Kagyu Monlam 2021 announcement

October 31, 2021

The Private Office of Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message regarding the Kagyu Monlam 2021.

Dear Dharma friends,

We would like to inform all of you that following the advice and wishes of Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, our annual Kagyu Monlam prayer, scheduled to take place in December in Bodhgaya, has once again been postponed.

While the situation around the pandemic has eased up to some extent, both in India and around the world, the crisis is far from over. Therefore, it would still not be advisable to organise an international gathering with a large number of practitioners from around the world.

Karmapa’s main concern is for the health of the venerable Sanghas and lay practitioners. Since their well-being is of utmost importance to him, he has decided that instead of assembling the venerable Sanghas, lay practitioners and devotees at Bodhgaya, the Monlam prayers will again be conducted in the safe environments of the various monasteries in India and Nepal, just like last year.

Also like last year, there will again be an audio live-stream from Rumtek, East Sikkim, of the Kagyu Monlam conducted by the Sangha Dhuche of His Holiness Karmapa, for all devotees to join in.
The dates for this year’s Monlam will be a week earlier than in previous years, from 8 to 14 December, 2021.

Karmapa hopes that many of you will be able to join this most auspicious event, albeit from a distance; and he prays that the pandemic will finally abate enough in 2022 for all of us to be able to meet once again in person and practice the Buddha Dharma together.

Further details regarding the schedule will be published soon.

Below is the announcement in Tibetan, Chinese, and English: