Prayer Flags

Today was a bright Sunday morning when I returned to the Buddhist temple to visit friends. As I passed the threshold, Tibetan prayer flags fluttered in the breeze. 

Some years ago, I was impressed by the beauty of Tibetan prayer flags, so I decided to put some up in front of my house. However, at the last moment, I was equally impressed by my lack of understanding. For one thing, I had no idea regarding the underlying spiritual practice associated with prayer flags. I worried that my admiration would turn into cultural appropriation. Furthermore, I didn't know the meaning of the text. Since prayer seemed like a serious thing, I didn't want to send prayers without understanding the meaning. In the end, I decided to not display prayer flags in my home. 

When I see prayer flags, I offer my respect, 

but someday I would like to understand them better. 

After I left the temple, I walked to Corbin Park to see the autumn leaves. I was impressed by the vibrant colors and the sparkling drops of dew on the back of each leaf. Having just reflected on the meaning of the prayer flags, it suddenly occurred to me that the leaves are also a form of prayer. Each leaf enables life flourish and grow. 

Nature is a kind of spirituality that does not require temples,

 rituals, ceremonies, or sacred texts. In fact, nature is the sacred text.  

Temple Dedication

My dear friend Francesca has dedicated a portion of her home as a Tibetan Buddhist temple. She lives in an older house with an addition that has been converted into a sanctuary. The house includes a shrine to the Buddha and a large portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 

She asked me to offer a prayer as part of the dedication ceremony, 

Geshe-la, a Buddhist monk from Tibet, conducted the main portion of the ceremony, reading first in Tibetan and then in English.  

The service was deeply ecumenical. Father Connolly, an old family friend, participated in the ceremony.

Geshe-la.

I was also happy to see Eva. She was teasing me after the ceremony that she only gets to see my pictures when they appear on the internet. Apparently, he daughter retrieves the pictures and shares them with her. As a result, I felt obligated to post this picture to add to her collection. 

A Thousand Buddhas

My daughter and I also visited the Garden of a Thousand Buddhas near Arlee, Montana. It was a beautiful sunny day when we arrived, which only added to the magnificence of seeing hundreds of white Buddha statues lined one after the other. 

During our visit, my daughter asked the golden question: "What is Buddhism?" I told her the story of Siddartha Gautama and how he found enlightenment. I am not Buddhist, but I admire the Buddha and his philosophy of compassion and non-attachment. I especially appreciate the opportunity to experience different religions and cultures with my children. 

The garden is shaped like a wheel with spokes radiating from a center point. The outer perimeter was lined with tiny stupas, each with its own miniature Buddha inside. 

The center point is a golden statue of the Buddha sitting under a cover. 

A golden Buddha. 

The "spokes" of the wheel emanating from the center. 

Does anyone know what this says? 

Prayer flag mark the entrance to the garden. 

Offerings outside the garden. 

A small place for offerings. Well, I don't actually know if this structure was intended for offerings, but people are using it in that way. 

The Relics

The Unity Church of Spokane recently hosted a display of sacred Buddhist objects, including relics from the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Guatama. Afterwards, they sponsored an interfaith service from various religious traditions where I had the opportunity to represent Native American traditions.

Offerings of candles and water for the Dalai Lama.

A young monk held a small stupa containing the relics of Siddhartha Gautama.

When Buddhist holy people are cremated, they often find small pearl-like objects within the ashes. These relics are preserved by the faithful.

A monk blessed an eagle feather with the remains of the Buddha.

Sand Mandala

Part Two

The monks destroyed the sand mandala as a metaphor of the impermanence of life, then distributed half the sand to the audience. The other half is traditionally poured into a nearby body of water. In this case, the monks went to the Spokane River and deposited the sand into the falls near Canada Island.

On the left side of this image is the Venerable Tenzin Thinlay who acted as translator.

As part of the ceremony, prayers were offered in the Spokane language to respect the ancestors and the river.

Ven. Tritul Jampa Kalden poured the sand into the river.

Sand Mandala

Part One

The Unity Church of Spokane hosted the creation of a sand mandala by a travelling group of Tibetan monks.

