Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa
  • The Karmapa
    • A Short Biography
    • The Lineage of Karmapas
    • Activities & Projects
  • Teachings
    • Video Library
    • Podcast
  • News
  • Schedule
  • Buddhism
    • Shakyamuni Buddha
    • Buddhism in India
    • Buddhism in Tibet
    • Kagyu Lineage
    • The Golden Rosary
  • Centers
    • North America
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Oceania
    • Africa
    • South America
  • Office
    • Media
    • Contact
Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa
  • The Karmapa
    • A Short Biography
    • The Lineage of Karmapas
    • Activities & Projects
  • Teachings
    • Video Library
    • Podcast
  • News
  • Schedule
  • Buddhism
    • Shakyamuni Buddha
    • Buddhism in India
    • Buddhism in Tibet
    • Kagyu Lineage
    • The Golden Rosary
  • Centers
    • North America
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Oceania
    • Africa
    • South America
  • Office
    • Media
    • Contact
  • English
  • France
  • Germany
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
  • Poland
Jan 21

Aspirations to End Adversity Day One – Opening Words

Greetings to everyone.

Starting from today, for the next eight days, I will be reciting prayers with you all. We all recite prayers every day, whether short or long. But I think there is a particular purpose and advantage when many people pray together. It is just as how a single stalk of grass is not as strong as many stalks bundled together. I am not saying that our individual aspirations have no power, but I believe strongly that if we all put our strength together, the result is different. These days, because of technological advances, even though we are separated by great distances, we can all pray together, and I think that is worth celebrating.

Last year, 2020, was a difficult year for everyone all around the world. Millions of people died from the coronavirus, and tens of millions more fell ill. There were also great economic losses, and it was stressful for everyone, individually and collectively.

The difficult year of 2020 has passed, but the hardships continue even into the beginning of 2021.  When we face such adversity, what we need most is not just external, material assistance. The most important thing is for us to not lose perseverance, courage, hope, and belief. If we let adversity take away all our hopes and confidence for this life, we are giving adversity a large opening and a lot of power. Thus whether we can make adversity into the path depends to a great extent on whether we bow our heads down to adversity or not, and whether we are willing to face it directly.

There are many great religions in the world, and their main teaching or aim is to give us human beings the courage to dare to persevere through difficulty and to increase our confidence and joy in the search to bring meaning to life. Even Buddhism falls within this. Thus when the whole world is confronted with such difficulties as now, it is important for all religions to join forces and help each other increase confidence and joy.

In our current Aspirations to End Adversity, we will have a different program each day. Today, on our first day, our program includes the Three Daily Observances and the Heart Sutra with Repulsion of Maras. The Three Daily Observances is a ritual that Buddhist monks and nuns normally recite daily. It has three parts, prostrating to the Buddha, reciting sutras, and dedicating the merit. The Heart Sutra is a well-known Mahayana sutra that teaches quite a bit about the Mahayana view of emptiness.  So today, for our first day, we will recite these two.

So now, let us all recite these prayers together with the good motivation of wishing to benefit all sentient beings.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • E-Mail

[ long read ]

MIND TRAINING TEACHING
The Gyalwang Karmapa gave an extensive teaching on the 8 Verses of Training the Mind

[ video series ]

THE PRAJNAPARAMITA
Taught over six sessions, this is a direct explanation of the Buddhist view of emptiness

[ long read ]

THE CHENREZIK PRACTICE
The Gyalwang Karmapa taught on how to practice Chenrezik and recite his mantra

[ video series ]

100 SHORT INSTRUCTIONS
Taught over nine sessions, this text by the 8th Karmapa was taught in great depth by the present Karmapa.

[ long read ]

THREE PRINCIPLE ASPECTS
A comprehensive teaching that condenses the entire Buddhist path by Tsongkhapa

 

Recent Updates

  • Aspirations to End Adversity Day Eight – Opening Words
  • Aspirations to End Adversity Day Seven – Opening Words
  • Aspirations to End Adversity Day Six – Opening Words
  • Aspirations to End Adversity Day Five – Opening Words
  • Aspirations to End Adversity Day Four – Opening Remarks
  • Aspirations to End Adversity Day Three – Opening Words
  • Aspirations to End Adversity Day Two – Opening Words

Kagyu Office Around the World

中文 // Français // Polski // Español
The Karmapa’s website is carbon neutral. //

About the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is the head of the 900 year old Karma Kagyu Lineage and guide to millions of Buddhists around the world.

Born in 1985, the Karmapa resides in his temporary home at Gyuto Monastery in India after making a dramatic escape from Tibet in the year 2000.

Traveling the world, the Karmapa skillfully teaches traditional Tibetan Buddhist Dharma while also advocating topics such as environmental conservation, feminism, digitization of the Dharma, and much more.

Please use the icons below to find the Karmapa on social media maintained by his office of administration.

// // // //