第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，於衛塞節的開示

親愛的法友，

下週一，5 月 16 日，是衛塞節（也稱為佛陀 Jayanti或佛Purnima 的日子），這是一個紀念我們歷史上的釋迦牟尼佛誕生、成道和入滅的佛教節日。

當然，摘自《華嚴經。入法界品》的《普賢行願品》，總結了它的精髓，揭示在我們這個宇宙的每一個粒子之上，都有與宇宙中的原子一樣多的清淨界，而且每一個淨土中，都安住著無量數的佛菩薩。

這不僅僅是一個比喻，它確實描述了事物的實際情況。但是，由於我們人身條件的限制，我們只能以線性的方式一次看到一件事物，因此我們談論的一系列古佛，是一個接一個地出現。

當然，在當今時代，我們有幸稱自己為無數佛之一的佛弟子，他以悉達多太子出世，於菩提迦耶菩提樹下圓滿覺悟，其後成為人所共知的釋迦牟尼佛。

作為佛教徒，我們認為衛塞節是農曆年中最殊勝的日子，我們會盡最大努力以至誠心慶祝它。

我們會嘗試利用這一天來憶念和行持佛陀的教法。

而且我認為善用這一天最實際和最相關的方法之一，就是專注於皈依的修行。我相信你們大多數人一定從你們的上師獲到了皈依戒。

皈依是趣入佛教徒道路的第一步，也是整個菩提道的基礎。皈依佛、法、僧而趣入這條道路，即是個人承諾停止惡行，這是走向解脫和圓滿覺醒、成佛的基石。

因此，我想鼓勵大家在衛塞節淨修皈依，同時念誦普賢行願品。

這是我對所有同修的請求。

除此之外，對於熟悉八關齋戒的你們，和過去曾接受過八關齋戒並理解其解釋的人，我鼓勵你們在衛塞節受持八關齋戒。

一如概往，請不要將我的這個建議誤認為是命令，誤以為有義務遵守的命令。我很清楚你們許多人都有非常繁忙的事務，承擔著無數的責任。

但是，如果你感到有所啟發，並有時間和機會的話，在 24 小時，即是從一個日出到下一個日出的時間，我會鼓勵你全身全意投入這個修持。

我相信它有莫大的好處，因為它讓我們有機會，至少在一年之中的一天，觀察沉默。我在這裡說的不僅僅是嘴巴上的沉默，更重要的是心的沉默。

只需花 24 小時進行練習，就能讓我們的身語意從平時的忙碌中放鬆下來。我並不是暗示我們的社會責任和我們生活中的各種責任是不重要或毫無意義的，完全不是這個意思。這些責任與別人、個人、社區、社會有關，所以它們當然很重要。

只是，如果我們能夠透過這個修行獲得更清晰的視野和更深刻的洞察力，那麼我們的社會責任就會越來越不那麼沉重。

社會責任是人類重要的一部分，但我們可以以最輕鬆、最自然的方式來處理它們，而不會導致焦慮或掛礙。如果我使用太陽及其「職責和責任」來比喻，我想要傳達的訊息會更容易比理解。形像化地說的話，就是每天太陽升起，傍晚落下，它為植物、動物和人類提供溫暖和生命，這是太陽重要的職責。毫無疑問，太陽日復一日地履行這些「職責」，卻從不陷入困境或壓力，也沒有任何掛礙。

我覺得，這就是這個修持的好處之一，它讓我們變得好像太陽一樣，它幫助我們完全沒有障礙、焦慮、牽掛，任運自在地升起和落下、活著和死亡。

當然，如果你不能在衛塞節修持八關齋戒，總有第二天，如果沒有，那就是後天。所以，總會有機會的。

對於那些還不熟悉八關齋戒的人，我建議如果有機會，找一天嘗試一下，是一種很好的體驗。畢竟，每個人都喜歡嘗試新事物，而八關齋戒的練習不需要付出很大勞力，因為它是一個既簡單且平靜而愉快的體驗。

在這背景下，有兩個經常會引起誤解的題目，我想藉此分享一些我的看法。

第一個是，「戒律」一詞及其所傳達的內涵。這個英文單詞，就像它的藏語對應詞 sdom pa 一樣，似乎帶有一種限制、封閉或約束的語氣。我認為這會給我們帶來錯誤的想法。並不是說 sdom pa 這個詞本身有什麼問題，「束縛」或「禁閉」實際意思是關閉我們通往惡行之身語意之門。

儘管如此，對某些概念的理解方式在很大程度上取決於我們當時所處時代的精神、那個年代的心態。因此，對於過去的幾代人來說，聽到「對惡行之門關閉」的說法可能是完全有效的，甚至是鼓舞人心的。這是描述「戒律」的一種清晰而實在的方式。

然而，以現代主義、環境問題和全球化為標誌的當今時代，既有其自身的優勢，但也有其缺陷。一方面，我們比以往任何時候都擁有更多的自由和機會，但另一方面，我們面臨著如此多的選擇、如此多的壓力，以及前所未有的責任和挑戰。我個人認為，當代人類的狀況是，我們沒有任何空間可以聽到問題或挑戰。因此，如果我們聽到「惡行之門關閉」之類的話，我們可能不會感到鼓舞或激勵，作為當今時代的孩子，我們總是喜歡聽到事情美好的一面、積極的一面，甜蜜的一面。

可幸的是，藏語sdom pa 與許多佛法術語一樣，具有廣泛的含義、語調和內涵。因此，我們可以簡單地注意一硬兩面的另一面，並利用另一個可能更適合我們這個時代的文化，「解束」這個解釋可能就更合適我們。畢竟，每當我們關上一扇門時，另外一道門就會打開，由於我們總是喜歡聽到事物積極的一面，所以當我們從打開、解綁的角度理解「戒律」或 sdom pa 時，我們可能會感到更有動力和鼓舞。

這可以幫助我們了解，修行戒律或任何其他佛法的修持，並不是限制我們、禁止我們、束縛我們。其實恰好相反：佛法的一切修行，都是為了解脫、開啟、打開我們的心。

所以誰知道，也許有一天我們會想出一個新的詞語，又或者下一尊佛會創造一個新詞而不是「戒律」，縱使只是暫時的，如果有意義的話，我覺得我們可以將它們不當作「戒律」看待，而是「解束」。

