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Holy Kangrinboqe Peak
At 6,714 meters above sea level, Kangrinboqe Peak in Ngari of Tibet is
the holy mountain in Tibet and attracts flocks of pilgrims from other parts of
the country, India and Nepal to pay their respect to the Buddha. Also it is one
of the pilgrimage centers of Tibet Buddhism, Hinduism and the Bon.
Kangrinboqe Peak is the summit of Gangdise Mountain. Its worldwide fame is
far behind Qomolangma (Mount Everest). However, geographical altitude matters
little in the realm of spirituality. The Tibetans call the peak "Kangri", which
means "treasure of the snowy mountains". In Buddhism, this peak occupies a
position as important as the Mandala, or the center of the universe.
The peak is said to "be like an olive towering into the sky, with a
seven-colored round crown and surrounded by an eight-petal lotus." The whole
mountain is like a crystal ice-carving inlaid with jade. The picture of
Kangrinboqe Peak is placed together with the figure of Buddha on the shrines of
Buddhists in Tibet. Kangrinboqe is not only the symbol of natural beauty, but
also symbol of religious belief.
Legend has it when the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, was alive, guardians
of all directions, Bodhisattvas, heavenly gods, human beings, Lhamayin and
musicians from heaven gathered around Kangrinboqe Peak in the year of horse, so
the year of horse has become the animal-symbolized year when the mountain turned
holy. In the 11th century, when Master Monk Adeha of Bangladesh came to worship
the Holy Mountain, five-colored clouds appeared suddenly, flowing to the peak
and Buddha made his presence again and again amid the clouds. Besides, master of
Tibetan Buddhism Milareba had been here, practicing Buddhism, doing missionary
work and displaying his power. All these make the Holy Mountain even more
mystic.
It is said that in paying homage to Kangrinboqe Peak, turn around the
mountain once, and all your sins will be cleansed; go around it ten times, and
you will be exempt from the hardship in hell in the 500 samsaras; go around it
100 times, and you will be ensured of going to Heaven as a Bodhisattva. One turn
around the mountain in the year of horse equals to 13 turns in normal year. So,
on the roads to Kangrinboqe, endless streams of pilgrims are found, a
spectacular view of human beings.
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