27TH INTERNATIONAL KAGYU MONLAM NEWS RELEASE

 

BODHGAYA  24^th – 31^st  DECEMBER, 2009

 

EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE

 

What is the Monlam?

The International Kagyu Monlam is an eight day Buddhist prayer festival held annually in Bodhgaya, the place of Buddha’s enlightenment.  Monlam is a Tibetan word which means ‘aspiration prayer”.   Followers of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism meet together to pray for world peace and the benefit of all sentient beings. The main congregation is composed of  monks and nuns, but, in addition,  each year lay followers come from more than fifty countries. His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, head of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism, presides over the festival, supported by many leading Rinpoches from the Kagyu tradition, including H.E. Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and  H.E. Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche.


The purpose of the Monlam in the words of His Holiness:

“Kagyu Monlam is an avenue whereby we can spread, at times of great need, the genuine spirit of love and compassion to all the people of the world, like a great ripple, first in Bodhgaya, then in Bihar, and so on. As we continuously offer these prayers for world peace, it is our intention and our wish that peace and happiness extend to all.”

What is the theme of the 27^th Kagyu Monlam?

The theme of this year’s Monlam is gratitude to the Buddha and, in particular this year, to Milarepa. His Holiness has said, “Basically, we owe our gratitude to four groups: to our parents, to the buddhas, bodhisattvas and spiritual friends, to our country, and finally to all sentient beings.”

 

Any special events this year?

This year the Gyalwang Karmapa will complete his teachings on The Life of Milarepa  and this will be commemorated by a Milarepa empowerment, a Milarepa feast offering, and a celebratory meal for the monks and nuns at lunchtime on January 1^st.  This will be followed by a special performance in the evening of a musical drama based on the life of Milarepa and written by His Holiness himself.

About this performance, His Holiness stated: “Presenting the Milarepa namthar –the Life of Milarepa-  musical drama on Western New Year’s Day is actually a revival of a Tibetan tradition from the time of the 7th Karmapa, Choedrag Gyatso, when the Festival of Miracles  was held during the first fifteen days of the Tibetan New Year.  In those days they used to hold the Monlam gathering in the morning and then have dramatic performances based on the lives of the Buddha and  great masters in the afternoon.  This year’s Life of Milarepa is a way of ensuring that this ancient tradition is not lost. 

"Secondly, it will be a reminder of Milarepa’s qualities, his purity and wholesomeness.   People have read his story but now they will be able to see it and this should bring it alive for them. My hope is that it will plant a small seed of future liberation in all who watch it.

"There are many different versions of the life of Milarepa but I have based the script for the  play on the most famous one written by Tsang-Nyon-Heruka. It took me several months to write the script. I have changed the literary Tibetan into colloquial so that everyone can understand, and combined traditional Lhamo with contemporary drama.”

THE EASTERN ENTRANCE GATE

This year’s entrance gate is the simplest gate that has ever been used.  It was the Gyalwang Karmapa’s wish that it should be ecologically sound so it is made from bamboo, a renewable material, and recycled paper. Suspended from the bamboo frame are white paper prayerwheels displaying the mantra : Om Pemo Uni Kha Bema Le Hung Phat. This mantra has powers of purification so that all who pass through the gate during the Monlam festival will receive some spiritual benefit.

 

FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

All the monks and nuns who have been working on environmental issues in their monasteries and the surrounding communities met at Tergar Monastery, Bodhgaya, to share the work they have been doing during the year. His Holiness launched a new website for the Kagyu organization for environmental protection, www.khoryug.org (“Khoryug” means “environment” in Tibetan).  Here, they will communicate their latest news and ideas for protecting the environment.

Around the stupa area are posted in different languages, large posters with quotes from “108 Things You Can Do to Protect the Environment”, a booklet available during the Monlam and created with the participation of the monks and nuns.  During the Monlam, the participants will clean up the Kalachakra Field in Bodhgaya so that it is ready for the teaching of the Dalai Lama in January. They will also clean the market area, wetlands and lakes surrounding Tergar Monastery.  They have just learned that the Bihar Government has granted their request to plant medicinal trees along the Sujata Bypass Road.  Finally, movies will be shown in a public area and senior monks will give talks to explain why environmental issues matter.

In relation to the environment, His Holiness has said: “Whatever I do, I want it to have a long term, visible effect, and for it to be practical.  If I have the opportunity, I want to create long term change and improvement of the environment in Tibet and Himalayas, especially to benefit the forests, the water, and wildlife of this region.”

He has stated the issue succinctly: “Protect the earth. Live simply.  Act with compassion.  Our future depends on it.”

Further information and daily reports on the Kagyu Monlam can be found at: www.kagyumonlam.org .