“One who makes the lamp offering accumulates immeasurable and boundless blessings.”–Pradīpadānīya Sūtra (Sutra of the Merit of Offering Light)
“So what is the key to lighting a lamp? It is a pure mind, which is very important. The depth of the merit of lighting a lamp depends on our mental attitude when lighting the lamp, and is closely related to our motivation.”–17th Karmapa (29 June 2025)
“He is the empty room, a lullaby woven in presence, his music blends into mine, tuning my heartstrings, multiplying the sound of us.” –poetry offering
Yesterday, the 29th June was the final day of the three-day 17th Kagyu Monlam Taiwan, which I had the great fortune and merit to attend in person. Presided over by HE 2nd Bokar Rinpoche and his spiritual friend, Khenpo Donyo Lodro Rinpoche, it was held in Taipei, Taiwan in a small conference venue. I will write more about the Monlam itself, some of the “Dharma drama” and again “excessive and inappropriate photography” [1] experiences as an incognito, lone foreign female (and only “western” attendee (ha ha ha)) in the next post. And also, more importantly the stunning and profound “musical” Avalokiteshvara empowerment given by the young Bokar Rinpoche tulku!
I had been planning to publish my report of the Bokar Rinpoche empowerment but today, I felt compelled and out of respect for the “guru”, and for the benefit of those who follow the supreme head of the Karma Kagyu, 17th Karmapa avidly, to write and publish this report of the final day and an English translation and summary of the 17th Karmapa’s impromptu live online speech that he gave just before the lighting of the lamp offerings. As well as a remarkable sounds of inner Tibet “song of experience” during the previous chanting session that day and the subtle appearance of the letters Tibet (བོད། ) on the golden statue during the Light Offering. The inner “music of Tibet” deep, ancient haunting spontaneous sounds of an open central channel and dakinis singing and laughing. Like being a solitary meditator in the mountainous, remote yogi caves. Moving, blissful and beautiful and tragically heartbreaking too.
Music? Bit cheesy and child-like vibes of At Last I See the Light from Tangled, You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone, and a bit more mature, All of Me by John Legend.
Written and compiled by Adele Tomlin, 30th June 2025.
Stunning artworks and design, Buddha Shakyamuni statue Bodhi tree backdrop and ancient yogi/dakini sounds of Tibet
The Kagyu Monlam stage had the most exquisitely beautiful and realistic artwork backdrop of the Buddha Shakyamuni statue in the main Bodh Gaya temple, sitting beneath the Bodhi tree in a forest. I could have gazed at it for hours. I do not know who created it, but it was magnificent and “set the stage” perfectly.
As those who read my work will know, In February-March 2025, I had spent two months at the previous Kagyu Monlam in Bodh Gaya practising daily at the Bodhi tree main temple, and saw and made offerings and aspirations at that statue many times. I also met the young Bokar Rinpoche for the first time briefly in person under that Bodhi tree, when I ” bumped” into him there doing kora and taking photos. So it took me back in time in a magical way, with Bokar Rinpoche now sitting up on stage next to it.
The posters and artwork in general for the event were excellent and I wondered who had done them. Such as this one at the event venue itself:
And the poster artwork for the event:
The 17th Karmapa’s live online speech and attendance of his sister
Before the Monlam speech of the Karmapa (also a surprise to everyone), there was an aspiration session, and during the chanting (which this time thankfully were shown on big screens for everyone to read in Tibetan and Chinese only), I noticed the central channel opening again and sounds arising that seemed from “another world”. I was chanting spontaneously and Tibetan monks sitting behind and next to me even turned around and told me how “nyenpo” it was, which means beautiful melody. I told them it was not me, it was the melodic sound of the central channel/dakinis, to which they smiled and laughed. Either they understood, or thought I was “crazy” ha ha ha.
