“Kailash”
Kailash has been bestowing its grace upon this world and its devotees for centuries. Whoever goes there for darshan or circumambulation always returns with some transformation within themselves. After beholding Kailash, one begins to feel as if they have been reborn. Perhaps this is because when a person has the vision of the Supreme, a stillness comes into their life and actions. After knowing Brahman, nothing else remains to be known. After meeting the Supreme Power, both thoughts and the mind begin to dissolve into emptiness. Kailash is filled with the energy of transformation.
When a devotee looks at Kailash with devotion and heartfelt faith, it no longer appears to them as a mere mountain, but as the abode of their Lord Shiva. One beholds heaven itself. One receives the Lord’s affection, and the mind becomes completely filled with peace and bliss. Just as the life of Milarepa was transformed—despite becoming a great tantric and even after committing certain mistakes—when Milarepa took refuge in Kailash, he was freed from sin and became a monk, filled with self-realization. Let us move forward in the journey of his life.
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“Milarepa”
Living in the caves of the Himalayas and practicing deep meditation and austerities, he attained Buddhahood (enlightenment). Because of his knowledge and spiritual practice, people suffering from pain and hardship would come to him, for through the power of his sadhana he had attained self-realization. And this is indeed true—even today, whoever has taken refuge in the lap of the Himalayas, whoever has begun their spiritual journey, has attained inner awakening, because the Himalayas themselves are filled with divine energy. This is why countless saints and sages have taken refuge in the Himalayas. Even today, innumerable yogis and sages reside in these Himalayan caves, and even in the present time, great yogis like Milarepa are alive in the lap of the Himalayas.
During Milarepa’s time, on the other hand, the Bon religion also existed.
Bon is the pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet, which was widely practiced before Buddhism. In the Bon tradition, Mount Kailash is considered the abode of the Sky Goddess. For them, Kailash was filled with the power of the Sky Goddess, and they worshipped Kailash in that very form.
At the same time, Milarepa was regarded as a great yogi and accomplished saint of Tibetan Buddhism. Leaving his caves, he crossed the difficult Himalayan peaks and came to Kailash, where he was inspired by its purity and spiritual energy. At that time, a Bon practitioner named Naro Bonchung declared that Kailash was a sacred site of the Bon religion and that they alone had rightful authority over it, because he did not feel pleased upon seeing Milarepa. That practitioner was filled with pride in his knowledge.
Then a dialogue took place between Milarepa and that practitioner, and both decided that the one who would first reach the summit of Kailash through spiritual power would be the victor and hold the spiritual right over it.
…To be continued!
Victory to the Universe! Victory to Bhole Baba!