Last year on 5th March 2018 I am very fortunate to
visit Passa Ami Ney accompanying Yangtse Tulku of the renowned Yoji Lama Sonam
Zangpo. I have planned to visit much earlier but never materialized. Woh! That
was the day that I still recollect today.
The Ney is one and half hours drive from Phuentsholing via
Jaigaon to place called Jayanti ( Kalchini). While passing through this jungle
route we saw lots of fresh elephant’s dropping so imagine the track. From
the last blacktop motor road that end abruptly near the Indian SSB military
camp, the road than passes through the river bed (by following used track) around
3 KM to the foothills. Summer it is inaccessible.
After that we have to walk on foot along the riverbed. Many
makeshift pathways were made to assist the smooth movement of pilgrims. The
holy site begins.
Lopen Thinley famously known as Lopen Naphay introduced us to
the main door of the Ney. It is between two Rocky Mountains with gap of around
10 meters. Four appearances of Tiger, Lion, Gaudra and Dragon in form of rock
within the periphery, guards the entrance. The first ney we glance was the
resting throne of Guru Rinpoche on a rock.
Little ahead in the middle of river we saw on a big boulder
100,000 dakini’s foot prints. Really amazing to see this holy stone.
And by the side we saw another rock with encrypted letters. No body
could read this write up so far. It could be crack one day by future terton.
Further up, there was a waterfall from steep rock coming right
from the Tumdra Ney. It is believed that when Guru Rinpoche meditated at the
bottom of mountain adjacent to the waterfall, Aum Kamchima offered Choeba
(water offering) to Guru Rinpoche and it is this waterfall that she
offered.
It is said that the spot at the bottom is of great significance
as the place represents Nam Dru Sum (Triangular sky) and Sa Dru Sum (Triangular
earth). In a Zabshi ritual ceremony, sand from such place is generally required
and very difficult to acquire. So from here one can collect this sacred sand.
The river that flows by are initially comes from three different
sources Shacheyphu chu, Kateylum Chu and Jotsalum chu . It confluence near the Guru
Rinpoche’s meditation spot and called Chuzomsa. When it passes through the
Indian Territory it is called by river Janyanti.
Returning to the main path the real climb than starts. It is steep
of almost 80 degrees and takes 1 hour to reach to the Ney. It is a tough hike
for people like us.
Before reaching
100,000 Dakinis foot print stone, you will see river down. It is believed that
Guru Rinpoche has blessed that spot. If you listen carefully, you will hear river
making sound of “ ཧཱུྂ Hung”.
Yes I listened and
it is making the auspicious sound ཧཱུྂ ཧཱུྂ ཧཱུྂ Hung Hung Hung.
Tulku Rinpoche along with Lam Naten and monks conducted an
elaborate Puja at the Monastery located near the Tumdra Ney. The Monastery is a
small 2 storied but with full of Kutey Sungtey. We are really blessed to be a
part of the team led by Rinpoche. We also received blessing from Rinpoche.
Took part in three dances, of course only gestures as have bad
voice.
Tumdra Ney is called by many names as Tumdra Ami Ney, Am
Kangchimai Ney, Lhamo Ekajati Ney, Palden Lhamoi Ney, Sachaphu Ney. It is a
sacred Ney where Guru Rinpoche physically visited, blessed and hidden many
spiritual treasures. Seeing the rich formation of many sacred artifacts, one
day many TERs are likely to be discovered from here by future Tertons when the
time is apt.
The Ney has many caves, in fact countless, which are all carved
out of the steep cliff-face of the Tumdra Hill. There are two approaches the
main one from the Monastery and the other from the backside of the main ney.
The caves looks extraordinary, non comparable to any caves due
to its unusual formation.
Guru Rinpoche always chooses such environment of unusual natural
features, and often of supernatural conditions. Here it is of no difference.
With great reverence, we visited the highly blissful Ney and saw
the following:
At the entrance:
- Bay yuel Lam
- Terton Drukdra Dorje’s Secret room.
- Sin removal passages
- Amazing Chorten on seeing can clean sin and defilements generated from many past generation.
In Guru Rinpoche Cave
- Guru Rinpoche’s Throne.
- Guru Dorje Dorlo’s image.
- Denjo Ba (cow) breast
- Pasamgi Shing
- Tsapamey Bumpa
- Meto Pema
- Self created Conch
Aum Kangchimai Ney
- One leg of Am Kangchima.
- Self created Gaytsen hanging impressively from top
Phapa Ludrup (Nagarjuna) Cave
- Nagarjuna’s throne
- Nagarjuna’s offering to Guru Rinpoche
- Many images of sea creatures.
