NEWS & CURRENT ACTIVITES

December 22, 2009 – Tergar Monastery, Bodhgaya

This afternoon, in the packed assembly hall of Tergar Monastery, His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa formally launched www.khoryug.com, a Tibetan and English-language website dedicated to environmental protection. The website offers educational resources on environmental protection, news on environmental projects underway in Kagyu monasteries and nunneries, and offers a forum for people interested in the environment. Khoryug.com forms part of a larger series of projects that His Holiness has undertaken to protect the earth for future generations, goals for which will eventually restore the natural environment of Tibet and the Himalayan areas. As such, khoryug.com follows the emerging pattern of the activities of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, to work for the well-being of others in ways that are both immeasurably vast and yet eminently practical.

The event opened with a presentation by Dekila Chungyalpa, Director of the Greater Mekong area for the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) – the single largest organization devoted to environmental protection in the world. Dekila has served His Holiness as coordinator for his Read the rest of this article

December 21, 2009 – Tergar Monastery, Bodhgaya

2nd Annual Teaching for Foreign Students: Day 2

An audience approaching 2,000 people shared four extraordinary hours today with His Holiness, as the teachings on Nagarjuna’s “Letter to a Friend” continued into their second day. His Holiness’ exceptional range as a teacher was on full display as he mixed formal commentary on the verses of the text, with heart advice for working with difficult emotions, intermittently lightening the mood with humorous anecdotes that had the entire assembly hall ringing with laughter. His Holiness spoke directly to students’ minds and hearts, and many were visibly moved when he described his own thoughts on what it means for students look to him as their root lama.

In encouraging students to confront their own afflictions, Gyalwang Karmapa paid particular attention to stinginess, anger and pride. Speaking of anger, His Holiness pointed to the irony of the fact that when we are angry at our enemies, we are actually accomplishing their aims for them. This is so because anger most harms the person who harbors it in their mind, and since our enemies are seeking to harm us, Read the rest of this article

December 8, 2009 – Tergar Monastery, Bodhgaya

Teachings, Day Five:

Following yesterday’s debate-style discussion of the various schools’ views on the three vows, His Holiness began by commenting that it is crucial that we have a clear understanding as to what our own position is and what that of others is. When we sketch out a range of positions, Gyalwang Karmapa noted that sometimes people get confused and begin mixing the view of our school with that of others. The great scholars of the past composed treatises that explore crucial points, refuting others’ views and establishing their own, in order to make clear for us the reasoning behind their position. He observed that such texts often begin by defeating the views of others, and may do so using what can strike us as harsh speech.

If we find ourselves put off by the strong language scholars use in negating the views of others, as we study these texts it is important that we bear in mind what their purpose was. When we read the compositions of the Eighth Karmapa, for example, when he argues powerfully against others, we need to keep in mind that the point is to cut through wrong views, rather than to find fault with others. Such debates were waged among great scholar-yogis who stated their positions strongly Read the rest of this article

December 7, 2009 – Bodhgaya

This is always the first major public engagement of the Gyalwang Karmapa’s winter pilgrimage to Bodhgaya. Accompanied by his entourage, His Holiness was received by the Secretary of the Mahabodhi Temple Committee, Mr Tenzin Namzey, and the Monk-in-Charge the Venerable Bande Chalinda.

Having completed an outer circuit of the temple grounds, His Holiness went directly down the main steps to the central shrine room within the Mahabodhi Stupa to pay homage. Having prostrated three times, he made offerings to the golden image of the Lord Buddha, housed within the inner shrine , and chanted prayers. As is the custom, the offerings included a new set of golden silk robes for the Buddha image. His Holiness then circumambulated the innermost circuit.

His Holiness moved on to visit the 5th International Pali Tripitaka Chanting Council Ceremony, which is taking place under the Bodhi Tree. Theravada Buddhists from nine countries – Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam– are represented. Each country has an area allocated at a point along the middle circuit which runs outside the stone palisade separating the Mahabodhi Temple from the temple grounds. Most have erected tented pavilions laid out and Read the rest of this article

December 6, 2009 – Tergar Monastery, Bodhgaya

Teachings, Day Three:

His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa today tackled a number of complex debate issues, clearing the way for the examination of the main topic of this year’s winter debate teachings—how one person can keep all three types of vow. At the same time, he emphasized that the optimal Buddhist practitioner is one that does hold and preserve all three types of vow—pratimoksha, bodhisattva and tantric.

First, Gyalwang Karmapa explored the major points of contention that arise in defining and classifying pratimoksha and bodhisattva vows. Some texts mention traditions of conferring pratimoksha vows according to the Mahayana textual tradition, and His Holiness, who is fluent in Chinese and conversant with the Chinese Buddhist canon, noted that the Chinese canon preserves a number of texts that describe how to do so. By contrast, he pointed out, the Tibetan canon contains only scattered references and instances of such ritual texts, an example of which would be the Mahayana sojong vows offered each morning during the Kagyu Monlam.

Following the text, His Holiness moved on to a discussion of the ways the different types of vow are conferred, and how they are cancelled, or lost. He stressed that taking a Read the rest of this article