Monlam; Hada; Bon

Bapopik at AOL.COM Bapopik at AOL.COM
Thu Sep 19 14:56:46 UTC 2002


MONLAM--Not in OED.  How about the revised OED?  Oh, c'mon!  There are 1,350 Google hits.  From a tourist brochure:
   _The Monlam Festival_  The Monlam Festival, lasting from the first to the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year, is the largest religious gathering in Tibet.  The festival was introduced by Tsongkhapa, founder of the Yellow Sect, in 1409.  During the festival lamas from the three largest monasteries gather in the Jokhang, reciting scriptures and attending an examination for the gexi degree.

HADA--A white scarf, presented to me by my tour guide at the airport.  Kind of like the "lei" is to Hawaii.  A quick Google check for "hada" (also called "khatag") and "Tibet" shows 941 hits.  Again, not in the OED.  From the same brochure:
   _Presenting Hada_  Present _hada_ is a common practice among the Tibetan people to express their best wishes on many occasions, such as wedding ceremonies, festivals, visiting the elders and the betters, and entertaining guests.  The white _hada_, made of grege silk, embodies purity and good fortune.

BON--A major religion of Tibet, even before Buddhism.  A follower is a "bonpo."  The LONELY PLANET--TIBET guide devotes pages 57-58, and also pages 288-289, to explaining this religion.  According to page 288: "Bon was formally accepted by the Dalai Lama as one of the five schools of Tibetan Buddhism in 1998."  Bon started in the 8th and 9th centuries.  Too much of a passing fad for inclusion in the OED??  A check for "Bon" and "religion" and "Tibet" on Google shows 6,600 hits.



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