我想簡單的談第二點，是我們經常帶入佛法修行的使命感。

我一直受到《入菩薩行論》啟發，寂天菩薩說他這部作品不是為了他人，而是為了自己的利益。他說這話並不是說他沒有菩提心，他也不只是謙虛。他只是很踏實、沒有誇大其詞。他只是在做他正在做和喜歡做的事情。所以沒有感到負擔，沒有為什麼要寫這部論的使命感。他這樣做不是為了榮耀或名聲，也不是為了拯救世界。

任何一個頭腦清醒的人都會明白，這個世界還在繼續，沒有必要為個人或集體的使命，為救度眾生，為拯救世界而操心。這些只是激勵自己的方法，如果我們發現它們有幫助和能鼓舞人心的話，那麼我們當然可以利用它來專注我們的皈依或八關齋戒的修行。

但我覺得沒有必要揮動大橫額、懸掛巨型海報，也沒有必要用擴音器在屋頂上宣揚「我的修行是在普度眾生或拯救世界」。

對我來說，所有這一切都歸結為製造另一場情緒的混亂。而如果你製造這樣的情緒混亂，如果你承諾和發誓「從這一刻起直到我最後一天，我將致力於拯救世界」，那一刻你可能會感到解放。但實際上，這樣做與這個世界並沒有太大的關係。除了給自己製造不必要的壓力、負擔和焦慮之外，它不會有任何收穫。

相比之下，寂天菩薩只是享受他正在做的事情，就是如此簡單。當你做你喜歡做的事情時，一切都會變得容易；即使你必須拯救世界，它也會變得容易。

中文詞語裡，代表「喜悅」或「高興」的字是「開心」，這個詞語的字面字意思是「打開心扉」。

我認為這就是修持「戒律」的真正目的，解開我們的束縛，幫助我們敞開心扉。

因此，親愛的法友們，這是我在衛塞節這一天對你們所有人的祝願，希望你們能抽出一些時間來修行佛法，找到快樂和打開心扉。

致上祈願
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, gives the following message on the occasion of Vesak, 2022.
Dear Dharma friends,
Next Monday, May 16th, marks the day of Vesak (also known as Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima) – the Buddhist festival that commemorates the birth, the enlightenment and the Parinirvana of our historical Buddha Shakyamuni.
Of course, Samantabhadra’s King of Aspiration Prayers (which is extracted from the Gaṇḍavyūha chapter of the Avataṃsaka Sutra, and sums up its essence) tells us that atop every particle in our world there are as many pure realms as there are atoms in the universe, and that in each of these pure realms reside myriads of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
This is not just an analogy – it describes the way things actually are. However, due to the limitations of our human condition we are only able to witness things one at a time, in a linear manner, and accordingly we talk about a series of historical Buddhas, appearing one after the other.
And of course, in our current era we have the good fortune of being able to call ourselves the disciples of one of these countless Buddhas: the one who started life as Prince Siddharta, attained perfect awakening under the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya, and thereafter became known as Buddha Shakyamuni.
As Buddhists we consider Vesak to be the most sacred day of the lunar year, and we do our best to celebrate it with as much sincerity as possible.
We recall the Buddha’s teaching, and we try to use this day to implement however much of it we are able to.
And I think that one of the most practical and relatable ways of observing this day is by focusing on the practice of refuge. I believe that most of you must have received the Buddhist refuge vows from one of your teachers.
The taking of refuge marks the first step on the Buddhist path, and it’s also the foundation for the whole journey. An individual entering this path by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha promises to give up non-virtuous actions, which is the very basis for journeying towards liberation and perfect awakening, Buddhahood.
So therefore, I would like to encourage all of you to observe the day of Vesak by focusing on the refuge practice, and along with this, please also recite Samantabhadra’s King of Aspiration Prayers.
This is what I would like to ask of all my fellow practitioners.
Besides that, for those of you who are familiar with the practice of Sojong, who have taken the Sojong vows in the past and have received explanations on them, I would encourage you to devote the Vesak day to this practice.
As always, please don’t mistake this suggestion of mine for a command, an order that you are obligated to follow. I’m well aware of the fact that many of you have very busy schedules, with countless obligations and responsibilities.
But should you feel inspired and have the time and opportunity, then – for a period of 24 hours, from one sunrise to the next – I would encourage you to devote yourselves to this practice.
I believe that it has great benefit, because it gives us an opportunity to observe some sort of silence, at least for one day in a year. I am not just talking about verbal silence here, but, more than that, also silence from thoughts.
Dedicating just 24 hours to this practice will allow our body, speech and mind to relax from their usual busyness. I don’t mean to imply that our social duties and the various responsibilities we have in our lives are unimportant or meaningless. Not at all – they are related to people, to individuals, to communities, to society, so of course they are important.
It’s just that if we could gain greater clarity of view and deeper insight through these practices, then our social duties will become less and less heavy and burdensome.
Social duties and responsibilities are part and parcel of being human, but it is possible to go about them in the most relaxed and natural way, without anxiety or hang-ups. Maybe what I’m trying to convey here will be easier to understand if I use the analogy of the sun and its ‘duties and responsibilities’. Figuratively speaking, it’s part and parcel of the sun’s duties to rise every morning, to set every evening, and to give warmth and life to plants, animals and human beings alike. And without fail, the sun goes about fulfilling these ‘duties’ day in, day out, without ever getting stuck or stressed, without any hang-ups.
This, I feel, is one of the benefits of this practice – it allows us to become more like the sun: it helps us to function, to rise and to set, to live and to die, without being stuck, without anxiety, without hang-ups.
And of course, if you can’t practice Sojong on the day of Vesak itself, there’s always the next day, and if not, then the day after that. So, there’ll always be another opportunity.
For those of you who are not yet familiar with the practice of Sojong, I would suggest that it might be a good experience to try it one day, should the occasion arise. Everybody likes to try new things, after all, and the practice of Sojong doesn’t require any great exertion or effort – it’s simple, peaceful, and enjoyable.
In this context, I would like to share a few reflections on two topics that I feel can sometimes be a source of misunderstanding.
The first one is the term ‘vow’ and the connotations it transports. This English word – just like its Tibetan counterpart sdom pa – seems to carry a tone of restriction, of closing or binding; and I think this can give us the wrong idea. Not that there is anything wrong with the term sdom pa itself – what the ‘binding’ or ‘closing’ actually implies is shutting the doors of our body, speech and mind to non-virtues.
Still, the way in which certain notions are perceived is very much dependent on the spirit of the time we live in, the contemporary mentality, and the prevailing trends. Thus, for past generations it may have been perfectly valid and even inspiring to hear about ‘shutting the door to non-virtues’. It’s a clear-cut and down-to-earth way of describing the vows.
However, the present time, which is marked by modernity, environmental issues and globalisation, has its own advantages as well as its own drawbacks. On the one hand we have more freedom and opportunities than ever before, but on the other hand we are faced with so many choices, so much stress, and an unprecedented number of tasks and challenges. It seems to me that the contemporary human condition is such that we don’t have any room to hear about problems or challenges. And so therefore, if we hear about ‘shutting the door to non-virtues’ and so on, we may not feel encouraged or inspired. As children of our current era, we always like to hear about the bright side of things, about their positive aspect, their sweet part.
Fortunately, the Tibetan term sdom pa – like so many Dharma terms – has a wide range of meanings, tones and connotations. And so we can simply focus on the flip side of the coin and tap into another nuance that may be more appropriate for our era, and that could very well be something like ‘unbinding’. After all, whenever we close one door another one opens, and since we always prefer to hear about the positive side of things, we may feel more motivated and inspired when we approach the vows, or sdom pa, from the angle of opening, unbinding.
This can help us gain a sense that the purpose of practising vows, or doing any other Buddhist practice, is not to constrain us, close us, tie us up. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: all the practices of the Buddha Dharma are meant to liberate us, unbind us, open our heart.
So who knows, maybe in time we’ll come up with a new term – or maybe the next Buddha will invent a new word instead of ‘vow’. But just temporarily, if it makes sense, I feel that we might think of them not as ‘vows’ but as ‘unbinders’.
The second point I would like to talk about briefly is the sense of mission we often bring to our Dharma practice.
I have always felt inspired by the beginning of the Bodhicaryāvatāra, where Śāntideva says that he’s not composing this work for the sake of others but for his own benefit. When saying this he doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have bodhicitta; nor is he just being modest. He is just being practical, down to earth, not exaggerating things. He’s simply doing what he’s doing, and he enjoys doing it. So there is no sense of a burden, a mission of why he is composing this text. He’s not doing it for glory or fame, or to save the world.
Any one of us who has a clear mind will understand that the world just goes on, and that there’s no need to worry too much about a personal or a collective mission, about saving all sentient beings, or saving the world. These are just ways to motivate ourselves, and if we find them helpful and inspiring, then of course we can dedicate our practice of refuge or Sojong in that way.
But I feel that there is no need for waving big banners, hanging gigantic posters, or having loudspeakers proclaim from the top of the roof that “I’m dedicating my practice to saving all sentient beings”, or to saving the world.
To me all of this just comes down to creating another commotion. And if you create such a commotion, if you curse and promise and swear that “from this moment onwards until my last day I will devote myself to saving the world”, it may feel liberating at that moment. But actually, the weight of that commotion doesn’t have much relation to the world. It will not achieve anything, besides creating unnecessary stress, burden, and anxiety for yourself.
By contrast, Śāntideva just enjoying what he’s doing is so simple and relatable. When you enjoy doing what you’re doing, everything becomes easy; even if you do have to save the world it becomes easy.
In Chinese, the word for ‘joyful’ or ‘happy’ is kāixīn – which literally means ‘open heart’.
And I think that’s the real purpose of the practice of vows: unbinding us and helping us open our heart.
So therefore, dear Dharma friends, this is what I wish for all of you on this day of Vesak – may you be able to spare some time to use the practice of the Buddha Dharma to find joy and open your heart.
With prayers
Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa
https://www.karmapa.org/karmapas-message-for-vesak-

