|
| Arrive
in Beijing today, where your
local escort will meet you and
transfer you to your reserved
accommodations. After time to
rest, there will be a “Welcome
Dinner” at the hotel or
local restaurant. Overnight
Beijing. |
|
| Day
2, Wednesday, May 20 - In Beijing:
Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square
& Summer Palace tours (B) |
| We
start our day of touring at
The Temple of Heaven that was
built in 1420 A.D. during the
Ming Dynasty to offer sacrifice
to Heaven. As Chinese emperors
called themselves "The
Son of Heaven", they dared
not to build their own dwelling.
Then to Tiananmen Square located
in the heart of modern Beijing.
Reputed as the largest square
in the world, it can hold 500,000
people. The founding ceremony
of the People’s Republic
of China was held here on October
1, 1949, which climaxed with
1 million people gathering to
hear the late Chairman Mao Zedong
proclaim the birth of New China.
Our touring ends at The Forbidden
City, also known as The Imperial
Palace. It’s a maze of
palaces built between 1417 and
1420 as the residence of the
emperor. It has 9,000 halls
and rooms containing many precious
relics. It is the largest palace
in the world and one of mankind’s
major cultural legacies. Then
onto the Summer Palace, the
resort of the ancient Royal
Family in China and a most unique
setting. Dinner on your own.Overnight
in Beijing. |
|
| Day 3,
Thursday, May 21 - In Beijing:
Great Wall Excursion (B/D) |
|
| After
an early breakfast, we visit
the Great Wall where we will
see one of the most astonishing
feats of human endeavor and
is the only man-made object
visible from the moon. Construction
of the Great Wall began in the
seventh century BC and was extended
through many dynasties. We will
walk on the Great Wall’s
Ju Rong Guan Section. Return
to our hotel for some time for
independent exploration and
shopping. Then in the evening,
you will have a wonderful “Peking
Duck” dinner (Chinese
vegetarian substitute also available)
at a local restaurant. Overnight
in Beijing. |
|
| Day 4,
Friday, May 22 - To Lhasa &
Tsedang (B/D) – Meet Glenn
Mullin |
|
| Transfer
to the airport and depart on
your flight over the snow-capped
Himalayan Peaks to Lhasa, Tibet.
Upon arrival meet your local
BMSJ tour representative who
will assist you to claim your
luggage and transfer the group
to Tsedang and our comfortable
hotel. In the late afternoon,
a group meeting and Lecture
with Glenn Group dinner at the
hotel this evening. A time for
sharing our experiences so far,
as well as our dreams for our
time in this ancient and sacred
land. Overnight in Tsedang. |
|
| Day 5,
Saturday, May 23 - In Tsedang
& Visit To Yambhu (B/D)
|
|
| Morning
visit to Yambhu Lagang, Tibet’s
oldest castle (4th century BC)
that was converted into a temple
in approx 650 AD. Afternoon
visit to the Dradruk Temple
in town, for meditation in the
Dradruk Temple, one of Tibet’s
first Buddhist temples. It is
ranked next to the Jokhang Temple
in terms of sacredness and was
one of the 12 "inner circle
temples" created by Songtsen
Gampo in the mid 7th century.
Dinner and overnight in Tsedang. |
|
| Day 6,
Sunday, May 24: In Tsedang -
Machik Labdon Caves (B/D) |
|
This morning,
you’ll drive (approx an
hour and a half) to the cave
temple where the great 11th
century female mystic Machik
Labdon (the “Sole Mother”)
attained enlightenment. And
who, with Padampa Sangye, initiated
in Tibet the lineage of the
practice of “Cho”,
which means
“cutting
through” ego-clinging
and other attachments. The cave
shrine is a magical place that
was her longtime place of meditation
and habitation, in a shrine
built to contain and sanctify
the site, is another older statue
of her wearing fabulous clothing
and jewelry, including a crown
with skulls and gemstones. Afternoon
visit to the nunnery above town,
where in the meditation hall
upstairs in the monastery to
view two very special statues
of Machik Labdon, an older version
to represent her last teachings
given at this site shortly before
her death, as well as a much
younger version. A possible
”Khorra” of the
old town before returning for
dinner and your overnight in
Tsedang. |
|
| Day 7,
Monday, May 25 - Visit Samye
and Mt. Chimpu. Return To Lhasa
(B/D) |
|
| Morning
check out and 30-minute drive
to a boat ride to Samye and
Chimpu. Samye is officially
Tibet’s first monastery,
dating from the mid-eighth century.
Although Songtsen Gampo had
built 108 temples a hundred
years earlier, Samye was the
first fully qualified Buddhist
monastery in the country, with
a quorum of five or more monks
in residence, and also being
three earshots from the nearest
town. This monastery is designed
to represent the Buddhist Universe.
Many of the buildings in the
courtyard are cosmological symbols.
The complex originally had 108
buildings (an auspicious number
to the Tibetans) and there were
1008 Chortens on the circular
wall that rings the monastery.
