 Excerpts
From:
Karmapa
News June 2002 - July 2002
HH
Karmapa Receives Novice Monastic Vows from HH Dalai Lama
The Kagyu
Office announced that "on the 15th day of the 6th Tibetan
month, His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa received his ordination
as a novice monk (dge tshul sdom pa) from His Holiness the
Dalai Lama, who was assisted at the ceremony by His Eminence
Gyaltsap Rinpoche. This joyous occasion was marked by three
days of celebration at Gyuto Monastery. It is considered particularly
auspicious that His Holiness was able to receive his Getsul
vows from the Dalai Lama. After the Karmapa received his vows,
His Holiness the Dalai Lama conferred novice and final ordination
on some 800 monks from southern India."
It is
typical in the tradition for a young lama to receive his first
vows at his haircutting ceremony, where he is given refuge.
These lay refuge vows (skyabs 'gro'i dge bsnyen) are related
to the upasaka vows of the lay person, wherein one commits
to refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the Three Jewels.
One first enters the monastic path as a novice, where males
practice the path of 253 monastic precepts. According to the
vinaya, one best takes these vows at a mature age, approximately
18 years of age, although some tulkus take vows at an earlier
or later time. After one has followed the precepts of a monastic
for some five or ten years, one may take the final vows of
a monk, or bhikshu (dge slong sdom pa), where males make a
final commitment to observe the 253 precepts of a monastic.
The Getsul
vows are one of "seven vows of Individual Liberation
[from samsara]." Each of the three sets of vows is administered
to both male or female students, making six vows
1. upasaka/ dge bsnyen pha 2. upasika/ dge bsnyen ma
3. sramenera/ dge tshul pha, 4. sramanerika/ dge tshul ma
5. bhikshu/ dge slong pha 6. bhikshuni/dge slong ma.
In addition, there is one additional vow taken by female monastics
(7. shikshamana/dge slob ma) prior to the final ordination,
making seven vows of liberation.
The
Karmapa's Birthday is Celebrated
The birthday
of His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa was observed in Dharamsala
on June 26, 2002. The Kagyu Office reported that the main
guest of honor at the celebration was Kalon Tripa Samdhong
Rinpoche. Also in attendance were Their Eminences Tai Situ
Rinpoche and Gyaltsab Rinpoche. Khenchen Tsultrim Gyamtso
Rinpoche, various other Tibetan ministers, and the members
of the Kagyu Office administration participated as well.
Samdhong
Rinpoche is the recently elected prime minister, or Kalon
Tripa, who heads the Tibetan government in exile. Samdhong
Rinpoche spoke about his role in Tibet's future to Barbara
Crossette of The New York Times. Crossette comments: "Tibetans
know that sooner or later China will try to impose its own
candidate to succeed the Dalai Lama, who is 67, as it did
in imposing its own Panchen Lama, the second most important
figure in Tibetan Buddhism.”
"'His
Holiness is very anxious to institutionalize the continuity
of leadership,' says Samdhong Rinpoche. A Constitution has
been written and a Parliament in exile given greater power.
'The charter provides that when His Holiness does not exist
physically, then there would be a provision for appointing
a council of regents that would look after His Holiness's
temporal responsibility. So, since there is an elected kalon
tripa, there may not be a huge leadership vacuum in the future.'"
The Tribune
(Chandigar) wrote of the birthday celebration: "The spiritual
head of the Kagyu Karma sect of Tibetan Buddhists, who fled
Tibet in 1999, was greeted by his followers at a function
organised in Gyuto Tantric Monastery in Sidhbari, near here.
Today’s function started with puja in which senior lamas
of the sect and other gurus participated. The Karmapa was
felicitated by his followers, senior ministers and religious
gurus from Tibetan community of McLeodganj, Dharamsala, Baijnath
and other places. A large number of foreigners were also present.
Followers of the Karmapa waited to have a ‘darshan’
of their spiritual guru despite a heavy downpour."
The Karmapa
was born on June 26, 1985. According to Western traditions
of our standard calendar (the Gregorian calendar), His Holiness
on June 26, 2002 celebrated his 17th birthday.
Many press
accounts, such as the Tribune's, rely on Tibetan age calculation
traditions, and report His Holiness as being one year older.
According to Tibetan tradition, Tibetans are counted as being
one year old at the time of their birth. Despite these different
ways of counting the total, both traditions recognize that
His Holiness was born on June 26, 1985.
Additional
celebrations were held at Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre in Sikkim
and at Kagyu monasteries throughout the world. The Fourth
Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche was an honored guest at Rumtek Monastery,
and his visit coincided with the birthday celebrations. "His
Eminence arrived on June 24 and was greeted by a large, formal
welcoming party of Rumtek and Karma Shri Nalanda Institute
monks who lined the road to the monastery, playing ritual
instruments and wearing their ceremonial robes."
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