Stairway to Heaven

It's a full moon on Friday, the 15th day of the 7th month of the Bhutanese calendar. It's an auspicious day to go to the Ugyen Guru Lhakhang Temple, and some Bhutanese colleagues and friends let me tag along. The temple is about 4 miles up the mountain from here. You have to walk the last bit. The beautiful panoramic view of the Himalayas feels like heaven, something these Buddhists do not believe in. There's no need really.

My friends explained to me how the local deity and his wife protect the temple. Rinpoche, a reincarnation of the Buddha, is in between the protector. The protector has a face that at once looks angry to ward off evil, but happy to the good hearted. He is fed hot coals every night, drinks from a sacred pond, and after midnight knocks on the doors of the evil to call them out. 

The first day snow appeared on some of the higher peaks rising above the Paro valley on my morning walk today. The snowy peak on the right is Jomolhari or Chomolhari, over 24,000 feet. The other side of it is Tibet. The snowy ridge to the left of Jomolhari is Nepal. 

When I left dinner the full moon was rising up over the Himalaya on a cool, clear night. Auspicious end to the day.