Hatha is a transliteration of the Tibetan word "Kada" or "Hatha", and the word "Ha" is a umlaut of "Ka". The exact transliteration is "Carda" or "Darya" as well.
Kada is a type of scarf, which is a silk textile gift used in Tibetan ceremonial exchanges. Offering kada is one of the most noble rituals of the Tibetan people. This is because: the reason why Kada called Da Ya is that it was first a white turban wrapped around the head of a high-ranking official, not a ceremonial scarf. This can be confirmed in the statues of Tuber Junchen in The Potala, Jokhang Temple, and Changju Temple in Lhasa. The head is the supreme organ of the human body, and the white turban wrapped around the head is the most noble ornament of all the costumes in the body. When you meet someone you deserve to be revered, take off your supreme turban and offer it to the other person, showing a kind of respect and reverence for the other party. This is where the offering of Kada comes from.
When Qada became a gift to Tibetans is not yet recorded. However, from the mural of Ali todding Monastery, the people of the Ancient Kingdom of Shangge welcomed His Holiness Atisha to Tibet for his mission, there is a picture of the dedication of Kada. His Holiness Atisha came to Tibet in 1037 AD. At this time, the Tibetans had the custom of offering kada, which has a history of more than 900 years.
There are 5 kinds of colors of Kada, including white, blue, red, green, and yellow, and the 5 kinds of kada with matching colors are called "Datri Lang Ang", which means multicolored Kada. The multicolored kada is dedicated to Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and is used as a ribbon when they are married. According to Buddhist teachings, the multicolored kada is the garment of a bodhisattva, so it is only offered at certain times. When getting married, multicolored kada means multicolored auspicious clouds to descend on the wedding to show auspicious and festive.
Five-color Kada, white symbolizes white clouds; blue is metaphorically blue sky; red is the god of space protector; green is a river; and yellow symbolizes the earth. In everyday life, white is the most common. This is because the Tibetan people are a people who greatly admire white. White is believed to represent a symbol of purity, nobility, auspiciousness, sincerity, goodness, justice, prosperity and upward mobility.
There are many types of Kada, and there are three types of White as an example: Nekukada, Ashikada and Susikada. Nekukada is two feet long and two feet wide for the highest grade, painted with auspicious eight rui, dragon and phoenix play beads and other patterns, Ah Xi and Su Xi are generally 6 feet long, more than one foot wide, divided into upper, middle and lower three grades, these three kinds of cards are made of silk.
As a traditional social gift of the Tibetan people, Kada is very particular about its use. According to different occasions and objects, there are different rules, specifications and methods. In the past, the rules for the use of Kada in the official arena were stricter, and the long rank used was also very exquisite. For example, the Local Government of Tibet, Kalon, and the Secretary-General of Tibet paid homage to Nekukada when they were summoned by the Dalai Lama on the second day of the first lunar month. Usually, the Dalai Lama summons Kalon and dedicates himself to the first class, Ashikada. Officials at all levels exchange Kada according to their official positions, identities, and names, and use different levels of Kada, and there can be no deviant and disorderly behavior. The use of kada by private individuals is relatively casual, depending on their financial ability.
The posture of the dedication card is also very exquisite. Fold the carda into a double edge and align the edges and corners to each other, bow down, and dedicate your hands to show respect and sincerity. Those who receive the carda should also bend down and bow their heads and take it with both hands as a sign of gratitude.
The part of the offering of the Carda also pays attention to the rules: when offering to the Buddha and the Bodhisattva, the Carda is generally placed in front of the pedestal or on the legs, and cannot be placed on the head or shoulder; when the Kada is dedicated to the living Buddha, the elders, and the elders, they must bow 90 degrees, and the hands of the Kada must be raised above the head, offered to the other party or placed on the table in front of the seat, and can also be donated by the agent; the lower level to the superior, to the superior, to the hands of the superior or to the table in front of the seat, can also be donated through the agent, secretary, attendant, guard and other people; the kada is offered between peers If you give a card to a junior or subordinate, you can put the card on the shoulder of the other party or deliver it to the other party's arm; the greeting group presents the card, generally only to the leader of the team being welcomed, do not have to dedicate it to all members, let alone even the attendants, which means that the rules are confused and confuses the primary and secondary levels. If there are special people in the team, but they are not the leader of the team, they can be dedicated to him individually to show the special treatment or respect of the giver; the younger generations meet the elders, students (disciples) to meet the teacher, the subordinates ask to see the superiors, and when the general monks and nuns meet the senior monks and masters to offer the card, they generally do not offer it to their hands, they are sacrificed in front of the seat or together with other gifts; the card is offered at the funeral, and if the deceased is a monk, the card is sacrificed to the body. If it is a layman, it can be dedicated to relatives and friends.
Putting a carda around the neck of the other person is a special gift of religious blessings. It is limited to the living Buddha to the layman, and the high-level religious leaders are limited to the ordinary monks and nuns, and the lay officials. A carda that has been blessed by a living Buddha or with a blessing knot is attached as a holy relic to the opponent's bouquet. When religious believers, ordinary monks and nuns or people who worship the living Buddha of lamas bring their own Kada to ask the high monks and masters to bless him, the monks and masters take the blessings of the kada and then return to the other party's neck. No high-ranking official or layman is qualified to put a card on the neck of the other party.
Tribute to the cultural meaning of Qatar. According to different occasions, each has its own different blessings and meanings: in religious activities, the dedication of Kada to bodhisattvas and living Buddhas expresses infinite admiration for Buddhas and sincere heart of religious belief, and also prays for bodhisattva blessings, all things are auspicious and prosperous, and people and animals prosper; on the occasion of the festival, people give Kada to each other to celebrate the festival and wish for the auspicious future; welcome guests to offer Kada to express warm welcome and peace to visitors; juniors to elders, students to teachers, disciples to respect teachers, laymen to monks, subordinates to superiors to pay tribute to Kada, To express high respect and blessings for auspicious health and well-being; to present Kada at the wedding ceremony to express congratulations on the new joy, to wish the newlyweds a mountain of love, white heads and old age, children and grandchildren full of halls; at the time of the funeral, to pay tribute to Kada, it means mourning for the deceased and comfort to the deceased relatives, and so on.
Nowadays, many localities have made offering kada, a lofty traditional etiquette of the Tibetan people, regardless of the occasion, rules, objects, specifications, and methods, and the phenomenon of offering kada has become vulgar, turning the most serious and lofty etiquette of the Tibetan people into vulgarization. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, but the main reason is that they do not know much or understand the meaning of the cultural connotations of Qatar and Qatar.
The snowy plateau is a ceremonial gang, and the Tibetan people are a very polite people. Today, when there are more and more exchanges and contacts between various nationalities at home and abroad, the traditional and lofty etiquette of the Tibetan nationality, such as visiting Buddha statues, paying homage to living Buddhas, visiting respected elders, welcoming guests, and celebrating weddings and funerals, has become a colorful bridge for strengthening national unity and progress and promoting friendship between nationalities. However, when we inherit this traditional etiquette, we must also talk about the occasion, the object, the rules, and the way, and we cannot vulgarize this lofty etiquette. In my opinion, it is better to inherit the traditional customs of our ancestors to worship The Carda.
Source: Tibetan