Welcoming the Renpoche
Morning, with a glow of sunshine, the village was already trembling. People gathered in big crowds, with pitchfork and torch. Everyone was excited about Rinpoche’s arrival.
Women gathered Khata of all colours, men lighted up the bonfire, and start to cook Saffron rice and others helped cleaning and setting up the monestry. Rinpoche’s apprentices and layman apprentices also arrived early, there were at least fifty of them. They all lined up from the bridge, thru the town hall all the way to the monastery, everyone was carrying something on their yak or horse: picture of the Rinpoche, Sakyumuni Buddha, Cherenzig, the Dalai Lama or PenChen lama, Buddhism flag (the five color flag). On the line close to the monastery, there are lamas wearing Gelagpa (Pointy, mohawk-like yellow hat) or Karmapa (A crown like hat, its shape is similar to the ones the pope wears) holding Dharma drum, Dharma conch, Rosary beads, prayer flags, flower peddles and other Dharma instruments. The nuns and monks of our village started to burn large sandalwood incense stick (It does not have a wood stick out) and incense powders. At the mean time, healers are preparing rubbing incense powder according to the Vajrasekhara Sutra, ritual on Yoga Homa, which each portion consists of 1 gram of Saffron, 2 grams of Borneol, 150 grams of white sandalwood, purple sandalwood and Cedar each, and 70 grams of Gaharu Agarwood. Grind all ingredients into the finest grains, and use a filter gauze to filter out even finer grains. Then it was stored into a jar, tightly sealed, and place them near the seat where the Rinpoche will be performing rituals and enlighten us with his great insight of the Dharma.
Suddenly, everyone just became quiet, and slowly, the lamas started playing the instruments. Everyone alone the road stopped moving, and stand straight. A group of dancers wearing masks of different colour emerged, Rinpoche was right behind them. He was carried by four men in a sedan chair, and two servants beside him holding a parasol. And like what was described in the Lotus Sutra:
I am very sure that the Buddha, the Bhagavat, will now teach the great Dharma, rain down the great Dharma, blow the conch of the great Dharma, beat the drum of the great Dharma, and reveal the meaning of the great Dharma.
People alone the road offered flowers to him, and flower petals were throwed onto the sky and descended down like confetti, which symbolizes the rain of the great Dharma. Drums are being played in a fixed interval, follow by every drum beat, conches were blown, the sound was long and lasting, and amplified by the echoes of the valley, and mixed the sound of the drum and conches together. And what is left, is for the venerable to reveal the meaning of the great Dharma. His venerable was going to talk about the universe, and reveal the wisdom of the Vajra Sutras, including the Diamond Sutra and Heart Sutra.
When he reached the porch of the monastery, he was greeted by us and monks and nuns of our village with white and yellow Khada. He smiled at us, and gladly accepted all our offerings with a big smile. He quickly adjusted his robes and Vairocana hat before entering the main shrine. When he sat down on his seat, he carefully rubs his hands with the rubbing incense powder, and there were four men in front of him, holding different items attached onto a rope consist of cloth of different colour over their shoulder such as: Sutra covered in yellow cloth, Buddha statue, a white Khata with the eight auspicious symbol and a small pagoda and yellow Kasaya stitched from many small yellow cloth. The lama wore the yellow Kasaya quickly get dressed and started stacking saffron rice on plates of different size. Just like how people decorate their wedding cake, but instead of cake, we have plate, and instead of cream, we use saffron rice. After the decoration is done, a pointy metal arrow will be placed on top of it, and it forms the shape of a pagoda. And it was offered first, and followed by the sutras, Buddha statue and the white Khata. After everyone finished chanting the incense praise, all lamas went up to offer white Khata to Renpoche.
At this point of time, all preparations and initialization ceremony is complete, everyone took their seats accordingly Bhikkhu, bhikkhuni sit in front, follow by Sikkhamana, śrāmaṇera and śrāmaṇeri, and then upāsaka and upasika dressed in robes, and lastly the layman and laywomen. Everyone was quiet and looked serious when they hear the singing bowl. The ceremony is about to commence. I was very excited, to hear his venerable to reveal the Boddhi inside us, by realizing the eternal rule of this universe — Karma, and how the universes by the four stages of: formation, habitation, destruction and emptiness. Maybe, just maybe I will be able to gain some insight, to resolve my void, and sadness. To go on the adventure to the road of englightment, practice the way of the Buddhisattava.
Translation of Lotus Sutra: http://www.bdk.or.jp/pdf/bdk/digitaldl/dBET_T0262_LotusSutra_2007.pdf
