Ani SonaChodon & the Tale of the Sacred Cave
Adventures of Attu & Rattu
After a day of adventures and mysteries with Akhu Kekey—wandering through the deep jungles of Shaal Gaon and climbing its steep stairs—Attu and Rattu woke up feeling a deep sense of fulfillment.
Peeking out from beneath his warm blanket, Attu stretched and reached toward the table, his fingers searching for the familiar Dus Numbri biscuits. Rattu, lying nearby, wagged his tail eagerly, waiting for Attu to notice him.
"No biscuits today, you two!" Ama la’s voice, gentle yet firm, echoed as she stepped into Attu’s small room, the morning sunlight tiptoeing through the window. "Instead," she continued with a warm smile, holding a steaming cup, perhaps of butter tea, "we’re going to Pangoan Gompa.” Attu immediately perked up, springing onto the bed and making animated figures with his hands.
“Oh! Are we going to meet Khen Rinpoche and Ani Sonachodon?” he asked, his face lighting up with excitement.
Ooo! A short trek to Pangon Gompa! Rattu thought, his tail thumping against the floor. We always find something interesting to eat on the way!
“That’s right,” Ama la nodded, adjusting the folds of her chuba. “I’ve packed your remaining biscuits for the journey, along with some offerings and gifts for them. Now hurry up, we need to catch the bus to Sola Mile.”
“I loooooove Khen Rinpoche! He’s so gentle, kind, and caring,” Attu declared, stretching the words with enthusiasm. “When he lived here at Gompa Road, he always gave Rattu and me some delicious sweets. You know, we just had to stand silently with folded hands, and—every time he walked to Nyingma Gompa—he’d hand us a couple of sweets!”
Rattu thumped his tail against the floor in full agreement, his furiously wagging tail adding to the excitement.
“Ani Sonachodon pampers us too,” Attu added with a grin.
Then, with a curious tilt of his head, he asked, “Ama la, why did Khen Rinpoche leave Gompa Road for Pangoan Gompa?”
Ama la, busy packing for the journey, glanced up and explained, “You see, Gompa Road is a small place, and to accommodate more monks and nuns—”
“We need a bigger place and a bigger gompa!” Attu interjected, eyes shining with understanding.
Ama la chuckled, her face glowing with warmth. “You are absolutely right, Bhudugma.”
“Rattu and I love Bhagtsa Markhu during Nyung-nä at the Nyingma Gompa! When Khen Rinpoche and all the monks and nuns prayed together, we used to sneak in from behind and settle near the main door. And Ani SonaChodon—oh, she always gave us a bowl full of Bhagtsa Markhu! It’s just super delicious!” Attu exclaimed, his mouth watering at the memory.
Oh yes! Those sweet little balls dipped in sugary syrup are simply out of this world, thought Rattu, lost in deep, delicious visualisation.
“Alright, alright, let’s get ready for the journey, or we’ll miss the bus,” Ama la said firmly, snapping them out of their daydreams.
She handed Attu a small bag to carry, and the three of them set off towards the Manali bus station, weaving through the busy town.
Since it was Sunday, the streets were alive with chatter and movement. Villagers had come down from the hills to sell fresh produce and shop for supplies before heading back. The air buzzed with the shouts of bus conductors calling out destinations:
“Kalath, Pandra Mile, Sola Mile, Patlikuhl, Kullu, Mandi…!”
Attu and Rattu, wide-eyed as always, took in the bustling scene—another adventure was about to begin.
“Ama la, I think this is the bus! He just called out Sola Mile—isn’t that our stop?” Attu asked eagerly.
“Yes, that’s right,” Ama la confirmed.
Without wasting a second, Attu and Rattu dashed onto the bus, quickly securing seats for themselves and Ama la. When she stepped inside, she found them proudly reserving a spot for her.
“Good boys!” she said lovingly as she took her seat.
Attu and Rattu, thrilled with their window seats, pressed their noses against the glass as the bus rattled to life. The journey was full of excitement—waving at friends they spotted on the way, watching the mighty Beas River flow beside them, and crossing bridges that rattled under the weight of the bus.
“Rattu! Look over there—that’s the school at the Budda Camp!” Attu said, nearly bouncing in his seat.
Rattu perked up, poking his head towards the creaky bus window.
“I think we’ll be joining it sometime soon!” Attu added.
How is it possible to have a school at the Budda Camp? Rattu wondered, tilting his head in confusion.
After a bumpy but exciting ride, the bus screeched to a stop at Sola Mile. Attu, Rattu, and Ama la climbed down and found themselves at the foot of a steep hill.
