"January 5th. From Jiadu to Zhangmu, 30 kilometers around the mountain. The road is difficult and dangerous. It was 6 p.m. when I arrived at Tatopani, the border with Nepal. Feeling unwell.
January 6th. Pass through the pass and enter Zhangmu. Due to heavy snowfall, the truck convoy did not come down. Wait. High fever, body aches and weakness. Pray to the guru, buy 999. ……
January 8th. When I went to see the car in the morning, the truck was one car away and had an accident under the Nielamu. Unable to transport, unable to reach Zhangmu. The other three vehicles were unloaded in the afternoon, and the two groups of 14 people unloaded for 6 hours. After the two trucks were unloaded, they went to Nyeram to pick up the accident car. ……
January 12th. I started at 4 a.m. and left at 5:30. Arrived in Zhangmu in the morning, went through all the procedures in the afternoon, learned that customs duties had not been paid, and negotiated. In the evening, the supermarket buys supplies on the road.
January 13th. From 4 o'clock in the morning, the driver's supplies were distributed, the convoy was sorted out, and after departing to the checkpoint, the embassy completed all the documents. In the morning, the driver was affected by local emergencies and did not dare to set off, delayed the customs clearance time of the day, and continued to wait.
January 14th. From 4 a.m., get ready, and leave at 10 a.m. To the collapsed section, the car in front had to fall once due to the sharp curve, and the road slipped and almost fell down the mountain. Thousands of difficulties and dangers, through the collapsed section. Before arriving in Canada, it was conservatively estimated that there were 6 punctures. Finally arrived at the parking point, 16 kilometers away from Gadu. Another tire puncture that cannot be repaired. Send a car to Kadu to buy tires.
January 15th. Get up at 4 a.m. and prepare to leave at 5:30. The driver was an hour late. The first 7 cars set off, and the 8th car repaired the tires, and after more than an hour, the repair was completed. Passing through the ring road, the spare tire was changed for more than 1 hour, and I found that I forgot to bring my documents, so I took the documents and set off again. It is now half past nine and is expected to arrive in half an hour. The total duration is 14 hours. At half past ten, we finally arrived. ”
……
This is not a legendary story, but a portrait of tens of millions of butter lamps used in the [2015 Lumbini Lantern Offering and Blessing Ceremony] hosted by the Chinese Temple in Nepal, with the theme of "The 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and Nepal and Praying for World Peace", departed from Beijing all the way west, and finally arrived at the destination Lumbini.
At the beginning of 2014, an unprecedented ceremony to offer 10 million lamps at the birthplace of the Buddha will be held in 2015. Hosted by the Nepal Chinese Temple, with the theme of "The 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and Nepal, Praying for World Peace", the ceremony received full support from the Nepalese government and the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, as well as the positive response of many Buddhist disciples in China. Many Buddhist disciples in China have signed up to volunteer and actively participate in the preparations and services of this blessing ceremony.
Beijing Buddhist disciples raised their own funds to establish the first butter lamp factory in the region. They earnestly vowed that all the economic profits from the lamp factory would be used for Buddhism, and the workers would collectively burn incense, pray and chant scriptures before work every day. By the end of November, the production of 10 million pure vegetable butter lamps had been completed half a month ahead of schedule, and the quality and connotation of the butter lamps were widely praised at the National Buddhist Expo and the good name spread far and wide. Everything is ready but owes the east wind, and thousands of butter lamps are like the leaf boat, waiting to set sail immediately.
However, how these tens of millions of lamps arrived in Lumbini is the difficulty and key to whether the event can be successfully organized from the day the lantern festival was launched.
Beijing is about 5,000 kilometers away from Lumbini in southern Nepal, spanning six completely different climate types, from subarctic to tropical, and the border between the two countries lies the Himalayas - the roof of the world. Therefore, the lamps used in the ceremony were initially considered to be transported by sea, but the sea transportation time was long and there were too many uncontrollable factors, so it was feared that the arrival date would be too late. Therefore, the "Journey to the West" route from the capital to Lhasa, then through Nyelam, Zhangmu, Kathmandu, and finally to Lumbini surfaced.
On December 9, 2014, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal, after a whole year of inspection, preparation and the dedication and dedication of countless volunteers, carrying the good wish of the Zhonghua Temple to supply lamps "world peace, happiness of all living beings, and long-lasting friendship between the people of China and Nepal", 10 million ghee lamps with a total weight of 92 tons set off from Beijing Ghee Lamp Factory, sharing 4 large trucks, and rushed to Lhasa, the city of sunshine, in the cheers and eagerness of the send-off crowd.
Back to Lhasa
Back to Potara
Wash my heart in the Brahmaputra River
Awaken my soul on the top of the snow-capped mountains
I climbed Tanggula Mountain and met the snow lotus
The snow-capped mountains and green grass
Beautiful snow lotus
There is a pure heart in the pure sky
The whole journey from Beijing to Lhasa is more than 3,600 kilometers, including loading, waiting, transfer, and all links on the way, which lasted a total of 13 days. After staying in the Lhasa warehouse for 5 days, the journey from Lhasa to Lumbini repeated the "ninety-nine and eighty-one difficulties" of Master Xuanzang 1,500 years ago when he traveled west to seek the Dharma.