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑對反思人身的開示

暇滿此身極難得，既得成辦人生利

倘若此生利未辦，往後怎得此圓滿

猶如烏雲暗夜中，剎那閃電明亮顯

如是因佛威神力，世間偶生福與慧

— 寂天菩薩《入菩薩行論》

寂天菩薩的形象總是令人著迷。他第二段用閃電作比喻的偈頌，可以與我們自身經驗聯繫起來。他引用漆黑一片暴風雨之夜的形象，在黑暗中無法找到你的路，甚至無法看見在你眼前的手掌。突然，一道閃電照亮了這個漆黑的夜空，僅僅一瞬間，你就可以清楚地看到周圍的環境，好像白天一樣。

寂天菩薩在這裡用這個比喻來描述我們腦海中在瞬間浮現的美德、功德的念頭，他將它們形容為極其罕有和難以獲得的。為什麼？因為我們的生活中有太多的干擾，那麼多看似重要的事情，日復一日，時時刻刻在發生，隨之而來煩惱情緒也不斷湧現。

由於這種永無休止的煩躁，我們的心幾乎沒有任何一剎那可以讓善念生起。即使有機會瞥見善念，發生的機會只是百萬分之一！但是，如果能排除萬難，讓善念生起的一刻，寂天菩薩告訴我們，這都是由於諸佛願力、慈悲和加持。

所以這就是偈頌明顯的含義，但是今天早上我閱讀和思惟這兩段偈頌時，我心裡想：「如果我們將寂天菩薩的比喻更進一步帶到另一個空間，另一個範籌會怎樣？如果我們把它運用到我們整體人類的存在會怎樣？」

我並不是要暗示寂天菩薩沒有提及人身的珍貴，而事實上，在介紹的偈頌中的一開始就談到了身依難獲的道理，以及好好善用暇滿人身的重要。

儘管如此，我還是想分享一些我對閃電的譬喻與我們的人身怎樣可以聯繫起來，希望它對你們有所啟發。

如果我們將人類的存在與其他時間尺度和維度進行比較，我們不禁會震驚我們的存在是多麼短暫渺小。

讓我們以星系及其壽命為例，它是多麼令人震撼、多麼神奇、多麼浩瀚！

相比之下，即使我們將整體人類歷史作比較，都是多麼微乎其微。那還有什麼必要談論一個人的生命，談論他或她的成就？從宇宙尺度上看，它們根本沒有任何意義。他們沒有任何重要性。它們是如此短暫和微不足道，就好像它們從未發生過一樣。無論他們取得什麼成就，無論是攀登過珠穆朗瑪峰、消除飢荒，還是成為一位普世君主，這些都是沒有任何意義。

