NEPAL 040312 Monks Can Dance and "Rainy Day Schedule"

Monks Can Dance

This is an account by Donna Barnett of the lama dancing at the Sechen Monastery :-) 

"I often think of monks practicing meditation most of the day.  Nothing is what is seems in Nepal and that proved true for my perception of monks.  We attended a series of ritualized dances performed by the monks of Sechen monastery. Each dance was unique in costumes but similar in style.  At one end of the courtyard was a raised platform where the musicians sat playing very strange looking instruments -- Long brass horns, drums and cymbals.  All of which when played together created a loud rhythmic beat.  A chanter with a deep resonate voice blended with the cacophony of sounds.  Fifteen monks walked down 10 steps on the opposite side of the musicians.  They were helped by 2 monks who were needed to hold up the heavy, colorful, and most elaborate costumes I've ever seen.  

The atmosphere was charged with brocades of primary colors, swirling dancers, horns blaring and Tibetan families throwing rice towards the dancers. Once again I found myself looking at an event without knowing or understanding the deeper meanings.  It was enough to be there to experience a sacred and beautiful ritual, a ritual where monks dance and the universe spins"

Namaste, Donna

This image shows part of the large, canopied dancing space where the lamas performed at echen Monastery.

Also fun is the lama audience that can be seen between the five dancers in this second image.

[Note here from Marian: if you saw the recent Met Opera production of "Madam Butterfly," think of the costumes on the entourage of Japanese officials who came on stage about 2/3 of the way through the opera and then imagine the costumes in elaborate brocade with frightening blue or red masks. Sorry we can't provide you with the sound of the many special instruments that were playing for the dances. Maybe next time :-) I’ll understand all the possibilities of my portable technology.]

"Rainy Day Schedule"

(Perhaps a brief explanation of this title is in order for those of you who did not attend Linda Vista Elementary school in San Jose, California, in the 1950's.  "Rainy Day Schedule" was, as I recall :-), a shortened school day implemented when it rained.  It seemed to my child's mind like a sort of extended recess, a special time when the "real responsibilities" of the school day were suspended -- a child's a rainy blessing from Mother Nature.)

After Drupon Rinpoche's teaching today, Dick and I and Donna had what we thought was going to be a "little snack" while waiting for Karma to return from greeting Maisie and Sky at the airport.  Our peanut butter and crackers turned into lunch as hail began to fall and deafening thunder rolled and rumbled through the skies.  We enjoyed a pleasant afternoon of reading and watching the rain (and even a little hail) pour down. One of the hotel's dogs curled up in an upholstered chair on the balcony between our rooms adding a further homey feel to the afternoon.  Maybe we will be able to see the Himalayas from the roof of our hotel tomorrow!  That would be wonderful.

Off to dinner with Karma’s daughter Maisie and her husband Sky to "help" with their jet lag recovery with stimulating mealtime .

Namaste,  

Marian

While Dick read the Dalai Lama's BEYOND RELIGION, I browsed in the book cabinet of the dining room and found this interesting map of the spread of Buddhism into Asia from India along trade routes.

Hail falls in the Hotel Ngudrup's Courtyar.d