Drak Yerpa
Drak Yerpa is a cave retreat complex, near to Lhasa and famous for its
place in the history of Buddhism's takeover as the dominant religion
of Tibet. In the 7th Century King Tsongsten Gampo came there to do
divinations to determine the appropriate location for the Jokhang
(which is situated in the middle of the old city of Lhasa).
Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated there, and left a number of
'rangjung' formations, supposedly self-formed rock formations that
look like his footprints, handprints, etc.
Drak Yerpa was, of course, an important religious site even before the
Buddhist revolution. It had to have been -- why else would it have
been of such interest to the Buddhists? Its location was also prime
for a religious retreat: high caves, and ample room for many people,
yet quite close to a fertile valley. Thus it would have been
relatively easy to support meditators.
As of a few years ago, a new road leads up to Drak Yerpa from the main
cut-off. It snakes upwards in sweeping switchbacks, through what had
been an ancient sod meadow but is now gravel and retaining walls. A
dusty parking lot, a few chow mein shops, and a ticket office await at
the top. If one can outrun the ticket collector, one can leave that
money in the temples that pepper the hillside, and with the monks and
nuns that maintain them. Most of the temples were built around cave
sanctuaries: superstructures in front hold assembly halls, a shrine or
two, and room for devotional practice. In the back, a passageway
might lead to a cave, with shrines, butter lamps, and someone to tell
the story of the place.
Drak Yerpa isn't really a tourist stop yet, but one monk estimated it
sees about 1000 people each day -- mostly daytrippers from Lhasa,
well-to-do Tibetans who come to light some incense, say a prayer, and
have a picnic on a nearby hill. There are no practitioners there
anymore -- just enough monastics to keep the shrines open but not
enough to practice and meditate on the teachings. For some of them it
is too busy for extended meditation. Most visitors only come to pay
respects; the ability to perform ceremonies or give teachings is not
there. The young visitors, especially, exude a sense of connection to
their religion but it is clear they haven't had the benefit of growing
up steeped deeply in its philosophical teachings -- beyond that which
seeps into the rich everyday culture. Still, the connection is
powerful and it is inspiring to see young people with their friends,
multi-generational families, and solo pilgrims make a day out of a
visit to this wonderful place.
