The year of Fire Boar has just begun. I thought of sharing some wonderful experiences during the recent walking pilgrimage here, maybe it would inspire some of you to do the same thing. I now feel that perhaps I should seriously consider making walking pilgrimage either an annual event or a bi-annual event. This is the next best thing we can do, of course the best way to go for pilgrimage is by full prostration, but due to our unfortunate circumstances caused by all the self-imposed "busy-ness", most of us are not able to go around visiting holy places by full prostration. My father told me that a walking pilgrimage is the best way to use our legs, otherwise our legs are not doing much for spiritual practice. It was very encouraging to hear that from my father, who has been morally and materially supporting me since my birth. I wish to dedicate the merit accrued from this pilgrimage for my parents' longevity.

We covered about 650km this time, starting from Varanasi, then to Shravasti where the Buddha spent 25 rainy retreats and performed many miracles, after that to Lumbini and finally we completed our journey in Kushinagar where we also spent the Tibetan New Year. I also arranged for my 300 monks down from Darjeeling to join us for the New Year celebration in Kushinagar.

In fact it didn't feel like we started a new walking pilgrimage, but it felt like we continued from where we stopped last year. I was quite moved when Khamtrul Rinpoche and many other people came to me complaining that the journey ended too soon, and that we should continue to walk many days and many weeks more. This means that their spiritual strength is increasing, because there was nothing materially comfortable to cling on to, and your mind really needs to be strong in order for you to carry on the journey, without good food, without good shelter, and without attendants to attend to your basic needs. Everything has to be done by yourself. I am very happy that all my children who came for this walking pilgrimage - the Rinpoches and Tulkus - together with my nuns, monks and a handful of my students and friends from foreign countries appreciate this experience of walking and the physical hardships. This kind of experience will make you understand that enlightenment within one lifetime is not impossible. We all can do that!

Mundane happiness and comfort can be the greatest obstacles on spiritual path, because if you are not careful and mindful, they can make you lazy and complacent. A walking pilgrimage like this helps one go beyond this mundane level.

As I said before in the interview during last year's pilgrimage, India is really an elevated land of Arahats - Gyakar Phagpei Yul. Wherever we went, we received encouragement from the local people, whether they were Hindus, Muslims or Buddhists. They went all out to help us all the time. Some offered food, some offered their garden for us to stay, some schools even opened their gates to welcome us to spend the nights, some villagers wanted to cook for all 300 of us. Yes, this time we have more than 300 people, much more than last year! I was very touched. For all the kind generosity that we have received during our pilgrimage, we should be dedicating our virtues for the benefit of all beings, especially those who so kindly and generously tried to make our journey easy. A good heart is all we need to make us a better person, this is the basic of spirituality. In fact, all of us, all beings, have great chance to be enlightened.

There were countless auspicious signs on the journey. First we were greeted by a few deer when we started walking from Varanasi, those were the rare species, the same type who gathered around the Buddha when he gave his first teaching 2500 years ago.

Then there was no rain for about 30 days, until we were going to complete our journey, on the way to Kushinagar. As we were approaching Kushinagar, it began pouring like nobody's business, I didn't let anyone hide in any shelter because I could see that this was the rain of blessings, the local deities were overwhelmed by our accomplishment.

There was even one night of typhoon, which stopped with a loud clap of thunder, like a dragon roaring and flying away after that. Jigme Chokyi Senge from Germany may be able to share his memorable experience coming face to face with the typhoon while sleeping on the roof of the Burmese temple in Kushinagar, where the rest of us were either in the corridors or in the guest rooms. And there was too much snowing in Darjeeling, which was very unusual, and this resulted in the monks arriving two days later than scheduled. After that I was told it was snowing in Kathmandu, the first time after 60 over years. I believe all these unusual natural phenomena were signs of great joy of local deities who wanted to encourage us and to show us that everything is possible, and nothing is impossible, although this kind of dramatic weather conditions might have caused inconveniences to many people. I guess, this is the only way the local deities know how to express themselves.

I am very proud to say that our walking pilgrimage was truly without stains of the eight worldly dharmas, because everything was done so spontaneously without proper organising and planning. Sometimes I really think that too much planning and organising, especially for a spiritual activity, may result in inviting eight worldly dharmas. Maybe the purity of our motivation throughout this walking pilgrimage made the local deities so happy that they over-reacted.

I have also received many birthday greetings from friends and students writing to me from all parts of the world. I just celebrated my Tibetan birthday with my nuns and monks and a few friends and students from foreign countries in a Drubchen on Druk Amitabha Mountain, it was very warm and comfortable for me.

I would like to take this chance to thank all of you, who are constantly encouraging me and giving me various reasons to prolong my stay in this world. I don't know how much I can help you all, but from the very depth of my heart, I want to send you all my love, my good wishes and my prayers for your genuine happiness on the spiritual and mundane levels. While you all are praying for me to live long, I wish to pray for your longevity too, so that we all will walk together on this spiritual path, supporting and appreciating each other.

Lastly, happy new year, and may the Fire Boar Year bring you joy, happiness and success in all your endeavours.