As the transportation provider in China, the drivers of Lhasa China Railway not only reflect rich driving experience and a high sense of responsibility, but also shine with the warmth and light of human nature during the transportation that has gone through many hardships and dangers. Especially from Lhasa to Zhangmu, after two heavy snowfalls, the steep Himalayan cliffs are lined up, and the snow and waterfalls form thick ice on the ground, allowing vehicles to pass in one direction and creep around. Sometimes huge snow masses rolling down from the mountain block the way, and when the wrecker team comes to clear the road, a "snow hole" must be shoveled out with a forklift to allow a car to pass...... It was originally only 1 day's journey through Nie Damu, but the convoy walked for 7 days, and the drivers only had one day of dry food and drinking water! Lhasa China Railway urgently dispatched an off-road vehicle to deliver the water and grain to the masters again; The second heavy snow closed the mountains, the temperature plummeted, even the drivers with long-term long-distance operation experience could not bear it and stopped driving overnight, and the next morning the sun rose and hurried on the road.
This journey, the weather is cold; In this industry, there is a lack of food and food. However, none of the simple Tibetan masters complained, but because they knew the holiness of the direction of the tens of millions of lamps they were carrying and the special mission, everyone participated and paid with a heart of reverence, scrambling to be the first but obscure. That kind of participation is because it does not seek material things, and that kind of dedication is highlighted because it does not need praise, and the great love is invisible.
When there were still tens of kilometers away from Zhangmu, because the ice was too slippery, a truck slipped continuously, and finally crashed into a bridge on the road, and everyone's hearts were lifted in an instant! But fortunately, the people and goods are safe! However, the front face of the truck was damaged and could only wait for rescue. So after the other trucks arrived at Zhangmu to unload the goods, they sent two cars back immediately without taking a breath, replaced all the butter lamps on the accident car, and then rescued people and vehicles, and arrived in Zhangmu again in the middle of the night.
Lhasa China Railway is selflessly and unpaid for these 10 million lights because it has infected so many people, so the crashed vehicles do not ask for compensation, and the trucks stay in the warehouse for several days without charge, resulting in this service they not only did not make money, but lost more than 10,000 yuan. On the way to Zhangmu, the manager of China Railway, who did not believe in Buddhism, apologized very sincerely, on the grounds that "these lights were not transported". Until now, they are still very happy to help promote the Lantern Offering Festival in Lumbini, and they are still trying their best to participate more, but they feel that they do not believe in Buddhism, and they really don't know how to express it better, and they are even at a loss to move out of their cars with kitchen utensils, including the brand new Indian wok, and happily dedicate them to the Lantern Puja. They do not know that the kitchenware and wok offered with such a pure mind are no different from the meaning and superiority of the famous copper pot that Venerable Milarepa offered to Master Marpa and praised by Buddhists.
In order to ensure that these 10 million lamps arrived at the Zhonghua Temple smoothly and that the lantern offering and blessing ceremony could be held as scheduled, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal gave full support. Since it was just in time for the strike in Nepal, all vehicles were not released, and the director of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal personally drove to Zhangmu Customs in Tibet to pick up the 10 million lights, and stayed for three days on the way to Zhangmu, constantly coordinating the release matters. After leaving the country, entering Nepal, the embassy director drove in front to lead the convoy, walked for a while and got out of the car to see if the car behind him caught up......
This road in Nepal is terrifying and thrilling. The mountain road from Zhangmu to Kathmandu collapsed, and the convoy could only take the local temporary dirt paved path, and the original 4 large trucks with a load of about 25 tons had to be replaced with 8 trucks with a load of more than 10 tons. Even after changing cars, driving on such a dirt mountain road, people sitting in the car are often frightened by the dangers in front of them...... Under his feet is the abyss, his car is bumping left and right, and the car in front of the turn, the front wheel has passed, and the rear wheel is hanging in the air...... He didn't dare to blink his eyes, as if he was about to fall off a cliff in the next second......
It can be said that under such a bad situation, without the full support of the Nepalese government and the Chinese embassy in Nepal, it is almost impossible for these tens of millions of lamps to arrive in Nepal from China. The active efforts of the two governments to promote this blessing ceremony demonstrate the common good wish of the two sides to promote China-Nepal friendship, deepen China-Nepal friendly exchanges, promote the healthy development of Buddhist culture, and pray for world peace and people's well-being.
"Those who have attained the Tao will help more, and the world will follow it." At 10:30 p.m. on January 15, 2015, 10 million ghee lamps finally arrived at the destination safely and were unloaded in one day.
"The wind and snow in the mountains are rampant,
Tens of millions of bright lights pass through DJI;
The dragon sends the heavenly protector of the Dharma world,
Welcome the light to help the people.
stepping through the snow-capped mountains in one fell swoop;
Do not call yourself a king.
If heaven is sentient, heaven is also old,
The righteous path in the world is the vicissitudes of life. ”
These tens of millions of butter lamps condense the hard work of countless people in China, Nepal, Han and Tibet, contain the immeasurable compassion of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and gather the sincere blessings and prayers for world harmony and peace of all sentient beings! In the near future, these tens of millions of lamps will turn into kind and beautiful wishes, burning the warmth of the great love of human beings on earth, carrying the desire for happiness and beauty of all mankind, flashing in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha 2,500 years ago. These tens of millions of lamps traveled west from Beijing to the birthplace of the Buddha in Nepal, and went through hardships and dangers. Just as each of us has ups and downs on the road ahead, the light of wisdom in everyone's heart will one day illuminate his own life, adding a little light and light to the world......