從這個角度看，人的一生不過是一瞬間；實際上，甚至不是片刻，甚至都稱不上是一納秒，它是如此短暫，以至我們根本無法稱它曾經發生過。

談完我對人類存在的看法後，讓我們先回到寂天菩薩的閃電譬喻。確實，由於我們的人身條件所限，我們的眼根和眼識能力都是有限制的，所以，我們對閃電的體驗都是非常短暫的。但是，如果我們的眼根作用有所不同，如果我們能夠像一部超級慢動作相機一樣，放慢閃光燈的速度，我們也許可以將這一瞬間分割成數百萬幀，我們可以拍攝那一刻的閃電，並重播成一分鐘甚至一小時（如果我們有所需的超級工具），我們所看到的不是靜態照片而是一個動態的圖像。

因此，我認為我們能獲得人身是非常奢侈且殊勝的事情。而這種奢侈是由於兩個因素：一方面是諸佛的加持，另一方面是我們自己積累的功德。

正是由於這兩個原因，儘管事實上人類的生命只是片刻的短暫，不比一道閃電的時間長，但我們實際上並不認為它是短暫的。我們能夠放慢速度，以慢動作生活，看待它就像可以分成幾個部分：年、月、週、日、小時，我們能夠感覺到我們在生活和呼吸，我們能夠感覺到我們有諸如此類的經歷，各式各樣的體驗。我們理所當然地認為我們將有 80 或 90 歲的平均壽命。

我們經歷漫長而驚險刺激的生命，這簡直就是一個奇蹟。而這個奇蹟正是由於自我累積的功德和諸佛的加持。

而且我認為，如果我們可以經常從以下兩個角度去反思我們寶貴的人身，這是一件很有趣的事情。

一方面它是如此渺小短暫，如此微不足道，以至於我們甚至不能說它真的發生過、出現過。

但是，另一方面，它又是如何令人難忘和奇妙，就算明白到它的微小，但我們卻又可以體驗到它是漫長而刺激的，甚至感覺「比生命更偉大」。

首先，我覺得從這方面作反省很有意思，再者，如果你覺得我們需要有一個理由，解釋為何發生這種情況，那麼你可以根據過去諸菩薩所說的，唯有諸佛加持與自己的功德或努力這雙重原因，才有可能這樣子。

因此，如果你專注並反思這兩點有關人類生命的有趣本質，以及它發生的原因，那麼一旦你能夠用相當的時間細心思維，你就會自然而然地有意樂善用人身精進修行。

而充分利用它的方法是進一步積累功德。你會好奇和去探索：「如果我繼續積累功德，會發生什麼？它將把我引導到何方？」

換句話說，你將有動力提升你的生活素質，你會自然而然地樂於修行，無論是正式和非正式的。修行不一定是在閉關房裡面，而是在你的日常生活中，從舒適的家中或工作場所。

總之，請明白我分享這些看法，並不是要你做任何事情，我不是給你任何功課，所以不要覺得有任何責任。

我給你的唯一課題是，對你的人生懷著好奇心，並親證你的好奇心會把你引向何方。

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following reflections on human life:

“These leisures and endowments, which are so difficult to obtain, have been acquired, and they bring about the welfare of all. If one fails to take this favourable opportunity into consideration, how could this occasion occur again?

Just as lightning illuminates the darkness of a cloudy night for an instant, in the same way, by the power of the Buddhas, occasionally people’s minds are momentarily inclined toward merit.”

– From A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life (Bodhicaryāvatāra) by Śāntideva.

The imagery of Śāntideva is always captivating. His analogy of lightning in the second Śloka is something that we can all relate to from our own experience. He’s evoking the image of a pitch-black, stormy night, so dark that there is no way of finding your path, no way of even seeing your palm in front of your eyes. And then suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminates this dark night, and just for a fraction of a second you can see your surroundings as clearly as if it were bright day.

Śāntideva uses this analogy here to describe the tiny moments of virtuous, meritorious notions that come up in our mind, and he portrays them as being extremely rare and hard to come by. Why? Well, there are so many distractions in our lives; so many seemingly important things, occurring day after day, moment after moment, and, along with them, disturbing emotions constantly arise.

Due to this endless agitation, there is hardly any instant where there is space in our mind for even the tiniest glimpse of a virtuous thought to arise; the chances of such a moment occurring are one in a million! But if, against all odds, such a moment does occur, Śāntideva tells us that this is due to the aspirations, the kindness, and the blessings of the Buddhas.

So this is the obvious meaning here, but when reading and contemplating these two Ślokas this morning I thought, “What if we took Śāntideva’s analogy further, into another dimension, onto another scale? What if we applied it to our entire human existence?”

I don’t mean to imply that Śāntideva doesn’t talk about the preciousness of this human existence – in fact, the first of the two Ślokas in the introduction talks about the unique opportunity such a rebirth represents, and how important it is to make good use of it.

Nevertheless, I would like to share some of my own reflections on how we might relate the image of the flash of lightning to our human life, in the hope that it might be meaningful to some of you.

If we consider our human existence by comparing it to other timescales and dimensions, we can’t help being struck by just how short and temporary it is.

Let’s take the example of a galaxy and its lifespan: how impressive, how amazing, how enormous it is!

By comparison, how insignificant are the lives of human beings, even if we look at all of humanity as a collective? And what need then to even talk about one individual’s life, of his or her achievements? Seen on a cosmic scale they mean nothing at all; there is nothing significant about them. So short and insignificant are they that it’s as if they never even happened. Whatever their achievements – whether they climbed Mount Everest, put an end to hunger, or became a universal monarch – none of them mean anything.

From that perspective, the entire lifespan of a human being is nothing but a fleeting moment; actually, not even a moment, not even a nanosecond – it’s so brief that we can’t even declare it to have occurred at all.

Having talked about that perspective of human existence, let’s go back to Śāntideva’s flash of lightning for a moment: it is true that due to our human condition – the limitations of the capacity of our eye faculty and the state of our consciousness that goes with it – the experience that we have of a flash of lightning is very momentary. But if our eye faculty were somewhat different, if we were able to slow down the flash, like a super slow-motion camera, we might be able to divide up that one split second into millions of frames. We could film that moment of lightning and play it back for a whole minute or even for a whole hour (in case we had the required super-gadgets for it), and still get the sense that what we are seeing is not a still photograph but a moving image.

And this, I feel, is the very luxury that we have with our human lifespan, and this luxury is due to two factors: the blessing of the Buddhas on the one hand, and our accumulation of merit on the other hand.

It is thanks to these two causes that even though in truth this human life lasts only for a moment – no longer than a flash of lightning – we do not actually perceive it as being momentary. We are able to slow it down, live it in slow motion, as it were, divide it into fractions: years, months, weeks, days, hours… We are able to feel that we are living and breathing, we are able to feel that we have this and that experience, this and that adventure. We take it for granted that we will have a certain number of years to live, that we will have an average lifespan of 80 or 90.

