In October 2008, I led a group of 61 pilgrims to Nepal to visit the holy power places in Kathmandu valley.

During our pilgrimage, we stayed at the comfortable Kathmandu Guest House in Thamel. Thamel is a bustling area where there are a lot of tourists and locals selling things.

On the first day, I gave a talk to set the right motivation for this pilgrimage and I also explained the significance of the sacred sites that we were going to visit.

We made a lot of wonderful butterlamp offerings to Chenrezig along with garlands of marigold flowers. It is very powerful to make strong prayers in holy sites.

After some prayers, we made heartfelt dedications towards Chenrezig and all the Buddhas.

This photo was taken whilst I was explaining the benefits and blessings of Tara.

In this photo, we are standing within the compound of the Boudhanath Stupa, the largest stupa in Nepal!

We took a group photo at one of the holiest Buddhist sites in the world, the Boudhanath Stupa. This is a big group…but even bigger stupa! hehe

As the sun was setting, I gave a talk on the significance of the Boudhanath Stupa

Everyday, I would give a little motivational talk before we set out on our journey. It’s good to keep our motivation right every day. It helps us make the most out of visiting holy places that are rare to visit.

Guru Rinpoche sealed his blessings with a hand print on the stone wall next to the entrance of his cave. I placed my forehead on it to make aspirational prayers.

I explained the history of this cave and told the pilgrims the aspiration that they should make here.

The Torana gateway above the main entrance of the Chenrezig temple is exquisitely carved with images of Chenrezig and two Taras

I love the ancient Tara statues that are placed on pedestals outside the Chenrezig temple

I enjoy making offerings to the Buddhas as I can see and feel its benefits, so I advocate that my students and friends do the same

This whole Nepalese pilgrimage was filmed by our very own film department Kechara InMotion

Letting the pilgrims know the history and origin of this place makes them have more faith in the holy statue of White Tara inside this unassuming chapel

At every shrine, I ensure that the pilgrims circumambulate the holy site as it is the customary tradition to venerate such power places

Around the Bouddhanath stupa, there are many butterlamps that pilgrims can offer to the Three Jewels

This is apparently a long life shrine as it is dedicated to Namgyalma, Amitayus and White Tara

Monks perform Tara puja regularly to the self arisen Tara image on the rock

A shrine was built surrounding the self arisen Tara image

I had my students and friends hug one another as one of the ways to rejoice in the day’s good deeds

Thamel is Kathmandu’s tourist haven with all its shops, restaurants, bars, and supermarkets

We also went to visit the self-arising Tara temple in Pharping.

This is me giving an explanation on the significance of the self-arising Tara temple.

We made a lot of butterlamp offerings to the beautiful mother Tara.

Here is a close-up photo of the self-arising Tara that seems to get clearer each year due to numerous prayers and virtuous aspirations being made here.

This is us walking towards the Guru Rinpoche meditational caves.

The cave here in Pharping is believed to have been used by Guru Rinpoche for Tantric meditational retreats before he went to Tibet.

A sincere Nyingma monk outside Guru Rinpoche’s cave came to greet me.

Upon arriving at the Vajrayogini temple at Pharping, I gave a short talk before we went in to have audience with Vajrayogini.

We went to Patan where I gave a little talk upon reaching the courtyard. Our intention was not to visit this beautiful stupa but a hidden Vajrayogini-in-midflight shrine nearby!

The next day, we visited Bijashwari Vajrayogini temple and for auspicious reasons, I gave my students and friends the very, very sacred 8-line praise to Vajrayogini to recite.

We went to Swayambhunath hill and came to the Temple of the Doors.

The Temple of the Doors is actually the entrance to the underground cavern of Kathmandu valley, believed to be where the 18 arhats reside. Hence, we made prayers for long life to practice the Dharma.

The famous gilded Swayambhunath Stupa, one of the holiest sites in Nepal.

Here I am giving a short talk together with the other 61 pilgrims.

At Pashupati riverbank, we made lots of offerings at Tilopa and Naropa’s caves. This is where Tilopa and Naropa is believed to have meditated.

This is us walking down a flight of stairs down the hill towards an old temple…

There are many stray dogs in Nepal, some are taken care of and some are not…just like anywhere else in the world. It’s still very saddening to see hungry mumus everywhere…

I performed an auspicious puja to Vajrayogini within Naropa’s very own meditational cave.

