My pleasure on election Duty and its Challenge

My Pleasure on Election Duty and its Challenge

This time, I was for second time on election duty at Tsebar Lss as assistant Presiding officer.

The beauty of being on election duty is, we experience a new, unique, odd and new outlook of every village life. Often, I hear from my friend as " Zhungi Phap" on such duties, we see old friends and get good time to eat and sleep despite the high risk involvement if the service wasn't free and fair.

 

Common view of Tsebar Village and the way of livelihood- surrounded by cultivatable lands.

Particularly, Tsebar Village has got many religious monuments to meet your spiritual thirst,to name few, Jangchub chorten near the Japanese tunnel connecting Nganglam high way road. Just above the tunnel, there is a unique structural Chorten. Above Chorten magnificent Zangdokpleri stands offering with a strategic views to the people.Adjacent to this village there stands a beautiful Khawar Gonpa, where people come together to do their annual rituals and Drubchens.

 The view of Khawar Goenpa from my station

The most rewarding of all than receiving TADA,I get to learn many new things from the village. Of-course, Tsebar village is well know for craftsmanship of Duung and Jaalaing( religious instrument), this time I found skilled blacksmith on his work with a striking hammer and hot coal burning to make me a real sense.

The blacksmith at work,  Jaaling processing.

The village has around five hundred eligible voters and our duties are meant for their easy and convenient voting throughout the poll day. So, my team has ensured safe and secure voting to choose their right leader. However, everything didn't go well to new officials as expected because they need to become familiar with people and place. Many goes back with their own untold stories home for friends and family.

On my part not merely a big challenge but a learning new experience for the year.

I was only a vegetarian among our team and eating a non.veg curry was a challenge for me as well to the cooks.(police officials team did cooking) Neither I could ask them to prepare different veg.curry nor there was kitchen utensil and veg.to meet my need. I accepted the challenge and broke the promise of not eating dry fish at least on that particular meal. My level of hunger was high, so ate it. 

Another challenge was sleeping in Mph. My officials team arranged their bed on their choices and almost all occupied in four corners with a socket to recharge mobile battery. Luckily, I tried to manage my bed with my friend Sonam. Sleeping in a big room doesn't allow me a sound sleep because,their was an echoing of every sounds, phone calls,table moment or fan's moment. I am a Person who cannot sleep well, if fatty person snores like a Gypsum drill. 

My election duty officials.Venue: Tsebar LSS

Most irritating time was when dogs barks and cry on odd hours and housefly landing on my tip of nose. 

But those were little challenges but, other man's story could be worse even some didn't get a room for good accommodations.

Most interestingly, I had a good time being with my former Dzo.lopen. He taught me Dzo.during high school days. He was a presiding officer and his rich experience has been a blessings to our team. Overnight, we talked and shared our working experiences on politics, business and long legacy of people.

I also read few chapters on book called Think and become rich by Neoplolen Bill. I tired drawing the rough map of Khawar Gonpa view from my station.

On second day, our team was visited by police officers and his team. Briefed us to be aware of posting the photos on social media that are supposed to be sensitive to result in unfair voting or brain washing the public.

Most of our election duty days were spent on sleep and basking in a sun. It was a happy holiday from the school daily activities to re -energize person like me.

Finally, I learnt survival skills depending upon the good and worse situations. Yet it was fun experiencing the beauty of the village life.

Disclaimer: It's personal story and simple experiment on my writing. No further consequences is expected to arise.

Altar:Finding a spiritual spot inside the room

Altar –Finding a spiritual spot inside the room

Choeshum is a center of spiritual object of refuge seeking or that opens your mind and heart for the cause of Enlightenment. It is a special place that embodies the living truth of blessings from the great beings and the Buddha particularly in Buddhist traditions.

Going back to my childhood memories, moment I woke up from the bed, I could hear the morning chants and pouring of water in the seven lines of bowl in another room, that one who did was my grandmother. Her,morning prayers and worship was the very highlight of the days’ activities in our family. This an act of seeking the day's blessing was inherited by me to this age. I do in a similar way. Right after getting up from the bed, I clean the room that houses my Choeshum and make some offerings of light and water.

At my home, Choeshum is a must to house the statues of Guru Rimpochey and Lord Budhha. My grandmother would seek everyday blessings infront of  the altar and pray with open heart to help the beings. She also offers whatever she gets along the daily living and working in the village.

I feel, it was such a blessings to know the idea of setting up Choeshum and its significance at home. Having not imbibed in such rich cultural and spiritual energies, I would have resorted idolizing Salman Khan or Osama Binladen. But having brought up in the strong Buddhist believes and  culture, I know who is Guru Rimpochey and Lama Zhubdrung Rimpochey or Lama Drupa Kuenley and some of their doctrines to my age.

In one sense, Choeshum is a road map for one’s enlightenment and the greatest endeavor of this life. It reminds one pointed devotions amidst the worldly concerns and activities. It is an art, and we bring to it an artist’s delight and fertility of invention upon the wishes. In Buddhist approach of taking the devotions and meditations in heart, there are so many ways of making the approach to practice as joyful as possible. A home can be a temple and rooms can be the deity’s rooms. 

It is a place where you lit a candle or a stick of incense, and transform the rooms into an intimate sacred space, into an environment where every day you come to the meeting with your true self with all the joy and appreciations. It emits the spiritual light for the members in a house and the outside viewers. It blinds you to nowness and forgets you questioning the origin and history of Choeshum.

Recently, my friend also afforded one new Choeshum costing twenty-five thousands. And after painting with rich sign and symbols of Buddhist images, it‘s total cost was around 45 thousands. To my surprise, he bought it for credits and I could make out how much he has yearned for it. Now it is his lifelong spiritual wealth and eye opener for his appreciation for the Buddhist cultures and practices.

In every house hold, rich or poor, man or woman would like owning a Choeshum to their higher respect and veneration.

Finally, it is a source of seeking blessings and venerating your devotions to the Buddhas, Boddhisatavas and the great beings. By the power of your devotions and blessings of those great  beings, you are never away from the path of enlightenment,because you have beautiful Choeshum in your heart and house.

Note:  Written for my writing pleasures.