Losar

Terma

Losar Tashi Delek! March 2nd marked the Bhutanese New Year festival, called Losar, and the first day of the Wood Male Horse year. The festival here at Chokyi Gyatsho Institute, in Dewathang, was preceded by the five-day practice of the Vajrakilaya Puja, in keeping with the tradition of the Institute.

This festival holiday in the I
nstitute was opened by receiving the terma statues of Great Guru Padhmasambhava (the main relic in the Institute) into the temple at around 4 a.m. from the guest house. After that there was offering of the grand feast by the khenpo, lamas, lopons and the monks of the Institute. The ritual, which lasted for three hours, came to an end when the terma was taken back to the guest house.

Tug of war

In the following hours of the day all the fraternity of the institute came together on the temple yard to mark the first day of the new year. The tables and chairs were arranged under the lone standing tree right near the edge of the yard. The weather was bright and beautiful. A number of monks and cooks prepared the grand feast for lunch while there was entertaining play for other monks.

The younger monks played soccer and competed in tug of war and sack races, and there was a competition among the brand new monks to see who could put their robes on fastest, all in front of the watchful eye of Khenpo and the senior lamas. The senior monks were also entertained with tug of war. It was really grand celebration with lots of entertainment.

Soccer on play

 After the entertainment programme there was traditional midday meal which was really a grand feast. Food such as local rice, chicken, beef, emadatshi (chilli and cheese), dhal, fried fish, fried egg, mixed vegetables, cauliflower, mushroom cheese, soup, milk curd and green bananas were served. Green bananas are considered auspicious foods, the presence of which helps to ensure the New Year will be a good one. Every one enjoyed the delicious meal.   

The play continued after the lunch break with a volleyball match organized amongst the senior monks. While there was entertainment in their play, it was also serious competition, and included prizes, provided by the institute, for the winning teams. The first day came to an end with the awarding of prizes to the winners.

The second and third days of Losar were celebrated with playing games and arranging special meals.

New monks wearing robes

The word losar is the Tibetan word for "new year". Lo means the "year, age"; sar means the "new, fresh". The losar is traditionally celebrated for three days.

Dawa

                                                                  

The Vajra Kilaya Tordok

The Vajra Kilaya ritual (Phurbi Tordok) ended in the late afternoon, February, 28^th2014. It was the second of two Tordoks in Chokyi Gyatsho Institute this winter, the other of which was the Jamphel Shenye Tordok (wrathful manifestation of Manjushree ritual) which was performed earlier in February 2014. The rituals are usually scheduled at the beginning of each year.

It is believed that there are many external evil forces that are influence one's life, causing sickness, death and other misfortunes. These rituals are performed to protect all sentient beings from those evil powers, and  to defend from misfortune and sickness. This ritual is carried out at the beginning of the year to bring well-being, peace and harmony to the Institute, the community, the country and the world at large. Lopen Dechen, one of the senior teachers at CGI, said ''This ritual will also help protect and propagate Buddhadharma.'' He added ''Our activities will go according to our wishes and our aspirations will be successful.''  

The residents of Dewathang, Bangtsho and Rekhey came to pay their respects and to wish for good fortune in the coming year. The ritual was presided over by Khenpo Sangay Jamtsho and Lama Choeda and performed by hundreds of other lamas, lopens and monks  

Dawa

New monks

From the day the "increasing" terma was brought in as an important relic to Chokyi Gyatsho Institute, the number of new monks has increased. The first two monks, one from Bartsam and other from Mongar, came on the eve of 11th January, 2014 and now we have more than twenty five new monks.

Almost all the monks, ages 9 to 16, went to primary school from grades two to five and one of them went through grade nine. They have come from Tashigang, Mongar, Lhuntse, Shingkhar, Lauri, and some from Dewathang. 

In informal chats they said it was their interest and choice to be monks. Now they are really happy to be at the Institute with so many friends.

This group of monks will start their basic Buddhist studies beginning this new academic year 2014. 

Dawa

Tshok

Basket offering bowl, Dewathnag

Offering shrine, Dewathang

It was quite disheartening to see how thoughtlessly the plastic products are being used to offer for tshok in recent empowerment ceremony in Bartsam. If we closely examine the products on the offering shrine more the ninety percent came from plastics. The biscuits, chips, waiwai, maggi, koka, bread, mimi, lays, parle-G and the list goes on. I observed that almost all the people gathered in the ceremony had been actively involved in offerings of package foods and stuff from the shop. It was logical that people coming from far places would have had no option to cook and bring in organic items however there were alternative offerings in the shops, like oranges, walnuts and sugar canes. Even many lay people and civil servants from the same community had the choices of easy offering. Why not people go for bio degradable and environment friendly options. Don't you think the reason boils down to education as an key player.

Our students as outside visitors to Bartsam were surprise to see the unlike practice to that of what they practice are in line with environment friendly and healthy organic items. I felt that could be the reasons why my students sitting near to me during empowerment session murmur into my ear complaining ''They are using plastics and it is unhealthy practice.'' The problem is not with what is being offered on the shrine but it is with what is left unconsidered once the inside products are used. So one has to ask these apprehension questions where does the plastics go? who would care of it? what are the immediate effect? and what are long term effect?  and other more.     

