December 4, 2024 • 15 mins
A powerful Vajrayogini shrine, Guru Rinpoche caves, and much, much more. Pharping is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Kathmandu valley.
A shorter episode, but with a nice bit of a flute tune!
The Vajrayogini Temple at Pharping and the fairy-cake stupa
Words or phrases you might want to look up:
- Pharping
- Vajrayogini
- Asura cave
- Sheshnarayan
- Guru Rinpoche
- Kudung
#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Vajrayogini #Nepal #DoubleDorje #Pharping #GuruRinpoche
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
Hello dear listeners, I'm Alex Wilding and in this episode of the Double Dorje podcast.
I'm going to relate a couple of highlights from a visit to a rather magical place that I made seven years ago.
First, very briefly, the two things that have to be said. One, please, please take a moment to like, subscribe or whatever you can to support this podcast. And two, if your listening platform doesn't show you the extra material such as a list of words that you might want to look up,
(00:47):
you will find that on Podbean where this podcast is hosted when it is first published.
It's actually not very long since the last episode that I based on a traveller's tale.
The truth is that, as a rule, I record these podcasts four or five weeks in advance, and that means that when something happens, I don't need to worry about getting the next episode out on time.
(01:15):
But not long ago I spent a few days in Warsaw receiving the reading transmission of a text that is a big part of my practice, so I effectively lost a week of prep time and I still haven't quite dragged it back.
I did a write up of this trip at the time, so I'm therefore hoping to get this episode prepared rather faster than usual.
(01:40):
I've been a few places in my life, and in my Buddhist career, but I haven't been one of those people who's been lucky enough or determined enough or brave enough or rich enough to spend years and years gadding about the world. So the number of travellers’ tales I have to share is limited. It may be a while before I make another such episode.
(02:04):
OK. Excuses over. We begin with my diary entry for Sunday, April the 30th, 2017.
(02:29):
My time in Nepal was running out, as it must.
Thanks to an attack of E. coli, which really was no joke, it had been necessary to stay in my rooms for a few days.
The list of places to go and sights to see was having to be cut back, and the time I could spend on each was having to be shortened.
(02:52):
The highest priority left on my list was Pharping, for actually two reasons.
Friends had suggested that this was a place to spend a few days, and definitely more than one.
And now I too would recommend the same to anybody else.
But the travellers’ trots had cut my time right down, so spending any nights in Pharping was no longer an option.
(03:17):
The start of the day was almost routine by now.
Breakfast at the Rokpa Guest House, then down to the stupa halfway round it and out onto the main road.
I soon found a taxi driven by Tan, the Tamang taxi driver,
who I therefore took to calling T3.
(03:39):
A sensible rate for the day was soon negotiated.
The Tamangs are, in fact, one of the ethnic groups in Nepal, like Sherpas, Newaris, Tibetans and others.
The practices and artwork at the largest temple of the Baudha stupa, the one that has the enormous bell outside.
As far as I can tell, they come straight from the Nyingma playbook.
(04:01):
But it's actually better not to call it a Tibetan Buddhist temple because it's run by Tamangs, and some people might get a little bit peeved.
This was a dry and dusty day rather than a wet and muddy day,
so progress was good, and within less than a kilometre of travel we had introduced ourselves.
(04:24):
“Me new driver only four months but no problem”, explained T3.
There was a plastic amulet with a picture of the Dalai Lama hanging from his rear view mirror, so I asked him if he was a Buddhist and he was keen to say yes.
He may not have been very experienced as a taxi driver, but he really did take me to the right places.
(04:49):
First up was the Vajrayogini temple at Pharping.
This is one of the famous Vajrayoginis of the Kathmandu region.
I wondered how the visit was going to go.
It wasn't my first time, and I remembered visiting this shrine 20 years before.
On that occasion, a woman had leant out of the upstairs window, waving me away, saying “Only Buddhists, only for Buddhists”.
(05:14):
“But I am one”, I called back.
I wondered for a moment if she was going to demand paperwork to prove my status as an insider in spite of my blue eyes, fair hair and camera.
But trust ruled the day, and she called back. “Oh, all right. Come on up then.”
Had things become stricter or looser over the intervening 20 years, I wondered.
(05:38):
Perhaps I was more confident in my own status as a Buddhist, feeling a bit less like an impostor.
After the climb up to the steps of the courtyard, I looked around and took a few pictures.
There's a small stupa in front of the main building,
Which at that time was painted in a style fit for a fairy cake.
(05:59):
I've included a picture in the comments to this episode.
I have seen photographs taken of that stupa since, and I believe it's now decked out in rather more modest colours.
I took off my shoes, and then simply went up the stairs without asking, and there was no problem at all.
