I wrote in my post on the dharmic law of sanctity about how I see mountains as great pyramids and cathedrals. More recently, I’ve been journeying shamanically into Mount Kailash in Tibet, which locals believe to be the axis mundi, the tent pole of the Earth.
Local legend has it that the four sides of the white, snow-covered pyramid are made respectively of crystal, gold, ruby and lapis-lazuli. The name Kailash could be derived from the Sanskrit for crystal, which is kelāsa.
I believe that there is a great Mystery to Mount Kailash, connected to Lord Shiva, and it is one which has only just begun to unfold to me. I am just at the beginning. But for now, I want to put the spotlight on the mountain that protects Mount Kailash, which is known as Nandi mountain.
Can you see the figures of gods and goddesses, particularly those to the far right? Could any cathedral or mandira wall be better adorned?
They could have been carved into the rocks, but nobody knows. You can’t get the perspective in this photo, but they are absolutely gigantic.
I know some locals believe that the whole site was constructed by space aliens. I’m not closed-minded to that idea – obviously, we cannot be the only intelligent beings in the whole universe. But I also note that the determination that Mount Kailash was built by space aliens invariably comes from minds that are bought into the Darwinian concept that man is currently at the pinnacle of his development, whereas I have a different, more zoomed-out view.
No human has ever climbed to the summit of Mount Kailash apart from one medieval Buddhist monk, Milarepa. However, when you hear the story about how he “sat down to meditate and then flew in on a sun-beam”, it is obviously a shamanic, inner journey which, I know from experience, is entirely possible and well worth the effort!
Annie Dieu-Le-Veut 