This gallery offers a rare look at Tibetan monks consecrating Buddhist statues. We shot the images at the Tibetan Community Center in Richmond, California in the weeks leading up to the February 2014 visit of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Gen Dhonyo from the local Gyuto Foundation led a small group of monks and lay people in preparing and consecrating the statues, which had been donated and purchased in preparation for His Holiness’ visit. His Holiness conferred the final blessing during his visit.
Click on any image below to get a larger view, or to start a slideshow with captions.
The process of consecrating Buddhist statues is fascinating. You may not have ever realized that the statues of the Buddha Shakyamuni, Tara or Manjushri on the shrines you might have seen are stuffed full of precious objects, such as rolled scrolls of mantras, precious stones, incense and/or cedar chips, and precious pills. After being filled, the statues are sealed with a metal base that is glued in.
The process is very elaborate and meaningful, and we would like to write in detail on the meaning of the various stages. For today, we’re happy just to give you a glimpse into consecrating the statues which you may not have seen.
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