Blessing in a Box

As a young girl growing up in eastern Bhutan, Dema, 58, would see gomchens (lay monks) visit her village in Trashigang, carrying a decorated ceremonious box containing a sacred relic. Once the box was opened and the brocade drapes removed, it would show a miniature chorten with numerous small doors. The gomchens would pull out the corners of the chorten, like they would a door, and yet another multitude of miniature doors would unfold. The doors would open into a shape of a swastika, as if it would rotate clockwise if spun. The chorten would be mounted atop the box. Opening the miniature doors would reveal miniature statues of gods, goddesses and saints. As Dema and other curious children gathered around to take a peek at the miniature statues within the miniature doors and windows, the elders would prostrate, sit around and sing the mani, prayers devoted to Chenrizig. The monks would lead the elders in paying homage. Villagers would offer grain to the bearers of the box, and woven belts or namzha (clothes to drape the relic) to the chorten. The sacred box, known as Tashi Gomang, is a sort of a mobile temple that monks would carry from village to village, so that layfolk could seek its blessings. In Bhutan, there are four types of Tashi Gomang, each depicting the paradise of a god - Ngoen per gawa Tashi Gomang, dedicated to Sangay Shacha Thubpa; Dewachen, dedicated to Sangay Yoedpagmed; Rewotala, dedicated to Chenrizig (bodhisattva Avalokitesvara); and Zangtogpelri, dedicated to Guru Rinpoche. The Tashi Gomang is also believed to be an amalgamation of sacred nyes (holy sites), brought together by Buddha for the benefit of people. Looking at the Tashi Gomang was equivalent to seeing all the sacred nyes, which would cleanse all sins. Tashi Gomang literally means “chorten of multiple auspicious doors”, which symbolise doorways to all things good, like good thoughts and deeds. A Tashi Gomang has a maximum of 108 doors. It is one of the eight chortens representing various stages in Buddha’s life. In the villages, it was customary for residents to invite and host the group and the sacred relic at their home for a day. It was believed good fortune and blessings would visit the house and its members. Prosperity, good health and protection from curses. With each house wanting to host the relic, it would take days or weeks for the gomchens to start their journey to another place. For Dema, who now lives in Thimphu, these are childhood memories. It’s been ages since she’s seen a Tashi Gomang. It wasn’t a common sight when she were a child, but it was customary for gomchens to visit villages, and for the villagers to be aware and to expect the relic and bearers. Now, if Dema were to see a Tashi Gomang, she would have to visit a populated public area, like the weekend vegetable market, or the memorial chorten on auspicious days. Monks carrying it and traversing the countryside are now a rarity. Most bearers are old and, because of migration, rural houses are empty and the youth are engaged in education or seeking employment. Some Tashi Gomangs are believed to be locked away in temples, lacking volunteers to bear them. “Bhutan has developed,” gomchen Kuenzang Tenzin, 69, the caretaker of a lhakhang in Namseling, Thimphu, and a Tashi Gomang bearer for the past 15 years, said. “Society is changing, and this has led to numerous changes, including how bearers make Tashi Gomang accessible to the people.” But the changes had nothing to do with faith, according to the bearer. Even today, if taken to the villages, people pay respect, but the crowd is not like before. “And being old it’s difficult to carry it to the villages,” he said. “I can hardly take it to the memorial chorten twice a month.” Kuenzang Tenzin was living as a farmer in Trongsa when he volunteered to become a bearer. “Each dzongkhag is believed to have one Tashi Gomang each, making a total of 18,” he said. (Until recently, Bhutan had only 18 dzongkhags.) The one Kuenzang Tenzin bears is Wangduephodrang’s Dangla goenpa’s Tashi Gomang, believed to have been built by Zhabdrung Jigme Norbu about 300 years ago, who was the fourth reincarnation of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. On auspicious days, like tshey chenga, and duezang, during which residents in Thimphu offer prayers, butter lamps and circumambulate the memorial chorten, Kuenzang carries the Tashi Gomang to the chorten. People now offer money, which Kuenzang collects and sends to Dangla goenpa. Because the Tashi Gomang was lying idle and locked up, Kuenzang Tenzin volunteered to take it places to reveal to people and make some collections. According to the gomchen, all 18 Tashi Gomangs in Bhutan are believed to be built under the order of Zhabdrung Jigme Norbu. At the memorial chorten, usually frequented by the elderly, gomchen Kuenzang usually gets cash offerings. “People prostrate and get blessings,” he said. “And, if one is