Mundgod, Karnataka, India - This morning His Holiness the Dalai Lama left Drepung Gomang Monastery for the short drive to the Ganden Monastery campus. His first stop was at Jangtsé College where he had been requested to consecrate a new classroom building, and the statues of Jé Tsongkhapa and His Holiness that adorn it, as well as a new library.
Horns played as His Holiness arrived with a beaming smile on his face. He was greeted by Ganden Tri Rinpoché. His Holiness lit a butter lamp as an auspicious inaugural gesture. A mandala and representations of the body, speech and mind of the Buddha were offered. Patrons carried offerings past in procession. Meanwhile, tea and sweet rice were served.
His Holiness’s throne faced the two statues. A cord had been arranged that ran from the throne to the statues, creating a physical link between them and His Holiness. After he had recited the prayers of consecration, brass plaques were shown to him that described in Tibetan and English the purpose of the buildings and his having consecrated them.
The Chief Monk of Sri Lanka presented a Bodhi Tree sapling to be blessed before being planted between the two new buildings.
His Holiness drove next to the newly constructed Ganden Serdong Khang—the House of Golden Reliquaries that commemorate past holders of the Ganden Throne, which he consecrated. This new building is adjacent to Ganden Lachi.
Arriving at Ganden Lachi the road was strewn with flower petals. His Holiness was welcomed by Tashi Shölpa dancers, as well as dancers representing various regions of Tibet. From the veranda His Holiness teased the Snow Lion dancers who responded by wriggling with pleasure. He lit another inaugural lamp and was escorted under a large, golden, ceremonial umbrella to his throne in the Ganden Lachi assembly hall by Ganden Tri Rinpoché, the two abbots of Shartsé and Jangtsé Monasteries, the Representative of Mundgod Tibetan Settlement, and Disciplinarians of Ganden Monastery.
Once His Holiness was seated, the Ganden Tri Rinpoché presented him with a katag, a white silk scarf, and then took his own seat facing him as he presided over today’s ritual together with the Shartsé Chöjé and the two Venerable Abbots of Shartsé and Jangtsé Monasteries. Tri Rinpoché has been leading the tsé-drub, the preparations for today’s Long-Life prayers, in recent days. Today’s ritual, ‘An Excellent Vase of the Nectar of Immortality’ is known as Jé Tsézinma and focusses on Jé Tsongkhapa in the aspect of Amitayus, the deity of Long Life. Jé Rinpoché is visualized holding a vase of the nectar of immortality. On this occasion the third line of the renowned Mig-tsé-ma praise mentions ‘Amitayus who vanquishes untimely death.’ This ritual was originally composed by the then Shartsé Chöjé, Yongdzin Ling Tulku, Lobsang Lungtok Tenzin Trinley, at the request of Gungru Tulku Kangyur Lama Tenpa Chöphel, who was a great teacher of Drepung Gomang Monastery.
The ritual began by visualizing the Lama appearing as Jé Rinpoché, smiling, with a white complexion, wearing the yellow robes of a monk and a pandit’s hat. In his right hand he holds the stem of an utpala flower on which stands a sword of wisdom. His left hand holds a vase containing the nectar of immortality and a branch of the wish-fulfilling tree, supporting a scripture. He is bright and radiant, illuminating the Buddha-fields that appear on the body of the Lama. His three places are marked with white Om, red Ah and blue Hum.
There were words of praise and request: “Praise to the Conquerors; you who have trained for aeons, trained in compassion, fulfilled all prayers, today please perform enlightened deeds for all sentient beings. Please perform all kinds of miracles to liberate sentient beings.”
Wisdom beings dissolved into the Lama. The eight offerings, drinking water and so forth were made to him. ‘The Seven Limb Prayer’ was directed to him.
Tsog was offered to the Lama who tasted it. The Ganden Tri Rinpoché, the Vajra-acharya on this occasion, the Sharpa Chojé, the Abbots and former Abbots of Ganden Shartsé and Jangtsé, the Abbot of the Nyingma Monastery, the administrative heads of Ganden and Sponsors approached His Holiness to receive his blessing. The Ganden Tri Rinpoché recited the text and presented the Long Life arrow to His Holiness who accepted it. While tsog was distributed among the congregation, the principal lamas around the throne held small vajras to their hearts linked by a coloured thread as they made prayers for the Lama’s long life.
The Ganden Tri Rinpoché with the Abbots of Ganden Shartsé and Jangtsé, as well as the Settlement Officer offered a mandala and representations of the body, speech and mind of the Buddha, explicitly requesting His Holiness to live long. In addition, they offered a vase containing the nectar of immortality, liquor for Long Life, pills of longevity, monks’ robes, a seat mat, an alms bowl, a kar-sil — a monk’s staff — as well as symbols of the five Buddha families, the seven royal emblems, the eight auspicious symbols and the eight auspicious substances.
The Lama was visualized as the embodiment of all the Buddhas as offerings were made to him and he was requested to remain long in the world to share the teachings of Jé Tsongkhapa with all sentient beings. The Lama’s mind was imagined as including the Seven Jewels of An Arya Being.
A procession of people bearing offerings filed through the temple while prayers for His Holiness’s Long Life and his long name mantra — Om Ah Guru Vajradhara Bhattaraka Manjushri Vagindra Sumati Jnana Shasana Dhara Samudra Shri Bhadra Sarva Siddhi Hum Hum — were recited.
The Settlement Officer Mrs Rinchen Wangmo read a request to His Holiness as the embodiment of Avalokiteshvara. “Those of us here have unflinching faith in you. You have reached 90 years old at a critical time for the Buddha-dharma and the people of Tibet. You have worked hard to guide us and we, people of Döguling Tibetan Settlement, offer you a gold and silver Wheel of Dharma to represent our single-pointed devotion and in celebration of your 90th year. May all obstacles to your life be averted. May your life be unwavering and unobstructed.”
His Holiness accepts the request, and a thanksgiving mandala is offered to him in gratitude.
A ‘Prayer for the Flourishing of Tsongkhapa’s Doctrine’, composed by Gungthang Tenpai Drönmé was recited, followed by a ‘Praise to Amitayus’, ‘Verses of Auspiciousness in Connection with the Three jewels’ and the ‘Words of Truth’.
As the ceremony came to an end, His Holiness rose from the throne and walked steadily through the assembly hall, smiling and acknowledging members of the congregation. The Ganden Tri Rinpoché came to see him off. His Holiness rode in a golf-cart from the door of the assembly hall to an awaiting car in which he then drove back to Drepung Gomang.
