Big Day for Buddha...

So today, Thursday, was very special in the Buddhist religion: Buddha was born, achieved enlightenment/nirvana, and died all on this date, not the same year, of course, as that would be pretty spectacular. I awoke this morning very early to chanting prayers, drums, and bells, and it has continued all day. I was curious and wanted in some way to participate/witness the goings-on of this momentous day in Buddhism, so after finding out a little more about it from my host family, I asked if I could go to the monastery just down the hill on the next street, which is the one I can hear from my window. (I have since talked with my host family and they provided more insight into all the questions I had, and even though it may sound like I knew exactly what was going on when it was happening, my enlightenment came later after I had talked with my host family and they answered the gazillion questions I had about everything I saw, so you reading this get the benefit of all the knowledge that I now have about Buddhism...all you ever wanted to know and more I'm sure...) They showed me the way to go and after a short walk I stepped inside to find a sort of fellowship area that had dozens of bowls of water with lighted candles in them, and people preparing a meal. I then ducked into the worship room, about 20 feet by 25 feet (small I'm told compared to some monasteries since it's located in the village), after slipping off my shoes and leaving them in the pile by the entrance, and quickly found a seat in the back corner of the room, assuming the cross-legged seated position (commonly referred to as "Indian-style" back home). I had a bench of older women seated to my left along the back wall, who were maintaining a continuous prayer and spinning their prayer wheels in a clockwise direction (as mentioned in a previous entry). There were about a dozen or so monks seated on low benches along the side walls, a group of 3 being the leaders of most of the praying and chanting, as well as operating the drums and the bell, again continuously. I sat next to one man who rolled out his piece of carpet for me to sit on! I was there for about half an hour, and just watched, initially completely out of my comfort zone, my heart beating a mile a minute, I guess because I felt I didn't belong there not believing in the same things as these people did, but I eventually relaxed and was able to take in most of what was happening. Most people were coming in to pay their respects and leaving, most likely on their way to work or other daily tasks, but I was struck at the age range of all those paying homage to their Lord Buddha. From 3 to 93 it seemed, there were whole families coming in together, teenagers coming in on their way to school. Everyone pretty much went through the same routine...entering, then bringing their hands together over their heads and then in front of their faces, which is a significant motion in and of itself I was told, and then performing several "salutations-to-the-sun"-like poses (even the older ones that came limping in with arthritic knees!) to the statue of Buddha located behind the altar, touching their foreheads to the ground, which symbolizes them touching the feet of Buddha, a sign of respect. Parents were helping the little ones do the proper motions, and the kids were following right along, the looks on their faces were matched to their parents' as they observed this serious and important ritual. They would then approach the altar, and some would fill the bowls of water or butter lamps that were burning with water and/or oil they had brought from home in plastic jugs or tea kettles. There are usually 7 bowls of water on every altar to symbolize the 7 steps Buddha took when he was born, a lotus flower growing out of each step he took, and since lotus flowers are usually found on the water, they use the bowls of water. There are also over 100 butter lamps on the altar, which are candles that burn oil...my host family was not sure of the significance of that number, but they said that the light burns away darkness. After this, they would receive a small amount of water in their right palm, poured by the head lama of the monastery, then take a sip and rub the rest over their heads, the women first touching each eyebrow before anointing their heads. Some people had brought white or cream-colored silk cloths to place on the altar, which are known as khada, and are an offering of respect. One older man went around the room handing out 10-Rupee bills to all those seated around the room praying, which was his offering, and I even got one! (which I left for the monastery as I didn't feel right in pocketing it). One woman brought her young son over to the one of the monks, who blessed him by tying a red string loosely around the boy's neck, which I was told had probably been blessed by the head lama of the monastery. I asked my host family if it means more if something is blessed by the Dalai Lama himself, which is supposed to be the reincarnation of Buddha himself, and my host family told me that a prayer is the same if it is said by the Dalai Lama or some common person, it doesn't matter who says it...whatever is prayed over becomes holy, whether it's a piece of string or water. The Dalai Lama is currently in exile in Dharamasala, and the Penchan Lama, "second in command," is under house arrest in Lhasa, Tibet, due to the fact that Tibet being occupied by China (a communist country), Buddhists are not allowed to practice their religion freely. My host family is native to Darjeeling, but is from Tibetan ancestry, so they were very helpful in explaining this bit of history...that Tibet was a prime target for China, chock full of natural resources and being inhabited by a defenseless, simple, religious-minded people. Most women I saw paying their respects were in traditional Tibetan dresses, called bhukus or chubas, only reiterating the presence in this region of so many Tibetan refugees, fleeing religious persecution. In Buddhism, the typical procedure is that when the Dalai Lama dies, Buddha is then reincarnated in a child being born, who then becomes the next Dalai Lama. The current Dalai Lama, who is number 14 I believe, has proclaimed that with his death, there will be no more reincarnation...whether this is to set up a concealment for the next dalai lama or if this will be a "dark time" for Buddhists around the world, one can only wonder. I had so many questions about this religion and its history as I left the monastery, but I was so glad I witnessed this, a day for Buddhists that has the same significance for Christians as Christmas, Jesus' baptism in the river, and Easter, all rolled into the same day.