Tenga Rinpoche Offers Karma Pakshi Initiation
As Poland Marks Lineage’s 900th Anniversary

(August 22, Grabnik, Poland) Karmapa 900 crowned the second Kagyu Monlam in Benchen Karma Kamtsang Centre in Grabnik, Poland, in a festive celebration marking 900 years of the Karmapa lineage. Leading the ceremony was Tenga Rinpoche, appointed by His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa to preside over Poland’s Karmapa 900 celebration. The event commenced with a dignified procession escorting a special statue of the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa marking the inception of the joyful event. The statue had been sculpted with great care by Lama Ang Pasang, responsible for making tormas for the Kagyu Monlam. Polish Dharma friends, who are professionals in art restoration, gilded the statues and worked on other detailing.

Over 400 participants from Poland and other European countries gathered in a procession headed by Tenga Rinpoche. Numerous lamas, monks and nuns from the Benchen Monastery, as well as the lay community, all joined in as well. The statue of the First Karmapa was accompanied by banners of victory, canopies and precious ornaments, which Tenga Rinpoche offered to the center for this and future festive occasions. The procession made its way from the lhakhang to the main altar set up in a tent that had been erected on the center grounds. Once inside the tent, a mandala offering was made.

Tenga Rinpoche thereupon addressed the large gathering, and narrated the life story of Dusum Khyenpa. Rinpoche paid particular attention to the First Karmapa’s vast activities and great achievements, and underscored how unimaginable Karmapa’s qualities are. Rinpoche also acquainted the audience with the First Karmapa’s closest disciples.

The subsequent session opened with The Short Prayer to the Kagyu Lineage (Dorje Chang Thungma), after which Rinpoche led the Dysum Khyenpa Guru Yoga composed by His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa, and published in Polish especially for this occasion. The practice was attended by retreat lamas of Benchen Monastery and other centres in Poland and beyond, as well as by other participants in the ceremony.

On the occasion of the Karmapa 900 ceremony, Tenga Rinpoche bestowed the empowerment of Karma Pakshi, the Second Karmapa. Rinpoche began by recounting the colourful story of the life of Dusum Khyenpa’s second reincarnation, including his dramatic encounters with Kublai Khan.

Thanks to the skilful translation work of Beata Stępień and the generosity of Tomasz Szczygielski of the Marpa Institute in Poland, each participant received a copy of the Karmapa 900 book in Polish.

The various activities in honor of Karmapa 900 anniversary gave the festivities a unique character. The celebration was rich both in elements of practice under the guidance of great masters, as well as in educational value. This inspiring event further increased students’ devotion to the Karmapa and their great yearning for the opportunity to host His Holiness in their center in Poland.