TAWANG MONASTERY, ARUNACHAL PRADESH
Western people think legends are just stories. For us, legends are maps—they show us how to recognize divine guidance in ordinary life.
Lobsang’s hands turn the pages of 400-year-old manuscripts with the reverence of someone who understands that some knowledge can’t be digitized. At 64, he has spent more years within monastery walls than most people spend in their entire careers, but his eyes still light up when sharing the legend of the divine horse.
His path to becoming monastery storyteller wasn’t chosen—it chose him. “Came here as angry teenager in 1979, running from Chinese occupation of Tibet. Thought I’d stay one year, learn enough Tibetan to continue to Dharamshala. Forty years later, still here.”
The transformation happened through stories. “First year, all I did was sweep floors and complain. Then old abbot started teaching me monastery legends. Not as entertainment—as curriculum. Each story contained teachings about patience, recognition of signs, surrendering to wisdom larger than personal plans.”
His understanding of the divine horse legend goes deeper than folklore. “Horse choosing monastery location teaches about recognizing guidance when it comes in unexpected forms. Most people ignore signs because they don’t match their expectations. Horse knew what lama’s mind couldn’t see.”
He’s witnessed thousands of pilgrims and tourists visit the monastery, and can distinguish between those seeking photos and those seeking understanding. “Real pilgrims ask about the stories behind what they see. Tourists just want to know when prayer ceremony starts so they can film it.”
His daily routine includes morning prayers, manuscript preservation, and guiding serious seekers through the monastery’s deeper teachings. “Technology can preserve words, but only human transmission can preserve understanding. Stories live in the telling, not in the recording.”
When I asked what the divine horse legend teaches modern travelers, he smiled quietly. “Horse teaches patience and attention. Divine guidance exists everywhere, but only those willing to follow unusual paths discover where it leads.”
Some teachers explain doctrine. Lobsang teaches how ancient wisdom recognizes contemporary truth.
– Zara