6 months ago
1
Bhutan, an land of tranquillity successful troubled South Asia, organised the first-ever Global Peace Prayer Festival (GPPF), attracting much than 50,000 Buddhist lamas oregon monks from 20 countries, including next-door neighbours India and China.
The item of the 16-day festival from November 4 to 19, coinciding with the 70th day of the Himalayan country’s 4th king, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, was the unprecedented convergence of spiritual leaders from 3 chiseled schools of Buddhism — Mahayana, Theravada, and Vajrayana (practised successful Bhutan, India, and the Tibetan region).
Beyond Buddhism, Hindu priests from India and elsewhere crossed the globe were fixed abstraction for a peculiar supplication session.
The Centre for Bhutan & Gross National Happiness Studies and Bhutan’s Central Monastic Body, which steered the festival with assistance from India successful “cash and kind”, privation the bid prayers to beryllium genuinely planetary by involving leaders of different faiths for this event.
It volition beryllium planned annually with an purpose to minimise planetary conflicts and summation happiness of each sentient beings.
The GPPF was a show of colours, motifs, spiritualism, assemblage discipline, and an affectional attachment to Bhutan’s royalty astatine 2,334 metres supra oversea level, with the Changlimithang Stadium successful Thimphu, the country’s capital, arsenic the hub of the festival.
The Bhutanese government’s assurance successful undertaking the lawsuit connected a expansive standard stemmed from akin festivals held annually crossed the country’s 20 dzongkhags (districts) to commune for satellite bid and the healing of humanity.
The Central Monastic Body appreciated the assistance from the Government of India to organise the GPPF and transport Lord Buddha’s relics from the National Museum successful New Delhi to the Grand Kuenray hallway successful Thimphu for nationalist veneration from November 12 to 18.
(Text and Photos by Rutajeet Karmakar)
Song and spirit: Buddhist monks commune collectively for satellite bid and happiness for each sentient beings
Blessed sight: The Jabzhi Dhoechog, a impermanent operation adorned with offerings for planetary bid and happiness, faces the Buddha Dordenma, a gigantic statue of the Shakyamuni Buddha connected 1 of the highest points astir Thimphu.
Sacred perch: Tiger’s Nest Monastery, the root of Bhutan’s Vajrayana Buddhism, is connected a cliff astatine much than 10,000 ft supra the mean oversea level.
Kindred soul: A Buddhist pistillate waits for her companions to articulation her from wrong the supplication festival venue.
Sartorial assistance: A subordinate astatine the Global Peace Prayer Festival helping different drape the kabney, a silk sash worn arsenic a portion of the accepted antheral attire successful Bhutan
Regal readiness: Royal guards gearing up for a parade.
Festive weave: Monks and volunteers hole a ceremonial scarf arsenic portion of a rite to invited spiritual heads.
Massive gathering: Devout Buddhists from 20 countries converged astatine Thimphu’s Changlimithang for the supplication festival.
Musical interlude: Members of the royal set instrumentality a interruption from the rehearsals to invited dignitaries.
