Lhodak Gaden monks will perform Tibetan ritual dances on 22 March 4 p.m. in Viljandi Traditional Music Center (tickets 100/75 via piletilevi) and on 25 March 6 p.m. in Tartu Harbor Theatre (tickets 125/75 via piletimaailm). In addition, on 22 March 6 p.m. (after the dances) at the Traditional Music Center the monks will lead a provisional workshop where one can try various Tibetan musical instruments (dungchen, gyaling, drum, damaru, drilbu), and have a look at the masks and costumes used at the dances.

The sacred ritual dances of Tibet derive from Vajrayana Buddhism and embody spiritual purification, enlightenment, and power. Traditionally the dances were performed at monasteries by monks (or nuns) during certain religious festivals, while people from nearby villages gathered around to watch. The dancers wear big masks and elaborately decorated costumes, and are accompanied by the sound of drum, cymbals, and Tibetan horns. On a deeper level the ritual dances function as a form of meditation, while at the same time they serve as an offering to Buddhas and deities. Under the rule of People's Republic of China the performing of ritual dances along with various other Tibetan religious and cultural practices is often banned or restricted, thus the tradition is threatened by the danger of extinction.

The Black Hat dance is an elaborate ritual that took many days to perform in Tibet. The purpose of the ritual is to eliminate the obstacles, which in the individual are the afflictive emotions and misconceptions that cause sufferings. At the beginning of the dance, the Black Hat Dancers make symbolic offerings of Gold Libation (tea) to the lineage Lamas, Tutelary deities (different forms of the Buddha) and Dharmapalas (truth protectors), in order to please them and receive their blessings. Then the dancers invite the Dharmapala and consorts and their retinues to join them.

As stated in the Vinaya, code of monastic ethics, the robes of ordination serve as a reminder that the person wearing them is fully ordained monk. In a similar manner, the Black Hat costume is worn by some Tantric practitioners to maintain the clarity and pride of arising in the wrathful aspect of a tantric deity. This divine confidence or pride serves a special funtion for the exclusive path of Tantra. The Black Hat dancers apply protective substances on their cheeks and forehead which give them the wrathful appearance of wrath. They exhibit this fierce aspect in order to tame the minds of sentient beings afflicted by such negative emotions of hatred, greed, and ignorance. They are not motivated by anger, but by the supreme love and compassion.

According to some sources, the Black Hat dance came into existence as certain tantric deities appeared to some practitioners in this form during invocation rituals. The Elder Jamyang Dakpa, a contemporary of His Holiness the Fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682) performed the dance while engaged in an exorcism ritual in the Deyang Shar courtyard of Potala Palace, in order to avert certain negative armed forces.

This dance is practiced in all the tantric traditions. The two skeleton athletic and even playful movements are meant to display the fearless qualities of those who have passed beyond ego, the protectors of truth. The dance is usually performed at the end of the year during the seven-day festival, when the negative forces accumulated during the year are purified.

We shall be performing the dance with two monks.

In the tantric deities sublime realm, all beings are transformed from their ordinary state in order to carry out enlightened activity for the benefit of others. The Deer represents a male protector deity whose movements call forth the disruptive forces to spiritual development. This dance consists of four sections: inviting the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, making offerings to them, displaying fierce movements to overcome the obstacles, and requesting the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to return to their own abodes. The deer dance was very popular in Tibet because the deer headed deity was heralded as a great protector.

Dakinis, or sky going female deities, play a major role in the visionary experience of tantric practitioners. Dakinis are the bearers of wisdom, whose songs inspire deep insight. The dances are considered to appeal the spiritually accompolished masters and Bodhisattvas to prolong their lives for the benefit of all the sentient beings. These masters and teachers remain the integral part for any sentient being to learn and understand the ways/paths to overcome the obscurations and illusions of this Samsara.

In this dance, the Dakinis sing verses for long life of the masters and Bodhisattvas.

Chod is a system of practices for the purpose of cutting through the four demons of the ego, which are: 1) the demon, which comes with obstruction, impediment, or form, 2) the demon without obstruction or form, 3) the demon of pleasure or enjoyment, 4) the demon of pride.

Chod was first practiced by the great female teacher Machig Labdron (ca. 1055-1143). She revived the teachings of Chod from her two Lamas, Pha Dampa Sangye and Kyoton Sonam Lama. She said: "My Dharma is Mahamudra", intending that the outer meaning of the Paramita of the Sutras and the inner meaning of the unsurpassed Tantras are gathered and practiced together. She taught her son and many other disciples her special teachings of Phungpo Zenkyur. By this practice the temporary benefit of sentient beings, such as the alleviation of suffering form sickness, demons, and poverty and the ultimate benefit to sentient beings, which is the attainment of Buddhahood, are achieved.