Je Khempo In Kanglung

Je Khempo coming to Kanglung is not a common occurrence. I finally figured out what the occasion for his visit was. The Khempo of Zengdopelri Temple in Kanglung was moving to the higher temple in Kanglung. When I say ‘higher’ I mean geographically. This high temple could very well be higher in rank, but I only mean that it’s up the mountain from Zengdopelri. When I asked some of my coworkers what the name of the higher temple was, no one seemed to know. Since the Khempo was moving up, a monk at Zengdopelri was being promoted to be Khempo of Zengdopelri. This was the reason for Je Khempo’s important visit and the reason a holiday was declared at school. No classes for the students and the teachers all had to attend a ceremony at the high temple.

Before going to the high temple, a group of the teachers met at Zengdopelri to give offerings and receive a final blessing from the Khempo before he moved on. It was my first time offering a kada, which is a light white scarf. There’s a particular way to fold it in one’s hand so that the kada can be elegantly thrown to the side and offered with two hands as one is bowing. (You also see kadas draped either over or under the pictures of Bhutan’s kings that are hung on walls, as well as in cars, wrapped around the riewview mirror for good luck).

One of the Dzongkha teachers at my school, Lopen Ugyen, pre-folded the scarf for me so all I had to do was hold on to it before making the offering. The teachers of my school each offered a kada to the Khempo in a line, one after another. When it was my turn, I did my scarf throw and bowed my head to the table Khempo was sitting at until my head touched the surface. I don’t remember if I said anything; probably not because I wasn’t sure what to say. But I do remember that Khempo, recognizing that it was me – a foreign teacher from the states – said in perfect English, “Thank you.” After I gave the offering and received that first blessing, I went through the line of three monks everyone before me had gone through. I was first given a piece of blessed doma, then a bunch of blessed strings, and a piece of blessed chewing gum. I put the strings and gum in my bag, and gave the doma to my principal’s wife.

This was my second time inside Zengdopelri Temple, and it was my second time prostrating three times. I just felt the need to go with the rest of the crowd. After doing so, I walked behind the alter to admire the statues of Guru Rimpoche and his wives, then made my exit to collect my shoes.

As always, I’m a flutter of confusion at these types of events. Thankfully, I have a kind staff who make sure I’m included and going the right way. While we were waiting outside the temple for the rest of our staff to gather, a military jeep pulled up to the entrance. I heard some murmuring from a staff member. The person inside the jeep was the Yongphula Rimpoche – Yongphula being the location of an Indian Army Base, hence his arrival in a military vehicle, and Rimpoche being the title given to those who are the reincarnates of Guru Rimpoche and have reached enlightenment. It was Phuntsho who informed me of his identity and stature. The staff members I was standing with started shuffling around. “We are going to get a blessing,” Phuntsho said. “Oh, should I?” I asked. “If you want to,” he answered.

Yongphula Rimpoche emerged from the vehicle and walked through the entrance into the temple grounds. My coworkers all rushed him like a group of young teenage girls rushing the latest boy singing sensation. I had never seen anything like that. They all bent their heads towards the Rimpoche. Even though I quickly followed, I was able to hang a little behind and observe. As Rimpoche was walking into the entrance of the temple, his face wore a serious expectant expression, that he was about to enter a ceremony, but as he saw the small rush of people to his side, his face broke into a smile, a tender smile, like they were his children. He touched all the heads, including mine – my second blessing of the day.

As we walked to the high temple, Phuntsho explained that Yongphula Rimpoche has reached his status because he has gone into the woods to meditate for three years, three months, three weeks, three day, and so on, and has then gone to meditate for some time in a cremation ground. I have found that people here tend to be pretty afraid of ghosts. The fact that someone would spend day after day, night after night in a cremation ground is really impressive. This shows that the person is able to tame and subjugate the demons as Guru Rimpoche did. Their main diet while doing this is buckwheat flour. (For anyone who sees mistakes in my telling of this, please let me know. I’m usually pretty confused when Bhutanese explain these cultural and religious aspects to me and I tend to mix up details, but I try the best I can in recalling them).

