Rituals were held at sacred sites throughout Thimphu today to pray for the well-being of the king and queen, the people of Bhutan, and for world peace. We arrived at the National Memorial Chorten, just a few blocks from our apartment, at about 6:45 a.m. as the crowd was filling in, to find a seat of our own
The presiding lama, a peer to His Holiness, the Je Kempo, blessed each Tshe-Bum or life-vase, containing the truchu, or holy water, before sending monks out among the crowd with the truchu filled Tshe-Bum.
Holy water was given to every person three times. The first time was into the receiving hand, to be put into the mouth then spit out, a ritual of cleansing karma. The second time around, it was poured into the receiving hand, the largest portion to be swallowed, the remainder deposited on the head. The third time around, it was poured directly on each person’s head to be wiped across the head and face.
His Holiness carries a Dril-Bul or bell and a Dorje, a symbolic sceptor. Prior to coming into the crowd to bless and touch each and everyone with the Dorje, he had blessed many other monks with a complex ritual of patterned touches, sending each monk into the crowd with a blessed Dorje to repeat the more complex pattern of touch to all.
Once again, we are reminded as our departure from Bhutan approaches, of how truly blessed we both are.
Our Seasons in Shangri la 