Kagyu Monlam 2023: Arrival & Day 1

December 16, 2023

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, arrived at Gaya airport in the afternoon of the 14th of December 2023, and was given a warm welcome by members of the Kagyu Monlam Organising Committee and a gathering of both monastic and lay practitioners.

Everybody is overjoyed that the Kagyu Monlam is finally taking place in Bodh Gaya again this year, and as Karmapa’s car made its way to Karma Temple, crowds of lamas, monks, nuns, and lay devotees lined the carpeted street, welcoming him with music, incense, flower petals, and offering scarves.
The following day, the 15th of December, was the first day of the Kagyu Monlam.

In the morning, Karmapa formally opened the week-long event by offering the ceremonial lamp in front of the Buddha statue at Mahabodhi Temple, and then took his throne under the shade of the Bodhi Tree and led the prayers, including the “King of Aspiration Prayers”, also known as “Samantabhadra’s Wishing Prayer”.

Thousands of Rinpoches, lamas, monks, nuns, and lay practitioners have gathered in Bodh Gaya again this year to participate in the Kagyu Monlam, the most significant event for Karma Kagyu practitioners around the world. The Monlam is being live streamed here.