There is a ten day chanting prayers ceremony happening this week in Tang. One hundred million traditional prayers will be recited by numerous people over the ten days. People who are interested come from all over the country to attend. The prayers begin around 6am and continue until about 5pm. Food is available and provided free for those who choose to stay all day. This is the first time this event has happened in Tang.

Last Sunday the students, who are also scouts, walked up to the temple to help with the preparations. It was a hive of activity! A carpet of pine needles, more than 100 metres square had been spread under the canopy. The students were collecting more to add to the layers. There were also planks for people to sit on.

Brightly decorated tents have been erected, with many banners attached. The temple exterior had also been decorated. Staff and students will make their way to the temple to participate at various times over the next ten days.

On the 1st of November the whole school walked up to the temple. They arrived at 9am and by the time we caught up, the students were all sitting cross legged in one of the five tents which had been erected. They stayed there all day! Except for lunch break and brief walks around the site. We were very honoured to be sitting with the Opposition Leader and the head lama from Jakar. (We had seats).

There was chanting, prayers and a couple of dance performances. Apart from an hours break for lunch the chanting continued until 5pm, when dinner was served. Barb and I walked home as they were serving dinner. We had already had a large helping at lunchtime and didn’t need anymore chillis!

It was an amazing day, and the devotion of the people is impressive. The school students were remarkable. The support staff from school managed to feed about 700 people without blinking an eye! Many attend all ten days and receive blessings from the young Lama from Tang, who sits on a very ornate chair throughout the proceedings.