This white face of Chenrezig is one of the 3 arisen brothers of ancient times

The caretaker of the White Tara temple gave me red sindhura powder to anoint my friends and students

Nepal is very backwards but it is very rich spiritually because it is very much a part of daily life here

I was in solemn prayer as I entered the meditational cave of Naropa and Tiilopa at Sangkhu Monastery

I am glad to have brought Datuk May Phng on this pilgrimage as she had spiritually grown so much

Chenrezig Temple – This little old chapel hidden away behind some busy streets has as its centrepiece a beautiful two-armed Chenrezig statue, known in Tibetan as Jowa Samling Karmo. There are three identical Chenrezig statues which are often referred to as the Self-Arisen Three Brothers. One of them is in this chapel in Kathmandu; another in the main cathedral in Lhasa, Tibet and the last in Dharamsala, with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Here, all pilgrims recited the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation together, and Chenrezig’s mantra, Om Mani Peme Hung.

Tara Chapel – A quaint, tiny chapel in the middle of a busy square houses three statues of Tara – Yellow Tara, White Tara and Green Tara – all of which are so alive, they look like they might just get up and give you a hug at any moment! H.H. Trijang Rinpoche has said that the white Tara statue in this chapel flew in from Tibet to Nepal. We don’t know if this is literal or metaphorical, but as H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche notes, this statue must be something special if Trjiang Rinpoche himself speaks of it as being so holy. While there, everyone recited a prayer of incense offering to Tara before we each had the chance to have audience with the three magical Taras and offer our individual prayers to her.

Boudhanath Stupa – This most famous, iconic stupa in the heart of Kathmandu holds relics of Buddha Shakyamuni and is highly revered by all in Nepal. Hundreds of devotees gather at Boudhanath every day to circumambulate, recite prayers and turn the prayer wheels located at the base of the enormous stupa. All the pilgrims circumambulated the stupa with Rinpoche. As we walked around, Rinpoche pointed out to us many of the other practitioners who had come after work to also circumambulate, make prostrations and meditate at the stupa. Here, Rinpoche noted, people use every opportunity they have to create merit and engage in spiritual practice – it really is a part of their daily lives.

The self-arising Tara @ Parphing – The self-arising Tara started off as nothing more than a rock! One day many years ago, a meditator in the area recognised that an image of Tara was forming on the rock. Devotees built a covering over it and as more and more people came to pay homage and give donations, enough was collected to build a chapel around the rock. The image of Tara that spontaneously arose from the rock grows clearer and more defined every year. Pilgrims who went to Nepal three years ago saw for themselves how much clearer the outlines were this time round. Monks at the chapel do Tara pujas there all day. Devotees can also give donations for them to do Tara pujas on their behalf. The monks there further shared that eventually all 21 forms of Tara will arise on the rock. Slight protrusions of hands, feet or parts of faces are already appearing around the main form of Green Tara. Next to the Tara, another very big image of the Hindu god, Ganesha, has also spontaneously arisen on the same rock. The chapel is dedicated to both Ganesha and Tara, marking the joyous harmony between the two religions in Nepal.

Guru Rinpoche’s Cave – Guru Rinpoche, who brought Buddhism from India to Tibet, stopped in Nepal on his way to Tibet and meditated at this very cave that we visited. As he left, he left an imprint of his hand on the outside of the cave, which still carries many blessings with it today. Many pilgrims continue to visit this site to make butterlamp offerings and prayers within the cave, or to touch their heads on the handprint outside. Many nuns and monks also live around the area – all 60 of us had the good fortune to individually receive blessings and prayers from an old meditator, who had been in retreat in a small room just around the corner from the cave.

Vajrayogini Chapel @ Parphing – Like many of the chapels in Kathmandu, this most special Vajrayogini chapel began as a family’s personal place of worship. It was handed down and maintained through the generations, garnering greater and greater reverence from practitioners who soon came to pay homage and worship. We all gathered at the sunny courtyard below, before going up to the chapel itself. There, Rinpoche led us through several very powerful prayers, including a powa meditation that he had never done with students before (this was just an exception, and pilgrims were advised never to repeat this practice on their own again). The chapel is very small and quite old, but the sacredness of the place is well preserved. The central image is a Vajrayogini statue with one leg up, over which countless offerings from over the years have been made. Little butterlamp offerings and garlands of flowers surround Vajrayogini, and all of us, in groups of five, also had the chance to made a butterlamp offering to her with our wishes.

