It has become my annual requirement, regardless of where I am and what I’m doing, I drop it all in an instant to shutter off to the golden gilded land of Gaya. Where the famous shadows dance and the sweet smoke curls around every nook and cranny beckoning me back once again into its exquisite escape of search and discovery. However Monlam is so much more than prayers, pretty pictures and sitting under some tree. It is a grand celebration of life, compassion and family. Gathered in one place for one time only, once a year, we are all together. It is a beautiful symphony of harmony and devotion. This devotion comes in many sizes, shapes and colors, from many different countries, cultures and histories, but the end result is always the same. A wondrous power that unites us. A symphony that could only be possible through the diversity and uniqueness of each and every one of us. The sheer binding force of the Dharma in this world, it is awesome in its power. And the best is yet to come…
Monlam 2016 is here my friends, let us rejoice! Guru Rinpoche Puja at Karma Gompa is in full swing, led by Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche himself. Karmapa is slated to arrive tomorrow, and for the first time in over twenty years the full Guru Rinpoche Dance will be performed in its entirety, it’s going to be incredible! Gaya is already beyond packed, it’s warm, sticky and full of wild turbocharged energy. The power which is to come has already begun - this will be one for the history books!
