{"id":3362,"date":"2017-03-20T06:53:42","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T06:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/project\/episode-8-karmic-footprint\/"},"modified":"2024-08-26T11:43:11","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T11:43:11","slug":"episode-8-karmic-footprint","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/project\/episode-8-karmic-footprint\/","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE DELAPAN: Jejak Karma"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.1″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Sebagai makhluk samsara, kita makan beraneka ragam makanan, kita mengendus begitu banyak aroma, kita berhubungan seks dengan berbagai jenis orang, dan kita tidak pernah benar-benar tahu benih apa yang telah kita tanam melalui semua tindakan kita. Disadari atau tidak, kita terus menciptakan peninggalan\/warisan, mengubah dunia, dan meninggalkan jejak.<\/p>\n

Dahulu kala, di sebuah tempat bernama Kurtoed[1], seorang wanita berjalan pulang setelah mengunjungi keluarga yang berduka. Saat ia melintasi jembatan bambu yang tinggi, jembatan itu tiba-tiba runtuh. Ia jatuh ke sungai dan hanyut, tak pernah terlihat lagi. Sesaat setelah tragedi itu, suaminya tengah memetik alpukat di pohon, ia jatuh dari dahan pohon alpukat dan mati, meninggalkan lima anak yatim piatu. Pria yang memanjat pohon ini belum pernah mencicipi secangkir kopi seumur hidupnya, ia belum pernah membaca Murakami, dan istrinya belum pernah bertemu Don Giovanni<\/em>. Mereka tidak tahu bahwa mereka adalah pencipta cicit yang sangat menikmati kopi, membaca Murakami, dan telah bertemu Don Giovanni<\/em> berkali-kali. Kedua orang ini adalah kakek nenek dari kakekku.<\/p>\n

\"rope_bridge_by_lucieg_stock-d55m8cg\"

Ia<\/em> jatuh<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Seorang wanita bernama Ngawang Drolma berupaya untuk menyerahkan anak-anak yatim piatu itu\u2014salah satunya adalah nenek buyut saya, Sonam Drolma\u2014kepada raja pertama Bhutan. Ada kebiasaan di Bhutan untuk mempersembahkan anak yatim piatu ke lembaga-lembaga, bahkan hingga saat ini. Banyak yang berakhir di biara, namun sekelompok anak ini berakhir bekerja di rumah raja.<\/p>\n

Ngawang Drolma itu seperti tokoh dalam novel klasik Inggris, seorang grande dame<\/em>, sosok wanita tromde<\/em>[2], yang sangat berpengaruh. Harusnya ada orang yang menulis novel tentang dinamika keluarga Bhutan. Untung bagi Ngawang Drolma, ada tradisi di Bhutan bahwa ketika tidak ada lagi orang dewasa yang mengurus rumah, maka tanah tersebut akan diambil alih oleh keluarga lain.<\/p>\n

Kurtoed merupakan wilayah yang jarang dilirik di distrik Lhuntse, namun pada saat itu, wilayah ini merupakan basis kekuatan politik dan ekonomi karena posisinya yang dekat dengan perbatasan Tibet di ujung timur laut Bhutan. Kurtoed adalah salah satu provinsi asli Bhutan. Banyak pemimpin kami di masa lalu berasal dari sana. Di dokumenku, tertulis aku lahir di Kurtoed karena tidak banyak orang yang tahu tempat kelahiranku sebenarnya, lembah Artemisia yang tersembunyi, Khenpajong.<\/p>\n

Berasal dari Kurtoed saat itu seperti berasal dari kota pelabuhan kaya layaknya Hamburg atau pusat kosmopolitan seperti London karena aksesnya ke Tibet. Namun Kurtoed memiliki bahasa Kurtoepa[3] sendiri yang untuk telingaku\u2014mungkin aku bias karena kenangan masa kecilku\u2014adalah bahasa paling merdu dan melodik. Gadis Kurtoepa dianggap cantik dan menarik, namun menurutku itu ada hubungannya dengan bahasa. Satu hal yang aku ingat tentang Kurtapa adalah hidangan klasik Bhutan seperti ezay<\/em>[4] dan hogay<\/em>[5]. Jika dimasak oleh tangan seorang Kurtoepa khususnya pria dan wanita paruh baya, masakan ini menjadi luar biasa. Pada kunjungan sesekali-ku ke Bhutan, aku selalu berusaha mengunjungi Bibi Dorji Yangki, seorang ahli masak Kurtoepa.<\/p>\n