Vajrayogini Chapel @ Mahaboddhi Stupa, Patan – Patan, a little artists’ colony is better known for its craftsmanship and the highly intricate, detailed and beautiful statues that are produced there. However, right in the middle of a busy row of shops, another special secret lies. Through a little alley, we found the Mahaboddhi Stupa, recreated to look just like the original one in Bodhgaya, which commemorates the place that Lord Buddha gained Enlightenment. Because many people were unable to make the sacred pilgrimage to Bodhgaya itself, this was created so the locals could still pay homage. Above the stupa, in one of the surrounding buildings, is a tiny Vajrayogini Chapel, with a blessed statue of a flying Vajrayogini. Usually closed off to the public, this chapel is highly guarded and considered extremely sacred and special to the local Nepalese. However, we were granted special permission to have audience with this holy Vajrayogini and to offer butterlamps. Barely three people could go up at a time, so while we waited our turn, everyone jointly recited Vajrayogini prayers. These were not usually to be read by people without initiation, but Rinpoche had given a special exception during these few days for pilgrims to create a connection with Vajrayogini.

Vijashwari Vajrayogini Chapel – This Vajrayogini Chapel, just a short walk away from Swayambunath is special for the four forms of Vajrayogini that it contains – flying Vajrayogini, Vajravarahi, Vajrayogini with one leg up, and Naro Kacho, the form that we practise today. Though the chapel itself is quite small, and only about three people can fit in at a time, the surrounding courtyard is spacious and beautiful, with many surrounding images of Vajrayogini and other deities. We all had the chance to have individual audiences with the four Vajrayoginis, with Rinpoche standing beside each of us to guide us through prayers as we offered up butterlamps. It was an extra auspicious visit at this holy chapel too for many new beginnings were announced here. Two of our Dharma friends decided to seal their relationship by getting married and exchanging rings inside the chapel, in front of all Vajrayoginis! It was also announced that two new friends would be joining two very big departments in the organisation – our retreat centre committee and Kechara Media and Publications. The pilgrimage had truly inspired these two wonderful ladies to step up their involvement in spiritual work, to be a part of bringing Dharma to the world! In the heart of Vajrayogini’s chapel, three of Rinpoche’s close students also requested for a Vajrayogini practice; in receiving a wonderful selfless practice, they each also offered up individual commitments to Dharma practice and work. It was sunny, the skies were blue and energies were on top form. A most marvellous, auspicious day for everything enlightened!

Swayambunath Stupa – The second largest stupa of Nepal, which also houses Buddha’s relics. Surrounding this stupa are many, many other little small stupas which people, pigeons and stray dogs circumambulate all day long. Many other Buddha images can also be found all along the sides of the stupa – half the fun is circumambulating the stupa and looking through the carved niches to identify which Buddha might be sitting inside! Like at all other holy sites in Kathmandu, one can offer butterlamps to the Three Jewels at little butterlamp stalls situated around the kora or circumambulation path.

Manjushri’s Teaching Site – Just a short walk away from Swayambunath Stupa is a famed courtyard, where it is said that the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri, gives Dharma teachings once a year to celestial beings. The place itself is just a simple bare courtyard with not much more than a few prayer wheels, but the energy is vibrant there and it is a most auspicious place to connect with the wisdom energies of Manjushri. There, all the pilgrims were very fortunate to receive the lhung (oral transmission) of Manjushri’s mantra from Rinpoche. We then all recited Gangloma, Praise to Manjushri and his mantra right in the middle of Manjushri’s most blessed and sacred site.

Naropa and Tilopa Caves @ Pashupati – Naropa is said to have diligently followed his Guru, Tilopa for 12 years, serving him quietly and anonymously from afar without receiving even a word of recognition and not a single Dharma teaching. After 12 years, when Tilopa finally recognised all his effort and immense devotion, Naropa began receiving teachings from Tilopa. Naropa received the Vajrayogini teachings, began practice and received direct visions of her within six months. The form of Vajrayogini that we practise today originates from Naropa himself. This caves that we had the great merit to visit was where Naropa engaged in Vajrayogini retreat and gained visions of her – from here, the teachings were passed down to local Nepalese disciples, and from there, through the generations, it has gone all over the world. Tilopa, his Guru, also meditated in the cave just next to it. As Rinpoche recited prayers within Naropa’s cave, the pilgrims each had the chance to look into each cave, recite their individual prayers and make butterlamp offerings around the area. There, we were all encouraged to pray that we too may be able to develop the same Guru devotion as Naropa had and to gain the same practice and attainments of Vajrayogini, in the lineage that he began. Later, Rinpoche even kindly posed for a photograph with every one of us within the cave, next to a holy, energised and beautiful statue of the great mahasiddha Naropa.