| 簡介：◎ karma 指的都是「壞事」嗎？ ◎ 不丹旅遊小知識 Paro Tsechu: Spreading Peace through Springtime Rituals
From 287 tourists that visited Bhutan in its inaugural year of open borders in 1974, the annual average has grown to nearly 3,500. Bhutan has been called "the last Shangri-la" for its pristine ecology and an enduring air of mystery. Although tourism is an important addition to the traditional economy of agriculture and forestry, Bhutan protects its natural splendor through preset daily tourist fees, naturally limiting visitor numbers.
Colorful festivals are a big draw for travelers. Tsechu is the name for celebrations dedicated to Padmasambhava, the great Indian master who brought Tantric Buddhism to the Himalayas in the eighth century. The springtime Paro Tsechu is one of the biggest and most mesmerizing. Costumed and masked monks perform the cham dances, a 1,300-year-old tradition that was largely secret until a century ago. Dancers must visualize themselves as their chosen protective deities. They enact stories, as well as draw negative energy from the world into themselves, transmuting it into love and compassion.
On the last day of the tsechu, an enormous thangka of Padmasambhava is unfurled for a few hours. It is believed that merely seeing the image and the dances bestows potent blessings and cleanses the viewer of unvirtuous karma. That is a worthwhile pilgrimage indeed.
帕羅策秋節──不丹的春日和平慶典
從 287 名旅客於 1974 年不丹首次開放觀光的這年造訪該國起，每年的平均人數已成長至將近 3,500 人。不丹因其原始生態及長久以來的神祕感而被稱為「最後的香格里拉」。雖然旅遊業是農業及林業等傳統經濟外的重要產業，但不丹仍透過預設旅客的每日規費以保護其壯麗的天然景致，而這自然也限制了遊客人數。
饒富趣味的慶典對旅客而言是一大吸引要素。「策秋節」是為蓮花生大士而舉辦的慶典名，這名偉大的印度導師於八世紀時將藏傳佛教帶到喜馬拉雅山脈。春季的帕羅策秋節是其中最盛大、也最吸引人的。身穿表演服裝且頭戴面具的喇嘛表演「嗆姆」舞──這是個具 1,300 年歷史的傳統，直到一世紀之前都還帶有極大的神秘色彩。舞者必須想像他們是自己所選的護法神。他們演出故事內容，同時將世上的負面能量吸收進自己體內，將之轉化為愛與同理心。
在策秋節的最後一天，繪有蓮花生大士的巨幅唐卡會展開幾小時。據信只要看到這幅畫和那些舞蹈，就能獲得強而有力的祝福並洗淨觀看者的惡業。這確實是值得一訪的朝聖之旅。
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