On March 8, the Gyalwang Karmapa and the sangha gathered
to offer a long life ceremony celebrating two of his
heart sons, the Twelfth Tai Situ Rinpoche and the
Twelfth Goshir Gyaltsap Rinpoche. As the dawn begins to
color the edge of the sky, a huge crowd has filled the
Monlam Pavilion and a special excitement runs through
the air. Today will be the culmination of the eight days
of prayers for peace in the world and in the hearts of
all beings. Through the long life ceremony this morning,
the merit of this year’s gathering is especially
dedicated to the long lives of these two great lamas.
The Gyalwang Karmapa has explained that what is positive
in this life and throughout all our lives comes from our
teachers, our spiritual friends. It is of utmost
importance that they keep guiding us and awaken us from
the sleep of our ignorance. We have protection and
guidance now because they are with us, so we must
continually ask them to live long and continually pray
that their wishes be fulfilled.
Earlier in the week, the Karmapa mentioned that the
Dharma is not only conveyed by words, but also visually.
This morning’s ceremony will be a testament to that
statement. Flanking the stage are elegant, carved wooden
thrones for the two rinpoches, and in the center on an
upper level, is the Karmapa’s throne. Around it in the
four directions are seated four monks. Long altars line
the sides of the stage with magnificent offerings: on
the right are two large statues of the Buddha to be
offered to the rinpoches; stacked on either side and
wrapped in yellow cloth with red and blue brocade
squares alternating are copies of the Kangyur (words of
the Buddha). The texts are written in actual gold,
following a Tibetan tradition of making a most
magnificent offering. On the left are four new tormas
related to the Kamtshang lineage. Towering above the
shrine and topped by golden victory banners, they are
radiant yet gentle in color and depict the key figures
of the Kagyu lineage, starting with Marpa and ending
with the first emanation of Situ Rinpoche, Drogön Rechen,
and the first incarnation of Gyaltsap Rinpoche, Paljor
Döndrup—another tribute to the two lamas being honored
today. (For a detailed description of the tormas, please
see below.)
In Tibetan, this ritual is known as tenzhuk (gtan
bzhugs), where ten means “permanent” or
“forever” and zhuk means “remain” or “abide.” Its
history can be traced back to the sutra tradition and
the Seven-Branch Offering, the seventh of which is
requesting the buddhas to remain for a long time and not
pass into nirvana. In the vajrayana with its emphasis on
devotion to the lama, this branch expanded into a
separate, full-fledged ritual.
Underlying the rationale for the ceremony is the
understanding that, in contrast to ordinary beings, who
take rebirth through the force of their karma and
afflictions, noble individuals are born as they wish and
remain for as long as they can help others. Their life
spans are intimately connected with the lives of others,
so our making these requests for them to live long is
extremely important. We can actually have an effect on
how long they remain with us.
The ritual for the long life ceremony was composed by
the Karmapa. It is just one page long, but profound in
meaning and vast in extent as it incorporates the two
traditions of sutra and tantra. In the sutras, one finds
arhants who are blessed with long life, and in the
tantras, one finds long life empowerments, in which long
life is elicited through the power of the truth of the
Three Jewels, the vidyadharas with power over life, and
others. The great lamas are also encouraged to make a
commitment to live a long life based on their
accumulation of merit. Further, the lama’s life can be
made long through the power of those making the request,
which in this case would be His Holiness and the
gathered sangha.
The ritual this year is the same as last year, but the
way of making the offering is different. Last year, the
context was the practice of the sixteen arhants, and
this year, it is based on “The Offerings to the Gurus.”
The change acknowledges the critical role both Situ
Rinpoche and Gyaltsap Rinpoche have played as lineage
gurus of the Karmapa. Further, the progression of the
ceremony is in harmony with the stages of practice found
in this text. For example, after blessing the ground and
offerings, it presents an invitation to the gurus to be
present; the ceremony today began with escorting the
lamas in the “golden procession” of brilliantly colored
banners and pendants, accompanied by music and two tall
umbrellas, the circle of their colorful pleats swaying
above the two. Gyaltsap Rinpoche was there in person and
Drön Nyer Tenam, the representative of Situ Rinpoche,
carried high a golden parcel, which contained a formal
brocade cape (khri ber) worn by lamas when they
give empowerments and, in Situ Rinpoche’s case, the red
hat ceremony. During a lama’s absence from his
monastery, the cape sits on his throne. In addition,
when a lama cannot accept an invitation, he will send
his formal cape as a substitute, and today Situ Rinpoche
has sent his most precious one.
