Ring Around the Mountain

by He Yihong

For a long time I have dreamt of making a pilgrimage to holy Amne Machin Mountain as pious Tibetans do. In the northwest corner of Maqen County， Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture， Qinghai Province， the lofty mountains main peak， Machen Kangri， reaches 6，282 meters above sea level. Amne Machin， which translates to “highest ranking servant of the Living Buddha” in Tibetan， is regarded as a holy mountain by Tibetan Buddhists. It is also known as Maji Snow Mountain， Machen Kangri， and Jishi Mountain. Every year， pilgrims trek across mountain ridges and raging waters braving the wind and dew. Followers believe that circling the whole mountain in seven days is a ritual equal to 1.3 billion repetitions of the SixWord Mantra of Avalokiteshvara （Om-MaNi-Pa-Me-Hun）.

On the first night of our journey， we camped on relatively even ground amongst bushes on a riverside cliff. We packed small tents capable of accommodating two to three people each， while our guides raised larger colorful Tibetan-style tents.

Our loop started the second day. Daquegongka， at approximately 5，000 meters above sea level， is one of two highaltitude passes on the circumambulation route. We passed eight white pagodas and a spectacular formation of prayer flags， to which I added a red one. After circling the flags， I prostrated towards Amne Machin Peak， praying for wishes. According to Tibetan sages of the past， as long as people ask sincerely， all benevolent wishes will become reality， and disturbances will disappear， whether they ask for the blessing of a successful career， a happy marriage， and good health， or to be freed from worldly suffering and attain Buddhist enlightenment.

We were barely through the pass when we saw Amne Machin Peaks distinct features emerge from behind thick clouds： a dignified crest with gentle slopes. We spent the entire afternoon on its left side. For Tibetans， Amne Machin represents one of the nine deities that created the world， which is responsible for ups and downs in the area， and serves as a savoir of the Tibetan ethnic group. We crossed a meadow at the southwestern foot， where rhodiola rosea and meconopsis （rare plateau plants） bloomed far and wide. According to Tibetan legends， the mountain to the left is Amne Machins uncle and the 108 small lakes scattered around it are Amne Machins prayer beads.

“Moaduoa，” as locals call it， a bizarre stone formation extending from the peak to the foot， is where locals practice divination. It was recently hit by an ice avalanche on the northwest slope in February 2004. The avalanche left a three-square-meter moraine deposit， which has affected more than 333 hectares of meadows， blocked three rivers and created a 30，000-square-meter barrier lake.

The Amne Machin Tibetan Culture Center is a grand Tibetan-style building featuring a typical Tibetan fa？ade with a modern steel structure and glass roof. An exquisite sculpture of the holy mountain is displayed in the hall on the first floor， while classrooms and dormitories are on the second floor and out back. The structure was built with funds raised by the local Living Buddha， who spends most of his time fundraising elsewhere in hopes of providing more Tibetan children the opportunity to attend school. We were lucky enough to meet him on our journey. He noted that they need teachers now and asked us to send volunteers there.

Our journey concluded at Xueshan Township， where we were greeted with Tibetan yogurt with ginseng fruit and white powdered sugar. As we sat around a cowdung fire， sipping milk tea brewed by the hostess， I felt overcome with warmth and relaxation， drawing a satisfying full stop to my circular mountainous journey.