Meditation Trek to Muktinath, Lodge Trek 13 Days

Days: 13 / Difficulty: 2 of 5 (Moderate)

Trekking and Meditation to Muktinath Lodge, 13 Days
Muktinath at 3750 meters (12,300 feet) at the Annapurna Circuit is an important pilgrimage site located at the north-side of the main Himalayan-range in a spectacular landscape with a very dry and unique micro-climate, where also trees are growing at an unusual altitude. It is surrounded by two rivers - the Marshyangadi in the East and the Kali Gandaki in the West. The Kali Gandaki is famous to be the world's deepest gorge (5600m) and is the only place, where the ‘shaligram shilas’ (special fossils) can be found.
Muktinath is important for the devotees of Lord Vishnu as well as to Tibetan Buddhists. It is a great example of how two religions can share the same holy spot with mutual respect and support, where all the elements are represented, not only earth, air and holy water, but also fire. Because we can find here a spot where natural gas is burning, called ‘The Eternal Fire’. For this and other reasons unseen, yogis from both religions do their meditations at Muktinath.
The local name for ‘Muktinath’ is Chumig Gyatsa (‘Hundred Waters’), because at the back of the main hindu-temple you can find a lot of water streams with taps in the shape of boars' heads. The boar is one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. According to Tibetan Buddhism, Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) visited this holy place accompanied by 84 Siddhas. In order to leave something behind, they each poked a stick into the ground. Miraculously, from those 84 holes, 84 springs of water came out from the ground. This water is therefore believed to be blessed, holy water, which tasts both sweet and cooling. Hindus consider that the holy water of Muktinath can wash away negative karma, the results of one's past negative actions. Buddhists say, this can only be done by the ‘inner water’, which is to be found by meditation.
The tradional caretakers of Muktinath/Chumig Gyatsa are the Tibetan Buddhist nuns of the Chumig Gyatsa-nunnery, which have the the so called Gye Lhaki Dung as their abbot. His family is popularly known as the ‘Lama-Domar-Family’, an unbroken lineage of Tibetan Buddhist Nyingma-lamas from the Muktinath Valley, which always had Chumig Gyatsa as their religious seat for centuries. The current abbot of Chumig Gyatsa is Muktinath-Lama Wangyal. For Tibetan Buddhists, Muktinath/Chumig Gyatsa is a place of ‘Dakinis’, which are Buddhist goddesses, popularly also known as ‘Sky Dancers’. By that reason, Chumig Gyatsa is for Tibetan Buddhists one of the 24 tantric power-places of great importance. Padmasambhava, as well as some of the 84 Indian Mahasiddhas, blessed it with their visits. The famous Tibetan yogi Shabkar Rinpoche also visted Muktinath in 1818 and stayed for several days to 'connect hinself to the place', as his autobiography tells us. The Padmasambhava Statue together with the Chenrezig statue in Narsingh Gompa can be considered as the most holy objects of the region. This is only a very brief enumeration. More information on the Buddhist backgrounds - for instance on the natural fire - can be found in the pilgrimage-guide "The Clear Mirror", written by the late abbot of Chumig Gyatsa, Muktinath-Lama Jampal Rabgyé Rinpoche.
We think, that this very blessed tantric power-place, where different Religions stay close and peaceful together and nature shows some very unique beauty, will be very inspiring for meditation, therefore we have choosen it for our ‘Trekking and Meditation’-Program.