February 20th
was a day full of firsts. It was the first time that the
Gyalwang Karmapa has performed in the lama dances since
coming to India in January of 2000. It was the first time
that the Karmapa, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, and Gyaltsap
Rinpoche have participated together in the dances. It was
the first time in India that the Karmapa could engage in the
full length of the Mahakala practice that precedes the
Tibetan New Year, and it was the first occasion when all the
Kagyu Sanghas have gathered for this practice. All of these
firsts came together on the twenty-ninth day of the last
month in the Tibetan calendar, which is dedicated to
protector practice, making this a particularly powerful
occasion for the removal of obstacles and negativity.
The day
actually started the previous night at 11pm with the
beginning of “The Abridged Burning Up Anger,” and the
chanting continued through to 5:30 the next morning. The
thundering sound of the two immense drums and about thirty
smaller ones as well as the swift pace of the chanting must
have helped the Sangha to stay aware and awake through the
long hours of the night. After a brief break at the end of
the puja, the Karmapa strode into the shrine hall wearing
the Activity Hat and ascended his golden throne to bless the
monks who would be performing lama dances later on that
ay—quite a feat after so little sleep.
The invitation
card sent out for the lama dances began:
In Praise of
Mahakala
Though the
power of your great compassion,
You arise in a fierce form
To increase the happiness of all living beings
And preserve the teachings of the Victorious One.
On February 20,
the monks gathered at Tergar Monastery will perform a lama
dance known as “The Jewel-like Tradition Embodying All,”
which is related to the wisdom protectors Mahakala, Mahakali,
and their retinue. The purpose of the vajra dance is to
dispel all that harms—sickness or negative spirits—and to
increase what is positive—our life span, merit, and
wealth—so that everything perfect and auspicious may spread
everywhere and, ultimately, all may attain the level of full
awakening.
The chief
guests were Jetsun Pema, the sister of the Dalai Lama, and
her husband, Tenpa Tsering, the representative of the Dalai
Lama at the Bureau of Tibet in Delhi. Sitting next to Jetsun
Pema was Ngodrup Paldzom, the sister of the Gyalwang Karmapa,
making two generations of great lamas’ sisters sitting side
by side. Behind them, the Pavilion was filled with Sangha
and lay practitioners who had come to watch these
meditations in motion, these mandalas come to life.
It is said that
the practice of lama dancing gives benefits for the dancers
and for the audience as well. The dances belong to the
category of yogic exercises that are a part of the Six Yogas
of Naropa. They develop the dancers’ experience,
realization, and positive qualities while also setting
positive imprints in the mind since these dances are
performed for the benefit of others. For the audience, the
dances also leave positive imprints that will help to create
good conditions for practice and turn one away from wrong
paths, eventually leading to the realization of Buddhahood.
This is the fundamental setting of Dharma practice that
underlies all of the performances.
The audience is
also very fortunate to witness these dances, since they do
not exist in the vinaya tradition and are only present by
implication in the tradition of bodhisattvas. The dances
really began with the vajrayana, following the Buddha’s
injunction to use skillful means in harmony with disciples’
minds to bring them into the Dharma. It is said that King
Dza had a vision of Vajrapani who taught the King dances, so
they were practiced in India by the mahasiddhas, but kept
totally secret. In Tibet, Guru Rinpoche performed a
magnificent dance during the consecration of the first great
monastery at Samye. For the Kagyu tradition, the dances were
preserved through the Marpa Kagyu, especially in the
Guhyasamaja and Hevajra tantras, but it was only with the
Seventh Karmapa, Chodrak Gyatso, that they became public. So
it is thanks to the generosity of the Karmapas that the
dances can be seen today.
The day of
dancing began with a procession of the Hazhal Mahakala torma
from the Tergar shrine hall to the Monlam Pavilion. Victory
banners led the way while long trumpets, jalings, and
cymbals sounded over the green fields stretching out on
either side of the road. The torma was slowly carried down
the main aisle of the immense sky-blue arch of the pavilion
and up on to the left side of the stage where a platform
waited. Two burning sticks flamed in front of Hazhal’s mouth
while a tall finial of woven threads was added on the top to
create a very imposing figure.
Set stage
center were three ten-foot statues of a powerful dark blue
Bernakchan in the center, Mahakali mounted on her blue mule
to his right, and a brown Vajrasadhu on his mount to the
left. Specially brought for the performance today, the three
are veiled with lengths of silk. In front of Bernakchan is
his torma from the shrine and two golden kapalas. On the
flights of steps behind him are seats for the Gyalwang
Karmapa, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, and Gyaltsap Rinpoche.
Directly in line with the Karmapa’s seat and placed on the
stairs rising behind him is the new statue of the Sixteenth
Karmapa, followed by the First Karmapa’s statue and finally
Shakyamuni Buddha with brilliant gold rays radiating from
his body. To create a link to Tibet, the arch of the wall
behind them is painted with a mural of snowy Mt. Kailash,
rising into a deep blue sky that is the same color as the
late afternoon skies here. The whole stage thus gives a
visual lineage, starting from Shakyamuni Buddha and going
through the Karmapas to Bernakchan.