We experience our life as long and adventurous, and that’s nothing short of a miracle. And that miracle is due to none other than these two causes of merit and blessing.

And I think that it might be really interesting if, from time to time, we could reflect on these two perspectives of the precious human existence that is ours.

How on the one hand it’s so minute, so momentary, so insignificant that we cannot even say it actually happened, that it really took place.

But how, on the other hand, it’s so impressive and miraculous – especially in view of its minuteness – that we can experience it as long and adventurous, as significant and even ‘larger than life’!

I feel that first of all it’s very interesting to reflect on these aspects, and then furthermore, if you feel that we need a reason for this occurrence, then you can rely on what the Bodhisattvas of the past have said: that such an occurrence is only possible thanks to the double cause of the Buddhas’ blessings and your own merit or effort.

And so, if you focus and reflect on these two points – the interesting nature of this human life, and the causes for its occurrence – then once you have spent enough time reflecting on it, you will be naturally motivated to try and make the most of it.

And the way to make the most of it is by furthering the accumulation of merit. You will become curious and want to explore for yourself: “If I continue to accumulate merit, what will happen? Where will it lead me?”

In other words, you will be motivated to improve the quality of how you live your life. You will be naturally inclined to practice, both formally and informally. Not necessarily in retreat, but in your everyday life, from the comfort of your home or your workplace.

In conclusion, please understand that having shared these reflections, I’m not asking you to do anything; I’m not giving you any homework to do, so don’t feel under any obligation.

If I’m asking anything of you it’s only this: be curious about your human life, and see for yourselves where your curiosity might lead you.

https://www.karmapa.org/some-reflections-on-human-life/ ‎

中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

正值藏曆水虎新年之際，第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，希望你們知道他為大家祈願和祈禱，並與他的學生分享以下新年開示。

生命固然可貴，但無論它是怎麼珍貴，如果我們想抓住它，它就會像水一樣從我們手中溜走。所以，在佛法的滋養下，願我們學會在這無盡的水流中暢游和享受生命，不一定要游得快或游得慢，而是讓生命隨著水漂浮，讓水載著我們，讓我們放下對掌控生命的執著。

過去這些年展示了給我們看到的是，生命是可以很動盪。為了得到答案去解釋為什麼是這樣，使我們試圖與生命之流對抗。所以，願我們帶著慈悲和智慧隨順生命之流而游，不需要為了一個絕對的原因，只是單純享受此生所帶來的一切。

這樣一來，無論生活是多麼洶湧不安，我們都知道並清楚地認識，動盪必然會流走，因為生命不過如水一般。

我有一種感覺，在新一年的到來，我們又一次有機會見證生命的意義。因此，我熱切希望你們花一些時間運用佛法，對生命的意義作祈禱或禪修。

祝願你們在沒有渴望長壽的心理負擔下得長壽。
祝願你們在沒有勉強的微笑下擁有快樂。
祝願你們在不停止仁愛的善行下得到平安。

I wish you longevity without the burden of having to live long.
I wish you happiness without having to force a smile.
I wish you peace without silencing loving activities.

On the occasion of Losar and the dawn of the Year of the Male Water Tiger, Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, wants you to know that his wishes and prayers are there for all of you, and shares the following message for all of his students.

Life is precious indeed, yet no matter how precious it may be, if we try to grasp it, it will slip out of our grasp like water. Therefore, with the support of the Buddha Dharma, may we learn to enjoy life by swimming in this infinite stream – not necessarily by swimming faster or slower, but by letting the water of life float and carry us, so that we can let go of control over life.

These past years have shown us how turbulent life can be. The answer for why this is the case could be that we have tried to fight against the current of life. So, may we try to swim with it, compassionately and wisely, not for an absolute cause but simply for the enjoyment of having been born as a particular pattern of the water in this lifetime.

In this way, no matter how turbulent life gets, we are aware of and somewhat awake to the truth that turbulence must flow away, for life is only like water.

I have a feeling that at the dawn of this new year we get, yet again, a chance to witness what life is all about. Therefore, it is my fervent wish for you to take some time to either pray or meditate on life with the help of the Buddha Dharma.

I wish you longevity without the burden of having to live long.
I wish you happiness without having to force a smile.
I wish you peace without silencing loving activities.

Karmapa’s Losar message 2022

中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

2022年2月25號

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，有關烏克蘭最近局勢消息的分享

親愛的法友

我一直都在密切關注世界新聞，每一次的更新消息都讓我非常擔心和悲慟。我可能跟許多人一樣，認為這次疫情已經足夠讓我們為這個世界擔憂不已，然而在疫情爆發以來的眾多戰爭中，烏克蘭目前的局勢尤其令人擔憂。

作為修行者，我們能做什麼？作為世界公民，我們是否應該試圖阻止這種情況？我們有能力避免它，阻止它嗎？還是我們讓事情順其自然的發展？恐怕這些問題並沒有簡單的答案。

但是，作為與家人和朋友有著聯繫的修行者，無論老少、健康、患病或臨終者，我們可能會覺得有必要為他們堅強，為他們承擔責任。

那麼，這是否等於我們必須否認自己與恐懼的鬥爭，來強迫自己散發力量和勇氣？我認為不一定要這樣。

當然，讓他們的心平靜下來是我們該做的。但這代表我們要接受生命一直在變化，而且永遠都會如此。

從這個意義上說，我們可以不必假裝堅強。通過接受生命是不斷的變化或無常，我們可以讓恐懼消失，就像讓自己呼氣而不用擔心之後是否能夠再次吸氣一樣。這樣做可以為無論是老少、健康、患病或臨終的家人和朋友，帶來力量和勇氣，這些都是他們希望從我們身上感受和尋求到的。

這種對無常的接受態度，顯然可以來自於我們記得的任何一種正式修持。

在絕對層面而言，生命為何不斷變化的問題，是我們無法找到答案的。連諸佛都沒有找到這個問題的答案。因此，如果你覺得自己不知道為什麼會發生這一切，請隨便和自信地說「我不知道」。我們為什麼會知道，或者我為什麼會知道。這個問題就連我自己永遠都不會有答案的。

