Culture On Your Everest Base Camp Trek: Guru Rinpoche
If you are making the famous Everest Base Camp trek, there are many memorable sights that will stick with you long after your journey - from the dazzling vistas of snow-cloaked peaks to the fluttering prayer flags that festoon the mountain temples. Some of the sights you see will be immediately recognisable from photos of the region, while others may be less familiar, and these often pique visitors' curiosity. One sight that will greet you throughout the region, but may not be well known to you, is the image of Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava: a man in flowing blue, red and yellow robes, often with a crown of lotus petals. He is one of the most important figures in Sherpa religion, and learning a little about his life and deeds before you depart can help broaden your knowledge of the region's culture. Read on to learn more about Guru Rinpoche.
Who Was He?
As with many significant historical religious leaders, records of Guru Rinpoche's life give varying accounts, and much has been passed down in oral tradition, some of which you may hear if you keep your mind and ears open on your Everest Base Camp trek. What is known is that he was born to a Brahmin family in the north-west of India, in the eighth century. In many traditions, he is said to have been born, as a fully formed eight year-old child, from a lotus flower. He was imbued with wisdom from the beginning of his life, and studied Tantric Buddhism along with his companion, the princess Mandarava. He later travelled into Tibet as a religious teacher and, according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, calmed the fierce mountain demons and spirits that inhabited the mountains.
In Sherpa Culture
The Sherpas you meet on the Everest Base Camp trek are, for the most part, devotees of Tibetan Buddhism, which developed from the Tantric Buddhism that Guru Rinpoche brought to the Himalayan region. When the Sherpas, originally a nomadic people, migrated into Nepal between the 15th and 17th centuries, they took his teachings with him. As the stories and practices of this form of Buddhism spread over borders and developed across the centuries, they developed into a strand of the religion that has elements distinct to Sherpa culture, while at core having much in common with the religion as it is practiced in Tibet.
Mani Rimdu
Those lucky enough to be making their Everest Base Camp trek during October or November may have the chance to attend the vibrant Mani Rimdu festival, which is one of the most memorable experiences the Himalayas has to offer - as well as being a commemoration of Guru Rinpoche's legacy. During the festival, masked dancers re-enact the Guru's battles against the mountain demons, and rituals are performed in his honour.
Who Was He?
As with many significant historical religious leaders, records of Guru Rinpoche's life give varying accounts, and much has been passed down in oral tradition, some of which you may hear if you keep your mind and ears open on your Everest Base Camp trek. What is known is that he was born to a Brahmin family in the north-west of India, in the eighth century. In many traditions, he is said to have been born, as a fully formed eight year-old child, from a lotus flower. He was imbued with wisdom from the beginning of his life, and studied Tantric Buddhism along with his companion, the princess Mandarava. He later travelled into Tibet as a religious teacher and, according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, calmed the fierce mountain demons and spirits that inhabited the mountains.
In Sherpa Culture
The Sherpas you meet on the Everest Base Camp trek are, for the most part, devotees of Tibetan Buddhism, which developed from the Tantric Buddhism that Guru Rinpoche brought to the Himalayan region. When the Sherpas, originally a nomadic people, migrated into Nepal between the 15th and 17th centuries, they took his teachings with him. As the stories and practices of this form of Buddhism spread over borders and developed across the centuries, they developed into a strand of the religion that has elements distinct to Sherpa culture, while at core having much in common with the religion as it is practiced in Tibet.
Mani Rimdu
Those lucky enough to be making their Everest Base Camp trek during October or November may have the chance to attend the vibrant Mani Rimdu festival, which is one of the most memorable experiences the Himalayas has to offer - as well as being a commemoration of Guru Rinpoche's legacy. During the festival, masked dancers re-enact the Guru's battles against the mountain demons, and rituals are performed in his honour.
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