The actual
dances began with the consecration or taming of the ground,
a dance that comes from Guru Chowang’s Tenth Day dances.
Based on the pure vision of this treasure discoverer, these
dances are divided into eight sections and still performed
in both the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions. The lead dancer
was Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, who wore a fierce mask and red
brocade robes, their side vents opening in bright vermillion
pleats as he moved. He led a large circle of numerous
dancers with fierce masks, several with bird faces, their
long beaks partly open. The two wild yaks were dressed in
indigo brocade and their masks had curving horns. The tall
white antlers of the deer were tied with fluttering ribbons
in the Dharma colors red, green, blue, yellow, and white,
which have many meanings, relating to the five wisdoms, and
so forth. In the center of the circle stood an elder lama
who had left Tibet with the previous Karmapa.
As soon as the
dance finished, on came the clowns. Two old men with big
noses, fringes of hair, and a hump in the back of their
chupas. They went through classic slapstick routines and the
audience loved it. One does a prostration and falls head
first into a somersault over his big hump. The two sit
half-sprawled by the incense pot and vigorously fan the
smoke over themselves, spoofing Tibetan purification
rituals. Without noticing where he is, another comes to sit
in front of the Hazhal torma; when he finally glances up,
the fright sends him spread-eagled on the ground.
During all this
comedy, the colored veils are removed from the three main
statues, equivalent to inviting this triad to be present.
The two old men
then lead the procession of incense and offerings that
brought His Holiness on stage to make offerings to the
Hazhal torma. A beautiful gold-embossed cup was filled with
tea and various grains and then offered from each direction
by the Karmapa as the monks chanted and music played. When
he has finished, the Karmapa sits down right in front of the
Bernakchan statue at stage center. The second dance is that
of the skeletons, four sprightly dancers with their stylized
bones piped in red on their white shirts and pants. Their
dance is full of leaps and spins, ending with cartwheels and
spectacular back flips to exit the stage.
They are
followed by the Dance of the Two Deer and Two Wild Yaks that
flowed into the Dance of the Maras and Negative Spirits.
Both performances involve four monks and relate to dealing
with enemies.
The next dance
is that of the Gate Protector, which was composed by the
Fourteenth Karmapa, Thekchok Dorje. The dance is a solo and
was performed by His Holiness, grace and power flowing
effortlessly from him. In the beginning, an effigy symbolic
of all that is negative was placed in the center of the
stage and the Karmapa held different hand implements as he
performed the dance in front of it: a silver hook on a staff
turning slowly above and below; a lasso held between his
index fingers and thumbs, moving in circles in front of him;
an iron chain with jewel bead ornaments; two brown feathers
crossing in graceful turns; and a bell decorated in gold.
The dance with each implement ended with a quick double step
and a leap. As he stands facing forward, His Holiness is
then given a silver phurpa, which he holds directly in front
of his face, his concentration riding down and out from the
point. After handing it to an attendant, he performs the
final implement dance of the bow and arrow and departs the
stage with his retinue of musicians and incense bearers.
During the performance, Gyaltsap Rinpoche could be seen at
the edge of the stage watching intently.
For quite a
while, the monks chant sections from the Mahakala ritual and
then the Dance of Four-Armed Mahakala begins with monks
carrying incense at the head of a long row of masked
dancers. In sets of four, they are robed in elegant brocade
of rampant dragons, in gold, bright blue, dark blue, red,
and green. Midst the masks are two birds, three yaks and one
tall deer. As the dance comes to a close, the deer stays
behind to dance the famous Deer Dance. He begins by offering
huge sprays of grain into the air above and bowing to the
statue of Bernakchan. The deer has bells on his feet that
keep the rhythm of his movements—stylized running steps
interspersed with swirling leaps. The monks bring out a rug
and place it in front of the effigy. The deer descends onto
the rug and begins a slow and electrifying dance while
kneeling, bending back so far his antlers touch the ground
and coming quickly forward, then twisting around a hundred
and eighty degrees and spinning back. There is a complete
sense of precision and control in these extended movements.
With his sword he strikes the effigy and pieces are
scattered on stage and into the audience. After this long
period of kneeling, he comes into a squatting position and
from there leaps around in an amazing circle. Then other
dancers join in the dance and they exit the stage together.
The morning
finishes with the offering of white scarves (katas) from the
Tsurphu Labrang, (the Karmapa’s administration) first to the
statues of the two Karmapas and then to the dancers by tying
the long katas around their necks. The timing of this is a
special trick as the dancers have to be caught while they
are moving. Other sponsors follow the Labrang and by the end
of the performance, the dancers are swathed in white.
