Kora

            Our first day in McLeod Ganj, the host family we were staying with invited Julia and I to go to the Kora with them. We weren’t sure what that was, but then they explained, the path that goes around His Holiness’ home and the temple. This we had heard of, but didn’t know much about. So off we went.

             We walked past the temple and down a road, then off the road onto a trail, much like any nature hike type of trail. Stuck to a tree was a sign that said “Kora, circumambulate way” with an arrow indicating the direction to go.

            We walked down the path behind our host Pa-la (father) and Ama-la (mother). It was such a peaceful and quiet little trail, and the surroundings were beautiful. Strung throughout the trees bordering the path were hundreds of Tibetan prayer flags, small square flags hung in a row, blue, white, red, green, yellow and then repeated.

            As we walked further we found that humans weren’t the only ones that walked the Kora. Dogs, cows, and monkeys also abounded. Of course they did not always stick to the trail and would frequently run off on their own adventures. Or in the case of the cows, they would sometimes pick a spot on the tiny path to stand, or plop themselves down to rest, making everyone else detour around them. This did not bother anyone by any means however, and many people would bring food to give to these animals. There was one spot where someone would bring a bag of crumbs (or some type of small food) every evening and leave it in a pile for the monkeys. It was a routine and the monkeys learned it, so everyday at that time there would be at least ten monkeys gathered around to eat and play and rest.

            A little further up the path we started to see some stones with carvings in them; Tibetan symbols and letters. Some were small and simple, whereas others were very large and even painted in bright colors.

            Next we came to sort of a clearing. A large open cement-covered area. To the left was a large covered area with benches where people could rest, and to the right was a long line of prayer wheels, small Tibetan towers, and more prayer flags. We walked along the long line of wheels, tall, heavy cylinders with an pole running through the center. We took hold of each one and gave it a firm spin clockwise. We walked down the line, spinning at least a hundred wheels.

            At the end of the line we came to one giant prayer wheel, twice my height and about the width of my arm span.  For this one you had to walk all the way around it, pulling it as you went to get it spinning. The wheel would inform you of each full rotation by ringing a bell. We walked around the wheel three times and then continued up the path.

            Turning a corner, suddenly the path wasn’t so beautiful and peaceful. The trees and lazy, winding path were gone, and instead we were met with a wide stretch of cement leading up a very steep hill. We trekked up the hill trying to look like we were in shape, but getting passed up by 80-year-old Tibetan men and women who we were told sometimes walked the Kora three times a day.

            Finally we reached another more flat and peaceful path, which wound around and suddenly dropped us off right in front of the temple where we had started. I was a little disoriented and it took me a while to realize that we had just gone in a circle. I knew it was supposed to be a circle, but for some reason, just out of the nature of hiking, I felt like the final destination should be someplace other than where we started. Our host parents turned to us and asked, “Do you want to go around again?” We shrugged and agreed, “Sure!” so off we went again.

            Since this day, Julia and I walked the Kora by ourselves on many other occasions. It was such a peaceful and enjoyable walk, and also served as good exercise. As time went on and we observed and talked to people about the Kora, we learned a lot about the meanings of the different objects and symbols that surround the path.

            Prayer flags are called just that because a prayer is written on each flag. In this case a prayer is not so much a plea to a God, but a scripture promoting peace and compassion. It is said that as the wind blows it carries those prayers on to bless wherever or whoever they come across.

            The carvings in the rocks that we saw are mantras, many meaning, “Om mani pedme hum”, which meaning I also attempted to learn about (see my explanation in the post: “Q&A with Tibetan Monks”).

            Prayer wheels have these same types of prayers or mantras written thousands of times and wrapped around their center before incased in the wood or metal outer cylinder. They say that for every rotation you give a prayer wheel it’s like saying that mantra the same amount of time it is written on the inside.

            Later in my stay I had a great conversation with a monk in conversation class discussing the purpose of the kora itself. In Tibetan Buddhism there is karma as well as merit, which are two similar yet different things. As I understand it, karma is something you earn by your deeds and thoughts, the way you live and treat other people. Merit on the other hand is acquired through repeatable physical acts. There are lots of ways to obtain merit, including spinning prayer wheels and repeating mantras (chanting sacred phrases like, “Om mani pedme hum”). Walking the Kora will also get you good merit, and lots of it. The monk I was talking to explained to me that when you walk a circle around something, you obtain merit from all the different things placed within that circle. For example, some people will walk a smaller circle just around the upstairs of the temple. This encompasses the main temple room with images of deities, sacred scriptures, and more. So every time you walk around that room, you get merit for everything inside. Similarly, every time you walk around the Kora you get merit from those same things in the temple, plus the temple itself, The Dalai Lama and his home, and hundreds of prayer wheels, prayer flags and carved mantras.

            So there are many ways to acquire merit, and many ways to get it in great abundance. I’m not sure if there is a way to measure it, but I would be interested to find out. I asked the monk what was more important to have, good karma or good merit? He seemed to believe that karma may be more important, but that both were in some way necessary.

            And in truth, walking the Kora did make me feel good. I enjoyed the beauty of it, the peaceful atmosphere, the exercise, and the conversations I had with Julia along the way.  Call it merit or something else, I liked what I got out of it.