Lapchi Spiritual Trek - 10 Days

Lapchi Snow Mountain is situated in the eastern part of Nepal at a height of about 4850 meters. It is one of the 24 places in the world associated with Chakrasamvara, a deity belonging to the Anuttarayoga Tantra or the highest yoga tantra of Tibetan Buddhism.

Lapchi is revered as the speech mandala of Chakrasamvara, while Mount Kailash is the body mandala, and Tsari the mind mandala. Lapchi had been blessed by Padmasambhava and many other great masters from India such as Saraha.

According to Yeshe Chogyal’s biography, there are 25 boly snow mountains of Padmasambhava in Tibet; Lapchi is one of them. Lapchi is also called Godavari in Sanskrit or Nyanyon in Tibetan, which means “Left Ear”. The name derives from a self-arising shape of a left ear on a rock wall in the area.

In the 8^th century, Yothok Yonten Gonpo, the doctor of King Trisong Detsen, came to meditate in Lapchi. The cave where he meditated is now known as Yothok Phug.

In the 11^th century, the great translator Marpa (1012-1097), sent his disciple Milarepa (1052-1135), to practice in Lapchi. He told Milarepa that Lapchi would be a conducive and beneficial place for retreat. Marpa also confirmed that Lapchi was one of the 24 holy sites of Chakrasamvara. Following his guru’s instructions, Milarepa spent many years meditating in the snow mountians of Lapchi, especially a cave that became known as Dun-dul Phug (Cave of Subjugation of Mara), where he subjugated the local spirits.

Located slightly east of Lapchi, the dakinis in Rongshar (or Drin Valley) had previously been subjugated by Padmasambhava. However, they were still very mischievous. It was also Milarepa who tamed these deities and negative forces that impeded the Dharma there. Since then, the deities vowed to protect and help anyone who prayed to them with ardent devotion. There are several widely known caves of Milarepa in Lapchi: Dun-dul Phug (Cave of Subjugation of Mara), Ze Phug (Crest Cave), Bepa Gong Phug (Revelation of All Secrets Upper Cave), Bepa Og Phug (Revelation of All Secrets Lower Cave), Rechen Phug and Lungten Phug (Prophesied Cave of the Great Forest).

Milarepa performed many miracles in Lapchi and left behind sacred marks such as his footprints and so on. He also made a statue of himself with clay mixing it with blood from his nose and his saliva. It is called Shang Drak Ma (Nasal-blood Image). The original statue had actually crumbled over time. However, H.H. Chetsang Rinpoche managed to remake three more statues using the remains of the original statue. One is kept in Lapchi, one was sent to Drikung Thil Monastery in Tibet and one is at Jangchub Ling Monastery in India.

Another famous and precious statue of Milarepa was made by his moon like disciple Rechung Dorje Dragpa (1084-1161). Milarepa personally consecrated the statue and commented that it looked just like him. This bronze statue is kept in Chora Gephel Ling Monastery in Lapchi.

There was also a stone from Milarepa’s cremation hearth upon which the Mani mantra of Avalokitesvara miraculously appeared. The stone is now kept in Phel Gye Ling Monastery in Rongshar.

Lapchi has gone through ups and downs throughout the course of history. There are four significant periods when many practitioners gathered in Lapchi to practice. In the 11^th century during Milarepa’s stay in Lapchi, he attracted many disciples there. in the 13^th century, Lord Jigten Sumgon sent 55,525 disciples simultaneously to do retreat in Lapchi. In the 15^th century Lapchi Namkha Gyaltsen practiced in Lapchi for more than 30 years with many disciples.

Dharma practice in Lapchi declined in between these periods until the 18^th century when Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol (1781-1851) came to Lapchi. He built Chora Gephel Ling and the Jangchub Stupa. It was said that one day, Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol gathered his discipels and expressed the wish to build stupa. He had so many disciples that each of them only had to carry one rock and the stupa was completed in one day. Dharma practice in Lapchi re-flourished until 1959.