Here we will walk through the
various chapels and then find
a quiet meditation spot. Here
we will visit the nunnery at
the foot of Mt Chimpu, where
many of the disciples of Padma
Sambhava made retreat just after
the completion of the monastery,
and 25 of them attained realization,
including Yeshey Tsogyal, the
woman destined to become his
chief disciple. Take an early
evening boat ride back to the
bus, and continue onto Lhasa,
where we will have dinner and
overnight in Lhasa. |
|
| Day 8,
Tuesday, May 26 - In Lhasa:
Visit Jokhang and Drak Yerpa
(B/D) |
|
| Depart
for the 7th century Jokhang,
Tibet’s oldest, and most
important and sacred temple
of Tibetan Buddhism. The main
statue in this temple is one
of the Sakyamuni Buddha, which
was a gift from the Chinese
princess Won Cheng in 641 A.D.
Pilgrims from all over Tibet
come to worship here and prostrate
themselves in full length in
front of the main doors of the
temple for hours and days at
a time. It is truly a moving
experience to join them in their
pilgrimage around the temple.
Built by King Songsten Gampo
in approximately 650 AD, it
houses many sacred images and
was patronized by the early
Dalai Lamas. Afternoon visit
to the Drak Yerpa cave complex,
a power site comprised of numerous
cave complexes near Lhari Nyingpo.
These have been utilized by
the Tibetan monarchy and Buddhist
lamas for meditation for more
than a thousand years. The early
Dalai Lamas wrote many of the
greatest works while in retreat
here. There will be time for
meditation to connect with these
powerful energies. Dinner and
overnight in Lhasa. |
|
| Day 9,
Wednesday, May 27 - In Lhasa:
visit Ganden Monastery (B/D)
|
|
| Today’s
journey takes us to the Ganden
Monastery, the greatest and
the oldest of the six Gelug
Sect’s monasteries, which
is called one of “the
three principal monasteries”
(the other two are Drepung Monastery
and Sera Monastery). At its
peak, it had a registration
of more than 4,000 monks. Tsong
Khapa, founder of Gelug Sect,
established it as the first
Gelug Monastery in 15th century
when he carried out the religious
reform in Tibet. The full name
of Ganden Monastery is Xizhuzhuenshengzhou
in Chinese. Some scholars call
it “Jushan” or “Jile”
Monastery. In 1733, Emperor
Yongzhen of Qing dynasty bestowed
the name “Yongtai”.
And Gandenpai (Gelug Sect’s
original name) which means exhortation,
also named after the Ganden
monastery. Dinner and overnight
in Lhasa. |
|
| Day 10,
Thursday, May 28: To Drikung
(B/L/D) |
|
| We take
a scenic drive to Drikung. Visit
Terdrom Valley and walk up to
the meditation caves for nuns,
next to the temple is the natural
healing Terdrom Hotsprings.
Lunch, dinner and overnight
at a local guesthouse. |
|
| Day 11,
Friday, May 29 - To Lhasa (B/L/D) |
|
| Return
through the Tibetan country
to Lhasa. After lunch at a local
restaurant, we will visit a
local Orphanage and a carper
factory for at opportunity for
some wonderful purchases. Dinner
and overnight in Lhasa. |
|
| Day
12, Saturday, May 30 - In Lhasa:
Excursion to the Potala (B/D)
|
Perched
upon Marpo Ri Hill, 400 feet
above the Lhasa valley, the
Potala Palace rises a further
500 feet and is the greatest
monumental structure in all
of Tibet. Early legends concerning
the rocky hill tell of a sacred
cave, considered to be the
dwelling place of the Bodhisattva
Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara)
that was used as a meditation
retreat by Emperor Songtsen
Gampo in the seventh century
AD. In 637 Songtsen Gampo
built a palace on the hill.
This structure stood until
the 17th century, when it
was incorporated into the
foundations of the greater
buildings still standing today.
From as early as the 11th
century the palace was called
Potala... The Potala Palace
is an immense structure, its
interior space is massive.
Fulfilling numerous functions,
the Potala was first and foremost
the residence of the Dalai
Lama and his large staff.
In addition, it was the seat
of Tibetan government, where
all ceremonies of state were
held; it housed a school for
religious training of monks
and administrators; and it
was one of Tibet's major pilgrimage
destinations because of the
tombs of past Dalai Lamas.
Within the White Palace are
two small chapels, the Phakpa
Lhakhang and the Chogyal Drubphuk;
dating from the seventh century,
these chapels are the oldest
surviving structures on the
hill and also the most sacred.
The Potala's most venerated
statue, the Arya Lokeshvara,
is housed inside the Phapka
Lhakhang, and it draws thousands
of Tibetan pilgrims each day.
“Farewell Dinner”
to Tibet at a local restaurant
and overnight in Lhasa.
|
|
| Day 13,
Sunday, May 31 - To Beijing
(B) |
|
| Transfer
to airport and depart for Beijing
where you will be met and escorted
to your hotel. The balance of
the day free. Evening “Farewell
Dinner” and Overnight
in Beijing. |
|
| Day 14,
Monday, June 1 - Depart Beijing
& Tour Ends (B) |
|
| Transfer
to airport and depart for your
homebound destination. |
|
|
Cost: USD 4195 per person/-
|
|
| For
booking and more information,
please click
here |
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