live a long and fruitful life and may all of us be among his disciples now and in all our future lives!


Kalleen Mortensen is the Library Director at the Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin and a student of Geshe Sopa’s at Deer Park. She first met Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe at the 6th Kopan course in 1974. This was her third trip to Tibet.


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