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A New Look for the Tibetan Altar(July 2004)
At the direction of Swami Chetanananda and Lama Tsering Wangdu Rinpoche, a beautiful new altar has been installed in the front of the meditation hall with images of and offerings to the deities of the Tibetan Buddhist rituals practiced at Nityananda Institute. The wooden altar was designed by Monica O’Neal and Jim Brissette and hand-crafted by ashram members Jerry Sutherland, Govind Cornelison, and Ron Hedrich.
The top level of the altar includes the statues of the principal deities in the practices: Padmasambhava, Padampa Sangye, Machig Labdrön, and the Queen of Great Bliss. The Padampa Sangye, Machig Labdrön, and Queen of Great Bliss statues were presented to Nityananda Institute by Lama Wangdu. The statue of Padmasambhava was recently donated by a Nityananda Institute Friend.
Among the offerings on the altar are tormas for the Queen of Great Bliss and for Tröma Nagmo. Lama Wangdu has given initiations for both those sadhanas to the Nityananda Institute community. There are also tormas for Tseringma, a Dzogchen protectress, and Vajra Chandali, the dakini associated with the practice of tummo or inner heat (the Tibetan Buddhist counterpart to kundalini yoga). Lama Wangdu has conferred upon Swamiji the power to give initiations in these and other practices of the Padampa Sangye lineage. The tormas reflect our connection with these deities.
Tormas are ritual offerings that come in many varieties. The large ornate ones that remain on the altar are like mandalas in that they serve as an abode for the deity they represent. Tormas are usually made of tsampa (roasted barley flour), but we have found that it doesn’t hold up as well in Portland as it does in Nepal or Tibet. We decided to make these offerings out of more permanent materials.
Laura Modena graciously agreed to undertake the challenge of rendering the intricate images in clay. Laura sculpted the Queen of Great Bliss and Tseringma tormas this spring, and they now reside on the altar. Laura spent hundreds of hours on the design, engineering and sculpting of the pieces, and the results are remarkable. She will be working on the tormas for Tröma Nagmo and Vajra Chandali next.
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