Prior to the procession, the Karmapa, Situ Rinpoche’s
representative, Gyaltsap Rinpoche, and monks had
gathered in the Akshobhya shrine room on top of Tergar
Monastery. Here at four-thirty in the morning, His
Holiness performed a Vajrapani ceremony for the
investiture (mnga’ gsol), a special blessing to
empower them, and offered traditional gifts of monk’s
clothes and shoes to both rinpoches. Now, as the
procession enters the Monlam Pavilion, His Holiness
waits on his throne in the center of the stage. The
procession moves slowly down the main aisle between two
long rows of white, swooping scarves held by men and
women from the East and West. Two nights before, the
Karmapa had carefully rehearsed them so that the curves
of the white garlands between each person would be
exactly the same.
Set below the three thrones on stage were two red
lacquer chairs from Japan, covered in brocade. When the
text asks the Buddha to “take your seat with ease,”
Gyaltsap Rinpoche sat here first and the shrine master
then offered the two lamas water for drinking and water
for bathing. The remaining five of the seven traditional
offerings—flowers, incense, lamps, scented water, and
food—were made by Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche. Then
everyone was offered tea and saffron rice. The ceremony
continued with a section that reflected the sutra
tradition. The two rinpoches made offerings to the
sangha of robes, which were accepted on behalf of the
sangha by the four monks surrounding the Karmapa. The
merit of this offering was dedicated to their long
lives. For a short while, the Karmapa and Gyaltsap
rested in meditation, and this merit, too, is dedicated
to long life. The vajrayana tradition was represented by
the Karmapa offering the rinpoches long life pills and
the nectar of immortality. Drön Nyer Tenam holds the
yellow-wrapped formal cape of Situ Rinpoche in front of
the Karmapa who touches it with the long life vase.
Afterward, Gyaltsap Rinpoche stands in front of the
Karmapa and repeats his words, making a commitment to
live for a long time. The lines include “May this life
find its full and complete fruition.” At the end, the
Karmapa tossed flowers into the air.
Two long brocade boxes were set next to His Holiness’s
throne from which he lifted out a long scroll with a
proclamation, known as the scroll of great praise (bzings
bstod kyi byang bu). The Karmapa reads is a clear,
strong voice the proclamation:
Proclamation
In the Year of the Dragon, the son of the Buddha and
Lord of the Dharma, the Shrī Mahākarmika, dwelt in
Magadha at the pinnacle of the essence of enlightenment.
I touch the crown of my head to the feet of our teacher,
who is skillful and compassionate. From the very
beginning, you, Pema Döyön Druppa [for Situ Rinpoche],
Karma Drakpa Tenpa Yarpel [for Gyaltsap Rinpoche], have
been the essence of the utter perfection of the
qualities of abandonment and realization. In this
Unbearable World Realm, your fine activities of
teaching, debate, and composition are as wondrous and
amazing as all the qualities and activities of the
Victors and their children in the three times coalesced
into one.
You are a great friend to wandering beings even though
they had not known you before. You rouse all from the
sleep of ignorance and liberate them from the ocean of
samsaric suffering. You have taken upon yourself to bear
the entire burden of upholding, spreading, and
protecting the teachings of the essence of the Practice
Lineage through accepting hardship day and night.
Now rejoicing in your indefatigable courage, in order to
sing your praises and remember your fine deeds and
legacy, today on this auspicious day, I proclaim your
greatness. I praise you and invest you. You are the
master empowered through the crown of your head,
prophesied in the scripture called “The Master of Great
Maitreya” [for Situ Rinpoche], “Great Upholder of the
Secret Treasury” [for Gyaltsap Rinpoche].
I request that in the future you remain as a kinsman to
beings and the teachings as long as samsara lasts, and
that by striving to perform the deeds of the three
wheels unified as one, you spread the teachings of true
Dharma everywhere, shining the bright sun of the
teachings of practice throughout the three worlds. Thus
I seal this.
After each reading, the Karmapa offered the brocade box
with its proclamation and a kata to each of the
rinpoches. Gyaltsap Rinpoche wore the kata lining the
fold of his outer robe and sat powerful and unmoving as
the scroll rested on the table in front of his throne.