(06:20):
Unsurprisingly, photographs were not alowed in the actual shrine, which feels a little bit like a pity, of course, if you're there, camera in hand. But I have to say I totally support the thinking behind it.
These sorts of places are places to be experienced, not reduced to a few mementos and souvenir photographs.
(06:49):
The room felt a bit more spacious than I recalled, and with a little more distance from the statue itself.
Perhaps that was just memory playing tricks, or perhaps things have changed.
Anyway, I prostrated left a money contribution in the obvious place, and made my way down again, having, I hoped, got the blessings from Vajrayogini. It was time to start climbing steps.
(07:14):
Who’da thunk it?
Back in the day, this route had been a rocky path through the bushes with a touch of railing here and there.
But by now it had been remodelled as regular steps, with a monastery halfway up, leading to one of the most sacred sites of the area, the Asura cave.
(07:37):
This is where Guru Rinpoche himself is said to have meditated.
He also left a handprint on the rock outside.
The place wasn't particularly busy and it was quite possible to go in and soak up the feel of the place for a few minutes. Oh, the vibes, the vibes.
(08:23):
T3 and I then walked down closer to Pharping itself,
passing a Hindu temple,
Sheshnarayan.
I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly. No idea really!
Another cave associated with Guru Rinpoche is tucked into a corner of the space in front.
This too had changed. The ancient floor of rock and beaten earth had now been covered with some rather bourgeois wooden laminate flooring.
(08:53):
Not far from Pharping, there is a tiny village known as Dollu, where there is a substantial monastery in which an enormous Guru Rinpoche statue had been constructed, looking out over the valley.
Unfortunately, there was a problem with the road between Kathmandu and Pharping, which we would have had to use to drive to Dollu.
(09:17):
The road was closed for much of the middle of the day, so that major construction work could be carried out.
T3, however, was willing to show the way.
The walk, by way of paths and lanes over the hill, took an hour.
T3 did flag a bit, and looked almost ready to give up, but I pointed out to him that, firstly, I was much older than he was and that secondly he was a Nepali.
(09:40):
Nepalese are of course famous for being able to walk long distances in the mountains carrying heavy packs, so he found some reserves of energy,
and in due course, we reached the monastery.
But it was not to be the most successful visit.
This was just two years after the earthquake of 2015, and earthquake damage meant the main entrance to the temple was still closed.
(10:10):
Quite possibly, if we had been given perhaps a couple of hours wandering around, knocking on doors and generally stirring things up, somebody might well have been found to show us the way in.
But time was short. We had to turn round and walk back.
Being mostly uphill in this direction, this took a full hour and a half.
(10:33):
The police had still got the road to Kathmandu closed.
T3 found himself quite annoyed by this, and explained to me that this road closure only applied to ordinary people like us.
Big shiny black cars with officials on the back seat were allowed through.
Same everywhere, isn't it?
(10:55):
Having seen this happen, T3 had a good, matey, chat with the guys in the little police station.
Police hut, I suppose.
He told them that our plan was only to go to Dollu, not further on to the place where the road was actually closed.
So we were allowed through and promptly drove straight past Dollu and on to the area of concern. Yes, the road was closed, and a long wait was the only option.
(11:26):
After a while, about half an hour, if I remember correctly,
an ambulance came storming up from our side, from the Pharping direction, sounding sirens and flashing lights, presumingly heading for a hospital in Kathmandu.
This was lucky for us, although clearly not for whoever it was in the back of the ambulance.
(11:47):
The construction workers worked away to put the road back into temporary operation to let the ambulance through.
Obviously enough, everyone else trying to go north trailed gleefully behind the ambulance back towards Kathmandu.
(12:14):
In short, the visit was half successful, but there are a few things I'd love to go back and see.
The good Chris Fynn, who I am pleased to be able to call a bit of a friend, had told me about the kudng of Chatral Rinpoche, which could be seen at his centre in Pharping.
(12:35):
According to the entry in the Rigpa Wiki, “kudung2 is the sacred body of a great master who has passed away.
Quite a lot of skill is involved in preparing these sort of kudungs, often involving a large amount of salt
For drying and a lot of gold leaf on the body in the end, but that's another matter.
(12:57):
In the event I missed it.
Another acquaintance that I had made somewhere round the Baudha stupa had told me about a stupendous temple of the peaceful and wrathful deities of the bardo. These are the ones that I mentioned in the very last episode.
But I missed that too.
There was by that stage so much more to see and experience at Pharping than there had been twenty years before.
(13:23):
Staying there for at least a couple of days would have been nice, but it was not to be. To make up for that disappointment, I am now going to insert a bit of.
tune for the Guru Rinpoche mantra.
Om Ah Hung Vagra Guru Pema Siddhi Hung
(14:25):
So the final upshot is that if you do find yourself with any time in or around Kathmandu, Pharping should really go on to your list of things that you must do.
