The lama is coming
So, we heard that the lama is coming to the next village, and everyone was excited about inviting him. So, we were all preparing things for his coming such as drawings, invitation letter, sacred text, relics etc.
I went to my field this morning, and start counting my saffrons, which will come in handy soon. The saffron is used as a red paint, and also used to cook with rice to offer to the lama. Saffron itself is actually violet in colour, but in order to use it as an herb, I need to first extract the bud, and it can only be done by hand. Pema has a real delicate hand, and she will help me with that, and Dorje will bundle these buds together. The next step is to dry up these buds, to do that, I will have to start a medium fire on my stove which is made of clays (put in a lot of dry hay and tree branches, and leave the vent of the stove half open). Then I will place my wok on top of it, and keep stirring it until it is completely dry. The most precious ones are the one with a golden tip, and the more red in colour indicated that it is in higher quality. ( Procedure translated and interpreted from: http://www.huishi18.com/news/yeneizx/201.html)
Some of the saffrons will be contributed to the temple to make saffron rice. I always keep the golden tip ones, they are very precious, and can be sold for lots of money. As for the pedals, I will use a pestle to crush them to grind as much juice as possible, and then soak it in water, and put the solution in a cloth bag and squeeze out the yellow colouring. And I will use fermented rice water to corrode away the remaining yellow colours. Afterwards, I will cover it with Artemisia carvifolia for a night of dry up, and it will become red paint cake. It can be used either as paint, or to dye cloth into saffron colour, which is what the lamas are wearing. ( The method is derived from: (http://www.360doc.com/content/12/0720/16/225123_225455166.shtml)
Also, my Yak is pretty excited about it. She is a Buddhist named Ah Bu, a Chinese monk gave him that name. That was two years ago, and Ah Bu was really young, I passed by the temple , and see her kneeling in front of the temple. Two monks from the Dharma Drum Mountain, a Temple in Taiwan visited our village. One of them is called the Venerable Master Sheng Yen, he seemed really interested in Ah Bu, and he performed a miniature triple-gem ceremony for her. He told Ah Bu that she has destined to be a Buddhist, and she will moo as her consent to take the gems.
“I take refuge to the Buddha, and I will become a follower of the Buddha.” Said the master, and Ah Bu mooed.
“I take refuge to the Dharma, and I will not believe in the teachings of any tirthika. (Heresy)” Ah Bu mooed twice this time, he seemed really happy, and it felt as if he was saying “Yes! Yes!”
“I take refuge to the Sangha, and I will not follow anyone from any tirthika” Ah Bu mooed for a long while, and I think I saw him smiling at me.
The master then turned and look at me for a while, with a smile on his face. “I see the wisdom in you, you are a bright young man. Take Ah Bu with you, he will be a great help.”
Ah Bu and I was immediately bonded after that. She is a great help at the farm, she lies in front of the temple whenever she is not working and she is being really friendly to the kids. I told her that the lama is coming, and she mooed cheerfully, shaking her head up and down and started running around the house. It is a little cerebration ritual she likes to do. Dorje climbed onto her back, and took a few spins.
That night, I saw Durha again. He seemed concerned, he told me that he was fighting with his friend to get the chief guardian position. The competition was brutal, but it came down to him and his friend Borha. They have to fight a Garuda, and the first person taking back its head will get the position. And he was nervous about it. He also told me that he talked to Bodhisattava Mahamayuri, and she said that she heard Norbu’s praying, and Norbu is fine. It sounded like a blessing, but I am still skeptical about it. But I feel bad for Durha, Asuras are constantly fighting each others, and seems that only the words of the Buddha can help them.