In any case, in the final session of the day, before the 17th Karmapa’s speech, it went deeper and more emotional and like time-travelling back to “another world” of memories, karma and wisdom. A world of ancient Tibetan yogis in remote caves and dakini voices, moans of devotion and longing. The more it went into the depths of the heart and the channel, the more the incredible melodious sounds arose. I felt like weeping tears of joy and awe and continued to chant. The word Tibet (bod) resonated in particular, as I chanted Bod, something really deep shook the heart and wisdom arose that this was the sounds of Tibet, the sounds of the yogis, the horns, the “real” traditions that made Tibetan Buddhist heritage so profound and precious. Tears naturally started flowing from my eyes and then the Tibetan script Bod subtly appeared on the main stage on the Shakyamuni Buddha image itself at the heart centre. It was mesmerising indeed and words cannot do the experience or feeling justice. I try to write about it here, to share some of the blessings and merit with people, but like photos, they cannot ever replicate the actual mental (or even physical) experience of something that sacred and profound. Needless to say, it is one that will remain imprinted on my mindstream for a long time, and I am very grateful for that and for the Buddha’s blessings.
Before the 17th Karmapa’s surprise speech on the final day, I briefly saw someone who looked like his sister outside the main hall briefly and instantly wondered then even if the Karmapa himself might make a surprise “in person” appearance. Frankly, it was a nice gesture for her to “grace the event” with her presence, but frankly, after her meeting with a renowned abuser of women, as well as years of an ongoing absence of in person appearances by the Karmapa himself, it was a rather bitter-sweet moment (for me at least).
I did not get my hopes about the Karmapa arriving in person though, as I had been greatly disappointed by such expectations many times before. And how right I was to do that, there was no such appearance, but the Karmapa’s live online speech was nonetheless a heart-warming and emotional surprise to be present for, that had not been announced on the schedule.
The location of the Karmapa was undisclosed, but the room he gave the speech in and his demeanour suggested somewhere “hot and humid”, which could be Taiwan, but also could be anywhere these days during the Summer months, with climate change due to most people (including Buddhists) continually eating slaughtered animals! (sigh). Intuitively I felt he was in the building, but perhaps that was just his mental energy, which of course is very powerful indeed. The speech was in Chinese only (with no translation), so did not understand a word of it, but I entered into the inseparable union, laughed at the jokes and at one point my heart burst open and tears of sadness, pain, grief, trauma and so on poured out like a”cry of grief”. It was an emotional time indeed, but where there is great emotion there is wisdom too, as they say!
Anyway, personal observations aside, my summary below of the 17th Karmapa’s speech, in which he emphasised the importance of the wisdom in the heart within and having vast and noble aspirations. Also, that offerings are not just about “material” objects or wealth. Quoting a story from the Pradīpadānīya Sūtra (Sutra of the Merit of Offering Light) in sacred places and to Buddhist sacred objects, the Karmapa also shared how one can make one’s own body a light offering.
The Buddha statue image “comes to life”
The Karmapa’s speech, which I did not understand a word of at the time (still have not done that immersion class!), but later found out emphasised the importance of awakening the inner heart wisdom within and the tradition of offering lamps, and even one’s body as a lamp. He also mentioned the Buddha Shakyamuni backdrop and asked whether “it was real or not?” and that the Buddha was everywhere.
So, then the Light Offering was held. Although one of the organisers whom I did not know well at all, kindly arranged a seat for me near the back, I felt compelled to move and managed to grab a seat sitting cross-legged on the floor at the back, to see the brief but also beautiful song and dance performance by a nun, and a layman (in Chinese), see video I took here. The Buddha Statue backdrop was then directly right in front of me unobscured like a mirror. There were again lots of photographers walking up and down constantly including a kind Tibetan Buddhist nun, who took several photos of my hadn holding the light offering and stood next to me taking photos the whole time too. It was distracting and felt excessive. In any case, we all started chanting the Monlam, and as I gazed at the Buddha image (without knowing what the Karmapa had just said about it), it started to shimmer and seemed to be speaking. I felt it merge into me and was transfixed by it.
Even after the chanting, when people were on stage doing the thank yous, it felt as if I could not really see or hear anything else but the Buddha. Who clearly said, several times, “I saw you at the Bodhi Tree, sister, I see what you are doing, your merit and devotion does not go unobserved.” It then lovingly gazed on myself and everyone there, many of whom were still busy chatting or taking photos or rushing around, with a warm embrace of compassionate, loving golden light, encompassing all equally. Tears again started spontaneously pouring from my eyes. Again, something that cannot really be verbally expressed, but which is nonetheless worthy of sharing with others I think to share the blessings.