So, please remember to like, subscribe, tell your friends and all that stuff. But remember, pilgrimage is wonderful, but it's actual practice that brings the real rewards.
(14:48):
Bye.
Hello dear listeners, I'm Alex Wilding and in this episode of the Double Dorje podcast.
I'm going to relate a couple of highlights from a visit to a rather magical place that I made seven years ago.
First, very briefly, the two things that have to be said. One, please, please take a moment to like, subscribe or whatever you can to support this podcast. And two, if your listening platform doesn't show you the extra material such as a list of words that you might want to look up,
(00:47):
you will find that on Podbean where this podcast is hosted when it is first published.
It's actually not very long since the last episode that I based on a traveller's tale.
The truth is that, as a rule, I record these podcasts four or five weeks in advance, and that means that when something happens, I don't need to worry about getting the next episode out on time.
(01:15):
But not long ago I spent a few days in Warsaw receiving the reading transmission of a text that is a big part of my practice, so I effectively lost a week of prep time and I still haven't quite dragged it back.
I did a write up of this trip at the time, so I'm therefore hoping to get this episode prepared rather faster than usual.
(01:40):
I've been a few places in my life, and in my Buddhist career, but I haven't been one of those people who's been lucky enough or determined enough or brave enough or rich enough to spend years and years gadding about the world. So the number of travellers’ tales I have to share is limited. It may be a while before I make another such episode.
(02:04):
OK. Excuses over. We begin with my diary entry for Sunday, April the 30th, 2017.
(02:29):
My time in Nepal was running out, as it must.
Thanks to an attack of E. coli, which really was no joke, it had been necessary to stay in my rooms for a few days.
The list of places to go and sights to see was having to be cut back, and the time I could spend on each was having to be shortened.
(02:52):
The highest priority left on my list was Pharping, for actually two reasons.
Friends had suggested that this was a place to spend a few days, and definitely more than one.
And now I too would recommend the same to anybody else.
But the travellers’ trots had cut my time right down, so spending any nights in Pharping was no longer an option.
(03:17):
The start of the day was almost routine by now.
Breakfast at the Rokpa Guest House, then down to the stupa halfway round it and out onto the main road.
I soon found a taxi driven by Tan, the Tamang taxi driver,
who I therefore took to calling T3.
(03:39):
A sensible rate for the day was soon negotiated.
The Tamangs are, in fact, one of the ethnic groups in Nepal, like Sherpas, Newaris, Tibetans and others.
The practices and artwork at the largest temple of the Baudha stupa, the one that has the enormous bell outside.
As far as I can tell, they come straight from the Nyingma playbook.
(04:01):
But it's actually better not to call it a Tibetan Buddhist temple because it's run by Tamangs, and some people might get a little bit peeved.
This was a dry and dusty day rather than a wet and muddy day,
so progress was good, and within less than a kilometre of travel we had introduced ourselves.
(04:24):
“Me new driver only four months but no problem”, explained T3.
There was a plastic amulet with a picture of the Dalai Lama hanging from his rear view mirror, so I asked him if he was a Buddhist and he was keen to say yes.
He may not have been very experienced as a taxi driver, but he really did take me to the right places.
(04:49):
First up was the Vajrayogini temple at Pharping.
This is one of the famous Vajrayoginis of the Kathmandu region.
I wondered how the visit was going to go.
It wasn't my first time, and I remembered visiting this shrine 20 years before.
On that occasion, a woman had leant out of the upstairs window, waving me away, saying “Only Buddhists, only for Buddhists”.
(05:14):
“But I am one”, I called back.
I wondered for a moment if she was going to demand paperwork to prove my status as an insider in spite of my blue eyes, fair hair and camera.
But trust ruled the day, and she called back. “Oh, all right. Come on up then.”
Had things become stricter or looser over the intervening 20 years, I wondered.
(05:38):
Perhaps I was more confident in my own status as a Buddhist, feeling a bit less like an impostor.
After the climb up to the steps of the courtyard, I looked around and took a few pictures.
There's a small stupa in front of the main building,
Which at that time was painted in a style fit for a fairy cake.
(05:59):
I've included a picture in the comments to this episode.
I have seen photographs taken of that stupa since, and I believe it's now decked out in rather more modest colours.
I took off my shoes, and then simply went up the stairs without asking, and there was no problem at all.
(06:20):
Unsurprisingly, photographs were not alowed in the actual shrine, which feels a little bit like a pity, of course, if you're there, camera in hand. But I have to say I totally support the thinking behind it.
These sorts of places are places to be experienced, not reduced to a few mementos and souvenir photographs.