然而，在世俗的層面上，或者為了達到溝通的目的，諸佛透過「轉法輪」，用佛法提供所有的答案。所以，如果你覺得有人在尋找答案和事實，那麼為了防止誤用因果論來推卸責任，請先研讀《解脫莊嚴寶論》和更多的經典。

我相信世界各國領導人正在盡其所能防止可怕的後果。但我們必須接受他們畢竟是人。這意味著即使他們不想作出選擇，但他們背負著決定和選擇的重擔。「生存還是毁滅」。他們必須作出的所有選擇，都是基於原本既有的繁榮和貧困作條件。當一個人作選擇時，是無法避免的。所以選擇的本質是有利也有弊的。

因為我們被催眠似的在夢中，才有選擇的錯覺。修行佛法就是放下選擇和決定。我們做決定只是為了利益那些仍處於被催眠狀態的人而已。

所有六道眾生都處於這種選擇的催眠下，因此我們更需要持誦諸佛慈悲總持觀世音菩薩的六字大明咒 Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hung。

致上祈禱
泰耶多傑
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴

February 25, 2022
Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message after the recent events in Ukraine.

Dear Dharma friends,

I have been following the world news as closely as I can, and each update has caused me great worry and sadness. I might be one of many who feel that this pandemic is already quite enough worry for the world, and that among the many wars that have raged ever since the outbreak of the pandemic, the current situation in Ukraine is particularly worrisome.

As practitioners, what can we do? Do we, as citizens of the world, try to stop such a situation? Do we have the ability to avert it, prevent it? Or do we let things run their course? There are no simple answers to these questions, I’m afraid.

Nevertheless, as practitioners who are connected to family members and friends – both young and old, healthy, sick or dying – we may feel the need to be strong for them, to take responsibility for them.

So, does that mean we have to force ourselves to exude strength and courage by denying our own struggle against fear? Not necessarily, I feel.

Of course, being there for them to calm their hearts is our practice. But what that means is to accept that life is always changing, and always will be.

In that sense we may not have to pretend to be strong. By accepting that life is ever-changing or impermanent we can let fear flow away, just like letting ourselves exhale without worrying if we might be able to inhale again afterwards. This practice might convey to our families and friends – young and old; healthy, sick or dying – the impression of strength and courage that they wish to experience and seek from us.

This acceptance of impermanence can obviously come from any formal practice that we may have been invested in for as long as we can remember.

In absolute terms, the question of why life is ever-changing is one that we cannot find an answer for. Not even the Buddhas have found the answer to that question. So therefore, if you feel that you don’t know why all this is happening, feel absolutely free and confident to say “I don’t know”. Why would we, or why would I? This self or I will never know.

Yet, on a conventional level, or for the sake of communication, the Dharma that the Buddhas have shared by ‘turning the wheel of Dharma’ provides all the answers. So, if you feel that people are searching for answers and facts, then in order to prevent the misuse of causality by casting blame, start by reading the Jewel Ornament of Liberation and the larger sutras.

I have faith in the leaders of the world that they are doing everything within their power to prevent terrible outcomes. But we have to accept that they are humans after all. And that means that they are burdened by decisions and choices, even if they don’t want to choose. “To be or not to be”. All the choices they have to make are based on an inheritance of both prosperity and poverty. There is no way around that when one chooses, so the very nature of choice is both positive and negative.

And this illusion of choice is what we are hypnotised by. Practicing the Buddha Dharma means letting go of choice and decisions. It means that we only decide for the sake of those who are still under the spell of the hypnotism.

All six realms are under this hypnotism of choice, and therefore there is all the more reason to recite the six syllables of Chenrezig, the compassionate aspect of all the Buddhas: Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hung.

With prayers
Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴分享，關於多竹千仁波切圓寂的訊息

親愛的法友，

寧瑪派最偉大的上師之一，嘉傑多竹千仁波切已經進入涅槃。

他被第五世佐欽土登確吉多傑認証為第四世多竹欽仁波切，並在陞座典禮時命名為土登欽列巴桑波。

當時年僅六歲的他，遇到了阿旺區的大伏藏師欽列卓杜林巴，他傳授仁波切無上灌頂，使他內在的靈性得以覺醒。佐欽仁波切還指示他依止伊可區的大成就者秋英讓珠，告訴他這位上師是他許多世的主要上師。他從這位上師領受了寧瑪派傳承，特別是龍欽寧提的傳承教法，年輕的多珠欽仁波切一直修持這些教法，直到他完全掌握了這些法門為止。

為了弘揚寧瑪派的傳承教法，他向寺廟的資深堪布，以及第五世佐欽仁波切、欽哲確吉羅卓和他那個時代的其他偉大上師尋求指導和領受灌頂。

他還在他的寺院建立了佛學院和禪修中心。然而，由於他本來所在地區受到政治動亂，他在二十歲初前往西藏中部朝聖，從那裡前往印度，並在今天的印度錫金定居。流亡期間，仁波切在錫金建立了他的寺院，並將寧瑪派的傳承弘揚至喜馬拉雅地區及其他地區，教法成千上萬的信徒。在那裡，他主要傳授了仁欽特藏欽摩和寧提傳承，但也傳授了寧瑪派的許多其他教義和傳承。

當有機會再次去回西藏時，他每年都會在他的寺院以及康區的許多其他地方教學，他會在寺院、佛學教育中心和禪修中心教授，並提供財政支持。

簡而言之，多珠欽仁波切的一生已斷除一切世間八法。他就是透過自身精進不懈，成為不為世俗事所污染的生活模範，他的行為符合佛法宗旨和體現佛法精神。我希望他的弟子能以他為榜樣，使上師的願望得以實現。

因此，我從內心深處隨喜嘉傑多竹欽仁波切的偉大榜樣，並祈願他早日正確無誤之轉世。

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares this message following the passing of Do Drubchen Rinpoche.

Dear Dharma friends,

Khyab Je Do Drubchen Rinpoche, one of the greatest masters of the Nyingma School, and its very life-force, has passed into Parinirvana.

He was recognized as the 4th Do Drubchen Rinpoche by the 5th Dzogchen Thubten Chokyi Dorje, and named Thubten Trinley Pal Zangpo at the time of his enthronement.

At the age of just six years old, he met with the great terton, Trinley Drodul Lingpa, of the Awom region, who bestowed the Supreme Empowerment of Insight upon him, and thus that spiritual dimension awakened within him. Dzogchen Rinpoche also instructed him to seek out the mahasiddha Choying Rangdrol of the Yikho region, telling him that this master had been his principal guru in many lifetimes. From this master he received the transmissions of the Nyingma school with specific emphasis on the Nyingtig tradition, and the young Do Drubchen Rinpoche engaged in the practises of these teachings till he had mastered them.

