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Tarab Tulku XI's extraordinary travel to Drepung - told by himself
"I was traveling from Kongpo to Lhasa in order to enter Drepung Monastery University. I was about six years of age. When an incarnation Lama with a greater Lhadrang (estate) was entering Drepung, there was a very special etiquette to be followed. I was therefore accompanied by representatives from my Lhadrang (12-15 people), then there were the representatives from the Tarab (Tashi Rabten) area, and finally representatives from the board of the Tashi Rabten Monastery - everybody on horseback. Also we had many mules - carrying food for the next long time to go, and the offerings that it was the custom to give, among this Tibetan tea for all the monks (about 10.000). So we were many people, horses and mules - a whole caravan travelling towards Lhasa. Altogether we were about 20 persons on horseback, and additionally we had about 40 mules and quite a few persons to take care of them. We were travelling for about three weeks before reaching Lhasa."
"When we were about 3 days' journey from Lhasa (nowadays maybe it only takes 4 hours from there to Lhasa by car), we had to cross a great river - the Lhasa river. At that time there was no bridge (later the Chinese build a bridge over Lhasa river, much nearer to Lhasa).
It was the ninth month of the Tibetan calendar year 1941 in the beginning of the winter. There was already a lot of ice floating in the river. Big ice flakes. We were all standing there looking at these thick ice flakes. After some time people started to panic, because if we did not cross now, we would not be able to reach the place where the horses and mules would need to graze for the night.
We did not know how long time it would take for the ice to float by."
"The pieces of ice were very large - about one meter across and quite thick also. So not knowing what else to do my manager and my home-teacher came to me telling: "You are the Lama, so now you have to do something to help us to cross." I was asking the reason why we could not just go across? And they explained that the ice-flakes were coming with a great force and were very heavy, and if the horses and mules were to step into the water, the ice would break their legs. So there was no way we could cross under these bad conditions. If we did not manage to cross very soon, the animals would have no food for the night. On hearing this I prayed for the animals as a feeling of love and compassion for the animals rose. Everybody was standing there at the riverbank gazing at the water and the ice while I was praying. We were not standing there for more than five minutes, when the impossible happened: the ice-flakes suddenly stopped as if someone was holding them back. The water was free of ice just where we were supposed to cross. The water was still coming, but the ice stayed back piling up. All the 60 horses and mules then crossed.... and as soon as the last animal jumped up the riverbank on the other side, the ice immediately started to float down the river again. It was a very strange experience."
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Tarab Tulku in Lhasa
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