Circling Kailash and Manasarovar

by Uden Sherpa 

The Legend of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar

Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are the only two places in the whole of Tibet that were visited by Lord Buddha, accompanied by five hundred Arhats. During the turning of the Three Wheels of the Dharma, Buddha Shakyamuni extensively explained the merits of building images. So Indra (the king of gods) offered precious articles of the gods, Ananda (the king of Serpents or Nagas) offered precious articles of the Nagas and Bimbisara (the king of Magadh) offered gold and silver, etc. to the Buddha and requested him to have three images of the Buddha made, as a means of generating merit for the sentient beings in the future.

On the instructions of the Buddha, the master craftsman Viswakarma made three images of the Buddha that were blessed by Buddha Shakyamuni. A fifteen-foot image was taken to realm of the gods, a ten-foot image was taken to the realm of the Nagas and a two-foot image of the Buddha was kept at Magadh, in order for the devotees to make offerings and pay homage.

One day, Mahakala miraculously took the image of the Buddha from Magadh to his palace at Lake Lanka, located at the foot of Mount Kailash, and made offerings. Then he thought a special place was needed to keep such a sacred statue and attempted to carry Mount Kailash on his back to the realm of the Nagas in Lake Lanka.

Buddha Shakyamuni and the 500 Arhats flew from Bodhgaya to Mount Kailash and landed on the rock known as Kyil Khor Teng, or ‘Ganachakra Basin of Arhats’, on the western face of Mount Kailash. Buddha left his footprint on four corners of Mount Kailash and prevented Mahakala from carrying Mount Kailash to the realm of the Nagas. These four footprints of the Buddha are known as the ‘Four Nails Holding Mount Kailash’, because they prevented Mahakala from carrying the mountain away. Then Buddha sat on the rock in front of Mount Kailash and gave teachings to the Nagas residing in Lake Manasarovar and Lake Lanka. Today, Buddhist pilgrims call this rock the ‘Throne of the Buddha’.

Mount Kailash is the only holy place in the world that is regarded as equally sacred by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Bonpos. To the Theravadan Buddhists, it is the abode of Sthavira Angaja, with an assembly of 1,300 Arhats; and to the Vajrayana practitioners it is the mandala or palace of Chakrasamvara. The sacred nature of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar is mentioned in the Sutras.
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Our New Author - Oxanna

Hello folks. I’m happy to introduce you my good friend Oxanna, well-known traveler and photographer. She’s done me a honor while agreed to lead her own column at the blog with her reportages. Her story about herself you can find in the next post.

Sand Mandala - Yamantaka Mandala - Day 11, Part 4

Tibetan monks create an exquisite sand mandala - the Yamantaka mandala. Throwing the sand from the mandala to the ocean. Bondi pavilion, Sydney, Australia, December 2008.

Day 11, part 4:

The monks in procession, playing drum, cymbals and long trumpet, cross the wide sands of Bondi beach between the pavilion and the ocean.

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Sandalwood - Aromatherapy for the Mind, Body, and Spirit

Sandalwood is one of the world’s most widely used essential oils, prized for its scent in perfumery, for its therapeutic effects in Chinese, Ayurvedic and Tibetan medicine systems, and for its ability to focus the mind in meditative yogic traditions.

Sandalwood essential oil is most often extracted via steam distillation from the wood of the sandalwood tree, with the heartwood of the roots producing the highest-quality oil. Sandalwood is an evergreen tree, growing to a height of 9 m, with leathery leaves and small purple flowers. Native to southern tropical Asia, the tree is parasitic, gaining its nutrients from one of several other tree species. Because it can only be grown this way, and as a result of its seemingly strict set of environmental conditions, sandalwood is difficult to propagate. To add to the challenge of successful cultivation, sandalwood takes nearly 30 years to mature before yielding oil of any worth.

