Lord of the Dance

The Mani Rimdu Festival in Tibet and Nepal

 

Richard Kohn's book transports the reader to the high Himalayas for an in-depth look at the inner workings of the three-week long Mani Rimdu festival. This event encapsulates the breath and depth of the Himalayan Buddhist experience, from the profound practices of Great Perfection meditation to the worship of the gods of the neighboring mountains. The festival uses archaic material as well as prayers written by contemporary lamas, and it entails the preparation of numerous works of ritual art such as man'd'alas constructed of colored sand and sculptures of barley flour and colored butter called tormas. Two days of public performance, a day of spiritual empowerment, and a day of masked dance complete the festival.

“An excellent treatise and explanation of a major Tibetan/Sherpa ritual. Kohn tells the story of the ritual and explains much more about Buddhist practice, symbolism, and epistemology in the process.”
--Vincanne Adams, author of Tigers of the Snow and Other Virtual Sherpas: An Ethnography of Himalayan Encounters