When we reached the high temple, everyone else was already ready for Je Khempo’s arrival. The monks all stood in line and the lay people stood shoulder to shoulder behind them. There were even some monks standing on the roof of the building ready to play their instruments for Je Khempo’s grand entrance.


Soon, an entourage of cars drove up to the temple, including the Toyota with curtains in the windows and a license plate that says BHUTAN. Je Khempo, donned in sunglasses, emerged from his car and led the procession into the grounds.

We all filed into and filled a small field of green. There were some tents set up but, in the beginning of the ceremony, almost everyone sat on the grass in the hot morning sun. There were a series of speeches and words, which I, of course, didn’t understand. There was sitting and standing and prostrating and I just went with the flow of believers. Prostrating in a crowd isn’t the most comfortable thing because unless everyone is in sync, there is likely to be the colliding of heads and butts. From what I could tell, I was the only foreigner, although I dressed the part of local in National Dress and rachu over my shoulders. There were individuals standing on the fringe of the gathering taking pictures or videoing. I recognized one or two as being from a newspaper. I wished I could be on that side of things, looking in from the outside, taking pictures and recording observations.

At different times, monks handed out fruit, sweet rice, and hot tea. Since I and most everyone else around me didn’t come prepared with any sort of container, the rice was served into our hand. For the tea, thin plastic cups were given out. Next came the crisp five ngultrum bill. My co worker, Tashi, told me not to spend it, but rather save it, and it shall multiply. Then came small pieces of chocolate and a fruit juice box.

At one point, I was given a small pile of dried colored rice and dried flower petals. Kinzang told me that the flowers are rare, found only in the woods. This mix was meant for throwing, a ritual for keeping away of bad spirits and bad luck. There were some words said followed by some throwing, and then repeated several times. I watched as dried flower petals stuck to the back of my principal who was sitting in front of me, and felt dried rice in my hair.

The ceremony continued as we sat. My physical participation in it had come to an end and mostly I just sat there, worried about getting burned in the sun, and sometimes talked to Kinzang. More and more people showed up. College students arrived with schoolbooks in their arms. Soon it was a sea of heads.

Monks carried bags made of colorful silk filled with offerings and set them in front of Je Khempo.

Yongphula Rimpoche, who had blessed some of my teachers and myself earlier, sat on the main stage with Je Khempo.

The dignitaries in the crowd had been invited to sit in chairs under the tent away from the sun. My coworkers and I also moved to seats under a different tent to prepare ourselves for hours of singing and dance performances. Most of the songs and dances were performed by college students, some by a group of men which included my principal. Apparently, my fellow teachers and I should’ve had something prepared, but we hadn’t known. Some wanted us to perform anyway, and I was glad when that didn’t happen. The monks sat in a group of the side also watching the show.

When the group of men danced and sang, some of them wore traditional boots. They are custom made and are usually worn by ministers and dashos and other people of rank.


Around 12:30, someone came around and announced lunch was being served. I hadn’t known a meal was involved in the ceremony. Performances were still going on, but we got up and walked to the food tent. Other people had already started eating. It’s amazing. The monks cook and feed everyone who’s there. The spread of dishes was impressive. It was probably the best meal I’ve had in Kanglung.


I ate in a circle with some of my female coworkers. There was some talking but mostly there was eating; we were all ravenous. Monks came around with large containers of food for anyone who wanted more. At first, I tried eating without a utensil as most locals do, but I couldn’t make it last. A monk found a spoon for me.

When my group was done eating, they were all leaving and I started to leave with them. They told me that lunch was usually the final act, but this particular ceremony was going on a little longer; it would soon end. I changed my mind about leaving and returned back to the performances. A group of people, including the governor of Trashigang and my principal, were dancing and singing in a circle. Most everyone had left, including the masses of college students. The dancers remained and some stranglers in chairs under tents and sitting on the ground. I watched as monks got ready for Je Khempo’s exit.

We stood in a line shoulder to shoulder, as we had for his entrance, and watched Je Khempo leave.