Sandalwood oil has a woody, balsamic, sweet and slightly musky aroma; it is a pale yellow, greenish or brownish liquid with excellent tenacity (the aroma tends to last a long time) and superior fixative properties. There are several varieties available, with Sandalum album considered the most important therapeutically. The Mysore region of eastern India is thought to produce the highest quality of this oil type, although its harvesting is creating a strain on the area’s natural environment. Recently, an oil of the Austrocaledonia species has been produced on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu from successfully cultivated sandalwood trees. This oil has a fantastic aroma, with a woody, smoky scent that is an excellent base note in perfume and cosmetic blends.

In the West, sandalwood oil is perhaps best known as a natural, woody, sweet body perfume used “as is”, or as a familiar aroma in many cosmetics, aftershaves and the like. In the East, however, sandalwood’s importance in cultural and spiritual traditions cannot be overstated. The wood is carved into furniture and religious icons, used to build temples and burned as incense in a great variety of ceremonies. The oil is used to anoint the dead. In Myanmar, women sprinkle it on passers-by on the last day of the year. In Hindu marriages, sandalwood is burned in a tent so that the smoke surrounds the bridal couple. For the meditative yogi, the oil and incense encourage a serene state of mind.

Sandalwood is valued in the traditional Indian medicine system of Ayurveda. It is indicated for inflammatory, intestinal and genito-urinary conditions that require cooling. Modern aromatherapy considers the oil an effective skin care agent for dry skin, general irritation and acne; it can help in cases of bronchitis, catarrh, dry persistent coughs, laryngitis and sore throats; it may relieve diarrhoea and nausea, and can be supportive in cases of cystitis. Sandalwood essential oil is also a great tonic for the hyperactive mind.

Finally, sandalwood is one of the few essential oils that improve with age. Because of increasing demand, the price of the oil is climbing significantly every year.

Source: Market-Day.net

Sand Mandala - Yamantaka Mandala - Day 11, Part 3

Day 11 of creation of the Yamantaka sand Mandala - dissolution ceremony.

Day 11, part 3:

Gen Lama gathers sand from the doors of the palace at each of the cardinal directions, to open the mandala before its transformation.

Gen Lama gathers sand from the doors of the palace at each of the cardinal directions, to open the mandala before its transformation. Read more »

Sand Mandala - Yamantaka Mandala - Day 11, Part 2

The last day of creation of the Yamantaka Mandala - Sydney, December 2008.

Day 11, part 2:

The free Tibetan national flag (banned in Tibet) flutters below the surf life savers flag on Bondi beach.

A monk returns unused coloured sand to their containers, ready to be used in the next sand mandala project. Read more »

H.H. 17th Karmapa will visit Hong Kong in February 2009

The Supreme head of Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje will be visiting Hong Kong in early February 2009. This will be an auspicious occasion for spreading the word of Dharma in the territory.

The late 16th Karmapa has visited Hong Kong in the 1980’s and through that visit, bestowed much compassionate blessing on a broad spectrum of disciples and Buddhist practitioners. We are very fortunate that the circumstances are now mature for the new visit of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa to continue and deepen our connection with Dharma and the Karma Kagyu lineage.

It is our sincere wish that through this auspicious Dharma activity, the accumulation of merit and wisdom will benefit not only Buddhist practitioners and disciples, but extend to the broader benefits of a harmonious society for Hong Kong at large.

The 3-day program will include Characteristic Buddhist practices such as Sand Mandala, Initiation on the Drolma Namjorma and Twenty one Taras practice, Lama Dance and Refuge ceremony. Highlights are listed below:

Initiation Drolma Namjorma and Twenty One Taras

His Holiness will conduct the Annutara Yoga (Highest order) initiation on Drolma Namjorma before the empowerment on the Twenty One Taras practice. In these difficult times plagued with natural disasters and disruptions to our inner peace, it is particularly important to receive these initiations to overcome such obstacles, enjoy a smooth progress in life and in one’s practice as well as vast accumulation of merit and wisdom.

