Sikkim: The Land of Vast Blessings and Kind People

I spent the last five days in an amazing place filled with extraordinary blessings of both the spiritual and the natural environment variety. It also happens to be a land of kind, honest people. Despite my white skin, I was never once a target for con artists or thieves. Shockingly, every taxi driver and store keeper I met in the country gave me the low, local price without any bargaining required. I came here for an annual festival called the Bumchu Tuchen (Meaning the “Water Vase festival.”).

The vase was given to people in the area in the 8th century by Guru Padmasambhava, founder of Tibetan Buddhism, and it has the magical property of filling each year on its own with nectar-like water despite being emptied the year before. At midnight on the first full moon of the Tibetan New Year, the vase is brought out from its secure location within a monastery called Tashiding in West Sikkim and the water level is checked. If there is very little water in the vase, it is believed that the year will be filled with drought and poverty. If it is more than half full, it is believed there will be natural disasters such as floods and bad storms. If it is in the middle, it is believed the year will go smoothly. After the level is announced, the vase is emptied into a large tank and mixed with water from a nearby sacred river. A crowd of 7,000 to 10,000 people then lines up patiently for the next 10 hours to receive some of the water, which is believed to be powerful nectar created magically by Guru Padamsambhava.

I went with a few friends I met up to the Tashiding hill at 8:30 p.m. and joined the throngs of Buddhists camping out and lining up for the ceremony.



The full moon shone brightly and magic was unmistakably in the air. Families from far and wide came to the monastery with blankets and a mat, and waited for the special moment when the vase is brought out and the nectar is distributed. I stayed until 1:30 a.m. and then went home to get some sleep and join the queue later on when it would not be quite so long.



When it came my turn, I walked into the monastery and touched my head to the ancient vase for a blessing.

The nectar was poured into my hand and also in a small bottle I brought along and I walked past hundreds of masters praying in unison. I then spent the next two days on the hill with a friend I met from Germany, meditating in several sacred caves and feeling the tangible power of the blessings Padmasambhava brought to the place 1,200 years ago.



I then went to several 400 year-old monasteries in the area and enjoyed Himalayan and rhododendron flower views. Sikkim is an amazing place, and I am very grateful for my time there and for the kindness of the people I met.