THIS is a musing with music! Before you read whats below, click on this link to give you the sound of Tara's mantra being sung...You can then listen while you see the pictures and read what I've written:
Ritual is everything in Bhutan. You think Catholics have a lot of ritual? Nothing compared to Buddhism as it is practiced here in Bhutan. It has color, incense, sacred dance, ritual food, long horns and cymbals, colorful clothing---and even ara, the local hootch. I never tire of these ceremonies.
The pantheon of Buddhas and deities is too numerous to count, with complicated names and sometimes fierce faces.
There is only one female character of real importance, sometimes called "the mother of all Buddhas"...AND I can pronounce her name! Let me introduce you to TARA...
This is the WHITE Tara....and there are 20 more, of different colors, in different poses and for different blessings. She is considered a female bodhisattva--or a being who at one time attained enlightenment but rather than opt to go to Nirvana, she chose to be reborn to the world to help others attain enlightenment. Have you ever met people who seemed wiser than their years? Maybe they are bodhisattvas! All Taras are about compassion. White Tara represents the enlightened activity of pacifying, which means overcoming sickness, early death and obstacles to success in one’s life. You might note that she has 7 eyes---can you find them above? (note: one is hiding...) Tara remains among the most beloved icons from the vast pantheon of Mahayana Buddhism deities, inspiring countless Buddhist saints and lay practitioners on their path to enlightenment.
She's a good one to know. AND you can pronounce her name.
Here is her mantra. It is in Tibetan, and no I can't translate it, only to say it is about wishing you long life and compassion.
So, FINALLY, Bhutan built a temple to her---the first one in the country. And it took a queen to do it! We spent a few hours there, on a drizzly day in Thimphu. Here is what it looks like from the outside:
And here's what it looked like when they did the consecration ceremony just this past June.
If you want to watch this ceremony, try this link (about 4 minutes).Scroll down a bit on the page and you can click on the video--and see the inside of this amazing place! Also toward the end, there is a man speaking Dzongka, the national language. Bhutan is the only place you'll ever hear that spoken. Thank Tara that English was introduced in schools in the 60's!
The yellow robes: past king and present king. Orange robes: prime minister and important govt. officials. Beautiful women: various wives of the two kings (K #4 had 4 wives!) Person not shown is the Bhutanese equivalent of a pope, called the Je Khenpo. Two white skirted guys are monks and dancers.
I am sorry to say that no pictures are allowed in the inside---and it is elaborate and ornate beyond your imaginings---but here is a bit of the detail on the outside:
Carved and painted wood
Almost every inch is painted with large murals, all depicting various aspects of Buddha's life, as well as the pantheon of deities and enlightened beings. They are almost too big to photograph so I take smaller shots of details that I like:
And this one is a bit scary, but certainly colorful!
Here are your intrepid tourists, taking it all in:
You know about my fondness for windows and doors:
I apologize to my Buddhist scholar friends about this brief overview of a very important goddess.
But you get the gist and that's all I wanted to do---just take you into my world for a bit.
But it won't be my world for much longer!
One final musing before we take the big metal tube through the sky.
Soon!
Wishing you long life!
Phyllis
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