1. Incredible landscape

There is incredible landscape in Kathok. “The sky displays eight spoke wheel. The land looks like eight petal lotus. The surrounding resembles eight auspicious implement. The mountain in the back looks like a giant white parasol. The mountain in the front looks like a right spiral conch shell. The mountain to the right looks like a display of a hundred jewels, and also looks like a splendid tiger walking down the mountain. The mountain on the left looks like it has been covered by a green veil, or an elephant that carries 84,000 Dharma. The mountain below looks like a union of unchanging mudra, a symbol of the unity of many disciples. The shape of the mountain looks like Palden Lhamo. The mountain in front looks like a tetrahedron in the Secret Charka with lake of blood next to it. In its Manifestation Wheel at the Naval Chakra, there is a dharma seat, a Phurba, and natural arising “AH”, and “Ka” letters. On top is a parasol that opens like a peacock. In the Dharma Wheel at its Heart Chakra at the left side is Qing-Kang forest. The forest symbolizes the many great scholars in the monastery. The Enjoyment Charka at the throat is a rock with a spontaneous arising white “AH” on its top. At the left of the AH is Chenrizig, “ The Sacred Land of Meditation”. The Great Bliss Wheel in the forehead is many white rocks that resemble the wisdom beings of the Three Roots. On the top of a mountain is a natural arising Shakyamuni statue. There are natural arising statue of Buddha, seed syllables, and Dharma objects to the left of “Great Bliss Land of Meditation”.

2. Guru Rinpoche blessed the land thirteen times

In this auspicious land, Guru Rinpoche and his disciples stayed in Kathok and practiced for one year, one month and twenty five days. Guru Rinpoche personally blessed the land thirteen times. He left many auspicious imprints here. He had left his hand, feet, hat , and shawl imprints in the rocks. The twenty five disciples such as Master Matok Rinchen and Master Wachuyang left foot print. Yeshe Tsogyal had left mark of Phurba, and Rimatok Rinchen, who ingested leftover rocks as food. The land became as auspicious as the residence of Vajradhara, Palace of Lotus Light (Pema Od) due to Guru Rinpoche’s bleesing.

3. The sacred retreat ground of the Great Translator Berochana
The Great Translator Berochana had stopped by at this place after wandering in Jyamorong in Western Kham. He had done a month retreat in one of the cave there. We can still see the Peaceful Stupa built by Berochana. There is also the relic of five grains from the Eon of Goodness, and fragments pieces from the sun and moon.

Picture of one of the 25 disciple of Guru Rinpoche- Berochana

4. One of the three Vajra Seat in the world

The first Vajra Seat- the holy site of Bodhigaya in India

The holy Kathok Monastery in the East in the sacred mountains is one of the three Vajra Seats (the greater is Vajra Seat in Bodhigaya in India, a place where Buddha Shakaymuni attained Enlightenment. The lesser is the Vajra Seat of Wu-Tai-Shan in China, the abode of Manjushri. The middle is the Vajra Seat of Kathok, the abode of the Lotus Born). Kathok is also called the second sacred abode.

Two Vajra Seat- Kathog monastery in Tibet

Third Vajra Seat- Wu-Tai-Shan in China

 5. Comments about Kathok in the sutras and many Terma prophasies.
Terma’s auspicious praises regarding Kathok are as numerous as the raining of flower.
[The brief history of Kathok] stated “the great Master Lotus Born Said ‘in the border of Jambu Ling, in the middle of snow region, is the unchanging Vajra Seat in Kathok, the land of peaceful and wrathful manifestation that possesses the five charka. Although there are many places to practice, this place is the lord of all the retreat ground.”

The great Vidyadhara Dhashang Nudan Dorje’s Terma contained the following passage:” in the many holy places in Jambu Ling, the lord of land in Urgyen is the Northwest Sea. This land has 16 principle practice sites. The lord of land in Nepal is Yanleshe. It has 21 principle practice areas. The lord of land in Lhasa in the Land of Snow is “Jiapori”. This place has 20 principle practicing sites. The lord of sacred place in Kham is Secret Place, the seat of Five Chakras, the Vajra Seat of Kathok. This place has 120 principle practicing place. The lord of land in Jiamo Tsawarong is “Jiarong Benrido”. This place has 37 practicing place. The lord of sacred ground in China is Er Mei.. This place has 50 meditation places.

Every year during the Hare and Monkey in Tibetan Calendar, all the Buddha and Bodhisattvas will gather here in Kathok and bless this place. The sacred site Guru Rinpoche had blessed is blessed by the thousand Buddha in the Forutunate Eon. One can see the Lama, Yidam, Dakini, and Dharmapalas gathered like clouds even without having done any practice. Therefore, in the sutra it sated “one can receive unimaginable virtue if one can establish connection by doing prostrations and circumbating the Kathok Vajra Seat. One will complete gathering all the merit by doing one Tsok offering. One can complete accumulating the merit of wisdom, and perfect the accumulation of the two virtues by engaging in one session of meditation and mantra recitation. Any sentient beings that have been to this place will be reborn in the Pureland of the Lotus Born. Anyone that has performed prostration and circumbation to the Stupa here can eliminate all the demons that cause sickness in this lifetime. Anyone who recites the name of Buddha, recites mantra, abides in meditation, and performs Tsok offering can multiply their merit ten thousand times”.
Mahasiddha Song Ah Lingpa stated: the virtue of circumbating inside the Kathok Monastery is equivalent to reciting Vajra Guru Mantra 300 million times. It is equivalent to the virtue of offering all the Buddha and Bodhisattva seven times. By circumbating in the middle of Kathok Monastery, the virtue is equivalent to reciting Vajra Guru Mantra 500 million times. The virtue is equivalent to perform food offering to all the Buddha and Bodhisattvas in the 300 world system. If one circumbates the circumference of the monastery one time, one can accumulate virtue that is equivalent to the virtue of reciting 700 million Vajra Guru Mantra. It is the same as offering gold to Buddha, Bodhisattvas, and sentient beings in the 3000 world system. It will bring you peace in this life fulfill all the wishes in the future lifetime”.

It is this sacred mountain that Buddha Dharma flourishes for 1300 years. It is in this sacred mountain that the Tradition of the Ancient Translation, the Nyingmapa will exist as long as the running waves in the “Gold Sand River”.

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