Material: Linen, Cotton, Blend, Leather Belt

Size: 220 x 8 cm

Description: Bhutan's "Kera" (ཁེར་ར་ / khe-ra) – Amulets and Blessed Objects in Bhutanese Buddhist Culture

In Bhutan, the "Kera" (or written as Kyerwa, Khe-ra) is one of the most common and revered Buddhist amulets, worn by almost every Bhutanese from childhood. It is typically a thin red or orange silk cord (sometimes mixed with yellow or black), with a small "gau" (Tibetan amulet box) hanging from it, containing sacred objects blessed by lamas or high-ranking monks.

1. The Origin and History of Kera

- The word "Kera" in Bhutanese Dzongkha means "a protective cord around the neck" or "a blessed object worn around the neck."

- Its tradition originates from Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, etc.). As early as the 8th century, when Guru Rinpoche spread the Dharma to Tibet and Bhutan, similar "protective ropes" (Tibetan: སྲུང་ཐག་ srung thag) were already in use.

- In Bhutan, the most common legend about Kera is related to the "protective knot": it is said that Guru Rinpoche used his own hair or fragments of his robe to make protective knots and distribute them to believers to protect them from evil spirits and accidental harm. Later, this evolved into high-ranking monks weaving these knots with five-colored threads (representing the five Buddhas) and then blessing them through special rituals.

- Another Bhutanese local story is that when Guru Rinpoche subdued demons in the Paro Valley of Bhutan, he used "Vajra knots" to bind the demons. These knots were later imitated by high-ranking monks to protect the people; therefore, Bhutanese people believe that Kera can "bind" calamities and evil spirits.

2. The Making and Use of Kera

- **Making**:

- Kera is made by qualified high lamas or Rinpoches (reincarnated lamas) during a blessing ceremony held on a specific auspicious day (usually the 8th, 10th, 15th, or 30th of the Tibetan calendar).

- Kera is made using five-colored silk threads (red, yellow, blue, green, and white) or a single-color red thread, woven into a specific number of knots (commonly 9, 21, or 108 knots).

- Miniature scriptures (mantra scrolls), herbs, soil from sacred sites, lama hair, or blessed relics are stuffed into the knots, which are then placed in a small silver or copper gau (a type of reliquary box).

- Finally, the lama repeatedly blesses the kera using the "Protective Wheel Empowerment" or "Vajra Knot Empowerment," reciting the Guru Rinpoche mantra, the Vajrasattva Hundred Syllable Mantra, etc.

- **Wearing Method**:

- From a young age (sometimes within a few days of birth), parents take the child to a monastery to have a lama put the Kera around their neck. It is never removed (unless damaged or replaced).

- It must be worn around the neck, close to the heart or throat chakra; it cannot be used as a bracelet or anklet.

- It cannot be given to others, lent to others, dropped on the ground, or removed when using the toilet (this is very taboo in Bhutan).

- If damaged or broken, it must be immediately taken to a monastery for a fire offering (burning); it cannot be discarded casually.

3. Profound Influence on Bhutanese Buddhist Culture and Society

- **A Symbol of the Core of Faith**:

In Bhutan, Kera is considered a "second lifeline." Many believe that "as long as Kera is on one's body, one will not die a violent death." There have been widespread stories of Bhutanese people who were seriously injured in car accidents but miraculously survived because their Kera remained intact.

- **A Symbol of National Identity:**

Bhutan is the only country in the world with the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism as its state religion. Kera has become a visual symbol distinguishing Bhutanese from Hindus (who wear red threads, but with different meanings) and ordinary Tibetans. Bhutanese abroad can identify someone as Bhutanese simply by seeing the thin red thread around their neck.

- **Protection in Daily Life:**

Bhutanese people request specially blessed Kera from higher-ranking monks (such as those blessed by the Royal Preceptor Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche or Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche) for important occasions, such as when traveling far away, taking exams, falling ill, giving birth, building houses, or even when the King and officials attend important events. Members of the Wangchuck family also frequently wear multiple specially blessed Kera around their necks.

- **Modern Changes:**

The younger generation is now starting to favor fashionable versions of Kera (so thin they are almost invisible, or in small 18K gold cases), but traditional elders still insist that "the simpler and coarser the thread, the more efficacious it is."

In summary, in Bhutan, Kera is more than just a rope; it is a concrete symbol of "Padmasambhava's blessings directly around the neck," embodying the Bhutanese people's deepest faith and reliance on Guru Rinpoche, and becoming one of the most distinctive Buddhist cultural symbols of this "last Shangri-La." When almost every Bhutanese person is asked, "What is the one thing you can't lose most?" their first answer is often: "My Kera."