Ugyen Guru
UGYEN GURU LHAKHANG at Pangbisa.
Tertoen Sherab Mebar was from Kham, Tibet who visited our country in 15 century. He at the out set travelled through Jomolhari where he discovered the first treasure and then travelled to Bumthang into and out of Baylangdra with the prophecy to find a girl named Pema Chuki who would accompany him in discovering the treasures. The ruler of Bumthang had suspicion and demanded on him to prove himself to the people of Bumthang. He had to go into the Meabar tsho(burning lake) and came out with two chests of treasures only to be returned back to the lake to rediscovered by the prophesied tertoen (Pema Lingpa) who would incarnate after the generation. Since he could not be married to the destined girl, he failed to discover the destined treasures. Next Prophecy was to discover the cave of gold, silver and salt at Pasakha, Chukha and when he was meditating near the area, the landslides occurred and the cave door opened with the great deal of resources. The ominous was he met three people with empty containers where resources had turned into rocks and sands. After his failure in discovering the treasures, he finally reached to Pangbisa, Paro through Sombaykha and Jabana, Haa, the eventual destination where he was directed. People of Pangbisa had also suspicion on him and he had to prove himself by going to Nub tshonaparta earlier than the prophesied timing to reveal the world of wealth that could continue our country to a great degree. He took out the trumpet, a drum and a pair of cymbals by gulping down the entire lake into his mouth through his power. He also found a golden pillar which he planned to offer while constructing the Paro Dzong in coming generations and instructed the carpenters to cut the pillars and promised them to reward them with the splinters of golden pillars but the greediness of their behavior made them to cut the pillars and the whole chunks of dropped off from it. He was despondent with them and in the process of stopping them, the lake flowed down from his mouth into its original place and drowned the carpenters. The lake chased him where he had to throw the treasures like drum, drumsticks, trumpet and a part of cymbals which formed lake in those shapes. When he reached labdza, Ap Chungdu mediated an agreement of peace that the tertoen and his followers should never show up in Shogona, Haa and the mermaid of the lake was prohibited to cross the area. He then meditated on the stone at Pangbisa where the main statue of Guru Rinpoche was built. People are of opinion that the sculptors could not manage to make the head despite innumerable attempts after finishing the statue body. Three women appeared at the door and offered clay made Guru's head and when the chief sculptor try to fix it on the body, it perfectly fitted the body. He then tried to fix the bended head to make it perfect as it perfectly fitted the body, that's when the Guru's statue spoke that he was comfortable in same position. When the sculptors were looking for the women, they disappeared believing to be the Dakinis. Tertoen was living in Pangbisa after the menacing mission to Nub tshonaparta. He was invited to Baylangdra, Wangdiphodrang for significant event and as usual he convoked the nine household in Pangbisa to bring stone that would fit into his palm(As per oral story, what I have heard was almost all the household has the stone with his fingerprints as a relic in their home).He was presented with broken stone and asked people if it was the original shape. Since he knew that it was freshly broken, he told his nine patrons that he might not return alive and instructed them to bring back his body to Pangbisa. As anticipated, the tertoen died in Baylangdra and the news reached Pangbisa. People from Pangbisa went to claim the body of the tertoen as instructed when he was alive but the people of Baylangdra refused to give the body as they believed that it's the destiny for the tertoen to take his last breath in their village. The frustrated Pangbisa people returned empty handed and planned for right time. They stole the body when people of Baylangdra were busy with their harvest. Therefore, the dead body were kept in the lhakhang as their main relics. Later on, when Paro Penlop Aka Penlop Haap made the visit to the temple, he sensed the importance and fear of thieves, he ordered the locals to donate the body to Paro Dzong. With the refusal from the people, he negotiated with the condition that people of Pangbisa will be waved off from any kind of taxes and favored to sit in cabin during Paro Tshechu. The body was taken to Paro Dzong and later on Pangbisa people regretted for accepting the negotiations but couldn't not go against the Penlop to bring back the body. They had a good relationship with the people of woochu(opposite to Paro Airport) who were known for their iron works. They ordered iron rod with hooks at the end to steal the body of the tertoen. When monastic body of Paro Dzong went to Kichu Lhakhang for making the offering for better harvesting year which is still continuing the practice before paddy cultivation, the Pangbisa people requested the caretaker of Dema Lhakhang who is from Pangbisa to held back from visiting the Kichu that day. They came with the iron rod and a corpse made of clay to take the original and replace with the corpse. They started to pull the body realizing that only head can be pulled and not the body. They stole the head and no body knew about the act. Every after three years, the clothes of the tertoen body has to be changed and it was when Penlop and the people knew about the replacement of original head with the clay. With frustration, they planned a war against Pangbisa but the intelligent Penlop advised them to get the important relic(cymbals)in return of the head as it originally be owned by them.The true devotion of Penlop for the Tertoen was seen when the Paro Dzong was blazed by the fire, he jumped to save the body where he became unconscious. After gaining his consciousness, he asked about the body but unfortunately it cannot be saved. In despair, he starved for many days.That's how the head of the tertoen remained at Pangbisa and Golden cymbal is seen on the first day of Paro Tshechu which is performed inside the Dzong.
On our visit to Ugyen Guru lhakhang at Pangbisa on 22.02.2020, we had a privilege to have got blessing from the treasures which was on display coinciding with the HM birthday holiday. There were many devotees both foreigners and the locals who came to get blessings. We have seen the persipitated holy water from the head of the tertoen Sherab Maeber which is considered to be the good omen. The lam was kind enough to share the myths and the importance of the relics one by one. We can also see the small lake below the temple and the view of Royal Academy School was alluring with little snowfall.
