The Big Puja: Lama Dance Practice

This past week was filled with a weeklong, dawn to dusk puja (prayer). Everyday the monks would rise to begin praying at 4 am, and continue (with very limited breaks, sometimes eating on their benches in the prayer halls) until as late as 7:30 pm. At the urging of several monks, I attended everyday, though never for longer than a couple of hours at a time. 

A more detailed explanation of what this puja consisted of, and its often very specific goals, can be read in the letter below.

I helped to translate it, turning a very literal translation into something that sounds more like natural English. I've helped with translation projects before, but I've never had to ask questions like "so, are you hoping for enlightenment for the formless evil spirits, or are you trying to get rid of them, like the natural disasters?" 

Some pictures were taked inside the prayer hall, and I will try and get my hands on some of those to show you guys what it consisted of (instruments! hats! cakes!). Until then, though, I have plenty to share of the events which surrounded the actual prayer.

One of these was the erection of a giant flagpole, completely covered in prayer flags. This happened simultaneously with the erection of a similar pole at the Karmapa's main monastery in Tibet.

(the pole. it took dozens of people to pull it upright, with many lay people coming from the surrounding area to help)

Although a number of laypeople came to pray during the puja, using the layperson's prayer hall at Rumtek, the big draws were the events on the final two days: a ritual dance performed by lamas of the monastery and Institute, and an empowerment ceremony by a powerful reincarnated Rimpoche ('precious person').

The day before the actual dance event, the lamas got together to practice. They wore everyday level monk finery, rather than the elaborate costumes and masks they would wear the next day, but it was still an interesting spectacle.

(the prayer hall at the monastery was dressed up for the occasion)

The outfits, including the heavy looking shoes, are apparently based on Imperial Chinese fashions. The Karmapas were historically very close to the emperors of China, and so the Kagyu lineage has an unusually high number of influences from China, especially the Imperial court.

For the day of the practice, the audience was mostly monks of the monastery and Institute, though you can see some tourists and some members of the lay community came out to watch as well.

The complex design painted on the ground in the picture below, which includes a stylized lotus flower, conch shell, and wheel of the dharma, was made to celebrate a new chanting master at the monastery. Chanting masters lead prayers, and have to memorize dozens of texts.

This post, like the dance practice itself, was just a taste of what's to come. Get ready for intricate costumes, beautiful masks, acrobatics, and peacock feather covered umbrellas! 

(Though first, because I'm going chronologically, get ready for momo making...)