Yeong Ai

Hai Shi Shan Meng - Notes

1. The description of Swara's feelings.."the first flutter of silken wings" is referenced from a quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his novel, "Hyperion: A Romance" (Chapter 6) - "O, there is nothing holier in this life of ours, than the first consciousness of love,  the first fluttering of its silken wings, the first rising sound and breath of that wind, which is soon to sweep through the soul, to purify or destroy."

2. KHATA, or KATA, or KATHA, or KATAG . Many are the ways people say or write it, but it is the same. (Traditional Tibetan Scarf)    

Khata is an informal term and Jael-dhar is the formal term, for traditional Tibetan offering scarf. Khatas are made of cotton, silk or other materials. They look more like a long scarf and have auspicious symbols or mantras inscribed or woven into the fabric. It represents the sincerity of ones offering, with no negative thoughts or motives in mind.They come predominantly in shades of white or ivory, due to the purity of the color but you will also find them in Blue,Red,Green and Yellow/Gold Yellow. It is a part of Tibetan way of life from birth to death and between. It is also used as a sign of recognition of one's love or respect for another. The offering of Khata is probably one of the most well known customs of Tibetan culture. Something that one could call a Tibetan bouquet, that is very reusable and one specific Khata may travel the world over.

Historically, Khatas have been in use in the Tibetan culture for many centuries, there are 3 schools of thoughts, due to the neglect in small day to day customs being put in writing, these have been mostly transferred by word of mouth, through the generations. One school believes that it started in the 7th Century AD during the rule of King Song Tsen Gompo. He would present any minister or citizen who did a good job with a skin of a prized animal, like tigers, leopards, foxes or others. With the advent of Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th century as a State religion, the then King Trisong DeuTsen, Guru Rinpoche (Acharya Padmasambhava), Abbot Shantarakshita and others leaders, discouraged the giving of animal skin, as it required the killing of an animal for the fur or skin. Aware of the Indian tradition of giving offerings of sets of new clothing to the teachers or Guru, the tradition of giving the skin of prized animals was soon replaced with expensive brocades from China. 

The second school of thoughts say that it was prevalent in the nomadic communities of Tibet before the advent of Buddhism, even upto the Chinese invasion in 1950s in some remote parts of Utsang and some regions close by, and may still be used, traditionally people would put Tsampa on the shoulders of people that came to their homes for work or visit to signify the purity of their wishes of respect, welcome or fare well.This ceremony was called Kartak. It was put on the right shoulder on men and left on women. It was decoratively displayed with symbols and greetings on floors to welcome high lama or officials, which is still done to this day. Tsampa, a roasted barley or any roasted grain flour was/is the staple diet in Tibet.The ceremony was done on all aspects of day to day life and with time the need for putting it around vases full of water offerings moved it to white wollen threads and eventually to present day Khatas. 

The other school belief is it originated in India or China, but these are just biased thoughts from our view as they seem not to be used in these both communities currently. Then with the passage of time, the expensive brocades were replaced with scarves made of cotton and silk. These days you will see all the five colors of the elements of the earth, Blue, White, Red, Green and Yellow. Mostly in shades of white or ivory is what you will find commonly used. Khatas come in a wide selection of different lengths, fabrics and quality.

The offering of a scarf may seem to be a simple gesture but in Tibetan tradition it has its own significance and protocol and is governed by tradition. To present a Khata you first fold it in half length-wise, this represents the interdepencence of each other. Then when you offer the scarf to the person, you offer the open edges facing the person you are giving it to, the folded section will be towards you, which represents your open pure heart, with no negative thoughts or motives in the offering.

Offering of Khatas would fall under 2 groups very broadly, with greetings and well wishes being the common in both offerings.

HOW TO OFFER A KHATA:

RESPECT/GRATITUDE: For holy sites, honored monks, teachers, dignitaries and elders, the scarf is given with folded hands near your forehead, with a humble bow before them, with head bent over and palms joined in respect. You never put the Khata over their neck in this situation.In most cases the giver will receive his/her Khata back from the given, as a token of blessing back to them, specially when you visit high lamas and teachers. It is custom to put Khatas over statues, thangka painting, pictures of reincarnated rinpoches and altar spaces. A Khata offered to H. H. the Dalai Lama and given back to a Tibetan personally will be cherished and preciously kept as it is now a very special blessing , talisman and protector. It may never come back into circulation from that Tibetan again. It is also flown and put on Prayer Flags before one hangs them as a sign of your prayers being sincere and pure, also as an offering to the Gods for swift accomplishment of prayers and wishes.

~source: site of Shakyamuni Tibetan Buddhist Center~

3. Tassels

To the Nepalese and the Tibetans, the tassel represents long life and also brings to mind the shape of the stupa, which houses important Buddhist religious reliquaries. The colours of the tassel are also significant, representing the different chakras of the body and different states of mind ,predominantly red, blue, green, white and yellow.

Tibetan Buddhism is considered a fancy form of the traditionally simple religion, with its brightly colored extravagant art and rituals. All of the colors used in Tibetan art and its rituals hold specific meanings. Then, what are the meanings of different colors in Tibetan Buddhism. There are five main colors that are known as pancha-varna in Sanskrit, which means The Five Pure Lights, according to Religion Facts. Each color represents a state of mind, a celestial Buddha, a body part, a part of the mantra word Hum or a natural element.

Different colors in Tibetan Buddhism

Blue is associated with purity and healing. Akshobhya is the Buddha of this color. Ears are the body part that is represented by the color blue. Air is the element that accompanies this color. It is believed, when meditating on this color, anger can be transformed into wisdom.

White is the color of learning and knowledge in Buddhism. It is represented by the Buddha Vairocana. The eyes are associated with white. White is in the elemental group water. If meditated upon, white can cut the delusion of ignorance and turn it into the wisdom of reality.

Red is related to life force and preservation. The Buddha Amitabha is depicted with a red body in Tibetan art. The part of the body associated with this color is the tongue. Fire is the natural element complementary to the color red. In Buddhism, meditating on the color red transforms the delusion of attachment into the wisdom of discernment.

Green is the color of balance and harmony. Amoghasiddhi is the Buddha of the color green. The head is the body part that is associated with this color. Green represents nature. Meditate on this color to transform jealousy into the wisdom of accomplishment.

Yellow symbolizes rootedness and renunciation. Buddha Ratnasambhava is associated with yellow. The nose is represented by this color. Earth is the element that accompanies the color yellow. Yellow transforms pride into wisdom of sameness when visualized in meditation.

These Five Pure Lights are often seen in Mandala and Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags and mani stones at mountaintop which you can see everywhere as you . The colors may vary, but there is always a set of five.