My Pilgrimage To Mt. Khawah Gepoh

文：澤仁平措

Why ethnic Tibetans are never daunted by the hardships they suffer while making pilgrimages to sacred mountains and lakes by walking round them? I put this question to a man who had walked round the sacred Mt. Khawah Gepoh in eastern Tibet 28 times. Here is his answer: “To endure those hardships during the pilgrimages, I mean to punish myself for the sins I have committed, in order to gain freedom from anxiety and increase the virtues in my soul, my inner world.”

With help from some lamas, I learned by heart the words of prayer pilgrims keep uttering while walking round the sacred mountain:May all put into practice the virtues I am buildingup in mysoul through this pilgrimage:

May the virtues I am trying to build up in my soulusher in blessings and boundless happiness for all ;May warmth befall all those who are suffering fromcold ; May all the mortalsenjoy ever-lasting happiness in the course of transmigration.May all the souls suffering in hell be released fromthere and regain happiness.May I and all other mortals live in peace.The lamas told me to help fellow pilgrims andnever use rude language while walking round the sacred mountain. “If you are not benevolenttowards others,”they warned, “your pilgrimagewill be meaningless no matter how much you suffer.”

More than 700 years ago, a most eminent living Buddha came to pay tribute to Mt. Khawah Gepoh, the summit of a rolling mountain range called the Meili that snakes from eastern Tibet into western Yunnan Province, and made it sacred. According to texts of Lamaism, there are 128 greater sacred sites and 1,022 lesser sacred sites in a vast area encompassing Tibet, India, Nepal as well as the parts of Chinas hinterland inhabited by the Han Chinese. At the end of every year, the guardian gods of all these sacred sites gather atop Mt. Khawah Gepoh, where they will stay for a number of days. That explains why pilgrims flock to the sacred mountain towards the end of every year.

Legend goes that Mt. Khawah Gepoh was born in a year of the water sheep in the 12-year cycle by the traditional Tibetan calendar. It so happened that the year 2003 was a year of the water sheep. Altogether, some 100,000 pilgrims came in the year for worshipping of the sacred mountain, averaging more than 2,000 per day, and most of them were from Tibet and Yunnan Province.

I am an ethnic Tibetan from Zhongdian in Yunnan Province that neighbors Tibet. I am a farmer and concurrently a free lancing photographer. On October 23, 2003, I set about walking round the sacred mountain together with He Linhua, curator of the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Museum in Yunnan, Hsieh Kuang-hui, a journalist from Hong Kong, and Tuteng Kiangcuo, a fellow ethnic Tibetan who works as a tourist guide. We hired two local horse drivers along with their animals - a mule, a horse and a donkey to carry our luggage on their backs.

Why walking round a sacred mountain or lake is so important to ethnic Tibetans? Said a fellow pilgrim who, at 60, had already walked round Mt. Khawah Gepoh 28 times: 襂 mean to punish myself for the sins I have committed, in order to gain freedom from anxiety and increase the virtues in my soul, in my inner world.?According to Buddhist teachings, a person is bound to commit sins, accidentally or intentionally, as long as the person stays alive. The person may step on some ants and kill them without realizing it. By eating meat, the person is actually involved in the killing of an animal. When the person loses temper, he or she is likely to use rude language against other persons. Felling of trees may annoy their guardian spirits. Walking round a sacred mountain or lake to pay homage to it, however, helps the person communicate with the holy spirits residing there and in return, receive blessings from them, so that after the person dies, he or she will not be reduced to hell.

October 23, 2003, Fine

Weather is treacherous at this time of the year but it was fine today - a good omen for us as we set about walking round the mountain, anti-clockwise.

In following the tradition, we went to the nearest lamasery where we burned incense as a token of respect for Buddha worshipped there - for the “Key”to the entrance of the sacred mountain, in fact “divine permission”to start our pilgrimage. We were told that those who had ask for divine permission before starting to walk around the sacred mountain would receive more blessings than those who had not. It was really great that in the temple, we met with Angwen Qiechen, a most eminent living Buddha from Ganzi in Sichuan Province. He, too, came to pay homage to the sacred Mt. Khawah Gepoh.