For the sake of spreading the Nyingma tradition far and wide, he sought instructions and empowerments from the senior Khenpos of his monastery, as well as from the 5th Dzogchen Rinpoche, Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, and other great masters of his time.

He also established both an institute for Buddhist education and a retreat centre for meditation at his monastery. However, because of political unrest in his region, he went on a pilgrimage to the central parts of Tibet in his early twenties, and from there he travelled to India where he settled in today’s Indian state of Sikkim. There he established his monastery in exile and spread the Nyingma tradition to many thousands of devotees throughout the Himalayan region and beyond. There he principally gave the transmissions of Rinchen Terdzo Chenmo and the Nyingtig tradition, but also many other teachings and transmissions of the Nyingma school.

When it became possible to travel to Tibet again, he did so on a yearly basis to teach at his monastery there as well as in many other parts of the Kham region, where he both taught and provided financial support for monastic institutions, Buddhist educational institutions, and retreat centres for meditation.

In brief, throughout his life Do Drubchen Rinpoche had severed all ties with the Eight Worldly Dharmas. His life-example is one of pure endeavour not tainted by the affairs of the world, of deeds which accord with the Buddha Dharma, and I request his disciples to follow his example so that the guru’s intentions may be fulfilled.

Thus, I, from the depths of my heart, rejoice in the great life-example of Khyab Je Do Drubchen Rinpoche and pray that his unmistaken reincarnation may manifest soon.

Thaye Dorje
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa
https://www.karmapa.org/do-drubchen-rinpoches-passing/

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

妙境佛學會同人,祝各位新年快樂.身體健康!

寧波車大年初一給各位以下的祝福語 :-

我在此祝我們所有法友新春吉祥如意。新的一年標誌著另一個旅程的開始。願我們所有人在菩提道上都能懷著理解、包容和勤修精進之心，長養無上菩提。祈願我們能以逆境為師，歷練為增長智慧之道，扎西德勒！

Rimpoche wrote this :
I hereby wish all our Dharma Friends a very warm Tashi Delek on this Lunar New Year Day.
It marks the beginning of another journey . May all of us embark on this journey with understanding, acceptance, and being diligent to develop our Boddhichitta mind. May obstacles be the teacher and may experience makes us wiser. Tashi Delek! 🙏

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑分享以下關於一行禪師圓寂的訊息

親愛的法友，

一位我們這個時代最受尊敬的佛學大師，一行禪師已經離開了他的肉身。

我想向他在越南和世界各地的所有學生表示哀悼，但同時我也想鼓勵我們所有人，隨喜他無盡的佛行事業和他歷久不衰的傳奇。

他這生的逝世並不代表他已經離開了我們。正如他自己所說的，「只是因為我們的誤解，我們才認為我們所愛的人，去世後不再存在。這是因為我們執著於這個人眾多顯現中的某種形相，我們所愛的人還在這裡。他就在我們身邊，在我們的心裡，對著我們微笑。」

我們噶瑪噶舉的傳承與一行禪師有著非常特殊的精神聯繫，正是因為他的仁慈，我們Dhagpo Kundrol Ling 寺廟的比丘尼，於1994 年在梅村能接受完整的比丘尼出家戒（藏語為Gelongma）。由於戒律是一切功德與智慧的基礎，所以對一個佛法傳承來說，沒有比這個更大的禮物。

至於對世界的貢獻，我覺得他主要的貢獻就是真正的無國界靈性修行。曾經是、現在也是。這種無國界的靈性修行既不是一種聲音，也不是將各種宗教和精神傳統混合在一起，而失去各自的獨特性。
相反，沒有使別人有難受的感覺下，他展示和反映了別人信仰的本質，在他們的獨特性和與別人的差異中，都能被尊重、理解和接受。正是這種互相尊重、互相接納的共融關係，讓大家意識到最終我們都是一樣的。

這樣，苦惱就會平靜下來，然後讓大家看到「真相」，無論我們是怎樣稱呼這個「真相」。

這種行持被佛教徒視為佛法。
菩薩為了平息眾生的煩惱，沒有不去接觸和學習的東西，例如五明之學和任何社會工具甚至是政治之學。

這就是大師一行禪師所做的。其餘的就取決於我們自己。

泰耶多傑
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message about the passing of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Dear Dharma friends,

One of the most revered Buddhist masters of our time, Thích Nhất Hạnh, has left his body.
I would like to express my condolences to all of his students both in Vietnam and around the world, but at the same time I would also like to encourage all of us to rejoice in his boundless activity and his timeless legacy.

His passing from this life does not mean that he is gone. As he himself put it, “It is only because of our misunderstanding that we think the person we love no longer exists after they ‘pass away’. This is because we are attached to one of the forms, one of the many manifestations of that person… The person we love is still there. He is around us, within us and smiling at us.”

Our Karma Kagyu lineage had a very special spiritual bond with Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, for it is due to his kindness that our nuns from Dhagpo Kundrol Ling were able to receive the full monastic ordination of the Bhikshuni (Gelongma in Tibetan) Vows at Plum Village in 1994.
Since the practice of Vinaya is the ground for all merit and wisdom, there is no greater gift than that to the lineage of Buddha Dharma.

As for the world, I feel that his main contribution to the world was – and is – the genuine practice of spirituality without borders and boundaries.
This boundary-less spirituality was not mere voices, nor did it mean mixing together various religions and spiritual traditions so that the uniqueness of each would be lost.
Rather, without causing any affliction to others, he tried to reveal and mirror the nature of every belief that others held, so they would feel respected, understood and accepted in their uniqueness and their differences. And it was this very respect and acceptance, this ‘letting be’, that allowed others to come to the understanding that in the end we are the same.

In this way, the afflictions will become quiet and settle down, which then allows everyone to see the ‘truth’, or whatever we may call it.

Such activity is recognised by Buddhists as Buddha Dharma.
There is nothing that Bodhisattvas will not engage with and learn in order to quieten others’ afflictions, such as the Five Sciences and any social tools, even politics.

This is what Master Thích Nhất Hạnh did. The rest is up to us.

