On New Years January 1st 2024 we sent blessings from Manjushri Hill and Swayambhu to all beings…May everyone have a Wonderful New Year!!! 💖🌟🙏🏼🌟💖 For many years I had arranged the Lhapsang, Guru Rinpoche’s, puja to be done on New Year’s morning to remove all negatives from the past and the New Year be positive for all! In December I was told the monks were going to Bodhgaya to receive teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama…because of that I arranged our Lhapsang Puja on Dec. 27th. A few days before New Year I was told our monks weren’t able to go…because of that Buddhists from Malaysia requested Ushnisha Vijaya, the Long-life, Puja to be done on New Year’s. I made offerings for this puja for all of us. At 6am I went to the Monastery to light some lamps and make prayers for the wellbeing of those who passed away, those who were sick and everyone else…after our early breakfast in the monastery I made offerings to the monks for all of us.
Ushnisha Vijaya has the essence of the Buddha’s Wisdom. When Shakyamuni Buddha went to Tushita heaven realm where his mother was reborn, he was requested to help one main monk not to die. Because of that Ushnishavijaya appeared on the crown of his head, from there her mantra radiated out to all beings. She helps all beings to have good health, she helps to cure those who are sick, she helps those who have passed away take a precious human rebirth and those who have died in a lower realm she lifts them to a higher realm…
First I offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for all of us…then to Dhrupthop Rinpoche and his incarnation…Tenzin Yeshi Rinpoche…
When I offered to Ghen Jampa, he placed the Katak on me…I continued making offerings to all of the monks…they were all so happy when I offered to them on the New Year morning…🎉🎉🎉
Walking from Manjushri Hill, where I live, to Swayambhu…in the middle of the two hills is the statue of Manjushri. Luke and Namdu Davis arranged for this statue to appear two/three years ago. I’m so happy this Manjushri statue, the Lord of Wisdom, has appeared on our hill!
Tara and other dieties..then I made prayers for the well-being of all…may Ushnishavijaya send her
compassionate energy to those who have passed away so they take a good
rebirth, may she help cure all who are sick and may her essence bring long
life and good health to all beings!
of the Holy Stupa and our offering of traditional lamps…
When I arrived at the top of Swayambhu I was so blessed to see Lama
Bema Wangyal already making strong prayers for our New Year!
I was also happy to see Dawa Lama…here he’s standing next to Sunchari…
they were both happy to be able to do things for all of us on New Years.
In 2020 I was so happy to contact Dawa to paint Swayambhu Stupa for New
Years. Originally I was in contact with his father, after he passed away, I had
the monastery arrange the painting of the Stupa. 2020 all our monks went
to Bodhgaya, because of that I was so happy to reconnect with Dawa…he
organizes everything so wonderfully and from the time he started with us he
included Lama Bema Wangyal to do prayers while the stupa was being painted!
Lama Bema has done such wonderful prayers for our New Years every year!
How touching…😌😌😌
Dawa requested all of us to put some of the special colored saffron into the
plastic buckets…this colored water is used to paint the yellow garlands on
the dome of the stupa after the white paint is finished…Father Yann put the
first saffron in the buckets…
Frances made prayers…May the yellow garlands send happiness and
good health to all!
