Garyupa Nunnery

The Tibetan word for pilgrimage, neykhor, means "to circle around a sacred place," which is fitting since the goal of a pilgrimage is less about reaching a particular destination and more about journeying to transcend the attachments and habits that restrict our awareness.

So, upon our return from the Mystic Waterfall, Spring led us to a Nunnery, well hidden on the side of the mountain and tucked away from the less aware, to circle not only around but through a shrine to Kawa Karpo. The rock alter was nearly polished smooth by the millions of hands and knees that squeezed through the granite tube that allowed us to come full circle three times around the shrine.

As we left the Nunnery we all remarked reverently at the life the nuns there must lead. They are literally on the edge of no and where. The trail to their home is long and a bit precarious. Bringing in supplies could not be easy. They sleep and cook in a small wooden six foot by six foot box adjacent to the temple. Their days revolve around prayer, meditation, tending the shrine, and assisting pilgrims. Their needs are few and wants even less. Ascetic though their life may be, I left feeling a bit envious of their situation. They are the first women I have ever met who could truly call themselves free.