The Buddhist Punk gave his extremely auspicious debut performance during the opening ceremonies of the new Tergar monastery in Bodhgaya, the place of Buddha's Enlightenment, just before dusk on the 4th of January 2007.
In the audience of around 2000 people were, amongst other dignitaries, His Holiness the Karmapa, Their Eminences Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, Tenga Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche, Mingyur Rinpoche, Ven. Hai Tao Master, the Royal Family of Bhutan and countless other realized individuals.
Although the sound system was far from perfect, as there were no monitors for example, the entire assembly was grooving on the vibe...clapping, dancing and singing along. Young and old people from all corners of the world were moved by the sincerity and funkyness of what was unfolding in front of their eyes and ears. We even received hushed, unconfirmed reports that His Holiness, who watched the performance from the rooftop, rocked his air guitar during Buddhist Punk's set.
BP said after the gig: "I almost wet my pants as I was about to go on...and then the mike wasn't working for the first few seconds...but thankfully I could soon relax into the zone and just give my best." And it's true, the afternoon became an unforgettable experience for all concerned.
The show was also broadcast live on the Taiwanese channel "Life TV" and seen by millions of people across Tibet and China.
With a beginning like that we can only look forward to the things to come.
Stay tuned and watch this space.......
