Some days ago I had the precious possibility to enter the room in Rumtek where the golden stupa with 16th Karmapas ashes is standing. I was there with Claire from France which was a nice surprise as I found out that she came for some days. As she has lived there in Rumtek for one and a half year to learn the traditional metal work she was a good guide. So we got up at 5 am and went up the hill to the Rumtek Monastery. Normallly nowadays you have to pay entrance fee- whoever this may get! Anyway at 5 am there was nobody. We waited for some minutes and a monk apeared to open the room for filling the bowls. So we had plenty of time to meditate in front and finally make some coras around. The buddhs statues around the golden stupa are an exitement for itself. I felt totally blessed afterwards and I made wishes for all my friends especially those who asked me personally.
Today I am in Gangtok and in some houres I will go on to Tashiding in West Simkkim. A very old monastery of the Nyingmapas, it has a stupa besides which is known as a very special blessing: it removes all imprinmts of bad karma just by looking at it:)