Since the late 1990s, in order to make this holy place more accessible to practitioners and to improve the lives of the local villages, Nubpa Rinpoche has been persistently trying to restore Lapchi.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MILAREPA (1052-1135)

Milarepa was born in 1052, in the village of Kya Ngatsa (aka Tsa) in Gunthang province of western Tibet to a prosperous family. He was named Mila Thopaga, which means “A Joy to Hear”. His carefree childhood came an abrupt end at the age of seven when his father passed away. Not only did his uncle and aunt seize all of the family’s wealth, they enslaved Milarepa, his mother and his younger sister made them do their bidding.

After having endured several years of abuse and humiliation, Milarepa’s mother send him off to learn black magic. When his aunt and uncle were having a celebration for their son’s marriage, Milarepa evoked a curse that demolished their house killing 35 people. The villagers were enraged and wanted to arrest him. Milarepa’s mother managed to send the word to him to time. To deter the villages, he summoned a hailstorm to destroy the villager’s crops.

However, remorse filled his conscience and he knew that his revenge was wrong. Thus he set off to find a guru and was led to Marpa the great translator. Seeing both the great potential and the negative karma within Milarepa, Marpa put him through various strenuous tasks such as building and demolishing three towers all by himself.

Milarepa dutifully carried out the tasks until his back was covered with wounds, bood and pus. Still Marpa refused to teach him. Marpa’s wife took pity on Milarepa and forged a letter of introduction to another teacher, Lama Ngogdun Chudor, under whose guidance Milarepa began to practice meditation. However, when he was not making any progress, he confessed the forgery. Lama Ngogdun Chudor said that it was impossible to gain spiritual growth without the guru’s approval and blessings.

Milarepa returned to Marpa with great remorse and was put through more tasks. It was through all these tests that Milarepa’s past negative deeds were finally purified. He was hen allowed to receive teachings and empowerments form Marpa.

Later, Milarepa followed Marpa’s instructions and went on to practice in remote areas, meditating in deserted caves. After 12 years of diligent practice, Milarepa attained complete enlightenment. He became known as Milarepa which means “Mila-Repa, the cotton clad”.

Among all the places visited by Milarepa Lapchi is probably the best-known holy place. Marpa sent Milarepa to Lapchi because he knew that it would be conducive for his practice. Milarepa subjugated the Five Sisters of Long Life as well as many other local spirits and demons that impeded the flourishing of Dharma there. The local villagers were thus able to lead a peaceful and meaningful life following the path of Dharma. Milarepa performed many miracles in Lapchi and left behind sacred marks such as his footprints and so on.

Milarepa is famous for many of his songs and poems, in which he expressed the profoundity of his realization of the Dharma. He had many disciples, male and female, including Rechung Dorje Drakpa and Gampopa. His female disciples include Rechungma, Padarbum and Tseringma. Gampopa became Milarepa’s spiritual successor. He continued the lineage which later developed into the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.

DUN-DUL PHUG (MILAREPA CAVE)

In Lapchi there are many holy caves and signs left behind by Milarepa, other great masters deities and even animals. The following are some of the widely known holy caves:

• Dun-dul Phug
• Ze Phug
• Lungten Phug
• Bepa Og Phug and Bepa Gong Phug
• Rechen Phug

Today we’ll give a brief introduction on Dun-dul Phug, the cave of subjugation of Mara.

When Milarepa first arrived in Lapchi, he stayed in Dun-dul Phug. “Du” means demons, “Dul” means subjugate, ‘Phug’ means cave. This was the place where Milarepa subjugated the Five Long Life Sisters (the Five Tseringmas) and placed them under oath to protect Dharma.

No long after Milarepa arrived in this cave, it snowed for 18 days and nights. The snow was so heavy that it cut off all access and Milarepa was trapped inside the cave for six months. Not only did he survive on one measure of tsampa throughout the whole period, he also mastered the practice of tummo – mystic heat.

