Apropos the new item published in your paper of 1st August 2011 under the caption “Tashiding Duchi condemn misinformed write up on Bhum Chu in new book”, I may mention here that the sentence of comparison of the holy water in a sacred urn to that of water contained in a copper vase has been quoted out of context in isolation to give a tangential view and convey a message that I had deliberately diluted the significance of the ritual and hurt the sentiments of Duchi. This is not true.
I am a true Vajrayana Buddhist and I have always held the view that Tashiding Monastery as the most sacred religious institution in Sikkim. It is for this strong belief and reason I had performed weekly death rituals of my late mother and sister in law in Tashiding Monastery in 2003 and 2009 by burning 1000 butter lamps, hoisting 108 prayer flags and daylong feeding of the lamas. I have always held the Duchi and lamas of Sikkim in highest esteem and I personally know the Head Lama of Tashiding monastery and therefore to think that I would sully the name of the monastery and the ritual which I always hold to the core of my hearts is simply preposterous.
As a Government representative, I was associated with the process followed in the Bum Chu festival where thousands of devotees from Sikkim, Darjeeling District, Bhutan, Nepal and foreign tourists assemble to receive the holy water with the cogent belief and conviction that the Bum Chu would provide reliefs like eyesight to a blind, speech to a dumb, knowledge to an ignorant person, immunity from disease, pardon for sinners and power to the disabled and deaf to live a normal life. For the consumption of the non Buddhists and scientists I have tried to explain the significance of the holy water by saying “Perhaps there may be some scientific explanation of the healing power of Bhum Chu with the sole objective of enriching the observance of the festival further. The water stored in copper vase may become medicated due to chemical reaction and may be proving of medicinal value”. If one carefully goes through the sentence it will be seen that I have used the words perhaps and may and nowhere have I mentioned that because of the medication, the water has become holy and if I had said such a thing, then it can be justifiably argued that I have hurt the sentiments of the Monk Body.
Buddhism is a highly tolerant religion. Personally, I am happy that my exercise has been able to awaken the dormant realization of the people of Tashiding to protect and safeguard their religious beliefs and practices and I am now confident that pressing and burning issues like the starting the power generation in Rathong Chu from where the water to the sacred Bhum Chu is drawn going against the religious beliefs of the people for which SIBLAC Convener Mr. Tseten Tashi Bhutia, NASBO President Mr. Sonam Kaleion, Denjong Charig Tsogpa President Mr. S.D. Denjongpa, Degoen Jinkyong Tsogchen (All Sikkim Monasteries Association) representatives had submitted a memorandum to the Governor recently for scrapping the project and the desecration and destruction of many important stupas or chortens at the lower base of the Monastery would receive the immediate attention of the Monk Body, Panchayat and the public of Tashiding. Even the environmental hazards of the project have to be assessed before a call is taken on the project.
The present exercise of the Monk Body, Panchayat and public of Tashiding for resorting to action on a context not fully comprehended by them in its wider perceptive is somewhat comparable to the fatwa issued on Salman Rusdie for his comment in his book “The Satanic Verses” on Prophet Mohammed by A. Khomeni, the Supreme Spiritual leader of Iran and makes a quixote reading.
In the preface to the book at page 6, I have said, “I would think that my exercise has been richly rewarded if the readers particularly the younger generation of our community evince keen interest in the publication and try to improve upon its contents”. I welcome the readers to improve upon its contents with their research inputs and make our traditions, culture and religious beliefs and performances richer and lively.
I have made a sincere and honest effort to bring out this book without involving politics in its publication and I would be happy if the publication is accepted in that spirit.
P.T. Gyamtso, author, “The History, Religion, Culture and Traditions of Bhutia Communities”
I am a true Vajrayana Buddhist and I have always held the view that Tashiding Monastery as the most sacred religious institution in Sikkim. It is for this strong belief and reason I had performed weekly death rituals of my late mother and sister in law in Tashiding Monastery in 2003 and 2009 by burning 1000 butter lamps, hoisting 108 prayer flags and daylong feeding of the lamas. I have always held the Duchi and lamas of Sikkim in highest esteem and I personally know the Head Lama of Tashiding monastery and therefore to think that I would sully the name of the monastery and the ritual which I always hold to the core of my hearts is simply preposterous.
