Photos of prayer flags with Mt Kailash of Tibet in the background. Photo taken by mountaineers on a trek. Mt Kailash is located in a particularly remote and inhospitable area of the Tibetan Himalayas. Lord Shiva, the destroyer of ignorance and illusion, resides at the summit of a legendary mountain named Kailās, where he sits in a state of perpetual meditation along with his wife Pārvatī. Like many of the Hindu gods, Shiva is a character of apparent contradictions. He is at once the Lord of Yoga and therefore the ultimate renunciate ascetic, yet he is also the divine master of Tantra. The mountain has four faces made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli. It is a pillar of the world and is located at the heart of six mountain ranges symbolizing a lotus. It is a popular belief that the stairways on Mount Kailash lead to heaven. Walking around the holy mountain for a pilgrimage—a part of its official park—has to be done on foot, pony or yak, taking some three days of trekking. It is said that Milarepa (c. 1052-c. 1135 CE), champion of Tantric Buddhism, arrived in Tibet to challenge the unbeatable Naro Bön-chung. The two magicians engaged in a terrifying sorcerers battle, but neither was able to gain a decisive advantage. Finally, it was agreed that whoever could reach the summit of Kailash most rapidly would be the victor. While Naro Bön-chung sat on a magic drum and soared up the slope, Milarepas followers were dumbfounded to see him sitting still and meditating. Yet when Naro Bön-chung was nearly at the top, Milarepa suddenly moved into action and overtook him by riding on the rays of the sun, thus winning the contest.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 07:09:03 +0000
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