My day trip with Amala

Recently I went on a pilgrim trip to the three very important monasteries near Lhasa with my Amala. ( Mother) It was a great blessing to travel with the mother as a driver. 

Day Trip with Mother

The highlight of the day trip is three important monasteries from three great Sages.
1. Shungseep nunnery of Je Longchenpa
2. Nyingma Tang monastery of Je Ralotsawa
3. Sangphu monastery of Je Ngok Lekpay Sherap
These three masters are still known as one of the greatest sages in Tibet.

We started the journey around the beginning of July with my mother and my sister's two children. It was raining in Lhasa, we drive through the highway to the Shungsep Nunnery, located in the middle of the mountain in the south of Tselne village. The Nunnery was once the meditation area of Je Longchenpa, Je Machik Lapdron, and Shungsep Jetsunma.

I have read the biography of Shungsep Jetsunma, she begins meditating at the age of 13th for 3 years. The main chapel of the Nunnery has statues of Buddha Shakyamuni, Maha Guru Rinpoche, and Je Longchenpa. There is a beautiful Lingkor route where we can witness the beauty of the great Yogi's meditation caves. Shungseep Nunnery is located about 60 km from Lhasa with a driving duration of around two hours.

Photo: Tenzin Dhondup with mother and sisters daughter at Shungsep nunnery

Later we traveled to Nyingma Tang Valley. Nyingma Tang meaning sun on the ground is a small village located around 30 km from Lhasa. 

Je Ra Lotsawa

Je means King or the lord, Ra means Goat, and Lotsawa means the Translator.

One day when a local Doctor came to get blessings from Je Ra Lotsawa and asked to show him a spiritual deed that he has never seen in his life so Je Ra Lotsawa took the sun on the ground and the name of the monastery and village became Nyingmatang, sun on the ground.

The main chapel is the medicine Buddha on the monastery since once it was a medical college. Later we traveled to Sangda village, traveling into Sangphu monastery. It was built by Je Ngok Lekpay Sherap, the disciple of Je Atisha Dimpakara.

Je Ngok Lekpay Sherap was very popular during that time and he has so many disciples wearing yellow robes so when locals can't find him, they used to look at the sky and where there is the yellow color, there is Je Ngok Lekpay Sherap.

These three great Sages were remembered even nowadays in Tibet. Longchenpa is one of the emanations of Manjushri wisdom Buddha. The other two emanations of Manjushri are Sakya Pandita and Tsongkhapa.

Longchenpa is a great Nyingma terton and composer of Longchen Nyingthik. Ngok Lekpay Sherap is a great Kadampa master and Ralotsawa has bought the great Yidam Yamantaka ( Dorje Jigchay ) from a Guru from Nepal namely Baro.

Conclusion

My mother is 70 years old, she was a shepherd of the family from 12 years old to 21 years old. She said time went so fast from 21 to 45 while giving birth to 11 children and only 8 survived with 4 boys and 4 girls. I am the number 7th, I hope it's the lucky number seven.

Our village is located around 25km from Mount Everest's north face base camp at an average elevation of 4500 meters.  My mother's hometown is known as Khote village, located about 30 km from Kharta East face of Mount Everest. 

The kindness of the mother is beyond the sky. Buddha himself went to Tisuta heaven to repay his mother's kindness.