Aku tidak besar di Kurtoed, tapi orang-orang Kurtoed yang menemani keluargaku berbicara tanpa henti tentang kejayaaan Kurtoed, jadi begitulah Kurtoed menjadi familiar bagiku. Selalu ada pembicaraan tentang dua keluarga besar Kurtoepa: Keluarga Rooling dan Thunpe. Mereka tinggal di naksthang<\/em>, sejenis istana atau rumah bangsawan Bhutan, yang dibicarakan orang-orang seolah-olah itu adalah kastil megah di Eropa. Ada satu rumah bernama Dungkar Chhoejey, yang merupakan rumah leluhur keluarga kerajaan saat ini. Setiap rumah dikelola oleh para pelayan yang pada dasarnya adalah budak dari pemilik rumah, orang-orang seperti nenek saya. Sisa dari budaya pelayan ini masih hidup di Bhutan hingga saat ini, yang mana sangat menyedihkan karena tampaknya mereka tidak bisa meninggalkan kebiasaan tersebut.<\/p>\n

Ketika Ngawang Drolma turun tangan mengurusi anak-anak yatim piatu, itu merupakan puncak sejarah Kurtoed. Nenek buyutku adalah anak tertua dari lima anak yatim piatu, dan karena ia sangat pintar dan bisa melakukan banyak hal di istana, ia menjadi bagian dari lingkaran dalam keluarga kerajaan. Dan begitulah akhirnya ia mengandung bayi berdarah bangsawan; kami tidak pernah bisa memastikan siapa sang ayah. Anak itu adalah kakek saya, Lama Sonam Zangpo.<\/p>\n

\"Sir

Tuan Ugyen Wangchuk dan keluarganya, 1905<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Orang Tibet dan Bhutan tidak punya kebiasaan menyimpan catatan keluarga. Oleh karena itu, sebagian besar tanggal bersejarah merujuk pada banyak \u2018katanya\u2019 dan faktanya tidak jelas. Ketika orang ditanya kapan mereka dilahirkan, kemungkinan besar mereka akan menjawab “tahun monyet” atau hewan astrologi lainnya dari kalender lunar, dan kemudian orang yang bertanya harus menebak usia mereka berdasarkan penampakan\u2014 jika orang ini kelihatan berumur empat puluhan, mereka berasumsi empat siklus tahun monyet yang lalu. Orang lain mungkin menggunakan musim atau peristiwa khusus untuk menjawab pertanyaan tanggal lahir. Mereka mungkin berkata, “Saya lahir sepuluh musim semi yang lalu,” atau, “Saya lahir pada tahun sebelum kebakaran hutan.”<\/p>\n

Sebelum globalisasi, kami tidak pernah merayakan ulang tahun di Bhutan. Tapi sekarang aku dengar banyak pesta dimana para elit bahkan mengenakan jas dan memesan kue dari Bangkok. Mereka seperti tidak pernah bosan dengan pesta ulang tahun.<\/p>\n

