The Mystery of the Kailash Trail - Chapter 6 - Part 3

Book 2: Chapter 6: Part 3: Dirapuk Monk meets with Brother Tameng. 

They reached Dirapuk early, with the horses and yaks being able to walk at the same speed because of the water streams and marsh that had begun to collect through the valley. The higher slopes must have collected most of the waters of the rainstorm and the streams had begun to flow through to the valley. It was difficult riding the animals through the slush, rocks and deepening streams. The sun was not to be seen from the valley but the peaks could be seen reflecting the sunlight. The team rode to the Dirapuk monastery and alighted at the gates.

The monks from the monastery had seen the team approaching and were at the gate to receive them. The monk from the Dirapuk monastery welcomed Brother Tameng and accompanied him to the prayer hall. The team rode ahead to Yeshe’s parent’s eatery and made the yaks and horses comfortable in the sheds. Yeshe’s parents welcomed the pilgrim guides, yak boys and horse boys and invited them to eat and rest. Hot soup was ready and the boys were happy, for it was getting colder as the evening began to fade away into the night.

Brother Tameng met the other monks within the monastery and sat with them for dinner. Yeshe’s parents had sent across an enormous platter of food and this was shared with the pilgrim groups who had taken shelter in the monastery for the night. The pilgrims wondered about the occasion but welcomed the food. The monks sat near the windows and discussed the situation. The monk from the Dirapuk monastery introduced the other monks to Brother Tameng and the group sat together quietly in prayer. After a while, the senior monk gestured with his prayer wheel to permit discussion within the group.

“This is a strange point of our lives, when we do not know what we have set out to achieve. We know that some mysterious events have occurred in our valley, but we do not know what we are supposed to learn from them,” said Brother Tameng, “We are here in the monasteries in the valley of the Kang Renpoche Mountain, on the path to seek knowledge. There are some windows that have been opened to allow us an extremely brief view of the magic and mystery of this valley. Should we seek this knowledge by going out in search of it, or should we wait in our prayer halls, hoping that these events would come in search of us, and drown us with knowledge?”

The monks at the Dirapuk monastery smiled at this very obvious naiveté challenge by Brother Tameng to get them excited. The senior monk laughed loudly, for he was of a very boisterous nature, unlike the monk who had gone out to meet Sangye and Yeshe on the earlier day. The senior monk turned his prayer wheel four times, and bowed in the direction of the Kang Renpoche Mountain, and said, “Brother Tameng, you are a good man. You do not need to convince us. We are going to give you strength in your search. We have come here to the valley of the Kang Renpoche, and we have come here in search of the knowledge that would meet us.”

The younger monk of the Dirapuk Monastery, he who had gone to meet Sangye and Brother Tameng, said, “Thank you, Master. We could have sat back in our houses and villages, wherever we were, with our families, and without forsaking our lives, as we knew them. We are here today. There must be a reason. We have to accept the events without sentiment and without emotion. They have happened, and they have happened here. Brother Tameng is to be complimented in allowing these windows, as he calls them, to open. If he had not been curious, we would never have known about them. Now that this has occurred, we need to take this forward.”

Brother Tameng bowed, to convey his gratitude at the affection and friendship that the monks from the Dirapuk monastery has provided, and said, “Brothers, Master, I thank you. We have resources that most pilgrims who visit here do not possess. These pilgrims whom you see, taking rest in our prayer halls every day, they come here on a journey that is once in their lifetimes. We stay here, and for us this valley is not a place to be visited, to take photographs, and to return to tell neighbours, relatives and friends about our journeys. This is our life. One team has already entered the valley. The two old men, Dawa and Sangye, are the best trailsmen in this valley of the Kang Renpoche. There is none better than them. We need to allow them to lead us inside the valley and we need to provide them help and support and resources.”

The younger monk of the Dirapuk Monastery looked at the senior monk, bowed, and said, “Brother Tameng, we agree. We had discussed the issue within our monastery and our Master consulted with the old records that we possess. There is no mention of this particular valley where Sangye has led the team to search for the herd of large wild yaks. The Master also told me that he has never heard of any story or gossip or mention about such a herd of large wild yaks in the valley of the Kang Renpoche. But, that was a very rapid search of the few documents that were consulted by the Master within the monastery.”

The senior monk placed his hand on the several ancient volumes that had been stacked nearby, and said, “What we do not see in these books may not be labeled as non-existent. It only means that these events are written within these books. While you would enter the valley with Sangye, we will send our messages and enquiries to the other monasteries about our search for the mysterious Beyul. We will not include mention about the herd of large wild yaks. We do not want more tourists to flood this sacred valley.”

The younger monk nodded, and spoke to Brother Tameng, “What if the wild yaks were sacred spirits? We do not want them to be harassed or chased by tourists or crazy hunters who would come down from the Han regions. We hear stories of mountain goats being hunted, and we hear horrible stories of yak herds being chased by hunters on powerful vehicles. This is not the Tibet that we knew of earlier years. You spoke of the strange behaviour of the wolves. How could that be possible of the wolves that we know in these regions?”

“We know of the closely held relationships of the ancients, of the sacred spirits with the animals in these regions. The Hindus believe that their Lord Shiva rides a white bull, Nandi, when he leaves the sacred mountain and visits other places. The Thousand Buddhas came to this valley with their Mastiff dogs. Are these stories true? Has anyone seen the white bull of Shiva?” asked the younger monk, “But, as the Master says, just because we have not seen the white bull, and because others have not seen the white bull, how can we say that it does not exist?”

“We think that, Brother Tameng, what you were shown, of the herd of wild yaks, wolves and the mysterious pilgrims, is to let us know that some secrets do exist and they can be contacted. We can see them. We can search for answers to some of the mysteries of the Kailash, of the Sumeru, of the Kang Renpoche, and we should go out in search of them. But, the Master has sought caution, for the spirit of adventure is not to drown the cause that we are here for, that is to go out into the valley, into the Beyul, only, only, only in search of knowledge.”

The senior monk nodded in agreement, and sat quietly in prayer, turning his prayer wheel. The other monks waited, in respect, with Brother Tameng. There was much to think about, for what they were to seek and search, was about a set of events that they were not acquainted with. The younger monk waited for the Master, and when the prayer wheel stopped, said, “Brother Tameng, it is with concern and respect that we should enter the Beyul. The reason we emphasise this need for respect is because the entrance to the valley is near the Dirapuk monastery. We support you.”

Brother Tameng nodded in agreement, and replied, “I thank you, my brothers, Master, and in homage to the Most Enlightened One, for it is the search that is more important than the result. We do not know what is to happen, and what is it that we would discover. I saw what I saw. I can never forget it. Old man Dawa was more excited about the opportunity to enter the Beyul. That is understandable. For, Dawa and Sangye are the best in this region. This is why I want to join them. For I want to be sure that we focus on the search for the unknown. I do not want the two old men to convert the search into a hunting journey. An unexplored valley is sure to be filled with animals that would not shy away from humans.”

The younger monk smiled at the reference to Sangye’s enthusiasm for the hunt, since he knew him from the past few years, and said, “I agree with you, Brother Tameng. I will accompany you into the Beyul. We have discussed about it in the monastery. My senior brothers have agreed that I should join you. This could be our Beyul. Our elders may inform us later that we were supposed to guard the entrance. We will go together, Brother Tameng, and we will see what we will see.”