With cascading light filtering through the open windows, the hall is bathed in color, dripping with anticipation, with the deep and rich sound of drums and chanting; the air is thick with blessings. We are all gathered here for the Rabne, the blessing of the entirety of the monastery in one fell swoop, a grand affair and a full day puja from morning to evening.
For His Holiness to be here and bestow his great blessing on every hall, shrine, altar, thanka, painting, and statue is such a great honor and privilege for those of Dhagpo Sheydrub Ling, and the final piece of the inauguration that Lama Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche’s new monastery surely deserves. The day was a blur of light and life, joy and energy; with flowers thrown into the air, mile long offering lines of golden statues, crowns, Dharma texts, thankas and more, all wrapped in colorful brocade and draped in beautiful cloth and ribbons, the colors were absolutely incredible. There were also such beautiful exchanges between those of our dharma family and their teachers. Such love and connection here, bowed heads lowered to offer a katak met with warm smiles and open hearts. Respect is met with respect, the exchange goes in both directions. While we are all gathered here to celebrate the giving of Karmapa’s blessing upon the newly opened monastery, the room was overflowing with blessings being exchanged in all directions, from all walks of life and achievements. Everyone can partake and share in this, one of life's greatest and most precious gifts. With a simple gesture you can offer all that you have to your teacher, your lama, your guide. Then, they offer it back to you - creating a loop, an endless connection, one that we carry with us always in our hearts. This connection and blessing exchange was powerfully present today, so powerful it continues to stay in my mind and in my heart even now.
While the day was glorious, the puja powerful and intense, the space and colors magical, the joy I have in my heart today for the simple fact that this is all finally happening is the greatest joy I can have. We have all waited for so long, with such high hopes that the eventual event and celebration would be all that we had hoped it would be. The end result in fact has been so much more than I could have even dreamed of, and I have an extremely vivid imagination. Seeing how the entire world has come together to join in the celebration together has been extremely touching and I want to thank you all for your sharing and helping to spread this far and wide. Our Dharma family is truly amazing, and I consider myself truly blessed and incredibly fortunate to call you all my family. The best family in the world, so incredible what we are capable of when we are all together. Together we have made this more impactful and important than anyone could have ever dreamed possible!
Dhagpo Sheydrub Ling Maniwa Lama Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche
