Prisoner of Shangri-la

So as the legend goes…there was a cruel, wrathful diety who ruled over North Eastern Tibet. He cared nothing for other beings, slaying humans and livestock where ever he went, causing immense suffering. Seeing that nothing would disuade him from doing harm, his goddess wife after many failed attempts finally divised a fool-proof plan. Being equally fierce in her compassion, she murdered the couple’s only son, allowing her husband to feel the pain that he had been so recklessly causing. This is that bodhisattva’s abode, Huaden Lhamo, the protector of this part of the Amdo grassland.

It’s a story that would easily send chills up one’s spine, especially since the shrine was nearly abandoned, caves lurking close by. Murdered babies? Dismembered animal parts (at the entrance)? Statues with manical smiles hidden in the dark? My head missing!?


That’s real fear on my face people. And nervous relief!

Yak Riding on Qinghai Lake, originally uploaded by grimlockq.

It’s Saturday. That means Ricky and i have just returned from our 6 day romp across the Tibetan grasslands and mountain passes. We rented a black sedan, a tanka-painter/driver, and a university student from Xining and set off into into the cultural heart of Amdo - what is now Qinghai Province. Our itinerary was as follows:

Day 1: Qinghai Lake (pictured above), Sun and Moon Pass
Day 2: Kumbum Monastery, birthplace of 14th Dalai Lama, Baima Monastery
Day 3: Jianza Mani, birthplace of 10th Panchen Lama
Day 4: Sky-burial, Eight-corner Fortress, Labrang Monastery
Day 5: Lhamo Lake (Henan), nomad encounter, Lhamo Mountain Shrine
Day 6: Nyingma Monastery (Zeku), Mani Stone

Great times! Stay tuned for highlights!

Bryan comes to town!, originally uploaded by grimlockq.

So I get a call the other day from an old friend! Bryan, who I last saw in Bodhgaya in December of 2004, was visiting the area with a student group based in Beijing for the semester. He and I were actually monks together! Now Bryan is married (I met his wife too, both awesome people) with one of the most amazing "marriage cermonies" I’ve ever heard which involves the famed Director and Rinpoche Khentse Norbu ("The Cup" and "Travellers and Magicians") mood rings, flowers petals, and a Manjushri empowerment. It’s not my story to tell so I won’t spoil it, but I was invited to the "official" wedding on 7/7/07 in California

So for all you Antioch kids thinking about visiting, Bryan beat you to it (unexpectedly)! Of course the more the merrier…anyone want to visit during Losar (New Years) or catepillar fungus season?!!!

My first week of teaching done! It’s early evening as I write this in my “fly” pair of 5 kuai slippers I bought at the supermarket matched in style only by a skimpy (or mid-thigh length) pair of boxer-briefs. To much information you say?

But I digress…I have to say that this will be a pretty relaxing job, I think. I’ll only have between 12-14 classes a week of 45 minutes each with plenty of free time to read, do yoga, cook my own food, learn Tibetan/Chinese, meditate (fingers crossed), and generally establish a life here. Though I haven’t really made any friends yet, I hope I will once I start learning the language. My first Tibetan class is this Sunday morning and I’ve been trying to study some Amdo dialect on my own. The central Tibetan that I studied in school and the Amdo dialect spoken in Tongren are mutually unintelligible.

Plans for the weekend? No clubbing here. Might wander around the town and the monasteries snapping photos and buying some odds and ends to fix up my apartment.