Offering shrine, Bartsam Tashigang

I also felt that our students have certain right interpretation when they have said ''Bartsam is dirty.'' and I guess their interpretation came from what they have observed in an around the temple. I take this complain as a positive note to change in a way the present situation demands. We know that now because of modernisation at our door step everything from living standards to eating habits have changed to what we call ''modern ways.'' I agree that modernization is vital but remember let's not live behind the legacy that would not be cherished. Our simple local practices cherished for many years by our forefathers can be reintroduced from our sweet home and community.

Lopen Tsheten Norbu 

If you happened to visit to Chokyi Gyatsho Institute especially during one of the Drubchens or pujas. It is common to see an amazing and local ways of offering. The shrine is adorned with golden, white and red food, different curries, raw vegetables, cooked potatoes, orange, banana, homemade chips, momo, Indian sweets, cucumber, pineapple, sugarcane, apple, beaten maize, roasted rice, walnut, peach, boiled beans, cooked pumpkin and the list keeps on going. These offering comes from our community and this is where the first wise choice begins for the people of Dewathang and other premises around. I would  say these are the choices that has many positive implication to our environment, health, cost and our ways of offering. 

Offering tshok, Bartsam

Another important aspect of environment friendly and locally available practice one can witness is using of tree leaves and banana leaves instead of plastic plates and cups. I believe these are traditional bowls used by villagers commonly. When I was a kid in my remote hometown, I remember I ate many times on this mother nature plate. I also saw my mom and dad packing cheese and butter in it beautifully and wrapped it from all corners and send it as parcels. I wonder if these practices have deteriorated because of modernisation but now I realise it is extremely good practice once existing widely and I feel we have to re-establish this tradition.

While there are many expensive and polished offering bowls readily available one can see homemade bamboo container storing tshok on the shrine. It is beautiful container from mother nature and still serves the purpose.

Garbage in corner, Bartsam

I am very confident that if we create this environment of practice and nurture the mindset of the young and old through education we can change the way we are now and bring in positive force to our mother nature and the world at large.

Dawa

Fruits and foods, Dewathang

A journey to Bidung

Bidung community, a photo taken from Bartsam by Brodie.

Bidung is a scattered village opposite Bartsam, in Tashigang Dzongkhag, at about 2400 m elevation. 

The Bidung temple (also ta dzong) sits on the slope, hidden from the other side of the same community by a huge hill covered by pine, oak and other high altitude plants. 

The rising of the early sun was shadowed by the hill until late morning. The temperature we experienced was below 0 degree centigrade in the morning and it rises to maximum of 13-14 degree centigrade at mid-day. 

The typical winter season in the village could be witnessed every morning as puddles of water turned into hard slippery ice, the shedding of the oak tree leaves in the afternoon, and the skeleton deciduous trees standing tall in the garden.

It takes roughly ten hours by bus to make it from Dewathang to Bidung. We travelled in a public mini bus which was quite old and not in good condition. We had to stop several times on the way to fix the bus. These unscheduled stops actually provided nice opportunities for our students to go out and enjoy the outside environment. The worst part, however, was when we got in an accident with a car. Luckily nothing happened to our students or the people in the other car.    

Bidung temple (Ta-dzong), in Tashigang: Photo Brodie

Almost all of our students were traveling for the first time away from the Institute. It has been a good opportunity for them to see the world beyond their restricted zone of the Institute. While there were a few students who felt traveling sickness most of them were normal and active. They were singing together and making fun of each other.

Looking left and right side with their eye brows raised through the transparent window of the mini bus and pointing to villages, birds and plants, I could tell they are really curious about the outside world.

They were curious to see the Melong Brak (Mirror cliff) which is considered a dangerous and very high cliff on the way to Tashigang from Samdrupjonkhar. They had heard from other people that many accidents take place in that area because the road is comparatively narrow and often has foggy weather.

Monks from Dewathang during Baza guru mantra recitation. Photo by Dawa

They also narrated the story that is behind the name of the river Neagra Ama Chu (roughly which means a river of the Indian mother). They said once an Indian lady was digging an hole to get water out of it and suddenly huge volume of water came out of it and the woman drowned. That was the beginning of the present river and hence how it got its name. They also narrated a story about Kholong chu.

We took our classes in a room of a traditional house that was reserved for us to stay during the mantra recitation ceremony. The two story house was filled with monks from our Shedra and lay people from another community. The room was not so convenient for teaching and learning because it was rectangular and the students sitting at the back seem far away and also the light was dim. We didn't have a white board, either, but we made the best of it, having conversation class, and had fun with them. 

We started our classes at 6 pm with Manjushri's prayer and three minutes of meditation. The classes went up to more than an hour every day. They were long and tiring days for all the monks because they have to be up by 5 am to go to the temple to start mantra recitation. They chant mantras until 4 to 5 pm followed by dinner and then class. Most of the young monks from Mustang group would often fall asleep during the class.

Dawa 

Lhomon Education