As the sangha recited a special text on giving a jeweled
topknot, a wheel of accomplishment, a conch shell, a
drum, a victory banner, and hanging pendant, the
appropriate offerings are made on stage a formal
choreography of flowing color and precision. Then Khenpo
Thupten Karma from Sherab Ling gave an explanation of
the mandala. In a language rich in metaphor and a voice
that seems to come out of an ancient time, he invoked
auspiciousness and good fortune. He praised the
rinpoches saying that they have been able to spread
light in all the worlds through the power of meditating
on the nature of things just are they are. The khenpo
spoke especially of the five certainties of place, time,
teacher, retinue, and teachings. For example, the place
is the vajra seat of enlightenment where 1002 buddhas
will attain full awakening.
Next, representatives from the Tsurphu Labrang
(administration) and from the Kagyu Monlam offered
mandalas to Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsap Rinpoche, and
then two representatives each from the five heart sons’
labrangs came forward to make their offerings to the two
great lamas: the offering of the body was made by Situ
Rinpoche’s Palpung Labrang, of speech by Jamgon Kongtrul
Rinpoche’s Labrang, of mind by Gyaltsap Rinpoche’s
Labrang, of qualities by Nenang Pawo Rinpoche’s Labrang,
and of activity by Treho Rinpoche’s Labrang. This last
one included a very special gift. Situ Rinpoche had a
seal that was given to one of his previous incarnations
by a Chinese emperor. It had been kept at Situ
Rinpoche’s seat, Palpung Monastery, for many years, but
had disappeared. The Karmapa was able to find it and
offer it back to him as part of this ceremony.
On the six screens in the Pavilion, a video of Situ
Rinpoche was shown. He began saying that he went to the
peerless Lord for refuge and that his teacher who sits
above his head has been so kind. He asked that the
Karmapa, the play and activity of all the buddhas, grant
the siddhis of body, speech, and mind. Situ Rinpoche
spoke of the history of the Kagyu Monlam and said its
power brings great benefit and happiness to all living
beings. With great faith he rejoiced in this and asked
the Karmapa to continue the Kagyu Monlam as one of his
main activities. He concluded, “If it pleases the guru,
may I live to the age of 108.” Gyaltsap Rinpoche
then read his commitment in the form of a verse:
So that living beings may be benefited
And the teachings of the Buddha flourish,
I will definitely remain stable and live
For more than one hundred years.
These commitments were followed by the Offerings to the
Sixteen Elders, with the refrain, “Grant your blessings
that the lamas live long and that the Dharma flourish.”
At end of this ritual, the Karmapa gave each rinpoche a
stunning and exquisitely crafted book of their life
stories with photographs. (See separate feature :Two
Magnificent books: The Life Stories of Situ Rinpoche and
Gyaltsap Rinpoche)
After a break, the ceremony continued with an extensive
series of traditional offerings, known as the Feast of
Tsaru. This contains the Five Fives, each one presented
by a row of five lay and monastic men and women: five
grains for a harvest of virtue; five jewels for abundant
prosperity; five medicinal herbs for freedom from the
illnesses of the three poisons; the five essences for
the realization of suchness; and the five perfumes for
the purifying water of samadhi.
A lengthy praise of the rinpoches was read by the
discipline master while further offerings were made by
long rows of disciples from around the world. Then the
Karmapa read the classic offerings of the eight
auspicious substances, the seven precious articles, and
the eight auspicious signs. As he read each one, a
sculpted image of the individual offering radiating its
gold and silver was first given to the Karmapa and then
taken to the two thrones as offerings to Situ Rinpoche
and Gyaltsap Rinpoche. Perhaps the Karmapa was
remembering the first time he himself was offered these
auspicious objects—during his own enthronement at
Tsurphu in 1992 when it was Situ Rinpoche making the
offerings to him.
The morning’s recitation of prayers concluded with the
final part of the Offerings to the Sixteen Elders:
Grant your blessing that the Dharma remain a long time.
May the ocean of merit become complete,
The ocean of pristine wisdom become pure,
And the ocean of qualities become perfect.
May we transcend all that is mundane.
As the golden procession reformed, the Karmapa stood
surrounded by the four monks and watched as it moved
slowly down the main aisle, the umbrellas of great
lamas, gently swaying above.
A Detailed description of the four tormas
