divinum-pacis

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Presentation

And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel.

And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her.

- Infancy Gospel of James

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Francisco Rizi - Presentation of Mary (1664).

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The altar of the Presentation of Mary in the basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice.

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De Tempelgang van Maria A 15th century print depicting Mary’s presentation in the temple from Leiden, the Netherlands.

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Stefanie Zoche - Catholic Churches of South India

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Blue Tara

Ekajati is also known as “Blue Tara”, Vajra Tara or “Ugra Tara”. She is generally considered one of the three principal protectors of the Nyingma school along with Rāhula and Vajrasādhu.

Often Ekajati appears as liberator in the mandala of the Green Tara. Along with that, her ascribed powers are removing the fear of enemies, spreading joy, and removing personal hindrances on the path to enlightenment.

Ekajati is the protector of secret mantras and “as the mother of all” represents the ultimate unity. As such, her own mantra is also secret. She is the most important protector of the Vajrayana teachings, especially the Inner Tantras and termas. As the protector of mantra, she supports the practitioner in deciphering symbolic dakini codes and properly determines appropriate times and circumstances for revealing tantric teachings. Because she completely realizes the texts and mantras under her care, she reminds the practitioner of their preciousness and secrecy.

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A Buddhist monk at the Potala palace.

Photograph: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

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People of Larung Gar, Serda: 

A visiting monk from Ngari, in far western Tibet;

A pilgrim from Lithang, a day’s journey south of Serda;

Women visiting from Shigatse, in central Tibet near Lhasa;

An elderly nun returns home from prayers;

Nuns and their relatives hang out at the shop; 

A young monk carries tea to his elders in the morning; 

Teenage monks chat and laugh as they wander through the monastery;

A nomadic pilgrim waits to buy butter lamp offerings;

Nuns return home after classes have ended for the day;

Monks enter the main assembly hall to begin the day’s prayers. 

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Tibet, google search

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Exiled Tibetans shout slogans during a march to mark the 60th anniversary of the March 10, 1959 Tibetan Uprising Day, in New Delhi, India, on March 10, 2019. The uprising of the Tibetan people against the Chinese rule was brutally quashed by the Chinese army, forcing their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and thousands of Tibetans to flee into exile. Every year exile Tibetans mark this day as the National Uprising Day. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

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Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama, wearing a yellow ceremonial hat of the Gelug school, performs a ritual during a sermon on the 15th day of the first Tibetan month at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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A row of Tibetan stupas at the Dazhao Temple in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia

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Exile Tibetan Buddhist monks distribute sweets and packets of juice to the public to celebrate the 86th birthday of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, outside the gate of their monastery in Dharmsala, India, Tuesday, July 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

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Every Saturday, the nuns clean the nunnery inside and out. The 350 women of the Drukpa dragon order are highly skilled in martial arts, which they practise six days a week.

Photograph by Skanda Gautam

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Prayers take place inside the nunnery’s main temple, but secular matters carry on beside spiritual ones. The nuns are in charge of the building’s upkeep, and here two nuns are engaged in fixing the wiring in the main temple.

Photographs by Skanda Gautam

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The nuns of the Drukpa order come from Nepal, Tibet, India and Bhutan. As well as prayer and meditation, the nuns run a medical centre, keep the roads and paths outside the nunnery clean, and rescue animals, including the swans pictured here.

Photograph by Skanda Gautam