Activities of the Karmapa January 2003
Studies with Tenga Rinpoche
His Holiness completed this round of studies with the Venerable Tenga Rinpoche at the end of November, and began preparations for his trip to Bodhgaya and Varanasi in connection with presiding over the Great Great Monlam Aspiration of the Glorious Unequaled Kagyu Sangha (Pal Nyammay Kagyupay Sangha Monlam Chenmo) will take place from 30 December, 2003 to 7 January, 2004.
The passing of Her Majesty Ashi Phuntsho Choden
His
Holiness Karmapa and the Kagyu Office have
offered their
sincere prayers and wishes in response to the
passing of Her Majesty Ashi Phuntsho Choden,
affectionately
known
to the Bhutanese people as Gayum Angay. Her
Majesty passed away on August 24, at the age
of 92.
Her
Majesty is the grandmother of King Jigme Singye
Wangchuck, the current "Druk Gyalpo," who became King of Bhutan in 1974. Her
family line traces back through centuries of
Bhutanese
history and
includes the great terton Rigzin Pema Lingpa,
one of the great figures of Bhutanese Buddhist
history. Ashi Phuntsho Choden was married to the
second Druk Gyalpo King Jigme Wangchuck, and
gave birth in 1928 to the late King Jigme Dorji
Wangchuck, the third Druk Gyalpo and father of
the current King.
During
her life, Her Majesty was reknowned throughout
Bhutan and Buddhist Asia for her role is supporting
Bhutan's Buddhist traditions and practices. More
information on the life of Her Majesty Ashi
Phuntsho Choden is available
from this Kuensel
article.
The
purjang ceremony for Her Majesty was held on October
18, 2003 in Kurje Lhakhang in Bumthang,
in the presence of His Majesty the King, the
royal family, many honored guests and thousands
of devotees. His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang
Karmapa and the Kagyu Office were represented
at the ceremony by a delegation led by Venerable
Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche. Rinpoche and numerous other
representatives of the Kagyu Office and Rumtek
Monastery paid their respect and homage to
Her Majesty. At the Karmapa's temporary residence
in Sidbhari, India, His Holiness Karmapa led
prayer ceremonies throughout the day to mark
the passing of Her Majesty. A report on the
ceremony in Bhumtang is available from this Kuensel
article.
Visit to Gopalpur and Meeting with Jet Li
His Holiness Karmapa with martial artist and actor Jet Li
In
September, His Holiness Karmapa toured
the Gopalpur TCV. SOS Tibetan Children's Village
at Gopalpur. TCV Gopalpur is a
children's community with 32 homes, educational
complexes, a medical centre and
hostels for boys and girls. His Holiness wil
visit Uppert TCV in October.
Also
in September, His Holiness received a visit
from actor Jet Li.
Li was an internationally renowned Wu Shu
champion of China as a teenager, and has appeared
in some 30 movies.
Passing of the mother of HE Tai Situ Rinpoche
It is with deep sadness that we report the passing of the mother of His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche in August of this year. His Holiness Karmapa led prayer services and sent his wishes to the family. Drupon Rinpoche represented the Kagyu Office at memorial ceremonies at Sherab Ling Monastery, in Bir, India.
Studies with Bokar Rinpoche
His Holiness studying with Ven. Bokar Rinpoche
His Holiness continues his studies with masters of the lineage. Bokar Rinpoche instructed His Holiness in his temporary residence at Gyuto Tantric University, in August and Tenga Rinpoche taught and transmitted lineage traditions to His Holiness in October and November.