As a Government representative, I was associated with the process followed in the Bum Chu festival where thousands of devotees from Sikkim, Darjeeling District, Bhutan, Nepal and foreign tourists assemble to receive the holy water with the cogent belief and conviction that the Bum Chu would provide reliefs like eyesight to a blind, speech to a dumb, knowledge to an ignorant person, immunity from disease, pardon for sinners and power to the disabled and deaf to live a normal life. For the consumption of the non Buddhists and scientists I have tried to explain the significance of the holy water by saying “Perhaps there may be some scientific explanation of the healing power of Bhum Chu with the sole objective of enriching the observance of the festival further. The water stored in copper vase may become medicated due to chemical reaction and may be proving of medicinal value”. If one carefully goes through the sentence it will be seen that I have used the words perhaps and may and nowhere have I mentioned that because of the medication, the water has become holy and if I had said such a thing, then it can be justifiably argued that I have hurt the sentiments of the Monk Body.
Buddhism is a highly tolerant religion. Personally, I am happy that my exercise has been able to awaken the dormant realization of the people of Tashiding to protect and safeguard their religious beliefs and practices and I am now confident that pressing and burning issues like the starting the power generation in Rathong Chu from where the water to the sacred Bhum Chu is drawn going against the religious beliefs of the people for which SIBLAC Convener Mr. Tseten Tashi Bhutia, NASBO President Mr. Sonam Kaleion, Denjong Charig Tsogpa President Mr. S.D. Denjongpa, Degoen Jinkyong Tsogchen (All Sikkim Monasteries Association) representatives had submitted a memorandum to the Governor recently for scrapping the project and the desecration and destruction of many important stupas or chortens at the lower base of the Monastery would receive the immediate attention of the Monk Body, Panchayat and the public of Tashiding. Even the environmental hazards of the project have to be assessed before a call is taken on the project.
The present exercise of the Monk Body, Panchayat and public of Tashiding for resorting to action on a context not fully comprehended by them in its wider perceptive is somewhat comparable to the fatwa issued on Salman Rusdie for his comment in his book “The Satanic Verses” on Prophet Mohammed by A. Khomeni, the Supreme Spiritual leader of Iran and makes a quixote reading.
In the preface to the book at page 6, I have said, “I would think that my exercise has been richly rewarded if the readers particularly the younger generation of our community evince keen interest in the publication and try to improve upon its contents”. I welcome the readers to improve upon its contents with their research inputs and make our traditions, culture and religious beliefs and performances richer and lively.
I have made a sincere and honest effort to bring out this book without involving politics in its publication and I would be happy if the publication is accepted in that spirit.
P.T. Gyamtso, author, “The History, Religion, Culture and Traditions of Bhutia Communities”
“BUMCHU” (misinformed by P.T Gyamtso)
ReplyDelete# The quote of BhumChu has no recorded history has portrayed one of the most sacred religious belief and practice of the Buddhist devotees as unrealistic. It has disfigured the religious value and importance of the holy water as being merely a practice having no religious history. But the truth is that the record of BhumChu is present with the concern dept. and in the holy books or paycha and it is still found in the Holy Monasteries like Pemayants (Pelling), Ralong(Ralong), Dupdi monasteries(Yuksum) etc.
Chogyal and three pioneer lamas( who visited Sikkim and the first Chogyal of the kingdom of Sikkim was consecrated in 1641 AD) are the key witness of the holy BhumChu and had lots of contribution towards it. The Norbugang Chorten nearby still has the evidence of the consecration ceremony in the form of stone seats and a footprint of the head lama on a stone.
# Scientifically the holy water is purely a water and contain mixture of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. But in religious context it has great miraculous values and the comparison of its miraculous values to the medicinal value of copper vessel is totally against the religious belief and has owed the value of holy water being able to cure sickness due to its storage in the copper vase which has suppressed the religious and spiritual value of the holy water. This statement has destroyed the religious value and the miraculous value of holy water being merely medicinal water due to its storage in copper vase.
If one subject is explained simultaneously with other subject, it implies that both topics are inter related similarly when BhumChu a holy practice was explained with the copper vase example it relates that the water is miraculous due to copper vase. The holiness and spiritual importance should not be compared with scientific facts and figures. Science and religions are like a formation without one there is no life; it should always walk in coordination with each other.
# The Buddhist followers and the people of Tashiding are not dormant they are spiritually and practically active and for generations they are safeguarding their religious sentiments and are still keeping their practice alive. Young generations are equally active and take a keen interest in religious matters due to which the sensitive matter of BhumChu which was being wrongly depicted has been brought forward and seriously opposed.
# Your concern regarding the safeguarding of RathongChu is a matter of concern for the whole Buddhist community and especially to the people of Tashiding and its protection is vital due to its religious importance and proper legal channels are being formulated to ask the governments cooperation in stopping the project and safeguarding the religious importance of RathongChu.
Religion is a spiritual voice a powerful voice not heard, yet miraculous and yet powerful. Hence commenting on religious matters requires research and the knowledge of truth as hurting the sentiments of religious followers by wrong depiction is a spiritual sin and an offence.
People of Tashiding