When his disciples came from Nyalam to look for him six months later, Milarepa manifested as a snow leopard lying on a rock. Until today, the body imprint of the snow leopard and imprints of claws on a rock near Dun-dul Phug are still vigible.

Milarepa also stayed in several other caves in this area. One is called Tak Tsang Phug (Tiger nest cave). There are imprints of claws outside the cave, probably left behind by Milarepa when he manifested as the snow leopard. Next to Tak Tsang Phug is Drang Chang Phug (Bee Cave).

Slightly above Dun-dul Phug is a small cave called Rechung Phug, where Rechungpa stayed. Rechungpa was a close disciple of Milarepa. He made the precious bronze statue of Milarepa currently kept in Chora Gephel Ling.

Chora Gephel Ling is the main monastery in Lapchi. It is not far from Dun-dul Phug. Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol built this temple around 1830.

The Dun-dul Phug area resembles the shape of Vajrayogini’s body. There is a flat land here called Cho Jung Thang (The source of Dharma). This is the mandala of Vajrayogini. It is said that if one practices Vajrayogini in this area, one can easily connect to the practice.

In this area also stands the famous old Jangchub stupa from 18^th century. One day, Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol expressed the wish to build a stupa here. He had so many disciples that each of them only had to carry one rock and the stupa was built in just one day. In the late 1990s, the stupa was in imminent danger of caving in. later, H.H. Chetsang Rinpoche sent a specialist from Ladakh to construct a new stupa covering the ancient one. In this way, the original stones are preserved inside the new structure in their original state, just as they have survived the passage of time.

Many great masters have lived in Dun-dul Phug, including Gyalwa Kodarpa, Dorzin Yangdru Paldrak, Namkha Gyaltsen, Dorzin Choje, Kyabgon Shabkar and so on. Other present day masters who visited Dun-dul Phug include H.H. Chetsang Rinpoche, Garchen Rinpoche, Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche and Nubpa Rinpoche.

HOLY SITES IN LAPCHI

 ZE PHUG (MILAREPA CAVE)

Ze Phug is the highest cave in Lapchi. Outside the cave on a gentle slope is a footprint left behind by Milarepa as he flew up to the sky. To the right of the cave is a sacred well offered by Mahakala to Milarepa. The water level of the well remains constant throughout the year; it neither increases nor decreases.

Slightly below Ze Phug is a large cave that can accommodate around 30 people. There used to be a nunnery here. On the way to Ze Phug, there is also a footprint left behind by the leader of the five Tseringma sisters.

Opposite Ze Phug are three holy mountains. From left to right are Kar Poh Boom Re, a holy site of Vajrapani; Ser Po Boom Re, a holy site of Manjushri.

Up in this isolated cave where there is no other human companion, a retreatant in solitude may occasionally hear sounds of group chanting along with ritual instruments being played.

RECHEN PHUG

“Rechen” is a combination of two words – ‘Repa’ and ‘Chenpo’. Repa means the cotton-clad; here it refers specifically to Milarepa. ‘Chenpo’ means the great one. Rechen Phug is another cave in which Milarepa had stayed. Inside the cave is Rechen Temple, where Milarepa’s footprint is clearly visible on the rock wall. It is said that once when Milarepa flew in from Rongshar, his foot touched the upper part of the rock wall as he was landing, thus leaving behind a footprint. Lapchi Namkha Gyaltsen, another great master who stayed in Lapchi for more than 30 years, also left an imprint of his fist on the rock wall here.

LUNGTEN PHUG (PROPHESIED CAVE OF THE GREAT FOREST)

In the 13^th century, Lord Jigten Sumgon sent his disciple, Dorzin Yangdru Paldrak, to meditate in Lapchi. He instructed that the first place for meditation was a rock cave shaped like an upside down human heart. He also prophesied that he would send 55,525 disciples to practice there. Dorzin Yangdru Paldrak followed his guru’s instructions and came to this cave that is now known as Lungten Phug.

