Tergar Monastery Shrine Hall Veranda,
Bodhgaya,
10 February 2025
Each year, according to the wishes of the Gyalwang Karmapa, the Akshobhya puja is performed, culminating in a fire ritual which laypeople can watch, held in front of Tergar shrine hall. The participants of the puja itself are restricted to those who have both received the empowerment and completed the Akshobhya retreat. There are preparatory sessions, when the participants recite the Akhshobhya sadhana together, the Akhshobhya Sutras are read in the Monlam on the afternoon before the puja, and then the participants meet once more to offer the full ritual with a jangchok on the veranda in front of Tergar Monastery.
During the Monlam, people can make small offerings and write down the names of those who have died or the names of others who are still living but are confronting various kinds of difficulty in their lives. The chits are collected together and burnt at the conclusion of the ritual. There are two special bonfires—one for the deceased and one for the living.
The Akshobhya puja is seen as a powerful purifying and pacifying ritual. It can purify all karmic obscurations and habitual tendencies, hasten the liberation from the bardo of those who have died, cleanse transgressions, and lead to a good rebirth and eventual awakening.
This year’s ritual was performed by Kyabje Adzin Rinpoche, assisted by Tulku Rinchung. A special significance was allotted to the Gyalwang Karmapa’s father, Karma Dundrub, who passed away in 2024. His photo was kept to the right of the shrine where Adzin Rinpoche made the offerings to Akhshobhya.