Summary and part-transcript of the 17th Karmapa’s speech in Chinese (final day of the Marme Monlam)
“Greetings to the Venerable Bokar Rinpoche, Khenchen Lodro Donyo Rinpoche and all the monks and masters, and Taiwanese Dharma friends, Hello! Today, the organizer told me that tonight is a lamp-lighting monlam prayer ceremony, and asked me to say a few words.
First, let me briefly introduce that the Kagyu Monlam ceremony began in Bodh Gaya, India in the 1980s. The 1st Kalu Rinpoche held a small prayer ceremony, and then the previous Venerable Bokar Rinpoche continued the tradition. So it later became the Karma Kagyu Sangha’s large prayer ceremony.”
The 17th Karmapa said that after he came to India in 2000, he gradually had the opportunity to participate in the prayer ceremony, and later he officially joined the work. Explaining that today, they can mainly hold prayer ceremonies all over the world, not only in India, but also all over the world, all because of the kindness of the previous Kalu Rinpoche and the previous Bokar Rinpoche.
The 17th Karmapa said that every time they held a prayer ceremony, he would feel very grateful to the two lineage masters. And even though the current tradition of the prayer ceremony started from the 1980s, but in fact, in the Kagyu tradition, there may have been a prayer ceremony tradition five or six hundred years ago. So, the tradition is also ancient.
The 17th Karmapa then introduced a little bit of the history of the prayer ceremony. Today, the prayer ceremony for lighting lamps was held and called the Marme Monlam. When lighting lamps, most of our Dharma friends may have heard of a sutra called the Sutra of the Merits of Giving Lamps, the full name: The Sutra of the Merits of Giving Lamps Spoken by the Buddha, which is considered an important classic in Chinese Buddhism.
“The Buddhist scriptures state that if you offer lamps or donate lamps in front of Buddha statues and pagodas, you will gain a lot of merit. The core of offering lamps is to eliminate the great darkness and gain great wisdom. Therefore, it can be said that offering lamps symbolizes a kind of wisdom, which can break the darkness of ignorance. If we offer lamps, we will get a kind of beautiful and solemn physical appearance in the future. Therefore, this part is also discussed in another Buddhist scripture. This scripture is in Tibetan and has not yet been translated into Chinese.
In the Tibetan version, it says the King once met the ancient Buddha Dipamkara. He saw that Dipamkara Buddha was particularly beautiful and solemn, and his body was glowing. He felt it was particularly incredible, so he asked Dipamkara Buddha, “How did you cultivate good roots in your past life to have a beautiful and solemn appearance now? Your body radiates infinite light?” Dipamkara Buddha told the king that when he was an ordinary person in the past, he had made a wish to all the Buddhas in the ten directions. At that time, he filled his body with thousands of wicks and lit lamps with his flesh. After lighting the lamps, he offered his flesh to all the Buddhas and servants in the ten directions and three times. Because of such offerings in the past life, he became the Buddha Dipamkara, and his body shone with great light.
Of course, if a beginner hears this example, it may be a bit unbearable. Most people cannot accept that their own body is made into a lamp. This is just a metaphor. In the past, in Tibet, there are also records of offering the body or other body parts to make lamps. Of course, this is a more extreme example. Such a mind is not only to light a lamp, but also to have such a great wish and aspiration, which is even more important.
So what is the key to lighting a lamp? It is a pure mind, which is very important. The depth of the merit of lighting a lamp depends on our mental attitude when lighting the lamp, and is closely related to our motivation. If we make offerings with a pure mind and respect, and with the mental attitude of seeking enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, it will be very special. If we are arrogant and suspicious, or only seek blessings in the human and heavenly realms, then we will also have some merit when we light a lamp, but it will not be so special.”
