Dances of the Heroes (paocham). This acrobatic-spinning dance is inspired by a vision of Guru Rinpoche’s pure land that the great teacher Pema Lingpa had in the 15th century. He himself described it in this way: “At the summit stands a palace of light, glittering with the brilliance of primordial wisdom, vast like the sky. In the center of the palace, in an expanse of sparkling dots and interlacing rainbows, Padmasambhava is seated, the embodiment of all buddhas of the past, present, and future. He is surrounded by a gathering of enlightened beings and male and female divinities who dance, gesture, and beautifully sing the profound teachings of the Great Vehicle. They come together like a magnificent cloud, performing actions for the good of beings in unimaginable ways. Performed here as part of a presentation of sacred dance, in France, by monks from Shechen Monastery in Nepal. 2004.