Mount Hepori
The Meeting of the Guru and the King
“On Palmotang’s plain of glory ༔
You give the twelve tenma goddesses their binding oath. ༔
Up on the Khala pass of Central Tibet, ༔
You bind the white snow goddess Gangkar Shamé under oath. ༔
In the marshlands of Damshö before Mount Lhabüi Nying, ༔
You swear Thangla Yarshu to a solemn vow. ༔
High up, on the peak of Mount Hépori, ༔
You place all the devas and rākṣasas under oath: ༔
And out of all these great gods and demons, ༔
Some offer up the very essence of their life force, ༔
Some are turned into guardians of the teachings, ༔
Others take the pledge to act as your servants. ༔”
at a glance
From his vantage point atop Mount Hepori, Guru Padmasambhava enacted a grand subjugation of the evil forces that were preventing the construction of Samye Monastery, the fulfilment of King Trisong Detsen’s most cherished aspiration. The Mahaguru offered the cleansing smoke of sang and then flew high into the sky, where he performed a vajra dance of taming, thereby overpowering all the troublesome spirits of the region and making them swear allegiance to the Dharma.
the story
To ensure the unhindered construction of Samye Monastery, Guru Rinpoche subdued all potentially obstructive spirits. The Mahaguru ascended Mount Hepori and, from there, soared into the air, executing a powerful vajra dance, uttering his fierce refrain to the spirits and demons of Tibet. In response, stones and earth from the surrounding hills and valleys began rolling down to the site at Samye. The once-terrible forces of nature had accepted the Mahaguru’s command, and were now in the service of the King. Together, they would accomplish the building of Samye Monastery.
Thus it was at Mount Hepori, above Samye, that Guru Rinpoche subjugated the negative forces that were impeding the initial construction of the monas- tery, and it was from here that he performed the consecration of the temple site. Later, he arranged for a small sang and protector temple to be built on the mountain top, in order to keep the local spirits appeased. Guru Rinpoche thus started the tradition of always making a sang offering before beginning any great task—such as building a temple, consecrating a shrine, or performing a drupchen.
Words from the Masters
Rikdzin Jikmé Lingpa’s History of the Kila of Lightning-Forged Meteoric Iron
Rikdzin Jikmé Lingpa’s Training in Pure Realms
Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa’s Barche Lamsel
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s A Beautiful and Wondrous Udumbara Garland
How to get there
Located in the Drakmar Valley, Mount Hepori rises above the mandala of Samye Monastery, close to its southeast. This boulder-strewn ridge, dry and sandy, sits in contrast to the lush green fields and trees that surround the monastery itself, and the peak provides a marvelous view of the entire Samye mandala. The small protector shrine of Mount Hepori (29°19'15"N 91°30'24"E) is within walking distance of Samye Monastery. The easiest way to get there is to head east from the Utse entrance gate, towards the bottom of the mountain. From there you can choose any one of the routes that lead up to the top. A flight of steps has recently been built on one side of the mountain, which will take you past a white stupa. The ascent takes approximately 40 – 60 minutes.
While at the main site
There had long been a tradition of making smoke offerings on Hepori, and the Mahaguru adopted this ritual even as he was being welcomed by King and retinue, transforming it into a Dharma practice of cleansing, offering, and taming. To commemorate this occasion, a protector shrine was built and at one time adorned the top of the mountain, along with stupas containing relics of Abbot Shantarakshita, the disciples Kawa Peltsek, Yeshé Dé, Chokro Lu’i Gyaltsen, and the mother of the great translator Vairocana. All these stupas were positioned in the cardinal directions along the slopes of Hepori. A shrine for cleansing smoke offerings (sang) has now been re-built, so that today’s practitioners can continue to connect to the blessings which imbue this sacred mountain.