Mar-me Monlam 2009

January 11, 2009, report by  Jo Gibson, photos taken by Karma Lekcho, Karma Norbu, Pema Orser Dorje

For many people, this is their favourite event, of the whole Monlam festival, especially the young monks and nuns, who have sat patiently through hours of prayers and teachings which they may not always thoroughly understand. Mar-me is Tibetan for butter lamp, and, originally, this was the time when thousands of butter lamps were offered. The grease from butter lamps and candles was damaging the stone of the monuments, so these days, for environmental reasons, butter lamps have been replaced by battery-operated lamps.

Gathered for one last time in front of the bodhi tree, everyone waited expectantly for His Holiness to arrive. The arc lamps threw the face of the great Mahabodhi temple spire into sharp relief making it look even more powerful and majestic. Decorative fairy lights blinked against the darkness of the grassy banks. One display still greeted everyone with “Welcome to 26th Kagyu Monlam”.

And now it was time to say goodbye.

Sirens cut through the low susurration of conversation; Gyalwang Karmapa had arrived. He came through the red gate and down the steps to take his place in front of the bodhi tree, at the head of the congregation, alongside H.E.Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and H.E. Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche, and other Rinpoches.

The evening began with the Short Chenresig Puja, All-Pervading Benefit of Beings which has the concluding aspiration:

By this merit may we quickly accomplish Avalokiteshvara
And establish every being without exception in that state.

The Refuge Prayer in Sanskrit and other Sanskrit verses followed.

After that small groups gathered on the steps below the red gate to offer prayers in their own language and musical style. This year a Chinese group came first, then Koreans, Vietnamese, and, lastly, English. The English group sang the prayer “One World, written by His Holiness himself, to a musical accompaniment on guitar and violin.

His Holiness beat a small gong three times. This was the signal for everyone to light their lamps for the Mar-me Monlam. The gelong and gelongma had lotus-shaped lamps; all-in-all there were more than 500 of these. In addition there were 2500 electric candles.

Next came Atisha’s Lamp Prayer. The Gyalwang Karmapa read the first part in Tibetan, Chinese, and English, and everyone repeated the lines after him. The other verses were sung.

May the bowl of this lamp become equal to the outer ring of this world realm of the great Three Thousands. May its stem be the size of the King of Mountains, Mt. Meru. May its oil fill the surrounding oceans. In number, may a hundred million appear before each and every buddha. May its light dispel all the darkness of ignorance from the Peak of Existence to the Incessant Hell and illumine all the Pure Realms of the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions so they are clearly seen.

OM VAJRA ALOKE ĀH HŪṂ

Emaho!
I offer this amazing, wonderful, bright lamp
To the one thousand buddhas of this fortunate aeon
The lamas, yidams, dakinis, dharma protectors,
And gatherings of deities in the mandalas

Of all pure realms of the infinite ten directions.
My parents in the fore, may every sentient being
In this lifetime and all the places they take birth
See the pure realms of the perfect Buddhas directly

And then become inseparable from Amitabha.
Out of the power of the truth of the Three Jewels
And the deities of the Three Roots I’ve made this prayer.
Please grant your blessings that it be quickly accomplished.

TADYATHĀ PAÑCHANDRIYA ĀVA BODHĀNAYE SVĀHĀ