Tertons Drukda Dorjee Cave
- Tertons’s throne
- Self created Phurba (Ritual Dagger)
- Cave from where Terton took out Statue TER.
There are many to be explored on the other side of the ney where
one can see self created 21 taras etc. etc. I want to limit writing to the
above. Please visit and explore yourself and get blessed.
Lhamo Ekajati is the chief deity of the Passa Tumdra Ami Ney.
She is highly revered and feared by both Hindus and Buddhist. Many Indians were
visiting the ney like us. Children born in Phuentsholing, Pasakha area must
worship Lhamo Kangchimai as their Kel-Lha (birth deity). If not they better do
it. I feel worshiping of children’s Kel-Lha at this Ney will be more
appropriate as it is her abode.
Even in Nyingma tradition, there are three primary dharma
protectors, and Ekajati is one of them in the trinity of Ma Dza Dam Sum-Mamo
Ekajati, Dza Rahula and Damchen Dorji Lekpa. As such, the Ney is of great
significance to Nyingma practitioners. It is believed that Guru Rinpoche
had subjugated and made her one of the principal dharma protector.
Lhamo Ekajati is described to posses telepathic mind and react
fast in her wrathful form, capable of striking misfortune on anyone who
displeases her, but is also known for her power to fulfill wishes. Lhamo
has a unique look and is depicted with a single breast, one leg and an eye.
The great Mahasiddha Thangtrong Gyalpo discovered Tumdra Ney
when he came from Tibet to met his Indian Guru Virupa. You can see some of iron
chain made by him still hanging on some cliff.
The great Terton Drukdra Dorji who was under attack by reigning
8th Desi, Druk Rabgye (1707-1719) has to flee and go to such place away from
the purview of the government at the center. From Paro passing Damchu, Tsimasham,
Chukha, Meritsenmo, Gedu performing many miraculous deeds in these places, reached
Pasakha, the boarder area of Bhutan and India.
It was the auspicious fulfillment of Karma that led the Terton
Drukdra Dorji to such sacred site of Aum Kangchigmai Ney. He spent few years
here practicing and propagating Buddhist Dharma.
Later Terton Drukdra Dorji resolved to return back to Thimphu
that was highly objected by Lhamo Ekajati foreseeing obstacles to his life.
Terton was adamant to return and at this point Lhamo Ekajati warned him that
she was a tenth Bhumi Bodhisattva and her objections cannot be dismissed. She
got furious and took many wrathful forms to get the Terton to consent her, but
instead the Terton miraculously created ritual object (dmar gtor) in negation to
her powers.
In fulfillment of his destiny, the Terton made the disastrous
return journey during which Lhamo Ekajati accompanied him till the village of
Agay Lakha in the guise of his riding horse. The footprints of the Terton and
the Mount along with the marks made by his staff are said that it can be
clearly seen on the sacred stone in this village. I am yet to visit the place
to give elaborate report on this.
As predicted by Lhamo Ekajati, misfortunes accrued to the
Terton’s life force as he was confronted with two assassins from the village of
Bjabchu at the cliff of Troetroema. While all known weapons to mankind could
not inflict harm to Terton, the assassins kept inflicting harms and adamant to
eliminate him. Terton who through his visions knew that his time has come,
instructed the assailants to try the famous method of bloodless death in the
Himalayas by way of choking. Saying this, the Terton gave his belt to the two
men who used it to stifle the Terton and then stuff silk scarves down his
throat thus assassinating the saint in water pig year of 1713.
The cliff, which was formerly called Troetroema, was in grief
called Trongtrongma (bkrongs, an honorific word for assassination).
It is also believed that Lhamo Ekajati is a secret consort of
Terton Drukdra Dorji and resides continuously at Tumdra Ney.
Above the Monastery, there is a Cremation place. It is believed
that all spirits eliminated in this dreaded place by Guru Rinpoche were
cremated there. It is one of the eight famous Cremation ground in Buddhism. So
if one burn small piece of nails and hair and pretend Cremation rite here, even
if one fail to perform Wangku (death ritual) after death it can suffice. So we
did our rites too.
Other unusual features of the Ney are the lakes surrounding
it.
The Ami La Tsho is considered the most sacred, as it is believed
to be the ‘soul lake’ of Lhamo Ekajati. We visited this lake on the way back to
Phuentsholing. The lake is located on the outskirts of an Indian village called
Jhyanti. It is located on top of hill with a shape of a skull. The striking feature
is there is no source of water feeding to it.
My small Guru Rinpoche Statue was taken around and connected to
the famous Ney.
Really enjoyed visiting
the sacred ney and I strongly recommended all to visit the Ney.