Tour of Shimla area of Himachal Pradesh
His Holiness Karmapa with the Governor
of Himachal Pradesh
(July 8, 2003)
At the invitation of the Indo-Tibetan Friendship Society and area Tibetan settlements, His Holiness toured the Shimla area in July. A slideshow of photos of His Holiness during this visit is available from this site. On July 5th, His Holiness arrived and was greeted by local government representatives at Dorje Drak Monastery. On the next day, he was Guest of Honor at the Central School for Tibetans, where he was welcomed and addressed the large crowd who had come to celebrate HH Dalai Lama's birthday with the Karmapa. His Holiness gave teachings and empowerments at local monasteries, such as the Dorje Drak Monastery and Jonang Taranatha Monastery, and also made visits to the areaTibetan Senior Citizens' Home, the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Handicraft Society, as well as touring the Indian Institute for Advanced Studies. On July 8, while visiting the renowned Chail Palace Hotel, the Karmapa met with the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje. His Holiness also visited sites in Naldehra and Kufri before returning to his temporary residence at the Gyuto Tantric College on July 9. Detailed journal of the visit 
His Holiness turns 18 years of age
His Holiness at the birthday celebrations in Dharamsala
On June 26, 2003, His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa turned 18 years old, according to the Western traditions of counting birthdays. (According to the Tibetan tradition, His Holiness was 19 years old as of the Tibetan New Year.) At Gyuto, though no large celebration was planned, many people showed up to wish His Holiness well. Offerings were made by representatives of the Tsurphu Labrang and Sherab Ling Monastery, and long life prayers were performed by a gathering of supplicants. His Holiness gave a teaching in the afternoon. In Rumtek, celebrations were presided over by HE Gyaltsab Rinpoche and a video message specially taped by His Holiness was played for the attendees.
Gold Cup Football 
His Holiness with football club in Dharamsala
On June
1,
2003, His Holiness was the honored guest at the opening
of the Gold Cup Football tournament in Dharamsala.
He gave an opening address, and watched the first
day's games.
In May, His Holiness
engaged in intensive studies and practice and curtailed
his interview schedule. He resumed public interviews
at the end of the month.
Shoton Festival
His Holiness at the Shoton Festival
In April, His Holiness attended the Shoton Festival,
which celebrates Tibetan culture, and is held
annually in Dharamsala. The opening of the festival
on April 4th was attended by His Holiness the
Dalai Lama, His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa
and other notables. On April 11th, His Holiness
gave a public teaching to the attendees on the
special quality of Tibetan culture and the importance
of preserving the Tibetan heritage. Transcripts
of His Holiness' teaching are available from
this site in both Tibetan and English.
Peace and War
In March, His Holiness resumed his regular schedule
of studies, practice, interviews, and public
audiences at his
temporary residence
at Gyuto Monastic University in Sidbhari, India.
During a question and answer session with the
public,
His Holiness was asked some questions by a
12 year old American boy about the war in Iraq. Following
is the exchange between them:
Question:
Is there a need for this war?
His
Holiness:
In general, wars inflict great harm on people.
While an individual country may reap economic benefits,
basically, wars create tremendous fear and defeat
the deep wish for well-being and peace that all living beings have.
Question:
Will any good come of the war?
His
Holiness: War plants the seeds of hatred and
revenge. Temporarily,
there might be benefits for some people, but
in the long term, war creates within individuals
a state of mind that is unsettled and unhappy.
In brief, fighting wars brings harm to humans,
to the planet, and to all the living beings who
together inhabit this earth. For all these reasons,
war should be avoided and peace should be sought.
With the Dalai Lama
On March 3rd, His Holiness the
Gyalwang Karmapa attended Losar celebrations
with His Holiness the Dalai
Lama in Dharamsala. This year, Losar observations
for the Phukluk calendar were observed one month
after Losar according to the Kagyu Tsurluk calendar.
(More
on the different Tibetan calendar traditions)
HH Karmapa Confers Public Chenresik Empowerment at Jayanti Park in Delhi
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa at Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi in February
At
the end of February,
His Holiness returned to New Delhi on his way
back to his camp at Gyuto Tantric University
in Sidbhari. On February 23,
at Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi, the Karmapa
gave a public teaching and offered a Chenresik
empowerment. Some 6000 to 7000 persons were
able to fit in the Park for the empowerment.
A slide show is now available of
His Holiness recent public conferral of an
Avalokiteshvara ceremony in Buddha Jayanti
Park in New Delhi. Some 6000 to 7000 persons
were
able to fit in the Park for the empowerment.
