On the first day
of the sacred ceremonies in Pharping, October 17 (Medicine Buddha Day),
we arrived at the New Treasures site early in the morning on busses from
Kathmandu. Enroute we had stopped at the Haatiban Resort to pick up a
few members of our party. Arrival at this legendary place was almost overwhelming.
The site is so beautiful, so peaceful, so powerful, so sacred, that it
was quite difficult to really experience all of its feeling and history
and potential. The conscious mind cannot really grasp all the qualities
of such a thing. It happens at deeper levels, in ways that literally cannot
be verbalized or reduced to description. This is a place of Enlightenment.
Perhaps that says it all.
Jigme Rinpoche asked us to pay attention to the wind there.
It is a different kind of wind than blows anywhere else in the world.
It is a special wind. This wind heals and elevates. It literally carries
the blessings of Padmasambhava. It carries the prayers of the thousands
of prayer flags that fly throughout Pharping. It carries the eternal wish
for freedom from samsara, the wish to experience enlightened mind, the
wish to free all beings. These are the Winds of Eternity.
October 17, from morning to evening, was dedicated to
pujas and purification. The monks who had come from Orissa obviously were
knowledgeable and skilled in the practices, as well as the accompanying
traditional Tibetan arts of horns and drums. An extremely elaborate fire
/ smoke puja was prepared in which all the students participated. Over
the firepit hadbeen painted a beautiful mandala, over which were stacked
neat configurations of wood which was to start the fire / smoke offering.
The monks prepared hundreds of different offerings to be dumped into the
firepit, each student taking many turns, as the line of people went to
the front to receive plates of offerings, then to the firepit to offer
it, then back to the rear of the line for another round of offerings.
Thus everyone had an opportunity to be part of purifying the site for
the great Buddhist center to be built here. Most of the people present
had purchased custom-made Tibetan style formal clothing for the event
from the Obsession Boutique in Kathmandu, the shop operated by Rinpoche's
daughters. The Terton smiled and laughed as he saw this clothing, for
his daughters had kept it a fun secret from him, so he would be surprised
when he saw the students all dressed in their Tibetan clothing for the
Pharping events.
Day 2
His Eminence approaches the site
with procession of monks.
On the second day of the ceremonies, October 18
(Vajrakilaya Day), the purification practices and pujas continued. His
Eminence Namkha Drimed Rinpoche performed many rare rituals, not often
seen by Westerners, which prepare a site for an important Buddhist Monastery
and retreat center. And since this place will be his new teaching seat,
the seat for revelation of the new terma treasures for our age, his blessings
upon this place were very powerful. His powerful phurba, cutting through
obstacles or negative energies, was raised more than once. And he performed
an incredible ceremony wherein he changed clothes and assumed the kingly
golden robes of the warrior king Lord Gesar. His garment glistened in
golden fabrics. A long black wig was placed on his head followed by an
elaborate golden crown. He was truly magnificent! And the awesome power
of his presence was quite overwhelming.
Groundbreaking ceremonies in
Pharping.
On this day, the actual Groundbreaking Ceremony for the
new Monastery took place. On the earth where the building would be constructed,
a square ritual piece of earth had been prepared, surrounded by bricks,
containing a picture of the Earth Mother painted right onto the ground.
Flower petals had been strewn around the area and potted flowers had been
placed around the square. Rinpoche sat on a folding chair alongside the
square area and performed a rather lengthy ceremony of blessing, requesting
the permission of the Earth Mother that the building could be placed there.
He then took the special ritual shovel which had been designed by one
of the students who had carried this with her all the way from the U.S.
to Pharping. The shovel blade was covered in layers of real gold leaf,
sealed in a varnish, with double dorjes painted on the blade. The red
logo of Ripa Ladrang
Namkha Drimed Rinpoche enters
ceremonial tent.
was painted on the handle. And five-colored ribbons,
representing the colors of the Five Buddha Families, hung from the shovel's
handle. Rinpoche broke ground with this special shovel, which he said
was a very auspicious item as it was similar to the golden shovel that
had been used to break ground at Samye during the time of Guru Rinpoche.
After he broke the surface of the ground, a monk took a pick and dug deeply
into the earth there to water-test the area for auspicious signs. Fortunately
the water did sink, which was considered to be a positive omen. After
the groundbreaking, the Terton and his son Gyetrul Jigme Rinpoche unveiled
the lovely preliminary color rendering of the Monastery they will build.
Later in the day His Eminence delivered a Vajrakilaya
empowerment to everyone present. The students had been asked to repeat
the Vajrakilaya mantra throughout the day to assist with eliminating all
negative forces. A lot of Tibetans from nearby areas came in for this
empowerment and the opportunity to receive blessing from Rinpoche. The
ceremonies of this day lasted on into the night. During this day the clink-clink
of butterlamps could be heard as the trekking company agents began cleaning
and polishing the 10,800 butterlamps to be used in the ceremony the following
day. Every lamp was rubbed and polished and a wick placed in it. The busses
departed in the evening bringing all of the students back to their various
hotels in Kathmandu.
Day 3
Butterlamp ceremony - 10,800
lamps at Pharping site.
On the third day of the ceremonies, October 19
(Guru Rinpoche Day), the pujas and purification ceremonies continued throughout
the day. The students also did the Ngondro practice together, chanting
'Calling Lama From Afar' in Tibetan. Later in the day, everyone did the
Heart Essence of the Guru practice (Guru Rinpoche) together, including
the teachers, monks and students. This day was capped off with an incredibly
beautiful ceremony of 10,800 butterlamps and a special merging of mandalas
ritual. On this third day, the tail end of an Indian cyclonic system was
passing over, bringing heavy rains to Nepal and Bhutan, so it poured most
of the day with some dry intervals. However, the meeting tents for the
most part held back the rain waters from dripping onto the teachers or
participants.
Students entering to pray at
sacred Asura Cave.
During one of the breaks, when rain had stopped, Jigme Rinpoche led the
students on a hike up to Asura Cave where Guru Rinpoche had practiced.
Outside of this cave, on the wall aside the door, is Guru Rinpoche's handprint
in the stone. Each person had an opportunity to go into the cave, make
prostrations and prayers and to touch the sacred handprint. Afterwards
Jigme Rinpoche also showed everyone the hilltop site they had purchased
for the Retreat Area, a very beautiful, still, peaceful place where people
can seriously do meditation retreat.
Departing Pharping was a real lesson in detachment for everyone, since
the three days' precious moments were so beautiful, so transformative,
so elevating, that none of us wanted ever to leave. But even the highest
moments of this life must end, as did these moments, and we finally had
to leave, hoping to return very very soon.
