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| Rumtek monastery, Sikkim |
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| Dharma Chakra, Rumtek, Sikkim |
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| Rooms for monks; Rumtek |
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| Tibetan architecture, Rumtek |
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| View of Gangtok from Rumtek. |
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| Way to reliquary of Karmapa. |
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| Nalanda canteen. |
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| Children play cricket. |
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| Descending from the reliquary. |
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| Information board. |
-Brian Mendonca
When my mum passed on and there were no answers, I reached by out to The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. I became aware that death was cyclic and it was possible to intervene to make one's passing easier.
Today, in the wide courtyard of the magnificent Rumtek monastery, I recalled that moment in 2007. Chancing upon a book titled Awakening the Sleeping Buddha in the canteen on site, my finger opened to the page with the title 'The Drogpa of Death.'
We must prepare for death, stated the writer, and throw away what is meaningless. Three things prevent this from happening, he wrote, viz. wealth, status, and relatives.
All evolved beings have opted for the path of renunciation. The vast energy of Tibetan Buddhism engulfed me asI made my way around the sacred place. Like a windy city, the place perched high on a hill, stared unblinkingly at the Kanchenjunga range.
This was the seat of the Karmapa in exile when he fled Tibet from China in the 1960's. The reliquary installed at the side of the main prayer hall was in memory of the last Karmapa.
I paused at a shop selling articles related to Tibetan Buddhism. When I examined a leather pouch the monk who was the salesman said, 'That is from Tibet.' Books written by the Dalai Lama adorned the bookshelves. Incense sticks burned. T shirts with Tibetan letters on the front were stacked neatly.
We left to make our way to Banjakri amusement park - the antithesis of the profundity of Rumtek. My thoughts did not leave its spiritual field, the images of the frescoes in the main hall impinging on my memory.
The day ended with delicious food from Taste of Tibet restaurant on MG road, Gangtok. Eating their Beef Shyaphale and Pork Shyaphale, complete with sauces and kimchi (slivers of pickled cabbage), I was thankful that Tibet lived on in its cuisine.
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Photo courtesy Brian Mendonca. Location courtesy, Rumtek monastery, Sikkim, India. Updated 23/10/25.
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