We walked round the lamasery three times to complete the ritual. Outside the lamasery, we were moved when seeing two old ladies who, while uttering the Six True Words to invite divine protection, kept knocking their heads on the ground in the direction of the sacred mountain. Not long after we began our trek, we found ourselves at a bridge thrown across a gully. At the west side of the bridge we talked with an old lady. She said she was 77 years old and had come from Qinghai Province, begging all the way here since she was penniless.

At the east side of the bridge, at the foot of the mountain so precipitous as to thrust into the sky, thousands of ethnic Tibetans were picnicking, sitting round campfires and enjoying themselves over butter tea - a scene of perfect harmony between Man and Nature.

Here we met with a Singaporean business executive whose name was Kao Chun-ming. He told us that he had walked round the sacred mountain four times. Each round took him 12 whole days and after a rest of five or six days, he would start one more trek, carrying on his back his luggage weighing five kilometers and putting up for the night either in the open or in a lamasery. “I did the first round for my own good,”said Mr. Kao, a devoted believer of Buddhism. “I received a lot of help from ethnic Tibetans I changed to meet. They always tried their best to help me. I was so moved that I decided to do it again, in order to usher in blessings for them, not only for myself. Then I did the third and fourth rounds, hoping to do as much as possible to let Buddha know how much I love Tibet and her people. I sincerely hope that people across the world will love Tibet and her people and culture.”

Mr. Kao admitted that at first, he was not quite used to butter tea and roasted barley flour, the traditional ethnic Tibetan food. “But,”he said, “The more I tried the food the more tasteful it became.”He added that it was really difficult to complete the trek, and that he felt extremely hard to breathe at places that rise 3,000 meters above sea level or higher. “I was not daunted,”he told us. “The sacred mountain is so dignified and so pure and once you are in it you feel excellent, as if your soul, the whole of your inner world, is purified.”

At a village called Yongzhi, we picked up a talk with some elderly villagers. They earnestly told us how one should act in accordance with Buddhas teachings, why one should always perform good deeds while refraining from doing anything evil. Listening to what they were saying, I called to mind how, when I was a child, elders in my hometown tirelessly taught me to be good. Even though I had no blood relations with them, they tried to educate me the way they educated their own grandchildren. It occurred to me that in this modern world, people are invariably driven by material desires and live without a spiritual pursuit. While enjoying all those modern luxuries and conveniences, I thought, we have lost too much.

Shortly after we resumed walking, we met six elderly people, five women and one man, from the same village, who were walking round the sacred mountain like us. They told us that as pilgrims, we needed to keep chanting the Six True Words and reciting Buddhist sutras while walking, and they also taught us how to do it. We were moved when seeing how, while walking, they removed rocks and tree branches from the trails to make things easier for people who were behind.

We put up at Yongzhi Village for the night.

Day Two, Fine

It was fine. We left Yongzhi Village at 8:27. We had had a wonderful night, enjoying the hospitality afforded us by our host Wangteng and his family and what he told us about why people should respect and love Nature. I came to realize that only by showing sufficient respect and love for Nature will it be possible for Man to exist in harmony with it.

Torrents washing down in the gully, crystal clear streams, dense forests girdling the slope of the mountain which, clad in snow, shone bright in the pure blue sky - all these fascinated me as I trudged ahead, along the winding, precipitous trail. I couldnt help marveling at the piousness of my fellow pilgrims for Nature - those elderly men and women, those in their prime age, those babies carried by their parents in their arms and those teenagers who were carrying on their backs luggage weighing several dozen kilometers a piece. All were wet through with sweat, yet they were just pressing ahead while chanting the Six True Words and Buddhist sutras.

I wanted to be as pious as they were. Problem was that I had to take time out for photos. When I stopped to take photos, I had to give up, for the time being, the chanting of the Six True Words and Buddhist sutras. Then we reached an improvised hotel - in fact a hut -set up by people of the Yongzhi Village, where we had lunch. The hotel, so to speak, must be the cheapest in the world, charging each guest just two yuan (about 22 U.S. cents) for one night while giving them firewood and boiled water for free. Moreover, Buddhist monks and nuns were free from any charge for staying in it.

