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The Great Monkey Year (2016) Teachings -Dehradun,India. by Sangmo

drikung kyabgon chetsang rinpoche

25 January 2016

The Tradition The tradition of holding extensive summer and winter teachings has continued without decline since the time of Drikyung Kyopa Jigten Sumgon – the Dharma king of three worlds. Later, with Trinley Zangpo, the 26th throne holder,the institution of four teaching – the Monkey Year Teaching, the Boar Year Teachings, the Horse Year Teachings and the Snake Year Teachings was established and became widespread in land of snow. Traditionally, during the Monkey Year, the throne holder, H.H the Drikung Kyabgon transmits the special close lineage of the Drikung Kagyu: Lord Jigten Sumgon’s Great Arising of Bodhichitta, the Great Drikung Phowa, and so forth. Following this revered tradition, His Holiness will bestow the elaborate Monkey Year Teachings this year at Jangchubling Monastery in  India, the main seat of the Drikung Kagyu lineage. Special Announcement Drikyung Kagyu Teaching Committee announced on January 19, 2016 that the Monkey Year Teachings will now be bestowed for four days from Feb 16-19 instead of the previous starting date of Feb 14.The committee further explains in their Special Announcement that the change was triggered by a short notice they received from the office of the Drikung Labrang informing  that the supreme head, H.H the Drikung Kaybgon Chetsang Rinpoche is required to attend an important event elsewhere on February 14 and 15, 2016. However, for the sake of all the participants coming from other states or countries, the supreme and accomplished  Siddha Dorzin Drubwang Dondrup Palden, who has spent over two decades in retreat in the snow mountains of Lapchi, the special practice place of Jetsun Milarepa – and who possesses perfect realization of the ultimate lineage, will grant experiential instructions of the common and uncommon preliminaries, on Februay 14 and 15, 2016 at the College for Higher Studies . The committee hopes that eveyone will be able to attend this auspicious occassion. The Teaching Program February 16, 2016 Explanation of taking refuge, which is the entrance to the teachings Bestowal of the refuge vows, which belong to the outer individual liberatoin vows Bestowal of Lord Jigten Sumgon’s Great Arising of Bodhichitta, which belongs to the inner bodhisattva vows. February 17, 2016 Teachings on the distinction between the sutra and the tantra vehicles The preparatory stages of the Great Empowerment of Hevajra according to Marpa’s system February 18, 2016 Bestowal of the main part of the Great Empowerment of Hevajra according to Marpa’s system Practice instruction and reading transmission of the Hevarjaritual […]

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Kagyu Monlam 2016 – a week of invocation by Sangmo

Kagyu Monlan

08 January 2016

A highly anticipated event in the Buddhist world right now  is the 33rd Kagyu Monlam. It will be held in February 2016, in Bodhgaya, India.  H.H the XVII Karmapa, the head of the Kagyu sect will teach the chapter on mandala offerings from The Torch of True Meaning as well as on the Kadampa master Potowa’s Long Soliloquy . The main Kagyu Monlam(prayer) will be held for a week from February 16 to 22. You may check the schedule here. For a first timer, this may well be your week of Buddhist Sabbath , a break from your routine, your debut into the framework of Tibetan Buddhism, where you may levitate in the lull of Buddhist prayer hum while being harnessed by the vibrations of pure energy. Monlam is a great prayer festival, traditionally held in Tibet. Kagyu is one of the major sects of Tibetan Buddhism, completed by Nyingma, Sakya, Geluk, Jonang and Bonpo. Gampopa is the main founder of Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. He was the student of Milarepa, who was the student of Marpa “The Translator”(1012-1099). Kagyu is best known for its system of meditation and practice called Mahamudra. The celebrated Prayer Festival was revived in India in 1983 by the profound effort of Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche and Kyabje Bokar Rinpoche. Kagyu Monlam, at this time in history of Tibetan Buddhism is being held in Bodh Gaya, India and it has come a full circle and home as Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment in Bodh Gaya. The prayer festival was initiated three hundred years back, by the 7th Karmapa Chodrak Gyatso, the 8th Karmapa Mikyo Dorje, the 9th Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje, and the 10th Karmapa Choying Dorje. . The XVIIth Gyalwa Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, was born in 1985 in the Lhathok region, and escaped to exile and reached India on Jan 5, 2000, at the turn of the new millennium. He has grown to shoulder more responsibility of the spiritual event. As the Monlam became more elaborate over the years, H.H the Karmapa has asserted the need to maintain the substance of it and introduced new codes of discipline for Kagyu Monlam in 2004 and promoted more secular approaches keeping in mind devotees of all sects and nationalities. He said “Generally speaking all the lineages of Tibetan Buddhism are interconnected with each other and have their roots in Vajradhara. To provoke differences among each other will weaken the samaya bonds between them” The chief purpose of Monlam is to come together in prayers for […]

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