interested and asks about the Tashi Gomang, I explain it to them.” Although Kuenzang Tenzin lives in Namseling, he keeps the Tashi Gomang in a relative’s home in Changidaphu, Thimphu. He travels by public transport from his home till the host’s place and then transports the relic by foot to the memorial chorten. “I keep it here because when I travel by taxi, other passengers mount their goods atop the Tashi Gomang. They are usually unaware,” he said. How did it come to Bhutan? It is believed that demons obstructed the construction of Punakha dzong, the fifth dzong Zhadrung Ngawang Namgyel built. Whatever was built during day was demolished at night. At that time, a khandum (angel), Dechen Gyem, appeared and instructed Zhabdrung to construct a Tashi Gomang at the site to subdue the demons. Zhabdrung asked his carpenters to construct a Tashi Gomang, but none of the carpenters knew how to build one. They had not seen or heard about it. The head of the carpenters informed Zhabdrung about a young carpenter, Balaypibu, who was gifted and could construct anything out of wood. The young carpenter was summoned and made to sleep behind Zhabdrung’s prayer table for three nights. But, before doing that, Zhabdrung summoned three local deities Yeshey Goempo, Langyoen and Pelden Lhamo, and asked them to take Balaypibu’s mind on a tour to Ralung, Tibet, to see the Tashi Gomang. After the third night, Zhabdrung summoned Balaypibu and asked him to explain his dream. Balaypibu said he saw the Zangtopelri in Ralung, Tibet. The carpenter was then ordered to construct a Tashi Gomang. Before dusk, he built the Tashi Gomang, and then approached Zhabdrung, asking how he’d fill the doors with statues. With his supernatural power, Zhabdrung built the statues and placed them within the miniature doors. As narrated by gomchen Kuenzang Tenzin Tashi Gomang’s initial formation Gomchen Drangsong was a man, who had gained a sense of detachment from all things worldly, like anger, jealousy and attachment to materials. His name Drangsong literally means detached and was derived from his character. Gomchen Drangsong had a daughter, Kandum Zhugkinim. As a test, the king of Tagzhinor asked her hand in marriage. Goemchen Drangsong told the king that, if he refused, it would destroy all that he’d worked and strived for. Saying so, he handed over his daughter to the king. A huge celebration followed and the daughter was taken away. The moment his daughter left him Drangsong was overcome with emotion. He climbed a hill to see his daughter leave. As they disappeared into the distance, he climbed a tree to get a better view, but he fell and died. When Drangsong died, out of his body, the precious Tashi Gomang emerged. As narrated by gomchen Kuenzang Tenzin How it came to earth It was a time of greed. There was no religion or faith. Evil was rampant. Buddha wanted to eradicate greed, anger, ignorance and arrogance, and make people feel the presence of god and goodness. To start with an appropriate preaching in Varanasi, Lord Buddha visited heaven, where he met Tegor, the king of the gods, who had five khandums. The five khandums instructed Buddha to visit gomchen Drangsong, who lived in a village of god called Tshangchen. A powerful and sacred religious instrument called Tashi Gomang, derived from Drangsong’s own body, was there. Buddha was told that it would help subdue every evil and, as he preached, if the Tashi Gomang could fly to Varanasi, it would help spread religion. Back in Varanasi, as Buddha preached, the Tashi Gomang flew down from heaven. As narrated by gomchen Kuenzang Tenzin Its architecture T he finesse of a craftman’s statue of gods or goddesses may be lacking, but the Tashi Gomang is still an architectural feat in the laypersons’ eyes. Weighing slightly over 20kg, the bronze,silver and gold plated wooden chorten folds in to a compact form. One can only guess that there is more than meets the eye. Each wall of the chorten has rows and columns of miniature doors with a metal circular ring to tug it open. Inside are housed small statues of gods and goddesses. Like the chorten, the golden statues are crude. As each wall opens, as would a door, rows and columns of doors appear again, each housing a statue each. The Guru Tshokey Dorji, sitting atop the chorten folds into the lotus petals and slides down into a cylindrical tube. A string is attached to the base of the lotus, with which the bearer tugs the statue out. The chorten, described here, is about three centuries old and the woodwork is giving way. The hinges of one wall are damaged and often the wall drops. Some of the miniature doors won’t budge, and adding pressure is out of the question since the doors look fragile. Some doors are missing, the paintings are old, as is the silk, which drapes the chorten. But, according to an elderly woman, being old meant it was more sacred and carried more blessings.. Source Kuensel (Bhutan's National Newspaper)