Kari also added the saffron to this special colored water for the yellow
garlands to be painted on the stupa…
The small temple behind us is Vasudhara, the goddess of wealth, prosperity
and abundance…Dawa gave all of us a butter lamp to offer to her and all the
other gods and goddesses in the temple…
Lama Bema Wangyal continued to make prayers as the Stupa began to
be painted…
The lime paint is being poured on the dome and then spread with a
homemade mop…
The stupa’s dome represents the field of emptiness out of which all
positive essences arises…
After the dome was painted, they began to pour the yellow, saffron water…
‘yellow garlands’ appeared…
Lama Bema Wangyal continued making prayers and Karuna, too until the
painting of the Stupa was finished and the prayer flags and canopy were hung…
Lama Bema Wangyal and Dawa kindly added khatas to the prayer
flags…how happy we were…
Frances Klatzel added a khata to the canopy…
Lama Bema Wangyal blessed all of the prayer flags and canopy just
before they were being taken to the dome to be hung on the stupa…
Father Yann sat next to Lama Bema Wangyal to listen to the prayers and
look at the painting of the stupa…All of us began making prayers with him…
May our Holy Swayambhu Stupa radiate positive lights
and energy to everyone in this world. May our prayer
flags also send blessings and happiness out to all…
As our New Year prayers were starting to end, Lama Bema Wangyal gave
all of us some pieces of flowers…we threw the flowers to purify the stupa,
prayer flags, canopy and send blessings to all…
May the power of all of our prayers and offerings, here on the Holy Hill of
Swayambhu, spread to all beings in the world! May all have happy, healthy
and positive situations!
The prayer flags and canopy just before being taken to the top of stupa
were placed on everyone’s crown for us to make final blessings for the
sake and benefit of all…
I began to read my special prayers for the sake of all beings…
On this auspicious day, the first day of 2024 New Year, May the power
of our prayers and offerings from the Holy Hill of Swayambhu spread to
all beings in this world! May the situations in every country, especially
where the wars are…begin to return to their normal state so all can
have happy, healthy lives!
Those traveling through the Bardo, the intermediate stage after death, may
their past negativities be removed and then may they be directed along the
correct path so they obtain a quick, perfect human rebirth!!! Those who have
taken a lower rebirth may they quickly take a new higher rebirth! We send
from our Holy Hill compassion to all of them. I then read all the names of
those who passed away…
May all who are sick; those who have the karma of their lifespan ending soon,
may they pass peacefully and take a precious rebirth…all others, may they
quickly recover from whatever sickness they have and may the rest of their
life be healthy and full of joy and happiness! I then read all of the names of
those who are sick…
May all of our sponsors, their families, friends and all other beings have
excellent health and a long life filled with happiness and success in all
they do! I then read all of their names, plus others that had been given
to me…
When I finished all my reading I first gave an offering to Lama Bema Wangyal
from all of us and our sponsors…
then I gave an offering to Dawa Lama from all of us, too…
On this auspicious day, we were given some tea to drink…Lama made
prayers for our tea…while the canopy and prayer flags were being arranged…
On the top of the crown of the Stupa the yellow canopy was placed…now
above the eyes and face of the Buddha the red canopy is being hung…
the prayer flags were also placed on top…
how beautiful the yellow garlands are…and the prayer flags too…
May the prayers on the flags reach every corner of the Universe!
Sunchari and Bachhu Ram made all of the lamps to be placed around the
stupa. They arrived before me, when I came I saw them sitting and making
prayers for the well being of the New Year. This year Dawa Lama asked us
to only start lighting the lamps around the stupa when the painting and our
prayers ended.
At the end of our puja, Ba, Sunchari and Maya began cleaning the traditional
oil plates, then Maya placed the wicks and Ba added oil over the lamps…
This New Year Lama Bema Wangyal began the lighting
of the lamps around the base of our Holy Stupa;
May everyone’s life be filled with stability,
peacefulness and great happiness!!!
May everyone’s mind awaken to the joy within…
Frances Howland began to make New Year offerings on
our Holy Hill for the sake and benefit of all …
May all the negativities in this world be
removed and may positive
situations begin appearing everywhere!
Karuna also began to light the lamps…
May the lights remove the darkness of ignorance,
may they free the minds of all fears…
Frances Klatzel began to light lamps for the sake and
benefit of all…
May the light from our lamps radiate out to all,
illuminating all darkness and bringing
happiness and good health to all…
Kari lit lamps for the wellbeing of everyone…
May the lights awaken everyone’s mind
and bring luminous, clear wisdom…
Bachhu Ram also lit lamps on our Holy New Year!
