Sunday March 28
*
A glimpse
up across the open sky
to the light of my long day
slight gentle beautiful determined bright one
firmly alone firmly herself
to quietly remind me
that not so far away
for she I we two
our warm and bright
future day
and to her then to say to tell
of Banso Marpo
the great tomb of King Songsten Gampo
in Chinwardo valley
as it stretches from the Chongye river
smooth sparkling ripples beneath sharp mountain light
forty four feet to the sky it rises
stretching four hundred feet from end to end
stones laid with care upon the mountain earth
for the King who with his Queens
brought the Buddha’s teachings
and safety for all Tibetans
to a land shrouded in danger and turmoil
Treasures beyond imagining
chapels built within
all these things they say are there
for Tibet’s unifying King
but in the greatest wonder of all
it is said his mortal coil rests not here
for in Lhasa he vanished into Jowo Rinpoche
holy statue brought by the Queen Wen Chen
or Rangjung Ngaden statue in Lhasa
his mind entering the space of emptiness
his body dissolving at his will
who knows where he and his Queens
wondrous beings are now
Look beautiful one there’s a temple there
high upon it’s lofty height
his images we see are painted there
with his Queens and ministers
from there we see over Chongye valley
to look upon the tombs of the Yarlung Kings
great rulers of Tibet
Though not all can be seen
Seven they say
rose to heaven on a mu skycord
to leave the world as they had come
incomprehensible and wondrous
The eighth was deceived by his pride
and the treachery of his minister
he cut his sky cord and fell in death
to be buried in a place called Ya
The second celestial King of Teng
for so these two were called
was buried then in Dza
Six earthly Kings of Lek
to follow were buried at Yapangtsam
Kings seventeen to twenty four
Eight middle Kings of De
were buried at Chuwo’i Zhung
None of these have yet been found
for it has since been said
they vanished
like snow upon a lake
gone without a trace
On the plain of Chinyul Darmotang
not far from town Chongye
we can just make out some humble forms
mound after mound of grass covered earth
perhaps the Kings that followed
left their mortal remains there
but the last of these King twenty eight
Lhatotori Nyentsen
was buried within the depths
of the Chingwa Takste
Castle high upon the ridge
to look upon the place
where the words of Buddha once fell
upon the roof of Yumbu Lagang
We look out onto Chingwardo
several tombs we see there
a hill rises so humbly by compare
with immense snow mountains of Tibetan land
it’s Mulari hill beautiful one
and some of the ten we see there
and to the north at Dungkar
six more were laid to rest
majestic in their day
Then down to the Dungkar valley
to rest at the place of Jigme Lingpa
among the tombs he made his home
a place of the spirit with a mani wall
piled high with engraved prayer stones
with a sacred spring that trickles forth
on the way to his teaching throne
a tree grows there
they say it had a wondrous beginning
for it came from a single hair
from the saintly yogin’s head
All this not so wonderful
to my straining eyes
as your determined beauty
and swift uplifted grace
that endures with patient dignity
this that I see in you
beneath the open sky
on this afternoon
early in our spring of working and waiting
Lotus blossoms rest
upon the window sill
and so we wait
two as one
we our effort
real and lasting
slight gentle
beautiful one
March 23
* courtesy of A Luminous Diamond (Bright) Crystal Show productions.
reference material for the poem is courtesy of the Footprint Tibet handbook by Gyurme Dorje.