Nine nuns from the Drikung Kagyu Samtenling Nunnery from Dehra Dun, India sat in cross leg position in front of images of 24 Buddhas from Sri Lanka in the Raphael Room of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The nuns were from Ladakh India, Nepal and Tibet. They had come to perform chants and religious dance on the occasion of the celebration of the opening of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Gallery of Buddhist Sculptures at the Museum on May 2nd 2009.

The nuns were dressed in gold brocade costumes of the Five Dhyani Buddhas with crowns. They chanted the offering prayers of the Mudra of Vajra Vairocana. This is a meditation visualization of the esoteric form of Buddha known as the Cosmic Buddha of Great Illumination. Following this chant with mesmerizing hand movements they performed the Chöd. It was Machig Labdron (1031-1129), a female practitioner who introduced and popularized Chöd. In the evening they performed the Buffalo and Deer dance symbolizing deities to purify and bless the individuals and the universe.

It was a Day of Rare Buddhist Dances in London. The Raphael room was crowded the entire day. It was said that thousands visited the Gallery and the dance performances. The Theatre Noh group from Kyoto, Japan performed two plays.

Prajwal Ratna, a priest of the Vajracharya Caste of Newar Buddhists of Kathmandu, Nepal performed three dances from the Charya Nritya dance tradition of Nepal. He is the 35th generation of his lineage and a ritual master.

The Dehimaduwa Bandara Clan of Kandy, Sri Lanka, who were associated with the Buddha’s Tooth Relic since 1627 performed the Suvisi Vivaranaya Ritual of the 24 Previous Buddhas. In the early 18^th century, the Bandara Clan were appointed to ritually attend the Tooth Relic at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy with chanting of descriptive verses honouring the Buddhas. This clan chanted and their exuberant dance of offering was a magnificent sight. On the brink of being lost to an otherwise unbroken lineage of performance, at the request of the Ho Foundation, Mohan Daniel of Serendib Gallery in Colombo revived this performance.

Joseph Houseal, executive director of Core of Culture Dance Preservation of Chicago wished the Drikung Kagyu nuns to join this special event and it was a wonderful occasion of cultural exchange. The performance of the Drikung Kagyu nuns was enjoyed by everyone and moved a lot of people. The nuns took an open bus and a boat tour of London to see the marvelous city. They also attended a Eucharist service at St. Paul’s Cathedral and visited Tyburn Convent in Hyde Park, London. They attended a prayer service and were invited to tea in the presence of the Prioress. This order does not go out of the Convent unless they need medical care and they spent their days in prayers. The Drikung Kagyu nuns were surprised that the nuns in this convent never visit their homes once they enter this order.

Another event of importance was the visit to the Peace Garden built by the Tibet Foundation, London and inaugurated by H. H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama ten years ago. Restoration was going on here and the sculptor had just closed the Kalachakra Mandala a few days back after adding more sacred relics inside the Mandala. He requested the nuns to pray and they prayed for the people of Tibet and for world peace. It was a very moving moment.

On 27th April, nine nuns, their Master Drupon Sönam Kunga, his assistant Rigya Tulku and their coordinator Ms. Namgyal Taklha flew to London and returned safely to Samtenling Nunnery, Dehra Dun on 2nd May 2009.

A DVD of the Buddhist Dance performance at Victoria and Albert Museum, London, was produced. Orders for the DVD can be obtained from:

Joseph Houseal
Core of Culture Dance Preservation
1098 Pratt Blvd #3
Chicago, IL 60626

www.coreofculture.org
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