Moelam Choemo

A five-day Moelam Choemo was conducted at Gedu HSS ground, seven kilometers from Darla, where I am living. It just got over yesterday. The ritual was headed by Je Khenpo and the central monastic body. Moelam Choemo was conducted to bring peace and prosperity to the country and its people. Darla school served devotees lunch for a day. It was a tedious one to serve thousands of devotees. Here are some shots of the day.

Mat of grasses, twigs and branches

Train of People

Teachers on Leave

Just as the year is about to come to an end, people’s energy and synergy are dwindling. The main reason being that they have been so actively involved and working hard for almost nine months. It’s the time for a rest, a little drop off from laborious and taxing works. Because teachers’ job is so heavy that even the undertaker boxer will be able to lift only for a second. They need lots of free periods to deliver quality lessons. Another reason for the leave now-a-days is ongoing Moelam Choemo in Gedu, seven kilometers from Darla school. Many devotee teachers are attending the ceremony there.

Complying with hard works, teachers have begun to take leave from their works. Today, 12 teachers have taken casual leave; the whole of a Lower Secondary school. When such leaves are taken, substitutions come like battalions leaving one with no ways to catnap for clear teaching for the next class. While takers would have taken forty winks like naps, we are inflamed.

Today's List

Global Hand Washing Day

Darla's banner

Coinciding with International Hand Washing Day, Darla school celebrated Hand Washing day for three consecutive days. The school Health Committee invited HA of Darla Gewog to say a few words on the importance of washing hands. He highlighted a number of people dying due to not cleaning their hands. He also talked to the assembly of students and teachers, that, the main cause of any disease is not willing to wash their hands properly. Global Hand Washing Day underscores the importance of handwashing regularly with soap and water as one of the most effective and affordable health interventions. Hand washing helps to fight against many kinds of diseases and stay healthy. I feel the literal meaning of clean hand means washing away, it would also mean clean hand from stealing, touching unwanted things. In fact, we need a clean mind, so that we can have clean hands.

Anyways, there are many programs for the days. There are hand washing demos by class XB today. There are twelve techniques shown. And there is hand washing for every class.  Every class was asked to bring jerry cans and make T-P holes (tap holes) for the days and to be kept for the year. We did.

Here are some snapshots of what’s happening now:

My class IV B students

Jerrycans with T-P holes

True Faith and Love for God

I wonder people’s perception of religion. They take it differently. They think heaven and hell are somewhere. Their beliefs vary. Their faiths to Gods fluctuate then. I feel one needs faith in the god; you don’t have to worship the image or idol, no attention to any others, no litanies by the heart of verses; neither you need to obey the king’s commands, no eloquence in your speech, no good looks. What you need is confidence in the power of God, the will of God, only faithfulness to god.

Sometimes god brings tragedy, and sometimes deliverance.

People say God punishes them despite their belief and faith in God. They say that the God doesn’t see all tidbits of our lives. But this is not true. It is the magnification of man himself. And that the man doesn’t see his true heart.  It is in our own hearts, and we must think that God’s grace is always sufficient. God is not in another realm, and He is unknowable. And we think that there is no way to experience God directly. He is far away and you just have to believe that He exists. But the true God is in your heart. He exists, and let me tell about my own turn of life that God exerts deliverance, and it has its ways. In my training, I had to go to an unknown place for my teaching practice. As faith has acted upon me, there I met my life partner. It was a blessing in disguise. I asked for a reason, the reason I asked was beyond my imagination. The God gives everything, and He gives in the crossroads and it has milestones effect. I asked God for a blessing.

The basic principle of all religions is one and the same, that is Dharma ( Law of Self). So, I respect all religions. I hate none. Habits change. Rituals differ from one religion to another religion. I think no religion sustains for a long time. That’s why the guiding principle of religion is applicable to all ages. We can apply all Dharmas in our lives. What the world today needs is not religions with dogmatic beliefs. Man can live without religion. Dharma is important. Self-awakening is important. If a man lives without selfishness, he can become Divine. We want higher consciousness. It will increase with our prayer. The power of prayer is supreme. It leads the world. It saves the world from calamities and chaos.

Love is the basis for prayer. Prayer extends your canvas. Religion teaches us to become a conscious human, a good and compassionate human.

The seeds and deeds of religion are souls. Outward worship is conceited when an inner transformation is absent.