Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - This morning, the sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky, and the Dhauladhar peaks behind were cloaked in fresh snow, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived at the gate to his residence. He was on his way to the Tsuglagkhang, the Main Tibetan Temple, where he was to be offered prayers for his long life. Just before the gate, representatives of the three groups of patrons making the offering—the Norbulingka Institute, the Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts (TIPA) and the Nepal Tibetan Lhamo Association—approached to greet him.
In the temple and courtyard an estimated 5000 people were gathered to take part in the prayers. As His Holiness reached the edge of the yard he stepped down from the golf cart in which he had been riding to walk to the temple. He was welcomed by Tashi Shölpa dancers as well as dancing Snow Lions and Yaks who performed to the sound of singers and the beat of drums.
Rich garlands of flowers hung from the canopy overhead. The traditional red carpet up the centre of the yard was decorated in addition by a series of auspicious symbols painted on red cloth. As monks escorting His Holiness played horns, TIPA artistes sang and danced in welcome. At the foot of the temple, he paused to watch another group of dancers whose performance was particularly energetic. The TIPA artistes continued to sing and dance as His Holiness walked to the temple where he took his seat on the throne.
Ling Rinpoché, who presided over today’s ceremonies sat facing His Holiness. To his right was the Abbot of Namgyal Monastery, Geshé Lobsang Samten, and to his left the Dorjé Lobpön, Lobsang Dhargyey.
Today’s ritual was based on an Amitayus Ritual: ‘Extracting the Pure Essence’ composed by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama following a vision he had of Guru Padmasambhava in the form of Amitayus. The Eight Aspects of Guru Rinpoche and Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal were invoked. Following a praise to the Three Jewels there was a recitation of ‘Clouds of Ambrosial Blessings’, a prayer that recalls the sublime series of His Holiness’s previous lives, thirty-six in India and more in Tibet, including the line of kings who first ruled the Land of Snows.
The verses referring to His Holiness include the following:
To you, wondrously born in Taktser,
According to the predictions of Shridevi (Palden Lhamo),
Near the birthplace of Guru Manjunath (Jé Tsongkhapa)
In Dhomay (Amdo), to a family that originated in Central [Tibet]--we pray.
You alone perform the perfect activities of the sublime Buddhas.
All the Buddha's teachings without distinction
You have the power to hold, preserve and propagate.
Jampel Ngagi Wangpo (Empowered with Mañjusri's Speech), to you we pray.
In your learning and understanding, you compare with the Six Ornaments and the Two Supreme Ones,
In respecting the training of a monk, you are the equal of the Arhat Upali,
In your perfect activities, you are the Victor Tsongkhapa in person.
Lobsang Yeshe (Excellent Intellect and Wisdom), to you we pray.
For compassionately promoting the path of non-violence
You have received the highest awards for peace.
Respected worldwide, you are Kalachakra in person-
Jewel-like Tenzin Gyatso (Oceanic Holder of the Doctrine), to you we pray.
There was a short break in the prayers as tea and sweet rice were distributed, eaten and drunk.
The ritual proceeded with steps to expel obstructions, form the protection circle, supplicate the lineage masters, bless the long-life substances and the tormas, visualize Amitayus, bless the tsok offerings and so forth. There followed a section about repelling the seduction of the five classes of dakinis derived from a dream of Terdag Lingpa, a close associate of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama. The verses here evoke the qualities of the Lama and end ‘may you remain firm’.
The actual long-life offering began with a supplication to the lineage masters and continued with an offering of long-life substances. Ling Rinpoché offered His Holiness the long-life arrow which he flourished before him. Supported by representatives of the patrons Rinpoché then made a mandala offering accompanied by a request that, out of compassion, His Holiness would live long. He then offered a statue of White Tara, a scripture and a stupa—representations of the body, speech and mind of the enlightened ones. Next, he offered long-life liquor, long-life pills, the eight auspicious symbols, the seven royal emblems, and the eight auspicious substances. Meanwhile, the line of patrons, many of them carrying statues, moved swiftly past His Holiness’s throne through the temple.
The prayer for His Holiness’s long life composed by his Tutors was recited. Members of the Nepal Tibetan Lhamo Association offered statues of Thang-tong Gyalpo, reputed founder of the Tibetan opera tradition, Milarepa and King Songtsen Gampo.
The next prayer for His Holiness’s long life was ‘The Melody of the Nectar of Immortality’ composed by Jamyang Khentsé Chökyi Lodro. His Holiness was presented an appliqué thangka depicting Yellow Yamantaka and a painting of White Tara.
TIPA performed one song for His Holiness’s long life, then another that had been composed to celebrate his 90th birthday. The Nepal Tibetan Lhamo Association sang a song to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
A prayer to Guru Padmasambhava was followed by ‘Exhorting the Guardian Deities, Protectors of Tibet, to Act’, which His Holiness wrote in the early 1970s. It concludes with the following verse:
Extend the lives of the protector of the Land of Snows
And of the noble holders of the teachings,
Cause the teachings and beings, equal to space, to flourish happily,
And let all wishes be spontaneously fulfilled!
A thanksgiving mandala offering, along with representations of the body, speech and mind of the enlightened ones, was made to His Holiness in gratitude for his accepting the request to live long.
The ceremony was concluded with the recitation of ‘The Sage's Harmonious Song of Truth—A Prayer for the Flourishing of the Non-Sectarian Teachings of the Buddha’ written by His Holiness, many verses of which end with the line—‘Long may these teachings of the Buddha flourish in the Land of Snows!’. Towards the end His Holiness wrote:
Throughout all the worlds, may war, conflict, famine and evil thoughts or actions
Be eradicated entirely, so that even their names are no longer heard!
May the minds of beings be infused with love! May signs of virtue increase throughout the environment and beings!
And may an ocean of happiness and well-being pervade the whole of space!
In short, for as long as space endures,
And for as long as there is suffering among beings,
May I too remain, to bring them benefit and happiness,
In all ways, directly and also indirectly!
The ‘Prayer of the Words of Truth’ was followed by the dedication verses from the Samantabhadra Prayer.
Walking from the temple to the lift, and again as he rode through the courtyard in an open golf cart, His Holiness smiled and waved cheerfully at people in the crowd eager to catch his eye.
