His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa attends the monastics’ midday meal

January 08, 2009, report by Karma Palmo, photos taken by Karma Lekcho, Karma Norbu

Every day after the second session of the Kagyu Sangha Monlam Chenmo, gelongs and gelongmas gather at Tergar Monastery for the midday meal. His Holiness Karmapa has attended on several occasions to examine whether monastic discipline is being adhered to correctly and to check the conduct of Sangha members.

He gave two lengthy talks about eating the midday meal according to the Vinaya and instructed those present in physical deportment and posture while eating. He said that in ancient times when bhiksus and bhiksunis went begging for food they were not permitted to take any for themselves in their own hands, but had to rely on the food offerings placed in the begging bowl. Here at Tergar Monastery, in order to symbolize this, getsuls and getsulmas kneel down and offer the begging bowl with two hands to each gelong and gelongma, who also receive it with two hands. His Holiness said that the soup bowl which is beside the begging bowl in front of each monastic should not be picked up by them, but offered to them in the same way. In order to conform to this, because everyone wants to drink their soup at different times, he ordered long strips of red cloth to be laid along in front of the rows of monastics, and this would serve to symbolize offering the food, so that each monastic could pick up their own soup bowl. Secondly, the food should always be clean, pure and able to be eaten.

His Holiness then went through the food offering prayers and mantras one by one, step by step, and explained their order and meaning. He discussed the tormas which are offered for the midday meal and the ‘chambu’ rice offerings which must be made by squeezing rice in the hand before the meal begins.

He walked around the Shrine Hall and thoroughly checked to see that everyone had made their rice offering in the correct way and was chanting properly. Nobody escaped his gaze as he patrolled each row. At the conclusion of the meal, as the disciplinarian chotrimpa struck the bell to signal replacing the begging bowls on their stands, His Holiness carefully noted that minimal noise was made. Finally, as the Heart Sutra was chanted, he listened to see that the assembly had indeed memorized it, as he had previously instructed.

At the end of the meal, His Holiness called all the Taiwanese cooks and servers and volunteers for other jobs associated with the midday meal into the Shrine Hall and expressed his gratitude for their tireless work and devotion. They joyously called out ‘ Amitofo’!