Losar! Here it comes!
It is three days until Losar, or the Tibetan New Year, and spirits are high because finally our chance to wipe away any negative karma accumulated from last years turmoil has presented itself. The Tibetan New Year is one of the great Monlams, or elaborate ceremonies that occur once a year and are considered to be “Great Aspirations,” which draw people from far and wide. Our moderately modest village is especially bustling because farmers and nomads living on the out skirts of the village, in the mountains or poor neighboring villages are welcomed into our village with open arms and it seems as if the population has doubled. Not only does this celebration provide religious benefits, that I will get into later, but it also provides economic and social opportunities for the village. During this time you can meet and experience a diversity of people and new products being brought in. Visitors will often purchase mementoes to commemorate their visit and bring them back to their own villages, adding to our economy and making our products more well-known across Tibet. The months after the celebration heavily depend on the success gained in this short amount of time, so it is crucial that everything goes smoothly.
If I was business savy I would take advantage of this influx of people and try to sell some of my art, but that is not what Losar is about to me. For me, Losar is a time to relax and take off from work to enjoy time with my family and friends and meditate on Impermanence. The idea of missing time spent with my family and friends to work is futile, because this is the biggest celebration of the year, both in a social and religious sense. It is a the time of year that truly brings everyone together, and you will find me feasting and gambling with my friends and sharing my brewed chang that I have left over from last year’s celebration. My brewed chang is plenty strong enough to suffice for the next three days — although more is not hard to come by if we need to. This intoxicating liquor is made from the finest barley in the town that has been aged and fermented to perfection. As my friends and I say “there is never a dull moment when chang is involved. It defiantly allows us to let loose a little and gives me the courage to join in the dance activities without inhibition, as I am not the best dancer.
During this precious time, Tibetans of all ages are flooding the local monasteries and shrines, gathering and lighting lamps and offering prayers. Due to how the Tibetan lunar calendar was calculated, the particular date that Losar falls on is almost never the same year to year. Due to some ambiguity in planet alignment or some sort of science to do with the conjunctions of planets, Tibetan scientists can either add or delete entire months from the calendar — in this way, if a month is deleted, the New Year will come a month early, and if a month is added, it will come a whole month late. This is very different from the Westernized New Year, which is on the exact same day every year, which can be seen as being more reliable, however, does not take into consideration the effects that other planets have on the situation. Whenever the New Year does occur, it does so in the frigid winter weather, but that is not stopping anyone. Everyone is ready to engage in the rites that allow them to renew their spirit and none are giving up the opportunity to attract good merit in the coming year. Thus, you will see everyone that has to be in the cold, in fox fur hats, and robes trimmed with leopard and otter skin or in heavy leather jackets. The snow is beautiful and reminds me of the white, clean slate the New Year will bring, furthermore, the cold air highlights the purifying smoke of juniper and related herbs as it rolls off the roof tops.
The Monks hoist prayer flags in honor of this blessed time, a time of transition where any accumulation of negative past karma will be relieved and blessings will be bestowed upon you to promise future good karma. However, it is not all fun and games, because during this crucial time any actions done, that being negative or positive alike, will manifest in the coming year. Because we want prosperity, we will be on our best behavior. Not only is this a time of karmic opportunity, but also of karmic danger that can leave us vulnerable if we allow ourselves to become susceptible to temptations.
For the main event, the one that everyone has been waiting for, is when the highest monks in the village gather to perform a ritual dance that has not been changed or altered for centuries, that physically dispels the negative karma of the past twelve months or so — simply dancing away last year’s energy. The dance itself is very dramatic and represents the transformation of turbulent psychic forces into energies of compassion, and entails a specific and technical way that the monks dance on their toes and spin on the souls of their boots — along to the beat of cymbals clashing and horns blowing. At sundown the ceremony will be concluded, as always, and the final burning of a menacing effigy will occur, that symbolically frees the days ahead from bondage of the past. These ceremonies are attended by throngs of laypeople, who act as spectators to the monk’s activity where they reconcile prayers and preform rituals for the benefit of all sentient beings. The great part about this special ceremony is the fact that it creates a ripple effect, where those who benefit from the ceremonies generate merit for themselves, which in turn is manifested through them to others — and spread like wild flower. Because the lay people are getting a lot from the performance already, they are encouraged to contribute to the sacred dance in whatever ways they can — which entails a reciprocal relationship between laymen and the religious practitioners.
Lhasa, Tibet’s ancient capital, home of the 14th Dalai Lama (before his exile) and “Land of the Gods” is a very significant place to all Tibetan culture, because it is the religious and political capital of the country where the traditions of our village are based on its traditions, however, as a fairly young village, we have a long ways to go. At this time in Lhasa, Bumpari peak, or “vase mountain”, a steep pyramidal slope is climbed by pilgrims who wish to raise prayer flags and offer herbs, by throwing bundles of juniper into a smoldering fire, that would please the spirits of the land and sky. It is here at the summit, where offerings can reach the gods, and where we can interact with them in our own way. The significance of going to Lhasa itself and experiencing the Losar the way it is meant to occur, is emphasized by the belief that people who are present in the Land of the Gods at the time of the ceremony will actually receive greater amounts of merit, than they would in other places. Because this time is all about accumulating as much merit as possible, some pilgrims travel vast distances to reach the ancient capital to experience the most powerful of ceremonies performed by the great lamas that will ensure well being. Interestingly enough, some pilgrims make their journey here in a series of prostrations, where after each step they lay down and stretch full length on the ground, beginning their next step from the place the tips of the finger marks. This technique can consume months of the pilgrim’s time to reach his destination and is defiantly a feat of great devotion and self discipline. This devotional act is considered to be a gold mine for accumulating good merit, so one can imagine a person who is both in Lhasa and engages in prostrations will have much greater good karma acting on him that ill positively affect him.
Although the festivities are mostly religious and represent a time for contemplation and reflection where anyone who can prove their devotion is able to drive out evil forces that weigh them down and establish positive karma, there is another side to the celebration of the New Year that pre dates Buddhism itself. Before Buddhism was even established, there are some aspects of Tibetan martial activity that have remained as tradition in the Buddhist New Years celebration, acting as a source of entertainment in the form of parades and sports. Although they are non religious, they still make up some of the most enjoyable and crowd pleasing spectacles hundreds gather to see. There are massive parades, where antique armor is paraded about and traditional robes are worn originating from the ancient times of Tibetan militant promise that reflect a pre Buddhist emphasis on warfare. Furthermore, there are engaging sports such as horse racing, archery, and wrestling matches where people can watch and place bets on.
At last the time is nearing, not only do I look forward to the time I get to spend with my family and friends; but I also get to do some personal reflection and am able to renew my faith. Furthermore, I can test my own strength and devotion to see the kind of Buddhist I am, in making sure I am doing my offerings and lighting my butter lamps; and finally I get to take part in non religious side of the celebration involving drinking intoxicating liquors, gambling and watching sports — everything a man loves — it is these traditions born in Tibet that keep me connected not only to my Buddhist roots but remind me of the long and proud militant history we once had, and makes me proud to be from such a beautiful country. May I properly follow the dharma and may my actions bring positive karma to my family and I in the upcoming year.