Karmapa Celebrates Losar (Tibetan New Year) in Sarnath with HH Dalai Lama
 His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness
the Gyalwang Karmapa and His Eminence
Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche at the Kagyu
Monlam in Bodhgaya in January
His
Holiness celebrated Losar, the Tibetan New
Year of the Water Sheep, in Sarnath on February
2, 2003. The February celebration
recognized New Year according to the Tsurphu
calendar, which is the tradition of calendar
calculation first developed by the Third Karmapa
and maintained by the Kagyu lineage. (The two
main Tibetan calendar calculating traditions
are explained in more detail here;
usually the New Year for both calendars coincide,
but this year were separated by one month,
as occasionally happens.)
February
16th was the first full moon after
the New Year, as well as the anniversaries
of the performance of miracles by Sakyamuni
Buddha and of the parinirvana of Marpa Lotsawa.
The Karmapa observed these important events
by leading ceremonies at the stupa in Sarnath
where the Buddha first turned the Wheel of
Dharma.
His Holiness in Sarnath and Bodhgaya
At
the conclusion of January through
early February,
2003, the Gyalwang Karmapa was at the Kagyu
Monastery in Sarnath.
A photographic
slide show of some of His Holiness's
recent activities in Bodhgaya and Sarnath,
India is now available here.
Sarnath,
India, outside Varanasi, is one of the four
most important pilgrimage spots marking the
Buddha's life, and is where the Buddha first
turned the Wheel of Dharma at Deer Park. While
in Sarnath before Losar, His Holiness gave
an Amitayus Empowerment on January
26th. On January 27th, he conferred
Bodhisattva Vows on the assembly. On the 29th,
he traveled through the area consecrating a
number of new buildings,
such as the stupa at the Universal Education
Center. On the 31st and February
1st, he presided over the Mahakala Puja and
other
ceremonies for
the New Year.
The
Great Monlam Aspiration of the Glorious Unequaled
Kagyu Sangha
His
Holiness confers a long life blessing
at the Kagyu Monlam in January 2003
In January, 2003, HH The 17th Gyalwang
Karmapa presided over the conclusion of the Pal
Nyammay Kagyupay Sangha Monlam Chenmo, "The
Great Monlam Aspiration of the Glorious Unequaled
Kagyu Sangha." The gathering of Kagyu monks
from all over the world takes place annually
at
the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Bodhgaya,
India, under the Bodhi tree, the site where the
Buddha attained enlightenment. The purpose of
the Monlam is to bring peace to the world and
to increase happiness and wisdom for everyone.
His
Holiness arrived in New Delhi on January
4th and Bodhgaya on the evening
of the January 5th. He joined the Monlam
on the 6th and in the afternoon
conferred a Tara empowerment. On the 7th,
the Monlam was graced by the presence of His
Holiness
the Dalai Lama, who joined the Karmapa under
the Bodhi Tree for the concluding session.
The Karmapa
performed Tsok offerings and prayers, and joined
His Holiness the Dalai Lama in extending great
blessings, prayers and aspirations for an end
to all suffering and that all beings without
exception
may quickly attain peace and enlightenment.
This
was the second year in which His Holiness has
presided over the Great Kagyu Monlam ceremonies.
After the Monlam, His Holiness Karmapa left for
Varanasi, where he will maintained a regular schedule
while in residence for a few days at the Vajra
Vidhya Institute, the monastery of the Venerable
Thrangu Rinpoche, the Karmapa's main tutor.
From January 14-20, His Holiness returned
to Bodhgaya to receive The Kalachakra ("Great
Wheel of Time") Abhisheka from His Holiness
the Dalai Lama. While there, the Karmapa held
blessing audiences each day for the public. Many
thousands of participants received blessings.
The Karmapa also visited other sacred sites in
Bodhgaya, such as the Buddhist temples representing
Thailand, Japan, Taiwan and Bhutan. Many persons
attending the Kalachakra visited His Holiness
in Bodhgaya, including high-ranking officials
from Bhutan and many ordinary persons.
After
the Kalachakra ceremonies concluded in Bodhgaya,
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the
Gyalwang Karmapa both proceeded to Sarnath. On January 21st, the Dalai Lama
and Gyalwang Karmapa dined for lunch together
at Vajra Vidhya monastery in Sarnath, India, and
spent time together. HH the Dalai Lama then departed
for a short schedule in Sarnath and Varanasi before
returning to Dharamsala.
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