Thaye Dorje
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022). Photo by Dana Gluckstein.
https://www.karmapa.org/thich-nh

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑，於2021 年噶舉祈願法會圓滿結束後，分享以下訊息

親愛的法友

2021 年噶舉祈願法會圓滿結束後，我懷著喜悅和感激的心情寫這訊息給你們。噶舉祈願法會自 1994 年起，由已故第 十四 世昆津夏瑪仁波切於我們這時代發起以來，今年已是第十九屆。

藉由諸佛菩薩的無量加持，以及我們尊貴的僧伽、仁波切、喇嘛、比丘、比丘尼、在家居士和義工們的奉獻和熱忱，我們再次能夠在我們東、西方各個寺院和佛學院中安全地舉辦祈願法會。

我感謝所有協助過隆德寺線上直播的所有人士，因而能讓世界各地的學生參與這個利益有情的無盡祈願、祈請和奉獻的法會。

我要感謝以下人士：

Khenpo Lekshey
Chocho
Stephan Grallert
Daniel Lin
Knut Jelden
Tokpa Korlo
Bart Mendel
Magda Jungowska
Paul Partington
眾多技術人員、義工團隊、攝影師以及其他幕後工作人員

今年的噶舉祈願法會由Thaye Dorje Foundation (TDF), South Asia Buddhist Association (SABA), Karmapa Charitable Trust (KCT) and Timeless Charity Foundation Limited (TCF)合力贊助舉辦。

最重要的是，我衷心感激來自世界各地的你們、親愛的法友和修行者，感謝你們的參與和不斷的修持。

希望再次收聽和觀看祈願法會的人士，可以在以下的流媒體頁面重溫祈願法會。

我希望以下照片可以帶給大家2021噶舉祈願法會一些印象，就如它們之前也在世界各地分享過一樣。
https://www.karmapa.org/kagyu-monlam-2021-impressions-photos

致上祈禱
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares this message after the 2021 Kagyu Monlam.

Dear Dharma friends,
It is with joy and appreciation that I write to you, following the successful completion of the 2021 Kagyu Monlam, the 19th such gathering since its initiation in our time by His Holiness the late 14th Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche in 1994.

Due to the boundless blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and the dedication and enthusiasm of our venerable Sanghas, Rinpoches, lamas, monks, nuns, lay practitioners and volunteers, we were once again able to safely host numerous Monlams at our various monasteries and institutes both in the East and the West.

My gratitude goes to all the individuals who made it possible to provide live streaming directly from Rumtek, due to which all the students around the world were able to join in these limitless aspirations, prayers and dedications for the benefit of all sentient beings.
I would like to thank the following individuals:
Khenpo Lekshey
Chocho
Stephan Grallert
Daniel Lin
Knut Jelden
Tokpa Korlo
Bart Mendel
Magda Jungowska
Paul Partington
The many technicians, volunteers, photographers and others working in the background.

This year’s Kagyu Monlam was organized and sponsored by the Thaye Dorje Foundation (TDF), South Asia Buddhist Association (SABA), Karmapa Charitable Trust (KCT) and Timeless Charity Foundation Limited (TCF).

Most importantly, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to all of you, dear Dharma friends and practitioners all over the world, for your participation and your continued practice.

All those who wish to listen to and watch the Monlam prayers again can do so on the streaming page.

I hope that the following photos will give a small impression of the Kagyu Monlam 2021, as it was experienced around the world.

With prayers

Thaye Dorje,
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

Kagyu Monlam 2021 impressions (photos)

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）

6 August 2021

第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑分享有關天然災害的訊息

親愛的法友

在過去的幾個星期和幾個月裡，我們目睹了一連串的自然災害，而且更多的自然災害幾乎每天都在發生，它們提醒我們大自然的力量可以瞬間改變我們的生活。

數百人在最近的洪水、野火、颱風、旋風和颶風中喪生，還有數千人失去了家園、財產和生計。

除了面對全球疫情所帶來的挑戰之外，當這樣的悲劇發生時，我們自然會感到沉重和困惑，並問自己為什麼這樣的災難會不斷發生。面對我們目睹的所有苦難，我們會感到無助。

有這種無助和困惑的感覺是完全正常的，但我認為作為佛法修行者，更重要的是要提醒自己，像生死一樣，自然災害是我們無法掌控和控制的現象。

儘管如此，我們可以透過它們來提醒生活中的一切都是無常的，從而向它們學習。

此外，我們並非完全無助，因為即使我們可能不認識受害者，我們仍然可以通過專注思維，同為人類共有的相似之處，而與他們建立連結。

我們可以提醒自己，像我們一樣，他們過去和現在都渴望和平與幸福，跟我們一樣，他們曾經擁有和現在擁有著希望和夢想。

我們可以為他們祈求，希望他們能找到一直嚮往的和平與幸福。

我們可以許下願望，希望他們的夢想會透過我們的祈願所實現。

我鼓勵我所有的學生和我一起發這樣的願望，通過這樣做，我們可以將這些充滿挑戰性的環境轉化為有意義的事情。

致上祈禱
第十七世大寶法王嘉華噶瑪巴泰耶多傑

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message about natural disasters:

Dear Dharma friends,

Over the past few weeks and months, we have witnessed a host of natural disasters, and many more continue to unfold on an almost daily basis, reminding us of the power of nature to transform our lives at a moment’s notice.

Hundreds of people have lost their lives in the recent floods, wildfires, typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes, and thousands more have lost their homes, their possessions and their livelihoods.

When such tragedies occur, on top of all the challenges brought about by the global pandemic, it’s natural for us to feel weighed down and confused, and to ask ourselves why such disasters keep occurring. We experience a sense of powerlessness in the face of all the suffering we are witnessing.

While such feelings of helplessness and bewilderment are completely normal, I feel that as practitioners of the Buddha Dharma it’s important to remind ourselves that – just like birth and death – natural disasters are phenomena that we have no control or power over.

Nevertheless, we can learn from them by using them as reminders of how everything in life is impermanent.

Moreover, we are not completely helpless, because even though we may not have known the victims, we can nevertheless connect with them by focusing on the similarities we all share as human beings.

We can remind ourselves that – just like us – they were and are aspiring to peace and happiness, that just like us they had and have their hopes and dreams.

We can aspire for them to find the peace and happiness they were always yearning for.

We can make the wish that their dreams will be realised by us through our aspirations.

I encourage all my students to join me in such aspirations, and by doing so, we can transform these challenging circumstances into something meaningful.

With prayers,

Thaye Dorje
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

Karmapa on practice in the face of natural disasters

(中文翻譯由本中心翻譯小組負責。若有錯漏，請見諒。節錄或載列文章內容以原文為準。）