photos taken by
Karma Lekcho, Filip Wolak, Liao
Guo Ming,
Palten Nyima
Mahayana Sojong
Report by Jo Gibson
Once more the day at the Monlam Pavilion began early at
5.30am.
The webcast team was in their places, ready to start
broadcasting as Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche commenced the
Mahayana Sojong vows. He sat on a cushion facing the
assembly and read the vow-taking ritual from a sheet of
paper, monks, nuns and laypeople repeating the vows after
him.
Dawn broke slowly over the fields of baked earth relieved by
clumps of rough grass that surround the pavilion. Prayers
from the Mahabodhi stupa 2Km away, broadcast by loudspeaker
over the countryside at maximum volume could be all too
clearly heard.
The chanting master asked everyone to kneel, and began to
recite the refuge vows in Sanskrit; in the background, a
chorus of grey mynah birds gained strength.
Gyalwang Karmapa joined the puja after the short break for
breakfast, for the chanting of the Twenty Branch Monlam.
Akshobya and Amitabha Empowerments
Report by TseNam
His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa bestowed Akshobhya and
Amitabha empowerments on March 5, 2012. Gyalwang Karmapa
arrived at the Monlam Pavilion around 9:00 am. After
prostrating three times he sat on the throne and put on his
black activity hat. After a mandala offering at around 9:15
am, His Holiness gave a brief talk on the history of Buddha
Akshobhya.
A picture of Buddha Akshobhya (known as Mitrukpa in
Tibetan), a copy of the one painted by His Holiness
in 2011, was distributed to all those in attendance. His
Holiness told how there was once a bhikku who
promised that he would never be angry and not feel hatred to
anybody until he reached enlightenment. Buddha then
predicted that this bhikku would be called Akshobhya,
or unmoving, or that which cannot be disturbed.
He became Bodhisattava Akshobhya, or Buddha Akshobhya, in
the spatial Buddhafield where there are no negative
activities. According to the teachings of the Buddha
Shakyamuni, reciting the Akshobhya mantra will help
completely purify negative deeds. His Holiness said that the
practice originated from Atisha Dipankara, and was made into
one of the Kriya yoga tantras by one of the Shamar
Rinpoches.
According to Vairocana tantra, His Holiness said, the
buddhas are all-knowing and have the wisdom to teach all
sentient beings according to their respective mental
dispositions. They have the skillful means to teach students
according to their situation. Some are given the teachings
of Shravakayana, some Prateyakabuddha, some are given
teachings which are relevant for buddhas, and some which are
meant for humans.
Buddha gives whatever students need and whatever will
benefit them most. Buddha is very skillful and completely
compassionate. If somebody needs to be taught about
selflessness, he will teach about that; if somebody needs to
learn more about bodhicitta, he will teach about bodhicitta.
If he or she does not need, or will not benefit from
bodhicitta Buddha will not talk about bodhicitta to them.
His Holiness also said that those of us on the Buddhist path
need to be broadminded. One should not say that one is
Mahayana and that other paths are not good, or insult them,
or be intolerant of them. Dharma is dharma. Such a
discriminatory attitude towards others is not good.
His Holiness also explained the meaning of the Sanskrit word
“mantra”, which means to protect, i.e. to give protection to
the mind. He said that this is something that you have to
work on the subtle mind, and it is not about using rituals
and religious instruments. The main understanding of the
Vajrayana is about our mind. As we have discussed, Vajrayana
works to transform our negative vision, or view, and purify
how we see things. Because of our strong way of grasping, we
see things in a deluded way; we do not see them the way they
are.
When we understand emptiness, we know that everything arises
from emptiness. It is therefore important to understand
emptiness. The goal of Mantrayana is to protect our mind, to
protect our mind from the wrong way of seeing. Or in other
words, help avoid it from seeing something as true or
independently arising.
Gyalwang Karmapa said that, of the many qualities that
Buddha possesses, compassion is the most important. As
pointed out earlier, Buddha helped others overcome suffering
in whatever way possible and always thinks about the welfare
of all the sentient beings. He always taught in a way that
is best suited to them. For instance, for some people, the
concept of selflessness is the most important while for
others it is not. Then there are those who need the concept
of skillful means. The goal is the same– to be liberated
from samsara. Therefore, Buddha taught everybody according
to their own particular situation.
At around 9:50 am, His Holiness gave the vase empowerment,
after which he gave the crown empowerment.
Finally, a Mandala offering was made to thank for the
empowerment.
His Holiness began the Amitabha empowerment at around 10:00
am.
His Holiness said as long as we have negative emotions it is
very difficult to be born in the Amitabha realm. However,
because of the special dedication of Amitabha, if one really
practices and prays to be born in Dewachen (Amitabha
Realm) and focuses on Amitabha, than one can be born in
Dewachen. His Holiness said that the practice comes from
Tulku Mingyur Dorje. When he was young, Tulku Mingyur Dorje
had a vision of the Buddha who told him that if you practice
Amitabha you will travel straight like an arrow to the
Amitabha realm.
Finally, His Holiness said that the main goal of the dharma
is to transform and improve our mind, which means to become
a better human being. Dharma has to be integrated into life
and if one is a true practitioner the dharma and the person
are not separate.
Lunch with the sponsors and rinpoches at the Royal Residency
Hotel
The Gyalwang Karmapa hosted a lunch for the major sponsors
of the 29th Kagyu Monlam at the Royal Residency
Hotel, and was accompanied by leading rinpoches. (See
separate feature.)
Private audiences and other duties
Report by Jo Gibson
Website viewers may sometimes wonder where the Gyalwang
Karmapa is. There are days when he only attends one session
at the Monlam Pavilion. Yet, each year during the Kagyu
Monlam Chenmo he works ceaselessly, rising early and
retiring to bed after midnight. Much of the work he does is
hidden. Sometimes it involves planning and management
meetings or rehearsals of upcoming events. A major part of
his daily schedule is an extensive list of private
audiences. These are conducted in his quarters on the roof
of Tergar Monastery, usually each afternoon. During the
Monlam, the majority who request audiences belong to groups
representative of dharma centres across the world. Also
included, however, are visiting Rinpoches, Khenpos and monks
from Kagyu monasteries and shedras world-wide, Rinpoches
from other schools of Buddhism, members of the Bhutanese
royal family, local Indian dignitaries, Tibetans on
pilgrimage from Tibet, and a few fortunate families and
individuals.
The list for this afternoon’s audience, for example,
contained nearly 400 names, and the audience ran for nearly
three hours.
Rehearsal for the Kangyur and Alms processions
Another aspect of the Gyalwang Karmapa’s tireless efforts to
ensure the smooth running of the Monlam are the preparations
and rehearsals that he supervises. Having successfully
managed the Karma Pakshi production, he turned his attention
to the Kangyur and Alms processions. At 6.30pm, when most
volunteers were relaxing after a hard day’s work, His
Holiness gathered all the participants in these two
processions together in the Monlam Pavilion to explain
exactly what their duties were, to remind them of the
correct procedures and modes of behavior expected of them,
and to demonstrate personally when necessary, all delivered
with his characteristic teasing and playful humour
underscored by seriousness, and the insistence that
everything should be done to the best of one’s ability for
the benefit of all sentient beings.
He particularly focused on the 103 getsul, novice
monks, who will be responsible for handing out and
collecting in the pages of the Kangyur which are distributed
throughout the congregation during the reading of the
Kangyur ceremony. Each getsul is designated by a
letter written on a special badge. Using a map of the
pavilion, His Holiness explained which areas each would be
responsible for, and lined them up at the end of their
allotted rows.
