時間：2010年12月17日 6:00am～5:00pm 17th Dec., 2010
地點：印度 菩提迦耶 正覺大塔 Mahabodhi Stupa, Bodhigaya, India
藏譯中：堪布丹傑、乘宗法師
攝影：噶瑪善治、噶瑪諾布、班瑪歐色多傑、廖國明、廖佳基
中文報導：黃靖雅
中英编辑：释妙竹(2022.10.11)

EARLY MORNING AUDIENCES AT TERGAR MONASTERY

As thousands of Kagyu Monlam attendees received sojong vows under the Bodhi tree at the crack of dawn, several hundred others were lining up at Tergar Monastery for group audiences with His Holiness. In response to an exceptionally large number of requests from groups attending the Monlam, the Gyalwang Karmapa added an extra session of audiences to his already packed schedule. Despite the full day of initiations and further audiences that lay ahead—and the grueling schedule he had already since well before Kagyu Monlam even began, from 6am until 8:30 am today, His Holiness offered the consummate example of selfless determination to work for others’ happiness. To ensure that none left disappointed, time after time, His Holiness graciously took khataks, invited visitors to sit, listened attentively, offered brief oral transmissions, granted blessings, answered questions, and then stood for group photos for those who requested it. He did so repeatedly without a rest for over 2 hours. After just a short break, His Holiness was whisked off to the stupa to confer the Akshobhya empowerment on all those awaiting him there.

■第一座法(上午6:00-8:15) SESSION ONE: SOJONG

Kyabje Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche gave the Sojong vows this morning. Kyabje Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, Khenchen Yongzin Thrangu Rinpoche and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche were also there to preside over the first session.

上午6:00，嘉察仁波切陞法座，傳授〈大乘布薩律儀〉即（漢傳「八關齋戒」）帶領大眾念誦戒文（增訂本P6），欲受戒者跪下受持。

請長跪，念誦梵文〈三常誦〉（增訂本P11）
以下坐下念誦，內容皆出於《大祈願課誦本》：
P35〈皈依發心〉
P80〈彌勒讚佛頌〉
P127〈六嚴二勝讚文〉
P146〈懺悔支〉

■第二座法（9:00-11:00） SESSION TWO: AKSHOBHYA EMPOWERMENT

The Akshobhya Empowerment: Entering the Vajra Family

上午9:00，法王 噶瑪巴蒞臨，於佛陀法像前行三次大禮拜，陞法座。
（大眾起立，頂禮三拜）

維那師帶領大眾念誦：

〈金剛總持祈請文〉（《大祈願課誦本》P133）

（大眾飲用茶點前，維那師帶領大眾念誦供養文〈免信施難消〉）

（法王開始修持「不動佛」儀軌）

〈獻曼達〉

法王開示：

（见另文。）

（獻曼達）這是感謝上師傳法的供養。

（迴向）
以此功德願證佛自性，降伏煩惱怨敵之過患，
生老病死湏湧之波濤，願度眾生解脫輪迴海。

接著，我要口傳我所彙編的「四加行」法本口傳（中文法本《報告法王：我做四加行》）。

法王獨頌〈大祈願文〉（《大祈願課誦本》P242），大眾恭敬聆聽，心中跟隨默念。

接著，法王獨誦〈冥陽迴向文〉（P260）。

維那師帶領大眾念誦〈祈願成就真言〉（P267）

〈發菩提心文〉：
勝菩提心寶，未生令生起，生已勿退轉，願輾轉增長。

When asked why Akshobhya is important, His Holiness responded that in general, meditation on Akshobhya is best for cleansing karma related to negative actions. Through the power of this practice of ritual purity and lustration, the force of negative karma is weakened. So when we have committed very negative actions, that is a good time to do this practice. Akshobhya is also practiced for the deceased, and this year in particular, there has been an emphasis on Akshobhya’s sutra, ritual, and dharani for the benefit of the numerous people who passed away during the earthquakes in Tibet at Jyekundo and also at Drugchu Sakul as well as those who passed away during the floods in Ladakh.

With a variety of practices and events related to him, Akshobhya figures prominently at this year’s Monlam. From November 23 to December 7, a select group of practitioners—six monks, five nuns, and four lay people—performed the Akshobhya puja next to the Karmapa’s quarters in a spacious pavilion on the roof of Tergar monastery. During the Monlam itself, for six days in the evening, along with the ritual for the deceased, the Akshobhya practice continued in the same venue. The evening of the seventh day sees the long Akshobhya fire ritual, at the end of which the names of the living and deceased, written on strips of paper, are offered to a blazing fire with some of the pieces floating aflame into the night-time sky.

For today’s empowerment, many people have come and fill to overflowing the space around the stupa. The Karmapa’s throne is higher today, covering up the statue of the baby Buddha behind him. Next to his throne and holding up a long curving branch of the Bodhi Tree, a green iron pillar is wrapped in spirals of orange and yellow marigolds. After the Mahamudra lineage prayer, tea and buns for all, the empowerment begins. His Holiness explains that this is a maturing empowerment, which means that its purpose is to place the imprint of the deity within our mind stream and also that there will be no requirements for practice.

