Building the Aro Lineage monumental phurba
Assembly and installation – setting up lotus and vajra
In the afternoon of the eighth day of the retreat, Ngakma Shardröl Du-nyam Wangmo kindly and graciously prepared a special punch. Over the afternoon all the Lamas and apprentices gathered at the dance floor in front of the construction site to gaze at the phurba.
Next the lotus base was mounted on the top octahedron and the lotus itself, made from a pipeline reduction, was welded on top of its base.
As the last step for this day Ngakpa Trögyal welded the central prong on to the very centre of the steel disc, the base for the prongs, at an angle of exactly 90°. With help, he lifted both pieces onto the top of the lotus and fixed them with a circle of tight point welds.
The central prong now was in exact line with the phurba’s central axis and the phurba stood at a height of 15 feet. It was a moment when tears welled up in Ngakpa Trögyal’s eyes. He put down the welding gun and Ralzhig Pema Legden raised his glass to him.
On the last day of the retreat at 6.00 am Ngakpa Trögyal Dorje and his team met to complete the vajra ornament. It was a morning with blazing sunlight. The phurba was almost too glaring to look at. The welding helmet’s auto-screen turned black even from the shine of the steel phurba.
The tsé-gu dorje was finished within an hour. On top of the central prong a crystal was placed. The scaffolding was removed immediately after the last point weld had been finished.
