On the path to enlightenment

At the Kurjey Lakhang, a monastery in Buthang, I am literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. Well, just two rocks. If I can squeeze through the small opening between them, it means I have a purer soul than those who cannot pass. I feel like I am in an Indiana Jones film and one wrong move will mean I’ve “chosen poorly.”

Having already passed the test, Chris, Kevin and Sheila offer words of encouragement and although I am convinced that I must be a sinner, I manage to get down on the ground and contort my body enough to get halfway through. The rest comes easy.

The first lesson learned: good karma is reserved for skinnier people.

Siddhartha went through a series of tests before he achieved enlightenment and became known as Buddha. Bhutanese Buddhists challenge themselves in various ways, too. It could be the number of times they circumambulate a temple in a clockwise direction, how many times they recite a mantra — it could be a million times per week — or squeeze themselves into a small space.

Another test awaited us at the Kenchosum Lakhgang, where we were challenged to carry 50 pounds of metal draped around our shoulders and circle the temple. The cape was chainmail that once belonged to the founding lama of the monastery in the 15th century. After we tried it, four young monks followed suit.

Lesson learned: outer strength must equal inner strength.

We had one last challenge to overcome today. We were running late getting to Trongsa to visit the national museum. Our driver raced along the twisty one-lane highway until we reached the Tower of Trongsa, a 500-year-old defense tower that houses Bhutanese history and Buddhist artifacts.

We made it just in time and as we walked through the museum, we were introduced to thousands of demons, saints and deities. Some characters — such as Guru Rinpoche — had many manifestions. It was hard to keep them all straight. Just as challenging is trying to remember all the monasteries and dzongs we’ve visited during our visit to Bhutan.

I just hope there’s not a test.