The 17th Karmapa reminded everyone that not only lighting lamps, but also when doing every good deeds, our motivation is very important. What goals we have and what intentions we have are very important. Some people will try to offer a lot of money or work very hard, but many people do not work hard or cannot offer a lot of money or ability. These are not the most important things. The most important thing is not that the more you offer, the greater the merit. It is not like that. Even if you have nothing to offer, and can only offer a lamp, but your motivation is pure, the merit will be great, rather than just looking at the superficial numbers, there is no way to determine that this merit must be great. The most important thing is the motivation. If you have the right motivation, lighting a lamp will be very meaningful.
For example, in the darkness, a lamp will light up, no matter how dark it is, it can be illuminated. In the same way, I think the meaning is wisdom. In everyone’s heart, light a lamp of wisdom. Otherwise, if the heart is dark and shrouded by ignorance and troubles, it is difficult to see the truth. In the deepest sense, you can’t see the real truth.
The Karmapa said that everyone should have wisdom in their hearts, not ordinary worldly knowledge. We will absorb a lot of knowledge in class, but we must also understand the principles. Buddhist wisdom is not only knowledge, but may be more internal, especially for the Mahamudra or Dzogchen lineage, which is inherent. We all have this wisdom, but it is just a bit dormant now. We need to wake it up or let wisdom emerge. Therefore, wisdom is not only external or pursued externally, but also more an understanding of things.
The 17th Karmapa then explained that he had nothing more to say and that everyone should light and offer the lamps next. That they should try and have a pure heart and respect. In front of so many great virtues, there is such a solemn Buddha statue of the Buddha. The Karmapa asked: “ is it a photo or real?” As long as you have faith, the Buddha exists everywhere, so I think, with this respectful and pure heart, please make a great wish for world peace and the precious island of Taiwan.”
The Karmapa also again emphasised that worldly wishes, such as having many children and grandchildren and making a lot of money, might also seem important, but as a Mahayana practitioner, one needs to make great aspirations. It is okay to make small aspirations at ordinary times, but if you go to a sacred place, or for example, if you meet a great and good teacher today, you may need to make a larger and longer-term aspiration for all sentient beings. Even if you cannot save all sentient beings, you should make great aspirations for the earth or the country where you live. This is very important.”
Poetry Offering: Intermezzo
After I wrote this article today, a poem suddenly appeared on my FB feed here that seemed to encapsulate well what I tried to express here about the music of the inner spheres/heart and the Karmapa/Buddha’s enduring presence in it. I re-publish it here for you to enjoy too:
a melody strung through their veins,
a rhythm that pulses and fades,
growing,
echoing beyond the self.
their music hums in the air,
sometimes aligning,
sometimes drowning mine,
too much noise,
too much insistence,
until I retreat.
swelling with grand crescendos,
but within the empty room,
the sound crashes,
only my voice remains,
rising in solitude.
a slow adagio,
soft and unspoken,
where freedom hums
without demand.
lost in warm tones,
like swaying with love,
graceful even in aloneness,
the dance more real than the air.
my heart’s quiet percussion,
the beat of my own soul,
a rhythm only I hold.
The interlude, the pause,
the place between acts,
where choir hymns rise
without leading me astray.
a lullaby woven in presence,
his music blends into mine,
tuning my heartstrings,
multiplying the sound of us.
Endnotes
[1] Unfortunately, unlike the 17th Karmapa birthday event presided over by HE 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche at a different venue, there were major seating and capacity issues at the small youth conference centre that was used for the Kagyu Monlam event. Most days it was almost impossible to get a seat unless one queued up for an hour outside the hall (I never queue for things that long because it is a total waste of time as far as I am concerned).
So I played it by ear both days and thankfully had some assistance in getting a seat reserved (at the back) by some kind and helpful Taiwanese organisers there. I was told on more than one occasion by the “door volunteers” that I could not enter the room at all though! The “policing of the event” (and I will call it that) was a bit too heavy-handed though, and at times it felt like people had forgotten what the event itself was about, and why people were attending, some of whom (like myself) had travelled alone, spent lots of money on hotels and so on, and from faraway places. More on that “issue” in the next post, for those who like my more personal observations!