Refuge Ceremony

Taking the Refuge ceremony is the first step and foundation to all Buddhist practice. It is particularly auspicious to receive this ceremony from His Holiness, who once said of the refuge as leading us on the path to ultimate enlightenment through benefiting self and others.

Lama Dance

There are two types of Lama Dance in the initiation ceremony. The first is to define the place to establish the sacred realm of the practice. The second is to invite the wisdom deities to the sacred realm. It was recorded in ancient teachings that through the merits of watching Lama Dance, the seed to enlightenment is safely planted.

Sand Mandala

The unique Sand Mandala will be constructed by accomplished monks , according to the Karma Kagyu lineage teachings. As recorded in scriptures, the benefits of seeing a sand mandala are equal to that of meeting Buddha in person. After the initiation, the sand mandala will be released into the sea, thereby benefiting sentient being in water. Through the natural cycle of water - clouds - rain, such benefits will be extended to all sentient beings.

Dharma Teaching

37 Precepts of the Bodhisattva Path.

Source: kagyunews.com.hk
 

Sand Mandala - Yamantaka Mandala - Day 11, Part 1

The last day of creating of the Yamantaka mandala in Sydney, December 2008.

Day 11, Part 1:

The completed sand mandala of Yamantaka, made by monks of the Gyuto monastery, at Bondi pavilion December 14 2008.

Detail of the outer ring of the mandala, representing samsara, ‘our’ world of pain, suffering (desire) and death - a naga serpent lives in the mountain protecting treasure, a stupa is there as well, perhaps representing the role of Buddhism in subduing the elemental forces, making them protectors of the dharma. Read more »

When Jesus Met Buddha

By Philip Jenkins

Was the Buddha a demon?
While few mainline Christians would put the matter in such confrontational terms, any religion claiming exclusive access to truth has real difficulties reconciling other great faiths into its cosmic scheme. Most Christian churches hold that Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and many also feel an obligation to carry that message to the world’s unbelievers. But this creates a fundamental conflict with the followers of famous spiritual figures like Mohammed or Buddha, who preached radically different messages. Drawing on a strict interpretation of the Bible, some Christians see these rival faiths as not merely false, but as deliberate traps set by the forces of evil.

Being intolerant of other religions - consigning them to hell, in fact - may be bad enough in its own right, but it increasingly has real-world consequences. As trade and technology shrink the globe, so different religions come into ever-closer contact with one another, and the results can be bloody: witness the apocalyptic assaults in Mumbai. In such a world, teaching different faiths to acknowledge one another’s claims, to live peaceably together side by side, stops being a matter of good manners and becomes a prerequisite for human survival.

Over the past 30 years, the Roman Catholic Church has faced repeated battles over this question of Christ’s uniqueness, and has cracked down on thinkers who have made daring efforts to accommodate other world religions. While the Christian dialogue with Islam has attracted most of the headlines, it is the encounters with Hinduism and especially Buddhism that have stirred the most controversy within the church. Sri Lankan theologians Aloysius Pieris and Tissa Balasuriya have had many run-ins with Vatican critics, and, more recently, the battle has come to American shores. Last year, the Vatican ordered an investigation of Georgetown University’s Peter Phan, a Jesuit theologian whose main sin, in official eyes, has been to treat the Buddhism of his Vietnamese homeland as a parallel path to salvation.

Following the ideas of Pope Benedict XVI, though, the church refuses to give up its fundamental belief in the unique role of Christ. In a widely publicized open letter to Italian politician Marcello Pera, Pope Benedict declared that "an inter-religious dialogue in the strict sense of the term is not possible." By all means, he said, we should hold conversations with other cultures, but not in a way that acknowledges other religions as equally valid. While the Vatican does not of course see the Buddha as a demon, it does fear the prospect of syncretism, the dilution of Christian truth in an unholy mixture with other faiths.

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Sand Mandala - Yamantaka Mandala - Day 10

Tibetan monks are finishing to create the Yamantaka sand mandala.

Day 10:

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