Tsemi, the man who walks for the dhamma

Tsemi's camp at the Convoy Ground bus stop in Gangtok

Tsemi walks

TSHERING EDEN
GANGTOK, 05 March: “Helping beings is the message of all the great gurus and of spiritual practice and is the principle message of all religions,” reads the message on the trolley that Tsemi pulls along as he travels, prostrating all the way.
“I am doing this to bring peace to all sentient beings of the world and set an example for people to follow their dharma which is the only way one can find peace,” reasons Tsemi on why he travels about performing the Jang-Cha [prostration], lugging along a trolley with his belongings. [click here for a photo-essay on Tsemi walking into Gangtok]

Determined, he travels up to Gangtok one prostration at a time

He won’t talk while he is on his walk [prostrations, actually], but a banner at the back of his trolley informs that he has been on a pilgrimage since 01 October 2006; marking his journey across countries one prostration at a time! He is following on the footsteps of the Buddha and Guru Padmasambhava, travelling from one pilgrimage destination to the other and has already toured through Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, parts of India and arrived in Gangtok on Thursday afternoon.
Even though we don’t know his name at present, the man is a traffic-stopper, with everyone coming to a stop when they glimpse his determined pace. With leather chaps strapped on both his legs and protecting his chest and wooden hand-shields for his prostrations, he pulls along a trolley [carrying his belongings] tied to his waist and prostates flat, pulls himself up as he recites prayers and then prostrates again, and so his journey continues…