“Wow! Here’s the climb, Ama la!” Attu exclaimed, gazing up at the winding, well-trodden path that led to Pangaon Gompa.
“I wonder how Khen Rinpoche climbs such a steep hill,” Attu mused aloud.
Perhaps Rinpoche can fly… maybe he even possesses magic, just like Guru Rinpoche! Rattu thought, his eyes widening with wonder.
“You know, it’s good karma to struggle a bit when doing something meaningful,” Ama la said with a playful glint in her eyes. “Just like climbing this steep hill—it tests our endurance, but in the end, we get to meet our root guru, Khen Rinpoche.”
“Absolutely! And Rattu and I are absolutely sure we’ll get some sweet treats from Khen Rinpoche this time as well!” Attu grinned, his excitement bubbling over.
Hearing this, Rattu’s little legs quickened their pace, his short steps landing with determination, one at a time.
“As Rattu was saying…” Attu paused, then asked, “Does Khen Rinpoche really have the power to fly? Like Hanuman ji in the Ramayana?” His eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Here we go again—reading my mind! Rattu turned back to give Attu a knowing look.
The trio continued their journey, winding through the trees, climbing up and down the old, well-trodden path towards Pangaon Gompa.
After a while, Ama la paused, settling onto a small rock by the path to catch her breath. She glanced at Attu and Rattu and teased, “Hmmm, you two seem to know a lot about the Ramayana. I suppose you enjoy your Sunday visits to Shaal Gaon?”
Attu chuckled.
“You see,” Ama la continued, “we all have something powerful and amazing inside us—it’s called the ‘mind.’ If you observe and train your mind on good things, then good things will happen to you.”
Attu’s eyes widened with realisation. “Ah! That must be why Khen Rinpoche can climb such a steep hill without getting tired! His mind is strong and determined.”
I really need to train my mind too… maybe then I’ll climb faster and even defy gravity! Rattu thought, his tongue hanging out as he panted for breath.
Finally, they reached the hilltop, where the peaceful scene of monks and nuns filled the air with a quiet reverence. Some were circumambulating the stupa and temple, their prayer beads clicking softly, while others prepared to begin prayers in the grand hall.
At the entrance of the monastery, Ani Sonachodon greeted them with a warm smile.
“How was the climb? Hope you two aren’t too exhausted?” she teased, eyeing the panting duo. “Come to my home, I have some juice and biscuits for you.”
Rattu’s legs trembled from exhaustion, his little body sagging, but his ears perked up at the mention of juice. His mouth watered at the thought. I’ll drink every last drop! I wonder which one she has in store…
“Oh! It must be Himcoop—the famous apple juice of Manali! Yummy!” Attu exclaimed, eyes gleaming.
At this, Rattu nearly leaped up, despite his wobbly legs.
Together with Ama la and Ani la, they sat inside a small hermitage and savored the cool, refreshing taste of the apple juice. Attu and Rattu, now fully revived, rolled around on the floor in delight.
“When can we have an audience with Khen Rinpoche?” Ama la asked.
Ani la smiled. “Rinpoche is about to come out from the meditation cave,” she said, gesturing toward a small cave tucked inside the massive rock on which Pangaon Gompa stood.
“A cave?!” Attu exclaimed, eyes widening.
Rattu, who had been sprawled on the floor just moments ago, suddenly sprang to his little feet. It must be dark and scary inside then!, thought Rattu with bewilderment.
Ani Sonachodon chuckled. “Hmmm! You see, if you can tame and train your mind, nothing is scary in this world.”
“Oh! The mind… yes! Ama la told us that Khen Rinpoche has already realised his mind—and that he can fly, so he doesn’t even need to climb this steep hill!” Attu said in astonishment.
I really need to learn that from Khen Rinpoche this time, thought Rattu, his tail giving an excited twitch.
“Absolutely, Rattu! We really need to ask Khen Rinpoche. Maybe he can teach us how to gain powers like Guru Rinpoche!” said Attu, his face glowing with determination.
Rattu, now deep in thought, looked up with a puzzled expression.
After a little while, Khen Rinpoche emerged from the small cave, his tall, serene figure moving with effortless grace. He walked up to his humble abode and settled on a low bed, cross-legged, his presence exuding warmth and wisdom.
With a kind smile, he leaned forward, stretching out his hands—offering two neatly wrapped Swiss-made sweets. “So, you both want to learn meditation… and fly over this hill?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with gentle amusement.
“YEEESSSS!” Attu burst out, and Rattu, unable to contain himself, wagged his tail furiously.
“But… do we have to spend day and night in a scary cave like you did?” Attu asked hesitantly.