\"Gemini

Gemini siap bepergian<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Aku sendiri baru tahu tanggal lahirku yang sebenarnya ketika aku berusia sekitar 20 tahun dan perlu membuat paspor. Mengandalkan ingatan bibi-bibiku dan murid-murid kakekku serta asisten lainnya, kami menyimpulkan bahwa aku lahir di bulan Juni. Padahal sebelumnya, aku selalu berpikir mungkin aku lahir di bulan Juli, karena itu yang ibu katakan. Aku bahkan pernah dibacakan keseluruhan bagan astrologi dimana aku seolah-olah seorang Cancer, dan tampaknya sangat akurat. Begitulah yang terjadi dengan astrologi. Namun menurutku itu adalah miskomunikasi akibat penggunaan dua jenis kalender dengan jumlah bulan yang berbeda.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jadi ketika kami diberitahu bahwa kakekku lahir di Kurtoed, tahun ular air, dan ibunya, Sonam Drolma, merahasiakannya selama tiga tahun, dan kemudian pada usia 8 tahun Biara Talu memerintahkannya untuk menjadi biksu, atau bahwa pada usia 16 tahun beliau berjalan ke Tibet, ya Anda tidak perlu sepenuhnya percaya pada angka-angka ini.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Orang mungkin mengira Sonam Drolma menyembunyikan anaknya selama bertahun-tahun karena ia adalah anak haram yang lahir di luar nikah. Namun hal ini bukanlah masalah besar di Bhutan. Ada risiko yang jauh lebih besar daripada reputasi yang tercemar. Ketika aku beranjak dewasa, aku diperingatkan berulang kali, hampir setiap hari, untuk tidak makan makanan dari keluarga tertentu atau dekat dengan tokoh-tokoh tertentu. Para asisten kakekku akan berbisik-bisik dan bersembunyi ketika orang tertentu mendekat. Belakangan, mereka memberi tahu aku alasannya. Banyak kasus keracunan pada waktu itu di Bhutan, terutama di bagian timur, karena orang percaya bahwa jika Anda meracuni seseorang sampai mati, Anda dapat memperoleh kualitasnya. Jadi kemungkinan besar Sonam Drolma takut anak laki-laki itu akan diracuni jika kebenaran tentang asal usul kerajaannya terungkap.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ada, dan masih ada, orang-orang yang dengan sengaja meracuni orang-orang yang berkedudukan lebih tinggi, dan terutama bayi-bayi yang tidak berdaya. Bayi-bayi ini mempunyai kekuatan tetapi tak dapat membela diri. Ada penyihir yang dapat merebut kekuasaan hanya dengan sekilas pandangan, dan ada yang memiliki sentuhan beracun khusus. Keluarga-keluarga ini masih ada dan dikucilkan di Bhutan timur. Fenomena para penyihir ini semakin memudar seiring dengan dunia yang semakin materialistis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kurtoed juga telah meredup. Sebagian besar elit Kurtapa kini pindah ke tempat-tempat seperti Thimphu; jika masih ada tuan dan nyonya istana yang tersisa, tak banyak jumlahnya. Aku pergi ke Kurtoed di awal usia 30an untuk mengunjungi desa kakekku. Aku sangat menantikan untuk bisa melihat naktshang<\/em> megah dari keluarga Rooling dan Thunpe. Selama bertahun-tahun, aku membayangkan sesuatu yang sebanding dengan bangunan yang dikisahkan dalam novel, seperti keluarga Bingley di Netherfield dan keluarga Bennet di Longbourn dalam Pride and Prejudice<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"English

Rumah Manor Inggris<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Aku sangat kecewa karena naktshang<\/em> ternyata hanya berupa dua rumah yang letaknya bersebelahan. Tidak menunjukkan kemegahan. Aku jadi meragukan semua percakapan yang biasa kudengar tentang Kurtoed.<\/p>\n

Seperti yang Buddha katakan, apa yang ditumpuk akan jatuh, apa yang menyatu akan terpecah-pecah, apa yang dilahirkan akan mati. Menurutku, Kurtoed mencerminkan kebenaran ini. Namun hal ini tidak menghentikan orang untuk melekat pada kenangan-kenangan mereka.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

[1] Kurtoed, diucapkan “ker-toe”, terkadang dieja Kurtoe dan banyak ejaan lainnya di peta.<\/p>\n

[2] Dieja Kurtoep dalam Dzongkha atau Kurtoepa Sharchhop.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[3] Tromde adalah divisi administratif tingkat ketiga di Bhutan.<\/p>\n

