Vesak day is a celebration of Lord Buddha’s birthday, his enlightenment and his entry into Nirvana. The date changes every year due to the fact that it falls on the 1st full moon of the fourth month after the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Mum and Dad have taken us to one of the many Tibetan Buddhist events in Singapore. It is the one organised by our local FPMT centre (FPMT stands for 'The Foundation for the preservation of the Mahayana Tradition)
Poppy and I took our camera out to take some pictures for her blog.
The event is being held in a huge marquee structure, at the front is a massive alter and all the Monks and Lamas are sitting cross legged and chanting mantras. There are a lot of people here chanting mantras and spinning hand held prayer wheels, whilst others are walking around the stupa surrounded by prayer wheels so big you have to use both hands in order to spin them round. Some people are bathing Buddha statues with blessed water; others are applying pieces of gold leaf to another Buddha statue or lighting huge candles for world peace nearby.
The event is being held in a huge marquee structure, at the front is a massive alter and all the Monks and Lamas are sitting cross legged and chanting mantras. There are a lot of people here chanting mantras and spinning hand held prayer wheels, whilst others are walking around the stupa surrounded by prayer wheels so big you have to use both hands in order to spin them round. Some people are bathing Buddha statues with blessed water; others are applying pieces of gold leaf to another Buddha statue or lighting huge candles for world peace nearby.
It is Saturday 2nd of June, morning of the Fire Puja.Poppy is not with us today, she is spending the weekend with her friend Rabeca, me, mum & dad are going back to the Vesak celebrations. Today there is going to be a Fire Puja.
A Fire Puja is an elaborate ritual which lasts for hours!
Today’s fire puja is for Avian Flu. It starts with a group of monks chanting in Tibetan, people all around the temple people are reciting mantras and counting them off on their mala beads. The mood is calm and relaxing, I feel sleepy. Outside, preparations for the ceremony are being made.
A table is filled with plates and dishes full of; Dried Grasses, Clarified Butter, Poppy Seeds, Rice, Chickpeas, Barley and Wheat, a small pile of wood is arranged in front of an alter.
Soon all the monks make their way outside from the main alter area. A small outdoor alter has been set up and the monks sit down to the right of it and continue to chant.
The abbott of Kopan Monastery in Nepal, Khenrinpoche Geshe Lhundrup Rigsel, has come to
Singapore for Vesak, he is going to perform the 
Puja. He adds the offerings from the table to the flames. Towards the end of the ceremony everyone took a handful of a mixture of seeds and rice and threw it into the flames.
After the ceremony everybody queued for a blessing from Khenrinpoche. I knelt in front of him to receive a blessing and he shared a few words with me. He picked up a red blessing cord, blew gently onto the knot and placed it over my neck, then touched my head with his Dorje, I really enjoyed myself today.
By Lucinda Angel
The photos above were taken by by mum, if you click the picture you can see it larger.
Me and Poppy will post our pics very soon xx
