Kathmandu, Nepal,December 29, (Scoop News)- The 6th Annual Drukpa Council (ADC) held at Druk Amitabha Mountain in Kathmandu, Nepal, by the Drukpa Buddhists sees robust attendance by Buddhists from India, Bhutan, different parts of Himalayas and across the world. At the opening ceremony, after the flag hoisting ceremony, Drukpa Kung Fu nuns took the stage with a synchronized upbeat drum performance, never seen before in this region. Tens of thousands of devotees assembled at this picturesque and unique spiritual sanctuary in Kathmandu to share and reconnect the various practices through teachings.
The ADC, spanned between 27th December 2014 and 1st January 2015, will enjoy the presence of His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, spiritual head of Drukpa Buddhists, with more than 60 Drukpa masters and over 20,000 followers from 27 countries coming together. Also present during the opening ceremony were Shri Pradeep Shrestha from SAARC Secretariat, Dasho Rigzin, the representative of the Royal Government of Bhutan, Dasho Ugyen Wangdi, MP of Bhutan, and Ravi Thakur, Member of Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Vice Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual head of the Drukpa Lineage said at the opening address, “The ADC provides a platform for different global cultures to come together and inspire each other to work towards common good. It is time for humanity from different backgrounds to put aside all differences and find a common ground to work for the benefit of all through positive activities, such as cleanliness drive, medical camps and gender equality. Only positive actions will be able to bring positive results for the individuals and the world at large.”
Gyalwa Dokhampa, the organizing chairperson, elaborated on the theme of this edition of ADC “Living in Harmony” with further description that: “The legacy we as masters of the Drukpa Lineage leave behind should be one of unity where the entire Drukpa community will work in unison to spread the Dharma by keeping our traditions and beliefs alive. We may follow different masters, go to different monasteries, come from different regions of the world; but our goal is the same, as our ultimate aim is to benefit all sentient beings through the gift of the Dharma by persevering the lineage. In this sense we are all travellers who take different routes to reach the same destination.”
Teenaged students from Bhutan and the Druk White Lotus School in Ladakh, better known as “Rancho’s School” after “3 Idiots” was filmed there, travelled from afar to give spectacular cultural performances based on their own Himalayan traditions.
While the 6th ADC puts an extraordinary emphasis on bringing people from different backgrounds together, resonating how respect and appreciation for different cultures and traditions can “live in harmony”, it will eventually conclude with a cleanliness drive that will see thousands cleaning the area of Swayambhunath, just below Druk Amitabha Mountain. This is because “Living in Harmony” includes living in harmony with nature. This is in fact in line with what the lineage has been propagating, as with its various editions of “Eco Pad Yatra”, with the month-long 7th edition that took place in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in November 2014. This recent 7th Eco Pad Yatra saw more than a thousand participants and a daily picking up of a truck load of non-biodegradable garbage.
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6th Annual Drukpa Council held in Nepal