(06:49):
The room felt a bit more spacious than I recalled, and with a little more distance from the statue itself.
Perhaps that was just memory playing tricks, or perhaps things have changed.
Anyway, I prostrated left a money contribution in the obvious place, and made my way down again, having, I hoped, got the blessings from Vajrayogini. It was time to start climbing steps.
(07:14):
Who’da thunk it?
Back in the day, this route had been a rocky path through the bushes with a touch of railing here and there.
But by now it had been remodelled as regular steps, with a monastery halfway up, leading to one of the most sacred sites of the area, the Asura cave.
(07:37):
This is where Guru Rinpoche himself is said to have meditated.
He also left a handprint on the rock outside.
The place wasn't particularly busy and it was quite possible to go in and soak up the feel of the place for a few minutes. Oh, the vibes, the vibes.
(08:23):
T3 and I then walked down closer to Pharping itself,
passing a Hindu temple,
Sheshnarayan.
I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly. No idea really!
Another cave associated with Guru Rinpoche is tucked into a corner of the space in front.
This too had changed. The ancient floor of rock and beaten earth had now been covered with some rather bourgeois wooden laminate flooring.
(08:53):
Not far from Pharping, there is a tiny village known as Dollu, where there is a substantial monastery in which an enormous Guru Rinpoche statue had been constructed, looking out over the valley.
Unfortunately, there was a problem with the road between Kathmandu and Pharping, which we would have had to use to drive to Dollu.
(09:17):
The road was closed for much of the middle of the day, so that major construction work could be carried out.
T3, however, was willing to show the way.
The walk, by way of paths and lanes over the hill, took an hour.
T3 did flag a bit, and looked almost ready to give up, but I pointed out to him that, firstly, I was much older than he was and that secondly he was a Nepali.
(09:40):
Nepalese are of course famous for being able to walk long distances in the mountains carrying heavy packs, so he found some reserves of energy,
and in due course, we reached the monastery.
But it was not to be the most successful visit.
This was just two years after the earthquake of 2015, and earthquake damage meant the main entrance to the temple was still closed.
(10:10):
Quite possibly, if we had been given perhaps a couple of hours wandering around, knocking on doors and generally stirring things up, somebody might well have been found to show us the way in.
But time was short. We had to turn round and walk back.
Being mostly uphill in this direction, this took a full hour and a half.
(10:33):
The police had still got the road to Kathmandu closed.
T3 found himself quite annoyed by this, and explained to me that this road closure only applied to ordinary people like us.
Big shiny black cars with officials on the back seat were allowed through.
Same everywhere, isn't it?
(10:55):
Having seen this happen, T3 had a good, matey, chat with the guys in the little police station.
Police hut, I suppose.
He told them that our plan was only to go to Dollu, not further on to the place where the road was actually closed.
So we were allowed through and promptly drove straight past Dollu and on to the area of concern. Yes, the road was closed, and a long wait was the only option.
(11:26):
After a while, about half an hour, if I remember correctly,
an ambulance came storming up from our side, from the Pharping direction, sounding sirens and flashing lights, presumingly heading for a hospital in Kathmandu.
This was lucky for us, although clearly not for whoever it was in the back of the ambulance.
(11:47):
The construction workers worked away to put the road back into temporary operation to let the ambulance through.
Obviously enough, everyone else trying to go north trailed gleefully behind the ambulance back towards Kathmandu.
(12:14):
In short, the visit was half successful, but there are a few things I'd love to go back and see.
The good Chris Fynn, who I am pleased to be able to call a bit of a friend, had told me about the kudng of Chatral Rinpoche, which could be seen at his centre in Pharping.
(12:35):
According to the entry in the Rigpa Wiki, “kudung2 is the sacred body of a great master who has passed away.
Quite a lot of skill is involved in preparing these sort of kudungs, often involving a large amount of salt
For drying and a lot of gold leaf on the body in the end, but that's another matter.
(12:57):
In the event I missed it.
Another acquaintance that I had made somewhere round the Baudha stupa had told me about a stupendous temple of the peaceful and wrathful deities of the bardo. These are the ones that I mentioned in the very last episode.
But I missed that too.
There was by that stage so much more to see and experience at Pharping than there had been twenty years before.
(13:23):
Staying there for at least a couple of days would have been nice, but it was not to be. To make up for that disappointment, I am now going to insert a bit of.
tune for the Guru Rinpoche mantra.
Om Ah Hung Vagra Guru Pema Siddhi Hung
(14:25):
So the final upshot is that if you do find yourself with any time in or around Kathmandu, Pharping should really go on to your list of things that you must do.
So, please remember to like, subscribe, tell your friends and all that stuff. But remember, pilgrimage is wonderful, but it's actual practice that brings the real rewards.
(14:48):
Bye.
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