The Vajra Parrot Squawks!

The annual 12 day Vajrakilaya accomplishment ritual (Tib: drupchen) has now finished, and the monastery has resumed its normal timetable. The purpose of the drupchen is to dispel heavy obstacles and negativities. On the level of convential appearances, the drama is enacted as if these obstacles were somehow separate from one's self; on the level of ultimate reality, however, these obstacles are nothing more than the aspects of our own mind. So the whole ritual is a skilful means to work on one's own negative psychological mind states, which are themselves the causes of suffering and obstacles to happiness and freedom.

This practice is one of the few that has passed directly from Guru Padmasambhava, who brought Buddhism from India to Tibet, to the present day without a break in transmission, practice or samaya. It has been handed down through the Khon family from Guru Rinpoche's disciple Nagendrarakshita to the current heads of the Sakya lineage. In Tibet it is renowned for its efficacy.

On the first day of the drupchen the monks started to build the mandala out of coloured sand (that they had made by crushing rocks earlier this month.
The mandala is an arial blueprint of the palace of whichever meditational figure is being practiced. It is a meditational support for visualisation purposes, which firgures heavily in Vajrayana ritual. The leader of the puja will visualise him/his herself as this figure and the outward world as the mandala palace and the people around him or her as the figures in this visualised realm. It is a very fast and effective way of developing concentration and mindfulness.

Each day the monks spent many hours and made their usual offering of a panoply of glorious cacophanous sound - cymbals, drums, bells, thighbone trumpets and large, long horns that send vibrations down the spine at 50 paces!

On the last day the mandala, which took hours to create, was dismantled. This is in itself a teaching that nothing is permanent and is subject to change, and that holding on to things only leads to suffering and disappointment

All's now back to normal in Gloom.

The monks' annual rains retreat is over and now, released from barracks, many have swapped the temple for the nearby football ground. Some quite interesting injuries have already come to light.

During the same period I completed an informal nyendrup of 150000 Vajrayogini mantras and a number of preliminary practices and sent any merit in your direction, for what it's worth.

At the end of the rains retreat the entire monastery processed to the Gelugpa Gompa and celebrated the 16 Arhats puja before returning home for a day long party which began a week's holiday. It was a little daunting as it was my first public appearance in monks' robes. And I had to give a speech. But everyone was extremely supportive and joyful.

I feel very at home, despite the rain and fog. The people here are fantastic and banter is never far away. . . This week begins the annual Vajrakilaya ritual and exams. Will write at length later this week.