Getting ready for the lama

The village has been busy preparing for the lama’s visit, now that the bridge is so splendidly repaired, better than ever! Farmers, artists, and ritualists in particular have been providing supplies and working on the torma and mandala offerings, and others have cleaned the temple spotless, setting out fresh butter lamps and decorating the path with auspicious drawings. The sound of musicians practicing has filled the valley throughout the nights, which are getting noticeably colder. Unfortunately, while some people are working busily to make these preparations, contributions overall have been low. A few people have directly expressed doubt that the lama’s visit is just too expensive; others may simply be still coping with the effects of the storm a few weeks ago. Rory Nicol performed a bsang purification ceremony in the hopes that the community’s morale could be lifted — let’s see if it works! If not, the lama will find us to be in desperate shape — which, perhaps, is the state of things for us, now. Indeed, Caroline Wong reported major damage to the nunnery on the edge of the village. Tragically, most of its books have sustained significant water damage. We should organize a swift team to work with the nuns on these repairs before the snows come.

Many of us made the hazardous journey to the nearby village to assist with the naga disease epidemic there. Doctors, ritualists, a group of nuns and other generous folk braved the cliff-side paths, many of which had been washed away, to provide help. Brittany Rizzo and Rory reported that many people had died, but luckily the epidemic was stopped by the ritual and medicinal assistance provided by our community — the generosity of those who helped out will surely benefit all of us.