The sacred valley of Helambu: an adventurous pilgrimage in the reading week of 2017 fall semester.
(Photo
credit: Tree: Emily Polar)
In the middle of each semester at
RYI there is a week long break called ``reading week.´´ Although some do use
this time to focus on studying and reading, which is wonderful, it is also known amongst certain students as
the retreat or trekking week.
Not knowing whether I wanted to
trekk or stay in retreat during this break, I ended up joining some friends who
had plans of doing a pilgrimage to Helambu, also known as Yolmo. Which proved
to be a great decision!
It is surprising how such an amazing
place lies within a few hours from Boudhanath, and how easy it can be to get
there! It only takes one (crazy and cozy) Nepali bus from a nearby bus station,
which took us around 5 hours leaving early morning to get to Timbu ( a small
village within Nepal, not the Bhutanese Capital!).
After arriving, we tried to make our
way to Nakote but it was getting dark, and luckily we found a small family
community that was celebrating one of the many Nepali festivals with lots of
dancing, chanting and raksi (rice wine) drinking, and happily they invited us
to stay for the night and join in the celebrations.
After having an amazing corny tsampa breakfast - this is also one of
the main reasons which I love Yolmo: they have THE best tsampa I have ever
eaten and also know how to make great Tibetan tea! - we proceeded on our journey.
There are just too many details to
fit into this account, such as staying with a yogi in a retreat center and
spending the night on a Guru Rinpoche cave.
Just please be careful when you venture into the high mountains! After
arriving at our final destination at 4000 meters, because we ascended to
quickly one of our friends got bad altitude sickness, which could have turned
into something very serious, given the remoteness of the region and it being
inaccessible to helicopter, if we hadn't had rehydration salts (give small sips
every 5 minutes to the sick person so they are less likely to vomit, and even
they do so, this technique can avoid dehydration) and Diamox[1]
(I have a tendency of being very suspicious of western medicine, but in cases
such as this it can be life saving!).
It
is an extraordinary mandala, as mentioned By Padmasambhava in the ``Essential
Inventory of Yolmo´´ [2]
``(...)
Various medicinal substances occur there|(...) In the upper valley is a glacial
stream of water of the eight qualities| There are three great lakes| As there
are many Dakinis and Ksetrapalas, one must refrain from the defilments of
pollution and conflict| This is a most auspicious sanctuary where longevity,
merits and resources all multiply| Those living in the degenerate age who would
practice what I (Padmasambhava) have taught. Go find that sanctuary! (...)´´
And
also contained in ``The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa´´ concerning Hyolmo:
``
I bow to the noble Lama, whom I encountered due to my accumulated merit. Now I
have reached the place of attainment indicated by him. Pleasant stronghold in
the forested mountains of Mön. Land of flower-spangled meadows. Forest clearing
where the trees dance, where the monkeys play, where all kinds of birdsong is
heard, where bees hover, where rainbows shimmer day and night.
``In such a secluded place, I, the Yogi
Milarepa, experience the blissful luminosity of meditation on mind as void.´´
Such
is the blissful land of Yolmo! May all who aspire to visit it have their wishes
fulfilled!
Victor, from
Brazil.
Written after
a pilgrimage on the Yolmo mountains in the 2017 fall semester.
[1] There are many kinds of altitude sickness one could
get, in which different medicines can be more appropriate, so do your own
research, and don´t take this as a medical advice!
[2] ``The Guide to The Hidden Land of The Yolmo Snow
Enclosure and its History.´´ By Khenpo Nyima Dondrup, translated by Matthew
Akester. Vajra publications.
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