We continued our trek after lunch, until we reached another “hotel”at 16:08 hours, where the elevation is measured at 3,425 meters above sea level. We met some pilgrims from Naqu Prefecture in southern Tibet, who were to stay in the hotel like us. They had been away from home for nearly three weeks, trekking some 60 kilometers each and every day. The journey from their hometown to the sacred mountain and then back would take them a whole month.

Day Three, Drizzle

I got up at dawn, hoping to take photos of ethnic Tibetan pilgrims sleeping. But all of them had gone, probably at three olock, and their campfires had been put out, leaving stacks of ashes.

We set out to continue our trek at 8:26. The snow-clad mountain peak seemed so close to us but it took us several hours to reach a place on the upper reaches of the Yongzhi River, on an elevation of 3,580 meters above sea level. This was one of the places where pilgrims stopped for a short rest. Then we continue to climb up, and after about four hours, we reached a place on an elevation of 4,370 meters above sea level. We found there clusters of small stone buildings, 30-50 centimeters tall. We assumed that more than 1,000 such buildings could be counted there. We learned that these were built by pilgrims, in hope that good housing would be available to them not only in their life time but also after they die, when they souls resided in the nether world.

After walking up the slope for about 20 minutes, we found ourselves at a mountain pass 4,460 meters above sea level. There were so many streamers bearing Buddhist scripts that kept fluttering in the wind, and lots of pilgrims were burning barley flour as a token of respect for the holy spirits residing in the sacred mountain. Suddenly, and ever suddenly, I felt myself melted into Nature, flying into a world of souls either divine or mortal, riding along with the smoke that kept curling up from barley flour fires.

In following the tradition, Tuteng Kiangcuo and I burned incense and mounted a pole with a religious streamer on its tip. Then I spent 40 minutes taking photos before we began descending along a trail full of twists and turns. It was bitingly cold and the trail was so narrow, so steep. On hearing the chanting of the Six True Words by fellow pilgrims, however, I plucked up enough courage to proceed. I was awakened to a realization that sacred mountains and lakes must grow out of the love and respect shown by those pilgrims for Nature. People back in my hometown also chant the sane Six True Words, but I found the accent was somewhat different.

After lunch, we started walking down the slope again, and the trail became less steep as we descended. And before long, we found ourselves in a primitive forest. The scent of plants and the singing of streams reminded me of my childhood in my hometown, when parents escorted their children on horsebacks through those dense forests to the grazing ground far beyond.

We went back to our camping site at 5:30 p.m., where the elevation is measured at 3,615 meters.

Day Four, Fine

At 2:30 a.m., I was awakened as pilgrims were getting up for their journey. To take photos, however, we had to leave the camping site at 8:30. At a place 3,085 meters above sea level, we found numerous plants of protected species such as the Chinese terreya and yew.

Not long after lunch, we came to a place called Luoh Senna 2,965 meters above sea level. In addition to those poles with religious streams on their tips, we found stacks upon stacks of bowls full of barley flour. Pilgrims had placed the bowls here, hoping that with blessing from the holy spirits, dead souls in the nether world and their transfigurations would have enough food to eat. We also saw lots of worn clothes tied to trees. People believe that patients would recover from illnesses by having their clothes displayed on the sacred mountain. We also found small stones hanging from trees, as well as rosaries and bracelets, some of which seemed quite expensive. These were deliberately left behind by pilgrims, who cherished the hope that the ruler of the nether world would “weigh”the good deeds they had performed, so that after they die, they would transfigure into human beings.

At 4:30 p.m., we arrived at a place called Nhaotong Lhaza 2,460 meters above sea level, and decided to camp here for the night.

Day Five, Fine

We left the camping site at 7:40 a.m., and arrived at a place called “Khachu Zhaila”3,015 meters above sea level. There are lots of religious streamers and small stone buildings and we also found small stones hanging from trees, like any other place where pilgrims took a short break before continuing their trek. Legend goes that the guardian god of this place is fond of dancing, and I saw many pilgrims doing ethnic Tibetan dancing before they left, obviously out of respect for the god or to curry favor with him.

