Dominique Dennery - The Art of Transformation

I went with friends to witness the Essala Perahera in Kandy this week-end. Unforgettable.

We drove for four hours and arrived early at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Lord Buddha's tooth) to scout out our location, only to find out that once taken to our assigned seats inside the precinct, we could not leave again to walk about. At the prospect of waiting 3 hours for the procession to begin, we wondered how we would alleviate boredom. The young daughter of one of my friends convinced our designated guide to take us on a tour of the temple. A must see. We spent quite some time after the tour watching craftsmen putting finishing touches on the elephant costumes and dozens of dancers getting ready to parade. We finally had to sit down to let the show begin.

For the next three hours, I saw more elegantly-clad elephants than I will ever see again in my lifetime. The dancers were fascinating to watch; young boys, experienced dancers, acrobats, drummers, musicians all focused on their performance. The Kandyan dancers had costumes that only looked slightly different to my Western eyes, but my guide pointed out how each school had their distinct headdress, breast decorations, skirts and belts, and how more experienced dancers wore more adornments on their ankles and wrists. The sad touch were the dozens of men and boys carrying heavy wooden poles ending with mesh baskets overflowing with hot coals and flames fed by coconut oil that would singe the red rags wrapped around their chest and face. The torch carriers illuminated the parade, but were often berated for dropping pieces of burning coal too close to the dancers feet. Almost everyone was barefoot.

The elephants were a wondrous sight, some danced to the drums, all were draped in velvet costumes fit for royalty, with beads, sequins, small lights, gold designs and brass tusk decorations. All of them had heavy chains to keep them in line...

Hundreds of people marched and performed in complete harmony. Each segment of the procession was punctuated by shrines. When these passed, we were asked to rise out of respect. One of these shrines held the Sacred Tooth Relic. After the shrines came the kings with heads held high and powerful bellies jutting out. I asked why there were no women, and was told that there would be a few at the end of the parade, and that was simply the way things were.

Labels: buddhism, Kandy Perahera

I had the most extraordinary conversation in a rickety white van on the way to Olbodwa to accompany my mother to a Vipassana Meditation Center where she was choosing to spend a few days. Mom was in the front with the driver and we picked up Venerable Bhikkuni K... in her monastery for the drive to her Mandir (Centre) in a small village. First she makes us wait while she finishes her long telephone conversation. I am growing impatient. When she emerges with her shorn head and orange wrap, she barks: Who are you? I introduce myself and my mother, the same people who spoke to her on the phone. 'Your are not a man' she says. Well, duhhh. My annoyance is growing. Whe we get to the rented van, I help her climb in the back. She doesn't need my help.I wasn't expecting such vivacity from an octagenarian.

We begin an hour long conversation. She pokes at me and I poke back. She gets animated, takes my hand. I don't even feel the bumps in the road despite the total absence of shock absorbers. 'There are no intermediaries between us and our god' she says. 'Our present actions are not the results from the past. Every time we think we create a new thought. Every time we speak, we create a new word that was not there before. Every time we do some work we create an action that was not there before.' ' Meditation helps one to change thought patterns, because there is good thinking and bad thinking.'

The Honorable Bikkhuni also holds a Masters in Molecular Biology from the USA. We speak of quantum physics, of thoughts occuring at the speed of light. She speaks of the way thoughts create the body and the body creates thoughts. We move on to politics. She speaks of how the country has lost its way and is concerned with the external trappings of buddhism, more than with the essence of the teachings. She can read Pali and often quotes from Buddha's words to the people. She is one of the Religious Leaders of the World (along with the Dalai Lama), and explains how they are trying to make a difference. She advocates the ability to welcome many faiths. What about the role of women? I ask. 'Women must play a leadership role as men have lost their way', she says. The men in the village have all lost a son to the war. They drink to forget and the women carry the burden. 'Women are more resilient'. She smiles, looking down at her small wrinkled feet.

Labels: buddhism, meditation, power of thought, quantum physics, women