Losar

Tibetbet in the days of yore has valleys flooded with frozen water and peaks hidden by snows. The birds were merely the inhabitant of the untamed land. As soon as the water receded and bushwoods increased in size, an avatar of Avalokiteshvara appeared as a monkey and copulated with the mountain ogress, and from then on resulted to human-monkey hybrid. The monkey was thought to be the forefather of the modern day Tibetans. The human fossil located at the roof of world has a say that Tibet was settled in by human 0.16 million years ago, and as per the hearsay, Bon was put into practice 18,000 years ago in Tibet, but they breathed without a good written record of their lives. Nevertheless, the manuscript on about Tibetan civilization can be hunt down 127 years Before the Common Era (BCE), from the time when the first emperor of Tibet was crowned. Nyatri Tsenpo, the foremost emperor who had the eyelids and fingers of the same kind to water bird, was believed by many that he came down from realm of gods, while a number of people say he was the Prince from Bihar, India, who was in exiled at Yarlung, Tibet. However, without regard to draw backs of whereabouts he came from, the Tibetan history thereafter records the forty one golden age of Tibetan emperor counting the heroic age of King Songtsen Gampo, Trisong Detsen and Tri Ralpachen, and for that reason the year of enthronement of first emperor marks the first year of the Tibetan calendar; today it is the 2148th anniversary of his enthronement, and the 2148 Tibetan Royal Official New Year. The way of life and astrological art resulted in many dissimilar beginnings of the year; the Bonpos in Tibet were first to reckon wax and wane of the moon and observed new year on 11th month of Tibetan datebook which overlaps winter solstice, the planetary calculators (astrologers) marked their new year on the 3rd month to make merry of the get together of sun with planet Mars, the Bhutanese started in on marking their new year 383 years ago on the 12th month to commemorate the consecration of Punakha Dzong by bringing offerings to Palden Druk Thamche Khenpo Rinpoche, and during the reign of Genghis Khan the Mongolians celebrated their victory in battle against China on the 1st month. When Kublai Khan by sheer force of arms completed the conquer of China started sixty eight years ago before him by Genghis Khan, and ruled whole China for ages, China picked up the tradition of celebriting new year from Mongol. The Mongol military also intruded to put stop to the civil war of Tibet and reinstated the emperor system which collapsed during the reign of Dharma Bull, the 42nd king of Tibet, whereafter the courtiers of the fifth Dalai Lama adopted Mongolian New Year in Tibet. The Tibetan months therefore is sometime referred to as Hor-zla, Where ‘Hor’ means Mongolia and ‘Zla’ means month. Sixty names of year were formed with twelve animals and five elements; today it 17th sexagenary cycle (Rabjung), and we have 25 years from now to reach into the 18th same cycle. The 2148 is the metal ox year but the Bonpos say it’s the metal elephant, the element however remains unchanged. No matter what animals are assigned to year, their weakness and strength depend on the element that governs their life-force. The elements are associated with male and female characteristic, the first year of sixty year cycle started with male wood, the animal being rat, and thereon gender changed every other year. Therefore, the year 2148 has female aspect of the element, and we refer it as ‘Female metal ox’. I assume this may have countered the questioning on about the ‘ox’ being referred female by the astrology science. If not, allow me to give added example: the Maha Rakta (Tshog gi dagpo, popularly known as lord Ganesha), rides on a mouse only to crush the useless thoughts we possess, or otherwise why not question an elephant riding a tinny mouse? And in the same way, if country is referred to as ‘she’ then why not a year be she and he? Female is related to the year and element, and not with ‘ox’ but if any association be found then let me ring a bell that we are to avoid the ontological dualism, a theory that considers reality to consist of two irreducible elements. Keep Maha Rakta in mind, and let our useless thoughts be crushed, happy 2148 Tibetan year. HAPPY NEW YEAR

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