I found myself once again in a Tempo headed to Vasantapur. This time, I was alone. There was a particular destination I had in mind. Since my arrival in Nepal around four years ago, I had visited several Hindu temples and Buddhist monasteries, including Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambhunath Stupa, and Boudhanath Stupa. However, there was one place I had yet to explore, a lesser-known spot that had been brought to my attention by a good friend of mine from our medical college, Rina Prajapati, who was studying Dentistry. I remember taking a stroll with her to Bhaktapur Durbar Square, where she explained to me about her own Newari culture and history.
The Newars are considered the indigenous inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley. During our stroll, we stopped at an authentic Newari restaurant in Bhaktapur Durbar Square, where we enjoyed delicious Newari food called "Bhara". It was during this meal that she mentioned a place she used to hang out with her friends, known as "Sigal", also referred to as "Shree Gha". Despite not being widely known, she assured me it was a fantastic spot. Apparently, it was located somewhere on the way from Vasantapur to Thamel. According to her, it was a place where people devoted to Buddhism resided and they even taught its philosophies and concepts.
After yesterday's dream, this idea popped into my head. Since I was relatively jobless and didn't have much going on, I decided to explore this place. In fact, I thought I might be fortunate to find someone capable of expanding my knowledge regarding some of those brand-new terms and words I had come across recently.
I opened Google Maps and searched for the place as I reached towards the end of Vasantapur, considering there are more than a couple of roads to reach Thamel from there. I continued walking along the road, following the map for about 15 minutes. However, I got distracted when I noticed a local chip shop on the right side of the road, and I found myself drooling. They had various kinds of chips including potato, banana, and even mango. Suddenly, the sound of my phone buzzing in my pocket disturbed me, displaying the message, "You have arrived at your destination". I started looking around, wondering where this place actually was. Moving a few steps ahead, I scanned my surroundings again and suddenly noticed a road on the left leading to a decently big stupa. "Oh, this must be it,'" I mused happily. It was quite a hidden place, and someone could easily miss it if they walked straight along the road without prior knowledge of this place.
I continued along the road towards the stupa area, which led me to a small, vibrant square adorned with a few thangka* art shops, Nepali handicraft shops, and a handful of food joints. It was indeed a hidden gem, tucked away near Thamel, and its existence would have been unimaginable to many. Unlike the bustling crowds I had encountered at similar places in Kathmandu, this square was not crowded at all.
As I wandered around the stupa, I noticed an entrance to a monastery on the right side. "Drubgon Jangchup Choeling," read the sign atop the gate. "That must be the name of the monastery," I thought to myself. Without hesitation, I stepped inside the gate and entered the monastery grounds. Leaving my shoes outside, I proceeded into the main shrine.
Inside, the atmosphere was serene, with not a soul in sight. Tibetan-styled Buddhist statues lined the room from one corner to another, with various offerings placed before them. The scent of incense filled the air, momentarily transporting me back to the dream I had the other night. I began to explore the building, admiring the statues and intricate mandala drawings adorning the walls.
Unfortunately, I wasn't familiar with many of the drawings, and my mind was searching for any depiction of Shambhala. Unable to find anything that matched my knowledge and feeling slightly intimidated by the profound art and ambiance, I decided to head out. Just as I was about to step outside, a voice from behind startled me. "Are you looking for something, sir?" I turned around to see who had spoken. It was a monk, but unlike the one I had seen in my dream the previous night; this monk was quite the opposite. He appeared to be a young man in his mid-twenties, with a kind and simple smile.
Not quite sure how to respond, I stammered, "Oh, umm, not really. I was just looking around. It's my first time here." After a brief pause for thought, I gathered my courage and continued, "Would you mind if I asked some questions? Related to Buddhism, of course." With a continuous, pleasant smile, he replied, "Well, yeah, I would like to help you with whatever knowledge I have."
After some general inquiries about the monastery and the place, I began to ask about a topic that had caught my attention lately. As I posed the question, the monk disappeared for about five minutes before returning with a rolled-up paper. He invited me to sit at a small desk and started unrolling the paper. "So, this is what you asked about. This is the Kalachakra mandala. Kalachakra means the wheel of time."
The unrolled paper revealed a drawing, yet another intricate one that I couldn't comprehend. It featured circles within circles, and squares inside them, followed by even more squares, and numerous small symbols. "So basically, this is believed to be a summary of the teachings given in the Kalachakra tantra text," the young monk explained. I continued to gaze at the drawing, feeling a sense of confusion. Eventually, I decided to break the silence, sensing the monk's enthusiasm to explain the drawing to me. "This drawing looks very impressive and quite complicated to me. Would you mind if I ask for a little explanation?" The monk smiled and nodded, and my excitement began to grow.
"Okay, look here," he said, pointing at the outermost circle in the drawing. "The outer ring is called the wisdom circle or protective ring. It is decorated with golden flames, and the combination of these colours creates a rainbow that symbolizes aspects of primordial wisdom. After that, there are four inner rings representing the four main elements: air, fire, water, and earth. Actually, although this diagram appears as a flat diagram, in reality, it is three-dimensional with a five-storied heavenly palace." Then he pointed at the squares that started after the ending of the circles. "These five squares represent the five floors of the palace, and they symbolize the five levels of Body mandala, Speech mandala, Mind mandala, Wisdom mandala, and Great Bliss mandala. And finally," he pointed to the exact middle of the whole drawing, " At the very center or the top, this lotus symbolizes the Enlightenment."
I was completely drawn in by the profound drawing as I listened to his explanation. It was fascinating to learn about something completely new to me. At least now, the next time I encounter this, I wouldn't be completely lost. He continued his explanation for about five more minutes before asking, "Do you have any other questions?"
Feeling grateful for his enthusiasm to teach, I knew there was one burning question I had to ask. "I'm really grateful for your explanation, and I know I've taken up a lot of your time. But before I go, I have one more inquiry. There's one thing that initially sparked my interest in all these topics." As I spoke, he began to roll up the Kalachakra drawing. "Do you know anything about Shambhala?" His rolling paused, and he looked at me suddenly.
"Well, I didn't really expect that question from you. That's a very interesting query indeed," he replied, with a hint of amazement. "From where did you hear about Shambhala?"
I proceeded to recount how I first learned about it and the information I had gathered so far, including the dream I had the previous night. "That's quite impressive. Apparently, you know a lot about Shambhala. But hahaha I don't think you can enter Shambhala simply through a fancy door like you saw in your dream," he responded with a soft chuckle. "Haha, yeah, I thought the same. Well, is there anything more you can educate me regarding Shambhala?"
Again, there was a moment of silence, during which he seemed to be observing me intently. "Well, yeah actually, there is something you might find interesting," he finally spoke. Leaning forward with excitement, I eagerly awaited his revelation. "Do you see that photo?" he asked, pointing towards a black and white photo of a monk placed near the offering table in front of the statues. "That was my guru, Pema Tashi Rinpoche," he said, turning towards the photo with reverence. "He was an incredible individual, filled with kindness and wisdom. He taught us so much. Although he is no longer with us, his teachings and guidance remain ingrained in our minds." As the young monk spoke, his eyes glistened with gratitude. "So, the interesting fact for you is, he is known to have visited Shambhala," he continued, his words sparking curiosity within me. "What? For real? How?" I exclaimed, unable to contain my excitement.
"So, I was just ten years old at that time. Our Guru had gone on a solo pilgrimage. No one knew when he would return. He came back after three months, and when he talked with us, he said that he finally found Shambhala."
"This is brilliant!" I said, overflowing with thrill. "Do you know where he exactly went?"