Cham-dance performed at Mindrolling - © Mindrolling.com

We are going to perform two different Mindrolling traditional ritual dances namely; ‘Root Dance of Wrathful Deity Heruka’ (khrag 'thung khro bo'i rtsa 'chams) and 'Offering Dance of the Sixteen Offering Goddesses (mchod pa'i lha mo bcu drug'i gtor 'chams).

The first ritual dance called ‘Root Dance of Wrathful Deity Heruka’ comes under Kama (bka' ma oral lineage transmission), one of the three principal teachings of Nyingmapa tradition. Within the Kama teachings, there are three sections: Sutra, Illusory Net tantra and Mind Section. This dance is a part of the Illusory Net tantra (sgyu 'phrul dra ba'i rgyud) and it is performed during the ritual ceremony of visualizing and accomplishing various assemblies of peaceful and wrathful deities for blessing the site where the Mandala of these deities is to be built. It has two sections; the preliminary and the main. The former has twelve different chapters that depict the search for the suitable location followed by preparations for building Mandala. While the main part includes the visualization of the celestial palace consisted of seven chapters, and the visualization of deity with nine chapters. All in all, there are twenty-eight chapters in this ritual dance and it normally takes about eight hours to perform it completely. But here, we are going to perform only few chapters of 'Root Dance of Wrathful Deity Heruka', which essentially display the leveling of ground where the Mandala is to be built and visualizing the celestial palace with its main deity and the surrounding retinues.

Regarding the next dance ‘Offering Dance of the Sixteen Offering Goddesses’. The purpose of which is to make offering to the main deity of the Mandala we have visualized earlier. It is one of the ritual offering ceremony of oral lineage transmissions of Nyingmapa tradition where the goddesses make offering through their gestures while singing the songs of eulogy. This dance is normally performed during the auspicious days, such as on the fifteenth day of fourth lunar month (the same day on which Buddha was believed to have born, attained enlightenment and passed away) and on the anniversary of our founding father, the great master Terdag Lingpa. It is mentioned in many sutras and tantric discourses that this offering ritual dance has tremendous merits and benefits.

2005 Program: | Mindrolling Monastery