Mysteries
over Momo
I am humbled to be part of D.C's
elite Tibetan book club, and here is a snapshot of our last Friday discussion.
Who have thought, that the
discussion of a serious subject as the Institute of Tibetan reincarnation and
Chinese emperor would turn into such a fantastic night of fun and learning?
Primarily it was all set into motion
with the generous hospitality by our gracious host Tashing and Tsering la. I
was throw off completely when I step into their door and see everyone inside
was busy like bees surrounding the countertop in making Momos, kneading the
flour, mixing the ingredients, flattening the dough and styling the Momos one
by one while engrossed in chitchat and with occasional rapturous laugh. It was
a love of labor. It was a party!
Momos, (steamed dumpling), a
traditional Tibetan delicacy, that is known for its laborious process, is a
great feast for all because of its mouthwatering delicious taste. With a great
sense of comradeship and fraternity, everyone is comfortably and pleasantly
involved in all that take place in the house. Except few newer faces, the
familiarly of all others put everyone at ease and home.
So at the backdrop of this, we met
Friday, June 17 for our monthly book
discussion on "The Dalai Lama and the Emperor of China: A Political
History of the Tibetan institution of Reincarnation. By Peter Schwieger 2015, Columbia University
Press.
No sooner the food was ready, around
8:00 pm. We start to self-serve the steaming juicy momos with mouth stinging
spicy chilly with a delicious veg platter, a feast for the eye and palate.
As we dine and wine, our hostess
Tsering la led the book discussion with the sharing of an insightful piece by
His Holiness the Dalai Lama on reincarnation. This supplementary reading along
with another interesting perspective shared by a Living Buddha as tulkus are
known from YouTube video set the stage to dig into our proposed book for
discussion.
The moderator has created a friendly
and conducive environment for everyone to share their thoughts, whether they
have read the book or none. This allows everyone to enjoy a moment of complete
freedom to express their thoughts without reservation and any sense of
inhibition. As the wine and Momo warmed
us up, everyone is apparently bubbling with ideas and questions. The discussion
revolving around the Institute of reincarnation was very focused and matured.
Everyone's intellectual caliber and inquiry into this subject are remarkably
sound mainly based on critical thinking and analytical reasoning.
Our discussion attempt to answer the
following questions that the book also explored:
How did the political role of tulku
position develop? What was its nature in various circumstances? and how did the
Emperor of China try to influence this role? Overall, we realize at the heart
of this history is the relationship between the Dalai Lama (and their regents)
and the emperor of China?
With examples from the book as a
pointer for discussion, some shared anecdotal examples of ludicrous nature on
the folly and abuse of the reincarnation Institute, and the Tulkus. Except that
the difference is just in the nuance, everyone has more or less the same
attitude, belief, and faith in reincarnations system. The questions, concerns
and comments are very pointed and at time blunt and straightforward.
The wit, sarcasm and humor injected
generously by our members during the discussions make the discourse
light-hearted without losing the essence of the meaning.
From the conversation, it becomes
clear to us that the Institute of reincarnation is unique to the Tibetan
Buddhism. The identification, selection and installation of reincarnated are
ridden with mystery and mysticism. Except little noticeable reincarnation, such
as the Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama, and Karmapa, all other Tulkus are susceptible
to abuse, cronyism, and nepotism during the selection process. As Tulkus is a
social position of the privileged class with entitlement to wealth, inheritance
and power.
The club members are particularly
intrigued by the reference to a description of how to father a trulku in what
is known as "treasure literature." Everyone was curious and got
interested in acquiring that knowledge, but alas this was a mere temptation,
and nothing was fully revealed, even when we passed well over midnight.
If we take history seriously, the
Chinese Emperor deserves credit for popularizing the Institute of Tibetan
reincarnation. The priest-patron relationship and its impact are fully shown in
the following statement:
"From the time Qing emperors
began enforcing their sovereignty over Tibet in the early part of the eighteen
century right up to the end of the nineteenth century; essentially none of the
Dalai Lama exercised any political power of his own. But in their efforts to
attain social and political stability, the Qing emperors had fashioned the
Dalai Lama into the sacred head of the Ganden Podrang government, and thus
inadvertently helped promote the image of Tibet as a country guided by the
incarnations of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. When after more than two
centuries the institution of the Dalai Lama was occupied once again the
Charismatic personalities, this image had become such a strong force in Tibetan
politics that the new Chinese government could no longer control it".
(p.221)
My apologies, if you couldn't bear
with my rumbling nonsensically, but I could not pass up in noting down the
memorable night of fun and merriment and learning we had from the book
discussion. Whenever there is Momos and Mosas I will miss it, so looking
forward to the next discussion on certain articles that Yangkyi la will recommend.
Cheers.
