Discovering this stone on Nyilo, 2nd January, 2020(ཟླབ་༡༡་ཚེས་༧)

The preparation for the celebration of the 16th Kuechey of Khenchen Jigme Phuntsho at Kadam Chorten (Buddha’s Memorial Chorten) in Gawadrong, 2020, was nearly complete. But being a coordinator of the Dewachen Tshogpa, I visited the  preparation site on Bhutanese winter solstice, Nyilo (ཉི་ལོག) day to clear some remaining unfinished work—some stones and construction nails—surrounding the chorten. My mind was filled with devotion and the determination to make the first celebration of the 16th Kuechey of Khenchen Jigme Phuntsho at Kadam Chorten a successful and meaningful event.While clearing the stones and construction nails, I unconsciously separated one stone from the rest and placed it inside a torn tin. Discovering this stone on Nyilo, 2^nd January, 2020(ཟླབ་༡༡་ཚེས་༧) seemed particularly significant, leading me to ponder the timing of this discovery.

The Significance of Winter Solstice, Nyilo (ཉི་ལོག)

According to the Loden Foundation (2021), Nyilo literally means ‘the return of the sun.’ It marks the day from which the duration of sunlight increases, signifying the start of longer days. Traditionally, people believe that on Nyilo, past mistakes may be erased, and the karmic value of good deeds can multiply. Nyilo is observed as the New Year by the people of the Shar and Wang regions in western Bhutan.Lolay (ལོ་ལེགས) is celebrated as part of Nyilo. From a Buddhist perspective, Lolay is a celebration aimed at blocking certain paranormal misfortunes from befalling the region, thereby promoting peace and prosperity for the entire year. Nyilo is considered more sacred than any other day, and people are discouraged from engaging in negative activities.

The Spiritual Significance of the Number 7

In Buddhism, the number 7 holds significant spiritual meanings and is often associated with enlightenment, wisdom and the path to spiritual awakening. According to ChatGPT, immediately after Buddha birth, he took seven steps, and at each step, a lotus flower bloomed. This miraculous event symbolizes his future spiritual path and his role as a great teacher.

The significance of Nyilo and the symbolic importance of the number 7 added layers of meaning pointing towards, it is something  special.