Before the dance ends, the old clown in a blue chupa appears
and goes into the audience. He takes a cap from one man’s
head and wearing it backwards, he sits in the VIP section to
joke with a yellow-robed Theravadin monk, who laughs and
plays along with him. The clown calls for a photographer and
poses with his head on the monk’s shoulder. On stage, the
dancers had moved into a spiral and as it unwinds they exit
the stage. The head guests, Jetsun Pema and Tenpa Tsering go
up the stairs that ascend to the Buddha and offer katas to
the Karmapa. The whole audience is then invited to lunch at
Tergar Monastery.
After lunch,
the monks chanted long sections from the Mahakala practice,
continuing to interweave the ritual they have chanted for
the past days with the dances. The next Dance of the
Pureland Protectors featured numerous dancers carrying
three-foot, red and black triangle banners, which waved
rhythmically back and forth in harmony with the triangle
shaped sleeves of the dancers’ brocade robes. This dance as
well as the two previous ones (Four-Armed Mahakala and the
Deer) were composed by Ga Lotsawa. He met Mahakala and his
retinue in a vision whence came the dances. Ga Lotsawa was
one of the teachers of the First Karmapa and so these dances
came very early into the lineage.
Gyaltsap
Rinpoche led the ninth dance, Maraya. He was easily
distinguished by the smoothness of his movements and the
gracefulness of his hands, which held a sword and a silver
kapala lined in vermillion; he wore a large metal mirror on
his chest and a white sash in a half circle over the front
of his robes. The Dance in the Rhythm of Seven and Eight
came next with eight monks dressed in bright blue dragon
brocade and the deer and yak making another appearance in
this circle dance. These two dances come from a pure vision
of the Seventh Karmapa, Chodrak Gyatso.
Once the
dancers had left the stage, the Karmapa, Jamgon Kongtrul
Rinpoche and Gyaltsap Rinpoche descended the stairs to stand
in front of Mahakala. While the monks chanted, they made
repeated offerings to the protector and his retinue in a
large libation cup. At the end, the three lamas stepped
forward and together offered five long katas in five
auspicious colors, placing one length-wise underneath each
of the three statues. It was a visual reminder of these
teachers’ ancient connection to each other and to these
practices.
After a break
came the grand finale , the Dance of the Black Hat, which
comes from the Eighth Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje. Some thirty
monks encircled the stage and the main dancer anchored the
mandala in the middle. They all wore black hats, which
ascend from a wide brim trimmed in black, to a cone shape
mounted by a skull topped by a flaming jewel. The back of
the hat is decorated with a braid of five-colored katas that
open out into billowing strips of red, yellow, white, blue,
and green. The focus of the dance was the offerings made
from the front of the stage by the central dancer. These
included a kapala brimming with swirling red waves and a
black bird with curving lines of bright colored dots to
indicate its wings. After the central dancer offered them in
the center of the mandala, these were all carried down the
central aisle and given outside.
The final torma
offered was Hazhal. The two top wicker pieces were
dismantled, the katas offered by the faithful as they
circumambulated Benakchan were removed, and a tall banner
was set next to him. A group of monks gathered around and
lifted the torma up, carrying it to stage center and down
the central aisle while accompanied by dancers in a slow
step. As Hazal passed out of the pavilion, the dancers
returned to the stage. Following the Tsurphu tradition, this
torma was burned on a stacked triangle of wood in the
northeast direction, the flames bright enough to be seen
from the Pavilion. During this time, in the place where the
torma had been on stage, the monks drew in chalk a triangle
with flames and mantra on which the torma platform was then
placed upside down. Chants were performed to reverse
obstacles, while the main dancer stood in each of the four
directions and placed his vajra on the platform, performing
the Torma Dance (gTor bro).
The afternoon
is brought to a close with the chanting of The Victorious
Melody, composed by the Fifteenth Karmapa, Khakhyab Dorje.
Wearing long meditation capes in maroon, the monks all
gather on stage in a large semi-circle facing the three
statues. Among the thirteen chant masters, the four main
ones come from the Kagyu monasteries of Rumtek, Ralang,
Mirik, and Benchen. As their voices resonate through the
long tones of the melody, a twenty-foot thangka of
Bernakchan is raised to the arching blue roof. This is the
day’s final blessing for all who have come.
The monks then
return to the Tergar shine hall to make the dedications for
the benefit of all beings. Later in the evening, Gyaltsap
Rinpoche performs a brief fire puja to eliminate any
obstacles that might remain. In sum, this day has seen
twenty-four hours of practice in different modalities: the
ritual of Burning Up Anger, the lama dancing, the unveiling
of three new statues, the special torma offering of Hazhal,
and the rising of the Bernakchan thangka. Evident to all was
the richness and variety of the tradition and the great good
fortune of being in the presence of the Karmapa, Jamgon
Kongtrul Rinpoche, and Gyaltsap Rinpoche to celebrate the
Dharma at the end of the year.