"Sand Mandalas are unique to the Tibetan culture, they are believed to affect purification and healing. They are created by hand and embody traditional meditative designs that represent the universal qualities of harmony, balance, community, and pure wisdom."

There are many types of mandalas, but this particular design is known as the Mandala of Compassion.

"In general all mandalas have outer, inner, and secret meanings. On the outer level, they represent the world in its divine form; on the inner level they represent a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into enlightened mind; and on the secret level they depict the primordially perfect balance of the subtle energies of the body and the clear light dimension of the mind. The creation of a sand painting is said to effect a purification on these three levels.

"For centuries, Tibetan mandalas were seen exclusively by the monks and nuns of Buddhist monasteries. In 1988, however, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, decreed that a mandala be constructed for the public to witness."

From left to right, the Venerable Tritul Jampa Kalden, the Venerable Geshe Tenzin Choephel, and the Venerable Geshe Tenzin Dhargye. In 1987, Ven. Tritul Jampa Kalden was recognized as the 6th incarnate of Gaden Tripa Ngawang Choekyi by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

"Traditionally, most sand mandalas are destroyed shortly after their completion. This is done as a metaphor of the impermanence of life."

Half the sand is swept into an urn while the other half is distributed to the audience. The Venerable Tenzin Thinlay translated much of the event and distributed the sand.

All quotes in this post are from a flyer made available at the event.

Essential

My son woke me this morning and invited me for a long hike by the Little Spokane River. All around we saw evidence of new life emerging from the remains of the past, like tender shoots of x̣ʷx̣ʷtéłp (cow parsnip) sprouting behind an abandoned wheel, or green leaves growing around a deer skull.

Observing the cycle of life and death made me think of the Buddhist concept of non-permanence. As the Buddha once said, "Life and death, and existence and non-existence, do not apply to the essential nature of things, but only to their appearances as they are observed by defiled human eyes. Because of human desire, people become related and attached to these appearances ... their acts, being based upon error, lead them into harm and suffering."

"It is because of this constant changing of appearances that we liken things to a mirage and a dream. But in spite of this constant changing in appearances, things, in their essential spiritual nature, are constant and changeless" (The Teaching of Buddha).

These concepts appeal to me. They keep me focused on the essential spiritual nature of things, and not the passing moods of life.

nexʷ qe wičntm t mlqnups u lxʷup łuʔ sčwax̣is. hayo.

We also saw an eagle with an injured wing.

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these" Matthew 6:28.

In whatever tradition, spirituality comes from observing what the true inner nature of things.

Blessing

When His Holiness Katok Getse Rinpoche visited Mount Spokane, he blessed us in many ways. He offered his prayers and teachings, but he also blessed Dakota's drum. Before he even greeted me, he took the drum from my hand, played a few beats, and smiled. He didn't pronounce any words that I recall, but his presence blessed the drum nonetheless.

I feel the same about my father's drums. All the times my father sang at his drum, he left behind a blessing of peace and love. I hope my children learn to cherish these blessings.

World Peace

On Saturday, His Holiness Katok Getse Rinpoche performed a prayer for world peace on the summit of Mount Spokane. As part of the observance, I spoke briefly about the history of the Spokane Tribe. Those who attended the event were very moved. For my part, I felt honored to participate.



During the ceremony, I had the honor to sit with His Holiness and Lama Lakshey Zangpo Rinpoche.



His Holiness and I sat together after the ritual. He spoke to me through an interpreter and asked me questions about the spirits of our ancestral tradition.







The translator Tenzin Weigyal, His Holiness Katok Getse Rinpoche, and Lama Lakshey Zangpo Rinpoche.

Peace Pole

Eastern Washington University recently constructed a "Peace Pole" at the center of campus. Each side of the pole reads, "May peace prevail on earth," in a different language. I was asked to present a blessing of the pole, perhaps due to the fact that one of the languages was the Spokane Salish.



The Venerable Geshe Phelgye also performed a blessing.







This is a copy of the poster that the university used to advertise the blessing. I was surprised when people called and said they had seen my face on campus. You may click on the poster to see a larger image.