Khen Rinpoche let out a soft chuckle. “You can… but that’s not necessary.”
Hearing this, the two innocent faces breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the floor close to Rinpoche.
“However,” Khen Rinpoche continued, his voice steady yet kind, “your intention must be pure, and it should guide everything you do.”
“Oh yes, we know… You know, Korgnyer Lama, Akhu Kekey, Ama Ñamo, Ayi Shemo, and all the others—they always say the same thing whenever we cross their paths!” Attu said excitedly, while Rattu nodded vigorously in agreement.
Khen Rinpoche smiled. “That’s right! If you can master this intention, you can easily tame and train your monkey mind.”
“Monkey mind?!” Attu and Rattu burst into laughter, their giggles echoing through the room.
Oh! Monkey mind! That must be how we can climb hills like monkeys—it’s the monkey mind, after all! Rattu thought to himself, his tail twitching in delight.
Khen Rinpoche, unfazed by their laughter, continued, “Next time, before you do anything, think twice—or even thrice. Ask yourself: will this act harm anyone, including yourself? It must be compassionate, kind, and caring to all.” His voice grew softer, his eyes half-closed, as if he were already meditating.
“Ah! So this intention is the action inside your mind before it turns into a real action outside,” Attu said, piecing it together.
“Absolutely right!” Khen Rinpoche affirmed.
Attu frowned, tilting his head. “But Rinpoche… that sounds really tiring! Do we have to do this every time?”
Khen Rinpoche chuckled. “That’s why training your monkey mind is quite a challenge, you see!”
“Ohhh! So that’s why you train your monkey mind in that dark cave—to keep it from running away?” Attu asked, his eyes widening in realization.
Wow… that sounds really difficult. I’m not sure if I can do that… hmmm, thought Rattu, rubbing his tiny chin in contemplation.
“You can say that,” Khen Rinpoche nodded. “It is indeed quite a task to truly understand your own mind in its entirety.”
He paused for a moment, then added with a gentle smile, “But always remember—
Be kind to yourself… and also,
Be wisely kind to yourself.”
Attu and Rattu both scratched their heads at the same time, exchanging puzzled looks.
“Rinpoche, we’ll try our best,” Attu said earnestly. “Hopefully, one day, we’ll understand your advice properly.”
Rattu nodded in agreement, his little tail swaying thoughtfully.
As the evening deepened, Ama la, Attu, and Rattu made their way down the hill, catching a bus back to Manali and their rickety home at Gompa Road.
Be kind to yourself… Be wisely kind to yourself… Intention before action…
The words of Khen Rinpoche echoed in their minds, lingering like a melody long after the day had ended. As they drifted into sleep, they hoped that in their dreams—or perhaps in another adventure tomorrow—they would finally unravel the meaning behind those golden words.
Glossary:
- Chuba (ཕྱུ་པ); Tibetan traditional Dress
- Dus Numbri: One of the oldest bakery in Manali
- Gompa (དགོན་པ་) – Temple, Monastery
- Pangaon – A hermitage and monastery on a hill near Manali
- Khen Rinpoche (མཁན་པོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་) – "Precious Abbot" or "Precious Teacher," and is a common honorific title for a respected Buddhist teacher or abbot.
- Ani (ཨ་ནི) – A common term used to refer to female Buddhist nuns, particularly in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
- Sola – The number 16 in English
- Bhagtsa Markhu (བྷག་ཙ་མར་ཁུ།) – An iconic Tibetan dessert made with wheat flour, butter, sugar, and Tibetan cheese (Chura or Churship)
- Nyung-nä (གནས་གཅིག་པ།) – ‘Abiding in retreat’; a common practice in Tibetan Buddhism for purifying negative karma of body, speech, and mind
- Budda Camp – A camp for elderly people
- Ayi (ཨ་ཡི) – A term of respect for a woman, similar to "aunt" or "mother," or it can be used as a general term for a woman of similar age to one's parents
- Akhu (ཨ་ཁུ་) – Paternal uncle; also used as a respectful form of address
- Guru Rinpoche (གུ་རུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།) – Another name for Guru Padmasambhava, one of the most revered figures in Tibetan Buddhism. Considered the "Second Buddha" in the Himalayan regions, he played a crucial role in establishing Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th century CE.
- Gompa (དགོན་པ།) – A Buddhist monastery or learning centre
- Ama Ñamo (ཨ་མ་ན་མོ།) – Translates to "a young mother," likely in the Kham dialect of Tibet
- Be kind to yourself – Encouragement to cultivate causes of happiness
- Be wisely kind to yourself – Encouragement to avoid causes of sufferingTo read the intent behind this post, click here.