[4] Ezay adalah saus sambal umumnya.<\/p>\n

\"yeewong-magazine-25-1024x683\"<\/p>\n

[5] Hogay adalah salad mentimun dengan cabai, keju, dan lada Szechuan.<\/p>\n

\"75a4321\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.1″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″] Sebagai makhluk samsara, kita makan beraneka ragam makanan, kita mengendus begitu banyak aroma, kita berhubungan seks dengan berbagai jenis orang, dan kita tidak pernah benar-benar tahu benih apa yang telah kita tanam melalui semua […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"As samsaric beings, we eat so many things, we sniff so many things, we have sex with different kinds of people, and we never really know down the line what kind of seeds we have planted with all of our actions. Knowingly or not, we are constantly creating legacies, changing worlds, and leaving our mark.\n\nLong ago, in a place called Kurtoed[1]<\/a>, a woman was walking home from visiting a family in mourning. As she crossed a high bamboo bridge, it collapsed beneath her. She fell into the river and was washed away, never to be seen again. Soon after that tragedy, her husband was picking avocados in a tree and tumbled from the branches to his death, leaving five children as orphans. This man who climbed the tree had never sipped a cup of coffee in his life, he had never read Murakami<\/a>, and his wife had never seen Don Giovanni<\/em><\/a>. Little did they know that they were the creators of a great-great-grandson who enjoys coffee so much, reads Murakami, and has seen Don Giovanni<\/em> many times. The two were my grandfather's grandparents.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_195\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"900\"]\"rope_bridge_by_lucieg_stock-d55m8cg\" She fell<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nA lady whose name was Ngawang Drolma took it upon herself to give the orphaned children\u2014one of them my great-grandmother, Sonam Drolma\u2014to the first king of Bhutan. There is this custom in Bhutan of offering orphans to institutions, even today. Many end up at monasteries but this bunch ended up working in the king's household.\n\nNgawang Drolma was like a character from a classic English novel, a grande dame, a thromde's lady[2]<\/a>, very powerful. Someone should really write a novel about Bhutanese family dynamics. Conveniently for her, there was also a tradition in Bhutan that when there were no more adults to care for a home, the land was taken over by another family.\n\nKurtoed is a rarely-seen part of the Lhuntse district, but back then, it was a political and economic powerbase because of its proximity to the border of Tibet in the far northeast of the country. It was one of the original provinces of Bhutan. Many of our past leaders came from there. On my documents, it says I was born in Kurtoed because not many people knew of my true birthplace, the hidden valley of Artemisia, Khenpajong.\n\nBeing from Kurtoed back then was like being from a rich harbor city like Hamburg or a cosmopolitan center like London because of its access to Tibet. But it had its own Kurtoepa[3]<\/a> language which to my ears\u2014and maybe I'm tainted by my childhood memories\u2014is the most singsong and melodic of languages. Kurtoepa girls were considered beautiful and a good catch, but I have a feeling it had something to do with this language. One thing I remember about the Kurtapas is the classic Bhutanese dishes like ezay<\/em>[4]<\/a> and hogay<\/em>[5]<\/a>. When prepared by the hands of a Kurtoepa especially middle aged men and women, these dishes are extraordinary. On my occasional visits to Bhutan, I always make an effort to visit my Auntie Dorji Yangki who is such a Kurtoepa good cook.\n\nI didn't grow up in Kurtoed, but the Kurtoepa who accompanied my family talked endlessly of the glory of Kurtoed, so in that way it was familiar to me. There was always talk of two grand Kurtoepa families: the Roolings and the Thunpes. They lived in naksthang<\/em>, a kind of Bhutanese chateau or manor, that people spoke about as if they were the grand castles of Europe. There was one house called Dungkar Chhoejey, which was the ancestral home of the current royal family. Each house was staffed with servants who were basically owned by the householders, people like my grandmother. The residue of this servant culture is still alive in Bhutan today, which is so sad because they just can't seem to shake the habit.\n\nWhen Ngawang Drolma intervened with the orphans, it was at the height of Kurtoed's history. My great-grandmother was the eldest of the five orphans, and because she was very clever and could do many things around the palace, she became part of the inner circle of the royal family. And that's how she ended up pregnant with a royal-blooded baby; we can never quite say which one was the father. That child was my grandfather, Lama Sonam Zangpo.