His Holiness was Chief Guest-of-Honour at a luncheon arranged by
the Kagyu Monlam Organising Committee for the principal
sponsors of this year’s International Kagyu Monlam, Khenchen
Thrangu Rinpoche’s Centre in Hong Kong.
The buffet lunch was served in a marquee on the lawns of the
Lotus Nikko Hotel in central Bodhgaya. The other Guests-of-Honour
included H.E Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, H.E. Goshir Gyaltsab
Rinpoche, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche and other leading Rinpoches.
The guests included the sponsors from the Thrangu Centre in Hong
Kong but also Ms Datin Loo of the Malaysia Life Foundation, who
has sponsored the Medical Camp, and Mrs Huang a highly-respected
member from Hong Kong.
Mrs Huang will be ninety-six years old next month; she was a
disciple of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa for many
years, and is still active in Buddhist circles. During the
lunch, she offered malas to all the Guests of Honour and to some
of the monks.
Gyalwang Karmapa went from table to table speaking to people and
thanking them for their support. Returning to the dais he gave
a short speech in Chinese, thanking everybody and showed them
two small gifts of appreciation which the International Kagyu
Monlam Committee was presenting to each sponsors– a Monlam
shoulder bag and a book. The book, called His Holiness
Teaches You How to be a Bodhisattva, contains a Chinese
translation of his teachings on Thogme Sangpo’s famous text,
Thirty seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, which he gave at
Tilokpur Nunnery, North India, in 2007.
As His Holiness held up the book for all to see, he deliberately
placed his fingers over the words “His Holiness” and quipped,
“Somebody will teach you how to be a Bodhisattva.”
Everybody laughed.
The guests were left to finish lunch at leisure. Meanwhile,
Gyalwang Karmapa sped away with his entourage to Tergar
Monastery before returning to the Mahabodhi Stupa, where he gave
a short teaching on the Seven Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche.
Returning once more to Tergar, he visited the arena to check on
rehearsals for the New Year’s Day Event before starting a heavy
schedule of public and private audiences.