May everyone have wonderful relationships with
all of their family and friends!!!
and
May all pride, selfishness and impurities be dispelled!
After we offered the lamps around the bottom of the stupa…we then began
to offer lamps at the Naga (Serpent) King’s shrine…Maya continued placing
the wicks and Ba added oil over the lamps…
Kari began lighting some of the lamps at the Naga shrine…
May the pure wisdom of our lights fill everyone’s heart
with radiant compassion!
May all be auspicious for everyone!
In Swayambhu there are five Naga (Serpent) King shrines…they are
mystical snakes. This shrine is on the northern side of the stupa…we
lit lamps making prayers that the Naga Kings please bring prosperity
and good health to all!
May the radiance of the dancing flames around the
bottom of the stupa send luminous, clear wisdom to all!
Karuna and me are lighting the lamps in front of the Stupa…
May the lights from our Holy Stupa radiate to all
beings, bringing everyone a perfect New
Year with good health and happiness!
May everyone’s life be filled with stability, peacefulness
and great happiness!!!
On this auspicious day, may the Holy Stupa, Swayambhu; the self-existing,
the self-created, have sent blessings in all directions…bringing happiness,
peace and stability to all! May the power of our prayers, our positive energy
and offerings we sent from the Holy Hill of Swayambhu, have spread to all
beings in the world!
When we finished everything in Swayambhu we all continued on to Manjushri
Hill to light some more lamps and offer prayer flags for all beings…
On Manjushri Hill we made our final traditional lamp offerings…
Maya is lighting lamps in front of the Manjushri Temple:
May Manjushri, the Lord of Wisdom, and
Chenrezic, the Lord of Compassion, send
their blessings to all…
Sunchari also began to light lamps on our Holy Hill…
May our family, friends and all beings in the
world receive the warmth of the lights
and boundless compassion from all
of us here on Manjushri Hill…
Kari and her friend are standing next to our lamps…
May these brilliant lights show the positive
path to follow…
On New Years Frances was so happy to be on both of the
Holy Hills, Swayambhu Hill and Manjushri Hill…
May the warmth from Manjushri and Chenrezic
fill everyone’s heart with boundless compassion!
Karuna, Sunchari, Maya and me lit the lamps around Manjushri, the Lord
of Wisdom’s, Temple…
May the pure wisdom of our lights radiate out to all beings in this world…
May it withdraw everyone’s darkness and bring clear
wisdom to all…
By the power of all of our offerings, may every being be happy, healthy and have
a wonderful New Year!
My dear friend Santosh was sitting in front of Manjushri temple when we
arrived…both of us were so happy to see each other after a long time! I
often give him a red tika and place a nice small flower on his ear…
This boy took our prayer flags across the courtyard…
then he climbed the tree to hang the prayer flags nicely…
May all the prayers written on the flags bring good fortune, health and happiness to all…
May the wind spread the prayers and auspiciousness throughout the whole world!
May the Wind Horses increase the Good Fortune for all!
After the prayer flags were hanging, we gathered to bless the flags…
May every being receive the blessings from our prayers and offerings!
May the divine and all the gods be pleased by our offerings!
May auspiciousness pervade in all the realms and may everyone’s wish
be fulfilled!
Throwing the tsampa flour into the air, may all receive our blessings! Khi Khi Tso Tso! Khi Khi Tso! Khi Khi Tso!
May the blessings be received by all!!! Lha Gyalo!
May all the gods be happy! and May auspiciousness pervade in all the realms!
May all the prayers and offerings we made on New Year’s morning help to
make 2024 a year of great happiness and success!
May all beings have a wonderful New Year full of joy and excellent health!
All of us sent our love and blessings to everyone in the world!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
💕💖🌈🎊🎉🙏🏼😍🙏🏼🎉🎊🌈💖💕
Andrea
