Spiritual Tsagaan Sar

The first two days of Mongolian New Year – Tsagaan Sar – visiting are for family, those with whom one is particularly close, and greeting your spiritual teacher if you have one. The third day the visiting widens to friends and acquaintances. I accepted two invites from long-time members of our Dharma group, and weaseled out of a third because, you know? Sometimes enough is too much. But the second visit, to a woman named Mandakh who was at her father’s, was way more than I expected.

My translator and I walked in to what seemed an ordinary apartment from the outside, but was decked out like a temple on the inside – wall-to-wall thangkas, texts, Buddha images – and seated in the middle an elderly Mongolian man in lama’s robes. Well, thought I, what have we here?

Turns out Mandakh’s father is the highly regarded, 93-year old Lama Sodnamtseren. It also turns out Mandakh told me all about this before, but somehow I had completely forgotten. I’m not exactly the poster boy for the benefits of meditation, am I?

In any case, we had a whale of a conversation, just hitting it off right away, telling funny and poignant Dharma stories, learning about and just appreciating one another. Mostly I pumped him for info about his life. Sodnamtseren was born in the sacred province of Zavkhan and entered a local monastery when he was just seven. The Communist oppression reached its unbearable peak when he was about 20, and he was forced to join the army. Can you imagine? From monk to soldier overnight. After his discharge, he had to live an ordinary layperson’s life until 1990. The minute the democratic reforms took place, he put his robes back on and resumed his religious vocation, albeit in the family home. Apparently, he gets up around dawn, and does his practices until lunchtime. He certainly has that vibe.

At one point, I asked him about the traditional Mongolian lama robe, particularly why the sleeves were turned up and blue-colored on the cuffs. He had such an interesting reply. He said that during Manchu rule, the Mongolians were forced to wear long-sleeved garments deliberately cut in such a way as to look like animals’ hooves at the end. When the first Bogd Gegeen (the rough equivalent of Mongolia’s Dalai Lama), Zanabazar, ascended to his position, he said, “You know what? We’re done with that. Everyone turn your sleeve cuffs up and color them blue to honor our ancient reverence for tenger, the great sky from which all things are born.” I don’t know how true this story is, but that’s what he told me.

But then he shocked me. He asked if I had such a robe. I said no, just the plain one I was wearing. He called Mandakh and had her bring in a new one of his own. He said it was his good fortune to be able to offer clothing to a disciple of the Buddha and gave it to me with the prayer that we would reunite again in Buddha Amitabha’s pure land of Dewachen. For once I was speechless, and so deeply touched.

But...you guys know my style is to stay simple and close to the ground. How on earth can I face others sporting a garment like this?!

I honestly don’t think that as a gelong monk I’m permitted to wear such a thing and it kind of runs against my general practice of trying to keep my ego in check. What do you think I should do with it?

Anyway, afterward we moved into his shrine room/bedroom. It seems that every year he offers New Year’s blessings to the extended family. This was done in a remarkably efficient way. He had some huge sutras brought to him...

...then he read the title and first couple of lines aloud...

...and then riffled all the pages so that the breeze touched the blessee’s head, such as that of the latest great-grandbaby:

And just because we really can’t get enough of pictures of elderly lamas and babies, here’s another one:

There was such an endless stream of visitors who came to pay their respects to Sodnamtseren that we agreed we’d get together another time and really talk. I found out that, of course, no one has bothered to systematically record his history, so that’s something to mull over.

Comments

[Rinchen Gyatso]

I bet there are a lot more hidden lamas with fascinating stories out there. I really enjoyed this post. Keep 'em comin'!

[Kay in New Mexico]

What to do with your marvelous new robe? Wear it! Maybe just for special occasions, like blessing somebody's new stupa or celebrating somebody's commitment to the monastic life, or something like that, but do wear it.

"Simple and close to the ground"? Don't take too much pride in your humility!

Sometimes things get thrown at us so we can make some kind of change. Maybe your image of yourself and of your style is not what's important? Maybe this lovely man, who is stuffed with all good lama-ish things, saw that you needed a robe like that? I don't think you should second-guess Lama Sodnamtsaren.

[Ryan]

I say at least keep the robe. It's a work of art and a keepsake. And beyootiful.

[Konchog]

Kay and Ryan: Thank you and I love you both, but I have to disagree. Becoming a gelong monk I took a lot of precepts (253) a few of which specifically involve not even owning expensive and fancy cloth, forget about wearing it. I discussed the matter with another lama last night, and think I will find the right situation and person and give the robe away.

Kay: I hear you about false humility. I probably framed the problem incorrectly as me pondering my personal style. Not only is wearing a robe like this counter to my actual precepts, but I know my own teachers, such as HH Penor Rinpoche, would never wear such a thing, so how would I ever dare to do so?

[Monique]

Konchog - About the robe, I think you should rely on your teacher's wisdom to guide you on these matters. BTW, I bow in deep respect to all the precepts that yourself and the monastic community must uphold. Thank you!

[Northmoon]

I love the hidden temple idea - ordinary on the outside and very special on the inside. And the strange juxtaposition of the monk in his temple with the modern/western style telephone in the second and third photos!

You'd make quite an impression coming down the road in that robe! Awe-inspiring I imagine. But not so good for birdwatching. Perhap's it's just as well that you pass it on to another deserving monk.

[Ariel]

Konchog --
I know you'd never wear something that could seen as ostentayious or gaudy and also that there are strict rules about what to wear (and it might be seen as artifically edifying the ego), but I really hope you did not refuse an elder's gift on Tsagaan Sar... just keep it in a closet somewhere as a remebrance of one man's kindness on a special day, or find a young Mongolian monk (maybe one of those training in India) to give it to one day.

[Kay in New Mexico]

Whoops! As an Episcopalian I obviously don't know from a geelong monk! I get an education every day.

Still -- there is some kind of reason -- maybe there is somebody you are supposed to give it to? I am confident you will come to the correct decision!

[Konchog]

Ariel: Yes, I think I managed this one graciously. I accepted his gift without hesitation, with auspicious wishes on both our sides. The moment of generosity was very moving and the important aspect in this, that and our good connection. Whether or not I wear it is kind of irrelevant (tho I might if we two meet again, just to please him). Than I get to continue the generosity with another. It's actually kind of a win-win.

Kay: A gelong monk is one who is fully ordained, bhikkshu in Sanskrit. True, I don't think that's in the standard Episcopal curriculum!

[Sarabaite]

Is it possible to wear it in the States, where we're a bit more ostentatious anyway?

Or -- don't kill me here -- just wear it at least once to bed. Don't tell me that I'm the only one who OCCASIONALLY wears something silky and pretty to bed, even more so if it's "too nice" to do so. Like drinking tea out of my "display only" cups.

[minnie]

i have to agree with the "keep it,but don't wear it" school. it's a wondrous gift from a man who obviously felt you deserved/needed it. if you do give it away, make sure the giftee knows the magnitude of the gift. maybe even introduce them to the old man, if he's still alive!