From Khachu Zhaila we continued climbing up, until we found ourselves in a primitive forest. After lunch, we continued our trek and in about 40 minutes, we reached Ngaotong Lhaka 3,650 meters above sea level. This is the commanding height of the long, winding trail along which pilgrims walk to pay homage to the sacred mountain. Standing here, one commands a birds-eye-view of the magnificent Nujiang Canyon in the east and the back of Mt. Khawah Gepoh in the west. Tuteng Kiangcuo and I spent a few minutes here taking pictures. Then we began descending and before long, we found ourselves in a place overlooking a village called Ngapin, which is known far and wide for a special kind of terrain. We took many photos round the village.

We arrived at the village at 6:10 p.m. Our horse drivers had arrived earlier, and had arranged our accommodation with one of the families in the village. Our host and hostess were really hospitable, insisting that we drink as much butter tea and barley wine as possible. The village has a small hydroelectric power station. In the dim light of an electric bulb, we talked with our host and hostess until the small hours of the following morning.

The village is under the jurisdiction of Chayu County, Tibet Autonomous Region. There are 60 families in the village, and each family has five or six people. They grow two crops a year, plus a lot of fruit trees, which brought them an annual income that averaged 2,000 yuan per person. For more cash, they collect mushrooms and edible fungus to sell. But consumer goods have to be shipped in from Gongshan or Deqin counties of Yunnan Province, taking five or six days from either place.

Day Six, Fine

Our host and hostess burned incense to bless us when we said good-bye to them in the morning. We just took a few steps before we found a school, where a few dozen children were doing reading aloud. We learned that both the Chinese and Tibetan languages are taught in the school.

After lunch, we went to a small temple to pray. Our horse drivers told us that a long, long time ago, a man lived in the temple and was charged of looking after it. One day, the man came back from collection of firewood on the mountain slope and found the fire in the temple had extinguished. He was cold and hungry and it so happened that he did not have a flint at hand to start a fire with. While at a loss as to what do, he heard a strange voice uttering the words “Oil lamp, oil lamp” The man realized that Buddha was telling him that he should use the oil lamp on the niche to make a fire with, which he did accordingly. When the man died, said our horse drivers, people saw tears in the eyes of the Buddha statue worshipped in the temple. I think the story may suggest that in Tibet, Buddha and mortals are locked up in a relationship of mutual respect.

We had a good bath after we arrived at Quzhu, where there is a hot spring. It was really great to wash in hot water after so many exhausting days. The elevation here is measured at 1,860 meters above sea level.

Day Seven, Fine

We left the hot spring resort at 8:30 a.m., and headed for the north. Before long, we found ourselves in the most dangerous section of the trail snaking up and down on the sacred mountain, where rocks fell from up the mountain from time to time. The section, about 200 meters long, was so narrow, not much wider than a pair of shoes put together. It was especially dangerous in the afternoon when wind was strong, and it was pretty easy for people to slip and fall into the torrential river washing down in the gully below. We were quite surprised - and moved ?to see a monk standing at the most dangerous spot, telling people to be careful. The monk, as we discovered later, was from a local temple and he, too, was making pilgrimage to the sacred mountain. He was born in Deqin County, Yunnan Province, and he was now 30 years old.

To the west of the river there was a mountain that looked like a big snake with its top assuming a zigzagged contour. According to legend, there used to be a snake demon who wanted to eat the heart of the guardian god of the sacred mountain. The god subdued the demon and turned it into this snake-shaped mountain by chanting Buddhist sutras while spreading barley flour on the ground.

At 1:05 p.m., we arrived at a place called Gongtang on an elevation of 1,920 meters above sea level. There was a small shop here. For just a little money we were allowed to use its kitchen to prepare a meal for ourselves.

We decided to put up at Chawalung Township for the night because this was the best place for photographing the back of the sacred mountain.

