25 January 2024
The concluding event of the Kagyu Gunchoe has been part of the final day of the Kagyu Monlam for several years now, giving the shedra students the recognition they deserve for their achievements in the debate competition.
The main awards ceremony was held on 12th January when Khenpo David Karma Choephel announced the second and third place prizes and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche handed out the medals to the winners and certificates signed personally by the Gyalwang Karmapa to all those who had competed.
In the final session, Khenpo Kelsang Nyima of Rumtek shedra announced the winners and Tai Situ Rinpoche gave out certificates and medals to every student in the teams which had won first place in each category at each level of the competition. Cheers and clapping resounded through the pavillion as the names were announced. Rinpoche smiled kindly at each of the monks as they came up to the throne and claimed their certificate and medal. Tsurphu Labrang, the office of His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa, sponsored the competition, and the Changzӧ, Karma Chungyalpa, offered katags to each winner, on behalf of the labrang, and awarded each one a cash prize.
Then came the nine prizes for individual monks. They each received a certificate and a medal from Situ Rinpoche, and a katag and cash prize from Karma Chungyalpa, on behalf of the labrang.
If you would like more details, watch the prizegiving at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU2Xi2MkASU&t=13s