‘Lungten’ means ‘prophesy’, true to his own words, Lord Jigten Sumgon indeed sent 55,525 disciples to practice in Lapchi. This period marks one of the peak periods where the Dharma flourished greatly in Lapchi.

BEPA OG PHUG & BEPA GONG PHUG (REVELATION OF ALL SECRETS LOWER & UPPER CAVES)

 Bepa Og Phug (Lower Bepa Cave) is above Dun-dul Phug. Its shape is like a Mongolian home).

Above Bepa Og is Bepa Gong Phug (Upper Bepa Cave). On a high cliff to the west of Bepa Gong Phug is Yuthok Phug, the cave where Yuthok Yonten Gonpo meditated. Yothok Yonten Gonpo is believed to be the emanation of Medicine Buddha. He was also the doctor of King Trisong Detsen.

THE LAPCHI SNOW MOUNTAINS

Lapchi is a sacred place greatly venerated by Buddhists. Till today many auspicious objects and locations remain visible in Lapchi. According to historical texts, the main mountains in Lapchi include the mountains of Chenrezig, the Lord of Compassion; the mountain of Manjushri, the Lord of Wisdom; and the mountain of Vajrapani, the Lord of Power. The Chenrezig Mountain, which is white in color, is located at the east of Lapchi mountain range. The Manjushri Mountain, yellow in color, is at the west. The Vajrapani Mountain, black in color, is at the south.

GODAVARI

Godavari is the Sanskrit name of Lapchi. It is “Nyan-yon’ in Tibetan, which means ‘Left Ear’. The name derives from self-arisen shape of a left ear on a rock wall here. According to the Hevajra Tantra, Godavari is one of the 24 great sacred places associated with the Yidam Chakrasamvara in this world.

CHORA GEPHEL LING

Chora Gephel Ling was built during the 18^th century by Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, a great Tibetan yogi. As the main monastery in Lapchi, Chora Gephel Ling houses ancient scriptures and precious statues of great masters from the past.

JANGCHUB STUPA (THE STUPA OF ENLIGHTENMENT)

When Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, a great Tibetan yogi came to Lapchi, he built Chora Gephel Ling Monastery and the Jangchub Stupa. The stupa is located on a small hill to the south of the monastery. It was said that one day, Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol gathered his disciples and expressed he wish to build a stupa. He had so many disciples that each of them only had to carry a rock and the stupa was completed in one day.

RAM DHING NAMGOMA

Once when Milarepa was meditating inside this rock cave, a horde of demons came to obstruct his practice. He emerged by breaking through the top of the cave from the inside. Subsequently, he subdued all the demons. This broken through passage way can still be seen today.

Weather in Lapchi

To our travelers, nothing matters more than visiting Lapchi with pleasing weather. Oeverall, for enjoying the best view of Lapchi March to June and September to late November are widely believed to be the best time to visit Lapchi. Generally, it is cold and temperate in Lapchi. The summers here have a good deal of rainfall, while the winters have very little. Due to climate change, over the past few years some of Nepal’s Himalayan seasons have started earlier than expected and ended soon than they have in the past.

In the mountain to the north the weather changes quickly. In the winter snow often blocks trekking routes while in the monsoon landslide, attacking wild animal are danger. Without a doubt the weather be always an influencing factor depending on what you want to see and do.

When is the best time of year to visit Lapchi?

Spring: March to May is best season to visit Lapchi. The climate gets warmer and flowers in the Lapchi valley begin to bloom. You will see blooming colorful flowers throughout Thang Chemo to Lapchi Gonpa. You can see the snow mountain and wildlife watching.

Summer: Late June to August is the start of the monsoon summer. It gets hotter and humid with showers. From the July will start the pick monsoon and rains are heavier and there is risk of flooding in the valley. The sky with heavy cloud, Valley landslide and flooding is a serious issue.

