Disposition 5

As the sound of drumming got closer, the whole village was buzzing with excitement. The Lama had finally arrived. The village greeted him with open arms. We brought him to his quarters and helped in the unloading of his items. We offered him all the gifts and paintings we prepared. I was tasked by the head monk of the village to show the Lama around the village and help him in any way possible.

Once the Lama was rested from his long trip, we took a walk around the village. I showed him our farms where we grow medical herds and some vegetables. He had a few conversations with the farmers and gave them some words of encouragement to them. I continued the tour of the village. I showed him the new bridge which the village had to build after the hail storm. I also showed him the place where we had our burial ritual for the villagers who lost their lives during the hail storm. The Lama paused at the site and did a short prayer for them and we carried on. Along the way, the Lama was talking to me about cosmology and the universe is connected. Once the tour ended, I brought him back to his quarters and allowed him to prepare for the upcoming prayers which would be held the next day.

I went over to the other monks. Some of them we preparing medical pills which can be used after the Lama has blessed it. I was helping the others with the drawing of the mandala. The mandala is drawn using fine coloured powder and tapping a small tube to allow the powder to drop. It was a very painstaking process. But once it was done, it looked beautiful.

The day of the Lama’s healing ceremony has arrived. The other monks and I were preparing our final touches on the monastery to make it perfect for the Lama to have his ceremony. As the clocks turned 11, it was time for the ceremony. I went over to the Lama’s room and told him that the monastery was ready. His followers started burning incense as he got ready. Not long after, you can see the smoke from the incense rising from a distance. You could also see yellow umbrella which was used to shade the Lama getting closer. As the Lama got closer, the music that was playing for him got louder and the villagers were buzzing more and more with excitement.

The Lama started his healing ceremony and it lasted 2 days. Monks had to constantly chant mantras day and night as part of the ceremony. So the monks took turns saying the mantras in the night. I had to do it from two in the morning to 6 six in the morning. After the formal part of the ceremony and the Lama blessed the pills, the Lama preceded with talking with us as a village about spirits and ways of improving karma.

After talking to us, he had a private talk with the villagers that contributed in any way for making the Lama’s visit possible. He gave them a special blessing and protection amulets for them to wear. As the Lama was talking to them, I was put in charge of the clean up of the monastery. The clean up took a long time but finally after half a day of work put in, we finally were done with cleaning.

Before the Lama left, he heard that the library that housed one of our greatest collection of Buddhist texts was destroyed in the hailstorm and we did not have the resources to rebuild it. He kindly donate a large sum of money and resources to help in our rebuilding efforts. With the money that was donated by the Lama, we were finally able to buy materials used for building roofs and nearby traders. Having a roof over us is important as it would protect us from the elements.