Nepal, Kantega, Mani Rimdu, 1983
Nepal, Kantega, Mani Rimdu, 1983

Nepal, Mani Rimdu, Kantega, 1983 - One of the most exciting festivals I ever attended was Mani Rimdu at Tengboche monastery in the Solo Khumbu region of Nepal in 1983. Here, the head Lama presides over a ceremony with other monks in attendance. In the background looms Mt. Kantega at 6685 meters, or 21,930 feet. Kantega was first climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary. Although Mani Rimdu provided a delightful spectacle for local villagers, the ceremony carried deep meaning within the inner recesses of the monastery. A film was produced by scholar Rick Kohn of Berkeley about Mani Rimdu. The quote of the head Lama on the advertising poster for the movie is one of the most profound I have ever heard: ""When your mind is impure, everyone is ordinary. When your mind is pure, everyone is a Buddha."" In my journal, I wrote the following after meeting Rick Kohn: Rick told us about some of the things he?s done here. He?s working on his PhD. He?s recently translated his oldest ever recently. It is a prayer to the god of Central Tibet, who predates Buddha: The Cloud of Worship of the god of the Plain (Translated by Richard Kohn) To name the body god?s father He is Ote, gung gyal,* To name the body god?s mother She is the One Winged Turquoise Bird. To name the body god himself ? He is YA ? SHUD, the god of cruelty. Take the name of the country in which you dwell It is Shivering Swamp Bottom A wild throne of shimmering green turquoise. Verdant in summer, verdant also in winter. The country in which you live is called Delightful To Experience. *Ote, King of the Zenith (of the center of the sky)"

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