NEWS & CURRENT ACTIVITES

December 9, 2010 – Bodhgaya | www.karmapa900.org

As thousands gathered before daybreak for Karmapa 900, the image of Buddha Shakyamuni was already basking in golden light beneath the painted sun on the Karmapa 900 stage. From dusk to dawn, this second day of the commemoration was devoted to the protection of the Karma Kagyu teachings received from Dusum Khyenpa, whose 900th birth anniversary will be celebrated throughout the upcoming year. With 108 smoke offerings in the morning and 100,000 offerings to Mahakala in the afternoon and evening, the day of practice was centered on Mahakala, whose history as Dharma protector of the Karma Kagyu is nearly as long as the lineage itself.

Morning Smoke Offering Ceremony

The crowd repeatedly rose to its feet respectfully, as the Karma Kagyu’s seniormost lamas entered and took their seats one after another: His Eminence Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche, His Eminence Jamgön Kongtrul, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, Tenga Rinpoche, Bayö Rinpoche, Yonge Mingyur Rinpoche, Khenpo Lodrö Dönyö, the young Drupön Dechen Rinpoche and many, many others. His Holiness then Read the rest of this article

December 3rd, 2010

This was the fifth occasion on which the Gyalwang Karmapa has visited the Root Institute, an FPMT centre in Bodhgaya. The Institute had requested a short teaching on the Heart Sutra for a group of course participants and staff at the centre, who were joined in the small shrine room by other residents and Dharma students.

After opening prayers led by two monks from Namgyal Branch Monastery in Bodhgaya, the Gyalwang Karmapa began his talk by expressing appreciation to the Root Institute for their work in helping the poor and disadvantaged people of the area. Some of their work includes the Shakyamuni Buddha Health Care Programme and the Tara Children’s Project, which cares for HIV-positive orphans. His Holiness emphasized the ideal importance of transforming compassion into positive action.

He then moved on to explore, firstly, the interdependence of all phenomena, and then the profound meaning of emptiness and its application in everyday life: how an understanding of emptiness can help us see things as they really are, helping us break through the veil of illusion which prevents us from appreciating the fundamental nature of all Read the rest of this article

November 27, 2010

This year’s retreat, under the guidance and supervision of His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa, began on November 23rd at Tergar Monastery, Bodhgaya. The retreat is part of the preparations for the Akshobhya Fire Ritual, and the Fire Ritual occurs on the penultimate evening of the annual Karma Kagyu Monlam Chenmo. The ritual takes place in the shrine room opposite His Holiness’ living quarters, on the roof of the temple at Tergar.

The retreat lasts for two weeks. This year there are sixteen retreatants, drawn from Kagyu communities worldwide and comprising three laypeople, five nuns and eight monks. On the first day the Gyalwang Karmapa conferred the Akshobhya empowerment (Tibetan: wang) on those taking part and gave the transmission (Tibetan: lüng). During the retreat he will give a daily teaching to the participants on the ritual’s significance.

The Akshobhya ritual is a very powerful purification practice done for the benefit of all sentient beings. It can liberate not only the practitioners themselves from the fear of an unfortunate rebirth, but other beings as well. The Buddha Akshobhya promised that the merit generated by reciting Read the rest of this article

November 19, 2010

The Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje flew into Gaya Airport on Friday morning. He was welcomed by Ayang Rinpoche, Lama Chodrak and members of the Tergar Monastery staff.
The road to the monastery had been prepared for the Gyalwang Karmapa’s arrival with welcome gates and hundreds of the 16th Karmapa’s blue-and-yellow dream flags and four-coloured Dharma flags strung along each side of the road.

Preceded by the red flags and wailing sirens of a police escort, the cavalcade reached Tergar Monastery soon afterwards, to be greeted by the happy, smiling faces of several hundred monks and laypeople waiting excitedly with their offerings of incense and khatas.

On arrival, the Gyalwang Karmapa went immediately into the Tergar Monastery shrine room and prostrated three times to the Buddha image before going upstairs to his quarters on the temple roof.

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September 28, 2010

We now have edited video recordings of the 2010 Autumn Teachings by His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa available for online viewing and download. Please click on this link or follow the “Teaching” tab on top of our main Karmapa Teachings website to view the teachings. We’ve implemented a video playlist so that each teaching session will follow by next day’s session automatically. There’s also a iPhone/iPad compatible version and audio-only mp3 Read the rest of this article