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Mahabodhi Temple:
Gyalwang Karmapa arrived at 6.00am and
conferred the Sojong vows.
Before beginning the morning prayers, he spoke to the assembly. He
began with a short description of the history of Kagyu Monlam and
explained that the Kagyu Monlam was able to happen because of the
coming together of causes and conditions including merit; even being
fortunate enough to attend the Monlam was rare, a testimony to the
merit every one there had accumulated. He told everyone how
fortunate they were to have attained a precious human life, to have
heard the Dharma, and now to have the opportunity to visit a holy
site. He talked about the value of attending Kagyu Monlam at
Bodhgaya, the great opportunity it offered to all practitioners
because of the sacredness of Bodhgaya itself.
Further, as Monlam coincided with the year drawing to its close, it
provided an ideal opportunity to carefully examine and reflect on
positive actions and wrong-doing committed over the year. Because of
the sacredness of Bodhgaya, powerful purification was possible if
faults were confessed sincerely.
By the same token, the power of merit accumulated at Bodhgaya was
amplified and it was an ideal place and time to accumulate merit
from different activities. For example, the great gathering of the
Sangha made it possible to make offerings, the number of beggars and
poor people made it possible to practise generosity, and it was
important to dedicate that merit for the well being of all sentient
beings.
He told the Sangha specifically to reflect on why they were there
and to always remember the teachings of the Buddha and the lineage
masters and make the aspiration to follow their teachings to the
best of their ability .He reminded them that the purpose of the
Codes of Conduct was not mere observance, but to feel their
importance and internalize the attitudes that the behaviour was
designed to cultivate.
He reminded everyone that advanced knowledge of Dharma was of little
value without the development of loving kindness and compassion.
He then gave a short overview of The Heart Sutra before
leading the first session of the Monlam prayers.
In the second session, Gyalwang Karmapa continued the transmission
of The Life of Milarepa and gave a commentary on the Green Tara
practice before leading the chanting of The Twenty One Praises to
Tara to a melody he himself composed.
After lunch he led the Akshobhya Ritual, and then returned to Tergar
Monastery for a hectic schedule of private audiences.
Medical Camp:
The medical camp was held in the village of
Vinobapuri, forty minutes from Bodhgaya. More than seven hundred
people came. Several of those treated were suffering from serious
illnesses, but, once more, the majority of patients who presented
themselves were suffering from diseases linked with poverty and
malnutrition.
Evening Teaching at Tergar Monastery:
This was the third and final evening of
Gyalwang Karmapa’s teaching on The Fivefold Mahumudra.
Verses four reads:
If, in the vast sky of the
nature of mind,
The clouds of concepts do not disperse,
The stars of the two wisdoms will not brightly shine.
So, earnestly focus on cultivating this non-conceptuality.
Gyalwang Karmapa explained the metaphor. The
empty nature of the mind is like the sky which is clear and pure; in
the same way the mind is naturally pure. However, it is clouded over
by temporary defilements which obscure the view, so that we cannot
see the stars. These defilements have to be cleared away in order to
experience the pure nature of mind and its qualities. The
practitioner of Mahamudra rests in the nature of mind. All phenomena
have two aspects: their specific characteristics and characteristics
common to other phenomena. So all phenomena, not just mind, share
the characteristic of not truly existing, of having a basic nature
of emptiness. The nature of the mind which is emptiness and the
emptiness of all phenomena are the same. Thus, if we are able to
experience and understand the nature of the mind, we can experience
the nature of all phenomena.
Gyalwang Karmapa then elaborated further on the meaning of emptiness
and the dependent arising of all appearances, and the practice of
Mahamudra.
Verse five reads:
If the wish-fulfilling jewel of the
two accumulations
Is not polished with the aspiring mind,
The results you need and want will not arise.
So, earnestly focus your mind on this dedication.
Gyalwang Karmapa explained this verse briefly.
He described how a wish-fulfilling jewel could be neglected so that
it accumulated dust and dirt, and then might even be forgotten so
that its power was worthless. Yet, such a jewel needed to be
polished so that it shone brightly and then it should be put on
display for everyone to enjoy and benefit .Similarly, we needed to
dedicate all our merit for all sentient beings so that everyone
could benefit.
Gyalwang Karmapa first gave the transmission in Tibetan of the
Ngondro he himself had written, explaining that, as the compiler of
the text, he was the only one who could give this particular
transmission.
He then gave the transmission of the Mahamudra Aspiration Prayer,
composed by the Third Karmapa, followed by the transmission of
several mantras.
Finally he gave the transmission of The Fivefold Mahamudra in
Tibetan, English, Chinese and Tibetan. The audience really
appreciated his efforts in doing this and each transmission was
applauded enthusiastically.
In conclusion he thanked everyone for coming, and apologized that
pressure of time had meant only three days were available for the
teaching. He explained how happy he had been every night to see so
many people with joy on their faces and smiling eyes; it was a sight
he would never forget. He rose, stepped gracefully down from the
throne, and left the hall, smiling shyly and blessing everyone as he
went.
[A full transcript of this teaching should be
available early in 2008.]
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