This past weekend I attended a festival honoring the Medicine Buddha. There was a long slow parade up a steep hill accompanied by gamelan gongs and bells and brightly colored umbrellas. There were monks & nuns and holy lamas in maroon and saffron robes from afar who held sticks of incense in honor of the blue skinned Medicine Buddha. A 24 foot tall gorgeous Tibetan Thangka of Buddha was carried uphill then unfurled above vast waterbowl, food, and flower offerings.
Meanwhile, humming in the lower quadrant of the Land of Medicine Buddha, was the radiating bliss-energy emanating from relics from Buddhas and Lamas. The relics included those of Shakyamuni Buddha, all of which were visiting and on display. Much honor and reverance was paid here by the festival goers. We even had the opportunity to have relics of Shakyamuni Buddha placed upon our heads and special prayers said for us. This was an opportunity I wasnt going to miss. Especially during these changing times, all blessings and light from the holy ones are welcome. There are more photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/antara1111/LMBMay3009
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