The Birth Anniversary of Padmasambhava
This grand three-day Buddhist festival commemorates the birth of Padmasambhava. It also celebrates the victory of Lamaism over Shamanism.
The Tseschu Festival is held in many monasteries of the Indian sub continent to honour Padmasambhava on his birthday. It is observed for three days from the tenth day of Dawa Napha in Sikkim, while in Ladakh it is celebrated from the tenth day of Dawa Dhunpha. The lamas participate in his birth festivities with fervour.
The day is also said to mark the victory of Lamaism over Shamanism and other religious practices which were considered base in pre-Buddhist Tibet and its adjoining lands. In a universal perspective, it symbolises the strength of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and virtue over vice.
The function at the biggest and richest monastery in the world, the Hemis Gompa, is a spectacular affair. A magnificent pantomime with elaborate rituals is performed to mark the event. It attracts visitors from farand near. Though enacted by the lamas, the entire community is gripped with excitement long before the festival begins. On the first day of the three-day event, villagers dress in all their finery and rush to the gompa well before the scheduled time, to grab the best seats. The performance, staged in the courtyard of the monastery, depicts how Padmasambhava established lamaism.
A shrill bugle announces the commencement of the play. Led by people swinging censers, a group of pre-lamaism priests, clad in rich robes of china silk and brocade, enter to the wailing note struck by gongs and shawms, accompanied by the low chant of musicians. They make the sign of the trident to invoke a divine being, and perform a stately dance to slow music. They make the sign of atrident once more and return. This dance is meant to purify the environment from the pollution of evil spirits and demons.
Their exit brings on another group dressed as man-eating demons, who vex and harass humanity. These hordes of demons illustrate the endless oppression of man by the powers of evil, and his helplessness against this ferocious enemy. It is suggested that exorcism by reputed lamas may help indefeating the demon, after a fierce battle. To these monsters, the lamas offer a libation of beer and rice or mustard seeds and pray to them to leave the humans they have entered.
At a signal from the cymbals, adeafening cacophony is created by large trumpets, pipes, drums and shrill whistling to summon the noxious demons and their enemies. Dressed with masks and paint, as oxen,serpents, lizards, skeletons, dragon-faced fiends and many other forms of evil, a whole troupe of demonic apparitions flock on to the stage.
As the music rises to an ear shattering crescendo, Padmasambhava appears, accompanied by his eight forms in the guise of assistants. The moment he is seen, there is an astounding change in the atmosphere. The loud music suddenly ceases. The demons, sensingthe presence of a holy being, get into apanic, start shrieking and scamper off the stage. The peace symbolises the effect of Buddhism over the local Shamanism. Then, to solemn chanting and soft music, another stately procession led by people swinging censers comes through the porch of the temple and slowly descends the steps. Padmasambhava and his assistants stand in a line on one side of the quadrangle and receive the adoration of processions of masked figures, abbots, beast-headed monsters and devil-headed demons. Among the worshippers are the heroes with green masks, carrying triangularred flags and wearing girdles and anklets made of bells. The demonkings are appointed guardians of there ligion by the monks of Buddhism. The solemnity of the ceremony is relieved by a few jesters who play the fool and salute the holy personages with mock respect.
The final act depicts an effigy of ayoung man, made of dough, being carried in by four ghouls. Sculpturedas realistically as possible by the lamas, the figure has all the organs of the body. The heart, the blood vessels, even the limbs are filled with a red coloured liquid to represent blood. This effigy, symbolising the enemies of lamaism, is placed in the centre of the square and is freely stabbed by weapons. Just then, on hearing three signals from the cymbals, two monks walk out of the monastery. They blow their horns to get at least two more lamas to follow them onto the quadrangle. They draw a triangle, considered magical, around the effigy on the pavement. Suddenly, a very ugly demon with huge horns on his head, appears. Considered the personification of evil, he hovers threateningly over the dough corpse and slashes a sword furiously at it. His assistants try and help him in the endeavor but they fail to hit the body. Then a saint arrives on the scene. He pulls out some dough from the corpse and distributes it to the fiends who eat it joyfully.
The next day Padmasambhava is worshipped. Mustard seeds are offered to him. Once he has blessed them, they are thrown at the enemy, the demon personifying evil, amidstsinging, dancing, and incantations. This is believed to scare away the demon. However in all likelihood, the custom originated due to the antiseptic properties of the mustard seeds which act as a disinfectant to prevent diseases and death.
On the third day, the ceremony of stabbing the enemy with the mystic dagger called phurbu takes place. This is performed by an incarnation of Padmasambhava and is followed by the symbolic sacrifice of a man. A skull filled with alcohol, poison and blood is put into a cauldron of boiling oil. A paper cut-out of a man is tied to the end of a stick and added to the boiling mixture. As soon as the image has been consumed, Padmasambhava declares that all evil has been burnt.
This rite is followed by a boisterous procession of masked monks, holdinga three-headed effigy of dough, tied with threads and streamers. Shouting dra gheks-par chat or `death to the fiend`, they throw it to the crowd. The audience tears it to pieces, amidst shouts of joy. People try and get apiece to store as a charm. Agun is fired to mark the end of the pantomime. It is also a signal for the lamas to return to the gompa.