The Myth, The Legend, The Taktsang Monastery: The Origins of Paro Taktsang

De’On Turner

Picture of Paro Taktsang taken by Bob Witlox

Six miles from the city of Paro on the edge of a 10,000 foot cliff, lies the legendary Taktsang monastery. Surrounding the monastery are hundreds of rocky slopes but this isn’t the only way to travel there. There are many paths to the monastery including cave and wild forest trails. While traveling there, one can find a temple which is called Lakhang. This place also serves as a resting place for travelers  when the journey gets tough. Besides the “resting temple,” there are several other mini temples and shops along the way to the monastery. These shops sell religious items such as bells, prayer wheels, incense, and more. Another interesting thing about the trip is that there are several waterfalls that can be seen. The most popular is one that falls from 197 feet into a sacred pool. Many travelers rest there to view the water and take pictures near the pool.
 

A waterfall at the foot of the Taktsang Monastery taken by Bob Witlox

The legend and history of this monastery is quite strange and requires an open mindset to fully interpret it. Some believe that a man named Guru Rinpoche, a Buddhist monk, flew to Paro Taktsang from Tibet on the back of a tigress. Some also go into more detail by saying that one of Guru’s students, Yeshe Tsogyal, took the form of a tigress and flew Guru to Paro Taktsang. Both stories are interesting and require some imagination.
 
Apparently Guru was so powerful that he had a reincarnation of himself whose name was Tenzin Rabgye. He actually constructed the monastery and it is said that his friends could see him inside and outside the structure at the same time. He also could feed a multitude of people from little amounts of food inside of bowls that never went empty.  It was Guru himself who founded the Nyingmapa School of Buddhism. Because of this, he is considered the saint of Bhutan. When he died in Nepal, some believe his body was magically transported to the monastery.  This shows an example of the beliefs that these people have and the importance of these people they worship and model after. This all ties in to having extreme faith in what you believe. Some of these accounts may sound odd to you but to someone else, it could be the very thing they base their life off of. The Taktsang monastery isn't just a "tiger's nest" hanging on a cliff, it is a foundation holding up a string of beliefs all throughout the region.

Works cited:
"Paro Taktsang." ThousandWonders. 2015. Web. 15 October 2015.

Witlox, Bob. Waterfall at the Foot of Taktsang Monastery. 2007. Photograph. Panoramio, 3 July
2007. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.

Witlox, Bob. Tiger’s Nest. 2007. Photograph. Panoramio, 3 July 2007. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.

Hays, Jeffrey. "BUDDHIST MONASTERIES, MONKS AND PILGRIMS."
2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
 

Taktsang

Author: Matthew Dennison

Photo by Richard Isheda

The Buddhist temple Taktsang in Bhutan is a very good example of a Buddhist temple. Just the location shows us one of their beliefs. It is located on the side of a mountain totally isolated from everyone and everything. The temple is located here because the Buddhists have a strong sense of isolationism. In the article, “Buddhist Beliefs"  there is an old Buddhist proverb that is rooted deep in their beliefs that says, “If you find a wise man you should travel with him, but if you find a fool you should travel alone.” This is one of the contributing factors to their pursuit of isolation.

In “Buddhist Beliefs" they  also suggests that Buddhist also believe that they cannot kill any animals, they must not steal, they must refrain from any sexual misconduct, they must speak correctly, and they must not drink anything that can get them drunk and must not take anything to get them high so they will not make any bad choices. That also is a very big contributing factor in them wanting to be left alone because in their minds the further they are from sin, the less likely they are to actually sin. They must pray every day and meditate constantly. The temple called Taksang in Bhutan is the perfect Buddhist temple. With it being on the side of a mountain the Buddhists that live there must be in a Buddhists paradise because it is everything a Buddhist would want out of a temple. It is secluded and an extremely peaceful place to be. It also is extremely beautiful because of its location which is unlike any other man made structure around it.

              In "Bhutan Places of Interest" they state that on April 19^th, 1998 the temple was destroyed in a fire. The temple was rebuilt to its former glory since then. The original temple was built in 1694, the new temple was built to replicate the old one, which it does. Since the fire the temple has opened up to vacationers looking for a beautiful hike and a tour of the rebuilt monastery. The monastery is 1000m above the Paro Valley. So it is a very long and breathtaking hike up to the monetary. In "Culture of Bhutan." They state that the monastery is open to the public now but is guarded by the nation’s soldiers and all cameras, phones and handbags must be checked at the entrance. It is very important that this landmark is very well taken care of to insure that it won’t be destroyed again or thrown into disarray. Since the government has such a strong presence at the temple. really shows that even though the temple is now open to the public. It is still a very important landmark to the people and is a very important place to all Buddhists as well.

Links to further research:

Fabriuis, Karl. "The Most Beautiful Yet Precariously Placed Monasteries on Earth."Environmental Graffiti. Pixdaus, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/most-beautiful-precariously-placed-monasteries/17786  

This source will help with looking at strangely placed temples.

Aviram Vijh. "Tatshang Gompa (aka Tiger's Nest)." YouTube. YouTube, 24 June 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY54Q5uS_ss

This youtube video shows the temple and some of the surroundings.

Jürgen. "Taktsang Monastery ‘The Tigers Nest’." Niceartlife Magazine. Niceartlife.com Magazine, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

http://niceartlife.com/taktsang-monastery-the-tigers-nest-legendary-buddhist-caves/

This article contains some facts about the monastery.