View this post in Chinese Language here.
The coming year of 2021 will usher in the Year of the Ox according to the Tibetan lunar calendar. Losar – Tibetan New Year – will be Friday Feb. 12, 2021. The Year of the Ox is a special year for His Holiness Karmapa – it is his Birth Year, which is observed every 12 years.
His Holiness Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje was born in 1985 – an Ox Year – and, in accordance with the Tibetan tradition of Birth Year – also called Obstacle Year – observance, a vast accumulation of virtue dedicated to His Holiness’ long life, excellent health and boundless dharma activity will be a central activity of the year.
His Holiness’ North American Seat at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra will take part in this rising tide of merit and virtue by organizing special pujas and activities to benefit His Holiness Karmapa.
“His Holiness’ Tsurphu Labrang (monastic council) has given a list of meritorious activities, and the dharma sangha at KTD will do as many of these as possible,” said KTD President Lama Karma Drodhul, pictured at right.
View the list below, in English and Tibetan.
Immediately, Lama Karma said, KTD will begin with the very first item on the list, “Making Offerings to Important Sites and Objects and Shrines.”
“Every year on January 1st at KTD we light many lamps in front of the beautiful Buddha image in the KTD Shrine Room in observance of First Light,” Lama Karma said. And during his lifetime, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, the first abbot of KTD, called the site “The Bodhgaya of America,” as it was the place where His Holiness the 16th Karmapa first set foot and began his dharma activity in America.
Besides encouraging the KTD dharma community to offer extra lamps for First Light this year, Lama Karma said the annual December Amitabha Retreat, set for Dec. 27-31, would be another opportunity for the KTD community to participate in the Birth Year accumulation of merit, as flower, lamp, and tsok feast offerings are made, and an Amitabha Inscription Ritual (Jangchok) to benefit the Living and the Deceased is planned.
Lama Karma said KTD also will conduct Longevity Pujas, sponsoring suggested pujas at different monasteries, and special prayers during the traditional 3-Day Gutor (pre-Losar) Mahakala pujas in early February. Meanwhile, KTD and Karme Ling lamas already have begun daily chanting of the Puja of Yedzu (the protector of His Holiness’ birth region) as part of their daily Mahakala puja.
Meanwhile, Lama Karma said the KTD community can assist in other ways:
- Reciting His Holiness’ longevity supplication
- Reciting the long-life mantra of White Tara
- Reciting the long-life mantra of Amitayus
- Sponsoring pujas and tsok offerings at KTD
- Making offerings for “Renovation/Restoration of Important Sites, Objects and Shrines.”Lama Karma said KTD monastery is doing ongoing maintenance work to repair its buildings and shrines, and the community also can contribute toward the rebuilding of the Columbus Karma Thegsum Chöling shrine building, which was destroyed by an arson fire in 2016 and now is under construction.
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“This is a special year for His Holiness Karmapa and we want to do everything we can for His Holiness’ long life, health and dharma activity,” Lama Karma said. “Karmapa is everything to us; everything that happens here happens because of His blessing.”
Links for donating to First Light lamps here
Links for donating to Amitabha Pujas here
Link for donating to KTD Renovations here
From the Tsurphu Labrang
Photo of His Holiness Karmapa by Stephanie Colvey
KTD Mandala News 