Autumn: The peak tourist season is the autumn between late September to late November. This is just after the monsoon season so the air is dry and clear. This is the perfect time to visit Lapchi next to the springtime.

Winter: December – February are the cold winter months throughout year in Lapchi and heavy snowfall in January. Due to the snowfall, winter is not a good idea for a short time visit to Lapchi.

LAPCHI PEOPLE AND CULTURE

Life style: the people of Lapchi inhabit two settlements in the region, Lumnang (2700m) and Lapchi (4000m), which serve respectively as winter and summer habitats for 13 families. Lapchi village is situated at the foot of Lapchi valley. Their main sources of living with cattles like yak, cow, horse and ox. Their main sources of living are animal products like milk, butter and cheese. Besides that, local people practice organic plantation farming. While year stay during the trip ‘home stay’ you can enjoy varieties of their local organic foods.

Local Tradition: ‘Chupa’ is a Tibetan traditional costume dress especially wears on the Buddhist festivals and local gathering period. Local language is Tibetan and some speaks the loal Nepalis languages as well. Local people cannot speak English. But few monastery monks can speak English. People are friendly and they are welcoming in nature. We welcome you all in Lapchi.

At a Glance: Transportation/Porter in Lapchi

As we know that transportation is most important ways for the development but, Lapchi don’t have car road. So, people carry up their own things on their shoulder. We also have potter services and those potters can carry up to 45kg from Lamabagar to Lapchi in two days destination. You need to pay for potter service. 1kg = 100 Rupee is the standard payment policy of this area.

At a Glance: Accommodation in Lapchi

Accommodation in Lapchi is not highly structured as in the cities. Lapchi don’t have a hotel and restaurant facilities therefore, HOME STAY is the best option from Lamabagar to Lapchi Gonpa, also at Numnang winter village of Lapchi Gonpa. Monastery monks will help you for the accommodation in monastery rooms and you need to pay as a donation for the room stay after the trip in Lapchi. You are welcome if you want to put tent to stay around the monastery. But weather is quite cold at night. The temperature may go down between to (-10-15). Most importantly, Lapchi has no electricity facilities. They use solar energy light. Gas and wood fuels the most common source of energy used for cooking.

At a Glance: Gaurishankar conservation entry fee:

Lapchi trekking is protected by the Gaurishankar conservation area and all the tourist need to require GCA special permit for trekking in Lapchi. You have to show your passport to the respected office and pay the fee 3000 rupees per person. The check post is located at Shankati village, which you can see on the way to Lamabagar from Kathmandu. Bodhi Adventrues will manage to buy the conservation ticket. The officer will check the ticket on the way returning to Kathmandu. This is the type of trip where every day just seems to get better spiritually from the one before it. Be prepare for spiritual development and to fall in love with Lapchi.

Lapchi Eco – Trek and Pilgrimage tour information in details

Lapchi Eco-Trek or hiking trail is located at Rolwaling Himal, knows as a rural municipality, is a section of the Himalayas in east-central Nepal along the Tibet border. There are day hikes and overnight hike. It offers you a very unique experience and opportunity to explore the isolated sacred remote corner of Nepal.

Lapchi Eco-Trek and Lapchi region is the sacred destination in the Himalayas after Kailash and Tsari. According to Tibetan Buddhist and Hindus ancient literature, there are three holy mountains in the Jambudvipa that are 1. Mt. Kailash, 2. Mt. Labchi Kang and 3. Mt. Tsari.

Best time for trekking in Lapchi is from March to June and October to November. Place is widely famous for its varieties of hermits-cave. We arrange Lapchi trekking from Lamabagar on camping basic and following Tama Koshi River passing through opaque bamboo and cloud forest or water forest to a remote area of Lapchi Kang under the unclimbed mountain rock spire of Ama Bhamre. Have a look at Lapchi trek itinerary, if it’s not suitable for your time. We can redesign the itinerary for you as per your need and wish and time. Feel free to contact Bodhi Adventures anytime for any further information about Lapchi Eco-Trek.

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