After His Holiness performs the first part of the empowerment, he addresses those gathered, saying that the special commitment Akshobhya Buddha made is not to harm others and to benefit living beings. The Akshobhya Mandala Ritual says:

As Akshobhya gave rise to bodhicitta
Making the first of eight aspirations,
“May my mind never be angry or wishing to harm others.”
Thus may I, too, accomplish them all.

[His Holiness had mentioned in an earlier talk that his mind was more peaceful in Tibet and he did not get angry easily. Whereas in India, with all the problems, it was easier to become angry. But then he developed an interest in Akshobhya and in this practice, which was very helpful. Perhaps he was thinking of this verse.]

His Holiness continues to say that we should imagine Akshobhya to be inseparable from our lama. If we can do the practice well, we can purify even the five limitless actions that have immeasurable negative consequences. Further, we can also think that this empowerment will help to develop our compassion for all living beings. Most masters say that the practice of Akshobhya belongs to the Kriya or Action Tantra. This first level of the tantras also spread in China during the Tang Dynasty though the tradition of practicing it later disappeared.

The practice of Akshobhya is particularly apt for our time of the five degenerations, (of wrong view, afflictions, strife, life span, and the well-being of body and mind), when the afflictions are strong and living beings hard to train. It is also true that all the advances in technology have made it possible to do greater harm with less effort. So, for example, fishermen, butchers, and hunters make an even worse misfortune for themselves than before. We have also depleted our natural environment and diminished the number and variety of the animals who live there. We have razed primal forests and done tremendous harm to our environment. The responsibility that we have for all this damage has become greater as our impact grows.

Then came the mandala and long life offerings with the lines of devotees becoming longer each day. When he continues, the Karmapa speaks of the importance of Akshobhya in many of the Kagyu lineages; the Drugpa, Drikung, and Taklung. For the Kamtsang Kagyu, the sixth Shamar, Chokyi Wangchuk, composed a sadhana, called “The Ornament of Abhirati” and among the many commentaries on this are those by Situ Chokyi Jungne and Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye. This particular empowerment was composed by the tenth Shamar and it is found in many of the Kagyu traditions.

Among the five buddha families, Akshobhya is the Lord of the vajra family according to Atisha and Padma Karpo. The Karma Kagyu has a special connection to vajra family and Akshobhya. The primary practices of many masters in our lineage, such as Guhyasamaja and Hevajra, belong to the vajra family. Further, the Karmapa is said to be an emanation of Akshobhya, and some of the previous Gyalwang Karmapas have stated, “I am an emanation of Akshobhya.” As a symbol of this connection, they wear the crown with a vajra in the front. Actually, the famous Black Crown (or Hat) is not really black but a deep, dark blue to represent the depth of space. Just as space is unchanging, so is the dharmata, (the nature of mind or suchness). This is the deeper meaning of the color of the crown, which is said to bring liberation upon seeing. It is also true that each of the buddha families has a different colored crown and that of Akshobhya is blue.

We are very fortunate that not only can we do the practice of Akshobhya, we can also encounter him. This practice is important for purifying our negative actions, and we can do this by taking on all the misdeeds of all living beings, making them our own, and then confessing them. We are in a special place now and so we must make vast aspirations not just for ourselves but for all living beings. If we just take the empowerment to gain things in this life—good health, long life, money, and children —there’s not much point. We don’t need to practice Dharma for this; we can get them in many other ways.

Generally, when we talk about the secret mantrayana, we say that it is for appropriate disciples, those of the highest faculties who can actually do the practice. There are many levels to understand. If we take the texts literally, there is a great danger. So we have to look at ourselves to see if we are appropriate vessels for the vajrayana or not. However that may be, we are now taking this empowerment so we have to “try.” [spoken in English]. We are in the presence of the greatly meritorious Bodhi Tree. If we need to gather the accumulations and purify afflictions, now is the time.

His Holiness then gives the sections of the empowerment and makes the dedication that the lamas live for a very long time and that the teachings also continue to benefit beings. He further gives a reading transmission for the preliminary practice he composed and also for “The King of Aspiration Prayers.”

■第三座法（下午1:30-3:00） SESSION THREE: PRAYERS FOR THE WELL-BEING OF TIBET

下午1:30，法王 噶瑪巴蒞臨，陞法座。

法王開示：

Long-Life Prayers For H.H. Dalai Lama, H.H. Sakya Trizin and H.H. Trulshik Rinpoche; A Short Speech On Politics And Religion

The Gyalwang Karmapa led today’s third session, devoted to the well-being of Tibet and the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other great masters of Tibetan Buddhism.

（见另文。）

■第四座法（3:30-5:00）

祈愿仪轨二十支

■不動佛修法（晚上7:00-9:00）
EVENING AT TERGAR MONASTERY: AKSHOBHYA PURIFICATION RITUAL

Once more Gyalwang Karmapa met with the 15 retreatants to perform the Akshobhya Purification Ritual for the sixth evening in succession.

During this Monlam, His Holiness has consistently urged people to offer the Akshobhya practice as a powerful means of clearing karmic obscurations at a time of the five degenerations.

在德噶寺頂樓，由法王 噶瑪巴帶領曾參加「不動佛閉關」的僧眾及曾閉三年關者修法，大眾可心意隨喜，但不開放參與。

（迴向後，結束今日法會）