I have become quite fond of sitting in on Mahakala practice from 5-6 p.m. every day. Mahakala, the Great Black One, is a being who is the protector of the Karma Kagyu lineage. The practice is filled with the sounds of drums, horns, and cymbals, and has a mesmerizing cadence; on the days when there are two drummers, the drums sound like two hearts beating together.
There was another great black visitor tonight on the hill behind the shrine building—a large black bear who came to eat the leftover offerings from the Guru Rinpoche tsok (sacred feast). She (I have decided the bear is female) is very beautiful, and did not seem disturbed by the many people watching her or taking pictures.
I think folks need to remember that bears are really wild animals, and can be very dangerous; some people were getting closer to her than I thought safe. I was glad I had a zoom feature on my camera.
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