Day Eight, Fine

We left Chawalung at 7:53 a.m., and began the days trek up the slope. All of us were exhausted and west through with sweat as we kept trudging ahead under the scorching sun. At 2:05 p.m. we arrived at a place 3,410 meters above sea level. Hungry and dog tired, we were really happy to meet our horse drivers who had arrived earlier and prepared lunch for us.

After lunch, we headed for a village called Lhada. Far, far away, there was a mighty river winding like the alphabet S. Villagers at Lhada told us that the river, named Yuqu, originates from the Changdu area in Sichuan Province.

After walking for one hour and 30 minutes, we arrived at Gebu Village 2,445 meters above sea level and put up there for the night.

Day Nine, Fine

We got up at 6:00 p.m., to find that our host had already got butter tea ready for us. We bolted down a few mouthful of food and began the trek again, knowing that we would have to walk up the slope for a long time. After trekking for about three hours we found ourselves at a crossroad, leading to Yanjing of Tibet in the left and Meilishui of Deqin County, Yunnan Province, in the right, where most pilgrims start their journey to go back home. I felt sad because our pilgrim was ending so quickly.

At 3:18 p.m. we arrived at a place 4,170 meters above sea level, where we took a lot of pictures. Though having to endure the biting cold in the gale-force wind, I felt fully compensated for the hardships. At any rate, I was able to command a full view of the magnificent scenes. Just below me, those snow-clad mountains looked as if alive as they kept rolling against the crystal blue sky. From time to time, I caught sight of eagles flying over the mountain. Suddenly, I came to realize why we ethnic Tibetans show so much respect for eagles. Eagles are holy birds, because they are symbols of freedom.

We camped in a forest 3,205 meters above. We had no idea of what the name was for the place.

Day Ten, Fine

We continued going down the slope of the sacred mountain after breakfast, at 8:55 a.m. At 11:15 a.m., we arrived at Ghada Chika, where we had to travel through a steep, almost collapsing bridge across the Yuqu River. It was really horrifying when we drove the horses up and down the “bridge” and all of us had a panic fear after we found ourselves at the other side of the river.

At 1:39 p.m. we arrived at a small village called Milai, where the elevation is measured at 3,110 meters above sea level. To my surprise, we had sour milk to drink in the village, the best of all drinks we had had since we set about walking round the sacred mountain, though it tasted a bit different from what I had in my hometown. After lunch, we began climbing up for photos. At 5:12, we arrived at a place 4,180 meters above sea level and decided to camp there. It was snowing and Tuteng Kiangcuo and I collected a lot of firewood for fire in expectation of a long, cold night. That night, however, was not as cold as we had expected.

Day Eleven, Overcast to Fine

Today was the last day of our pilgrimage. For the best time for photos at Shuola Pass that rises 4,795 meters above sea level, we set out at 6:17 a.m. It was still dark and we had to use electric torches for lighting while trudging along the trail. Shuola Pass is the highest place we had decided to ascend during our pilgrimage, and we arrived there at 10:20 a.m. An upsurge of emotion got hold of me. Once again, I saw those rolling mountains clad in pure white snow, those primitive forests girdling the mountain slopes, those religious streamers fluttering in the wind and those pilgrims who were inching forward along the narrow, steep trail in defiance of all hardships. My feelings, the kind of love and respective for Nature, were beyond description at this moment. Indeed one needs to experience something unique to feel the way I did.

We stopped here and there for photos, singing all the way, until we had lunch somewhere 3,995 meters above sea level. At 5:17 p.m., we arrived at Meilishui Village, which is a part of the Deqin County, Yunnan Province. We had left Tibet, without realizing it.

There is a highway linking the village with the Deqin County seat 58 kilometers away. Friends had come earlier to pick us up. Before leaving the village, we had a good meal in a small restaurant. Our horse drivers and the horse, mule and donkey would have to travel two more days to get back home.

Riding on the jeep, I was immersed in a fond memory of the thrilling, unforgettable experiences we had just had on the sacred mountain. In silence I prayed for peace of the sacred mountain and for happiness of our fellow pilgrims.