NOTE:I have briefed down the story.
Tertoen Sherab Mebar was from Kham, Tibet who visited our country in 15 century. He at the out set travelled through Jomolhari where he discovered the first treasure and then travelled to Bumthang into and out of Baylangdra with the prophecy to find a girl named Pema Chuki who would accompany him in discovering the treasures. The ruler of Bumthang had suspicion and demanded on him to prove himself to the people of Bumthang. He had to go into the Meabar tsho(burning lake) and came out with two chests of treasures only to be returned back to the lake to rediscovered by the prophesied tertoen (Pema Lingpa) who would incarnate after the generation. Since he could not be married to the destined girl, he failed to discover the destined treasures. Next Prophecy was to discover the cave of gold, silver and salt at Pasakha, Chukha and when he was meditating near the area, the landslides occurred and the cave door opened with the great deal of resources. The ominous was he met three people with empty containers where resources had turned into rocks and sands. After his failure in discovering the treasures, he finally reached to Pangbisa, Paro through Sombaykha and Jabana, Haa, the eventual destination where he was directed. People of Pangbisa had also suspicion on him and he had to prove himself by going to Nub tshonaparta earlier than the prophesied timing to reveal the world of wealth that could continue our country to a great degree. He took out the trumpet, a drum and a pair of cymbals by gulping down the entire lake into his mouth through his power. He also found a golden pillar which he planned to offer while constructing the Paro Dzong in coming generations and instructed the carpenters to cut the pillars and promised them to reward them with the splinters of golden pillars but the greediness of their behavior made them to cut the pillars and the whole chunks of dropped off from it. He was despondent with them and in the process of stopping them, the lake flowed down from his mouth into its original place and drowned the carpenters. The lake chased him where he had to throw the treasures like drum, drumsticks, trumpet and a part of cymbals which formed lake in those shapes. When he reached labdza, Ap Chungdu mediated an agreement of peace that the tertoen and his followers should never show up in Shogona, Haa and the mermaid of the lake was prohibited to cross the area. He then meditated on the stone at Pangbisa where the main statue of Guru Rinpoche was built. People are of opinion that the sculptors could not manage to make the head despite innumerable attempts after finishing the statue body. Three women appeared at the door and offered clay made Guru's head and when the chief sculptor try to fix it on the body, it perfectly fitted the body. He then tried to fix the bended head to make it perfect as it perfectly fitted the body, that's when the Guru's statue spoke that he was comfortable in same position. When the sculptors were looking for the women, they disappeared believing to be the Dakinis. Tertoen was living in Pangbisa after the menacing mission to Nub tshonaparta. He was invited to Baylangdra, Wangdiphodrang for significant event and as usual he convoked the nine household in Pangbisa to bring stone that would fit into his palm(As per oral story, what I have heard was almost all the household has the stone with his fingerprints as a relic in their home).He was presented with broken stone and asked people if it was the original shape. Since he knew that it was freshly broken, he told his nine patrons that he might not return alive and instructed them to bring back his body to Pangbisa. As anticipated, the tertoen died in Baylangdra and the news reached Pangbisa. People from Pangbisa went to claim the body of the tertoen as instructed when he was alive but the people of Baylangdra refused to give the body as they believed that it's the destiny for the tertoen to take his last breath in their village. The frustrated Pangbisa people returned empty handed and planned for right time. They stole the body when people of Baylangdra were busy with their harvest. Therefore, the dead body were kept in the lhakhang as their main relics. Later on, when Paro Penlop Aka Penlop Haap made the visit to the temple, he sensed the importance and fear of thieves, he ordered the locals to donate the body to Paro Dzong. With the refusal from the people, he negotiated with the condition that people of Pangbisa will be waved off from any kind of taxes and favored to sit in cabin during Paro Tshechu. The body was taken to Paro Dzong and later on Pangbisa people regretted for accepting the negotiations but couldn't not go against the Penlop to bring back the body. They had a good relationship with the people of woochu(opposite to Paro Airport) who were known for their iron works. They ordered iron rod with hooks at the end to steal the body of the tertoen. When monastic body of Paro Dzong went to Kichu Lhakhang for making the offering for better harvesting year which is still continuing the practice before paddy cultivation, the Pangbisa people requested the caretaker of Dema Lhakhang who is from Pangbisa to held back from visiting the Kichu that day. They came with the iron rod and a corpse made of clay to take the original and replace with the corpse. They started to pull the body realizing that only head can be pulled and not the body. They stole the head and no body knew about the act. Every after three years, the clothes of the tertoen body has to be changed and it was when Penlop and the people knew about the replacement of original head with the clay. With frustration, they planned a war against Pangbisa but the intelligent Penlop advised them to get the important relic(cymbals)in return of the head as it originally be owned by them.The true devotion of Penlop for the Tertoen was seen when the Paro Dzong was blazed by the fire, he jumped to save the body where he became unconscious. After gaining his consciousness, he asked about the body but unfortunately it cannot be saved. In despair, he starved for many days.That's how the head of the tertoen remained at Pangbisa and Golden cymbal is seen on the first day of Paro Tshechu which is performed inside the Dzong.
On our visit to Ugyen Guru lhakhang at Pangbisa on 22.02.2020, we had a privilege to have got blessing from the treasures which was on display coinciding with the HM birthday holiday. There were many devotees both foreigners and the locals who came to get blessings. We have seen the persipitated holy water from the head of the tertoen Sherab Maeber which is considered to be the good omen. The lam was kind enough to share the myths and the importance of the relics one by one. We can also see the small lake below the temple and the view of Royal Academy School was alluring with little snowfall.
NOTE:I have briefed down the story.
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