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_188\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1442\"]\"Sir Sir Ugyen Wangchuk and his family, 1905<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nThe Tibetans and Bhutanese are not in the habit of keeping family records. Therefore, most historical dates are based on a lot of hearsay and the facts are blurry. When people were asked when they were born, they would most likely say \"the year of the monkey\" or some other astrological animal from the lunar calendar, and then the person asking would have to guess their age based on how old this person seems\u2014if this person is fortyish, they assume four monkey years ago. Other people might use seasons or special events to answer the birth date question. They might say, \"I was born ten springs ago,\" or, \"I was born the year before the forest caught on fire.\"\n\nUntil recently, with the arrival of globalization, we never celebrated birthdays in Bhutan. But now I hear that there are parties where the elites even wear tuxedos and they order cakes from Bangkok. They can't get enough birthday parties.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_193\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"3460\"]\"Gemini Gemini ready to travel<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nI myself only came to know my actual date of birth when I was around 20 and needed to get a passport. Relying on the memories of my aunties and the disciples of my grandfather and other attendants, we figured out it was in June. Until then, I had always thought maybe I was born in July, because of something my mother had said. I even had a whole astrological chart done as if I were a Cancer, and it seemed perfectly accurate. That's the way it goes with astrology. But I think that was a miscommunication due to using two kinds of calendars with a different number of months.\n\nSo when we are told that my grandfather was born in Kurtoed, the year of the water snake, and that his mother, Sonam Drolma, kept him secret for three years, and then at age 8 Talu monastery ordered him to become a monk, or that at age 16 he walked to Tibet, well, you have to take these numbers with a grain of salt.\n\nOne might think that Sonam Drolma kept her child hidden for those years because he was a bastard born out of wedlock. But this was not such a big deal in Bhutan. There was a much bigger risk than a damaged reputation. When I was growing up, I was warned again and again, almost every day, not to eat food from certain families or to be close to certain characters. My grandfather's attendants would whisper and hide when particular people came near. Much later, they told me the reason. There were many cases of poisoning at that time in Bhutan, especially in the east, because people believed that if you poisoned someone to death, you could receive their qualities. So it's more likely that Sonam Drolma was afraid the boy would be poisoned if the truth of his royal parentage was revealed.\n\nThere were, and still are, people who deliberately give poison to higher born people, and especially to helpless babies. These babies have the power but cannot defend themselves. Some of these sorcerers could snatch power with just a glance, and some had a special poisonous touch. Some of those families are still around in east Bhutan suffering social exclusion. The phenomenon of all these witches and sorcerers is fading as the world becomes so materialistic.\n\nKurtoed also has faded. Most of the Kurtapa elites have now moved to places like Thimphu; few if any lords and ladies of the chateaus remain. I went to Kurtoed in my early 30s to visit my grandfather's village. I was looking forward to finally seeing the grand naktshang of the Roolings and the Thunpes. For years, I had imagined something comparable to the storied estates in a novel, not unlike the Bingleys' Netherfield and the Bennets' Longbourn in Pride and Prejudice<\/em>.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_192\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"564\"]\"English English Manor House<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nTo my great disappointment, the naktshang turned out to be just two houses, situated right next door to each other. There was no evidence of glory. It makes me wonder about all those conversations I used to hear about Kurtoed.\n\nJust as the Buddha said, what is stacked will fall, what comes together will become fragmented, what is born will die. I would say that Kurtoed reflects these truths. But that doesn't stop people from clinging to their memories.\n\n \n\n

\n\n[1]<\/a> Kurtoed, pronounced \"ker-toe\", is sometimes spelled Kurtoe and many various other ways on maps.\n\n[2]<\/a> Spelled Kurtoep in Dzongkha or Kurtoepa Sharchhop.\n\n[3]<\/a> A thromde is a third-level administrative division in Bhutan.\n\n[4]<\/a> Ezay is a common chili sauce\n\n\"yeewong-magazine-25-1024x683\"\n\n[5]<\/a> Hogay is a cucumber salad with chilies, cheese, and Szechuan pepper\n\n\"75a4321\"\n\n ","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"project_category":[85],"project_tag":[],"class_list":["post-3362","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","project_category-episodes-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/3362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/3362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"project_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_category?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"project_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mugwortborn.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_tag?post=3362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}