February 10 – 17, 2022
Each year, during the Kagyu Monlam Chenmo in Bodhgaya, traditional prayers and offerings are always made daily at the Mahabodhi Stupa, the most sacred site in Buddhism. Even though it was not possible to hold this year’s Kagyu Monlam in Bodhgaya, Kagyu Monlam staff and Sangha based in Bodhgaya have upheld this tradition.
On February 10th, the first day of the Special Monlam, early in the morning, a group of monks and staff members representing Kagyu Monlam, Tergar Monastery, Tsurphu Labrang, Palpung Sherabling, and Bokar Mirik Monastery went to the Mahabodhi Stupa. There they made the traditional seven-bowl offering at the shrine of the Golden Buddha, and offered a new set of robes. They then completed the first day prayers, in order to request blessings for the successful completion of the Monlam and the achievement of its aims to bring peace and happiness to all sentient beings. Having completed the prayers, they moved on to the Butter Lamp house in the Mahabodhi Stupa grounds and offered 3000 butter lamps for auspiciousness.
From February 14th to 17th, they made light offerings in the grounds of the Mahabodhi temple, bringing the luminous light of awakening people towards practice of dharma.
From February 16th to 17th they made extensive flower offerings, decorating the Mahabodhi temple grounds from the Ashoka gates to the temple boundary to the bodhi tree boundary, as well as flower offerings inside the Mahabodhi temple innermost circuit.
On February 17th, the final day, they again made the traditional seven-bowl offering, the offering of a new set of robes for the Buddha image, and offered 6000 butter lamps as an expression of gratitude and thankfulness to Lord Buddha, the Bodhisattvas and so forth for their blessing and kindness in the success of the Monlam.
The Kagyu Monlam organisation also made offerings to all the participating monks and nuns from India, Bhutan and Nepal.
