The Eighth Dzongsar Monlam Chenmo has commenced on Bodh Gaya, a powerful 10-day great prayer festival for peace conducted at the Mahabodhi Temple, led by the revered Bhutanese lama, filmmaker, and author Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche and senior sangha members beneath the sacred Bodhi tree in the presence of thousands of monastic and lay devotees.
Organized biennially by Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro Institute, the Dzongsar Monlam is running from 18–28 November. It was first held in 2006 and has been conducted biennially at the site of the historical Buddha’s enlightenment: under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya.
The Monlam, or “Path of Aspiration,” calls on practitioners to engage in a collective, unified prayer for the comprehensive welfare of all beings. The Dzongsar Monlam Chenmo directly embodies the Buddha’s timeless message of compassion, wisdom, and universal responsibility, with the fundamental aim of generating merit, dispelling suffering, and cultivating global harmony.
The scale of participation underscores the gravity of this aspiration. The event has brought together about 2,000 monastics, representing monasteries across the Himalayan region. They are joined by hundreds lay pilgrims and practitioners. This congregation is unified in voice and aspiration toward the realization of global peace and the enduring well-being of all humanity.
Seated beneath the sacred Bodhi Tree, where the historical Buddha attained enlightenment, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has been giving teachings on “Introduction to the Bodhicharyavatara” during afternoon sessions. The schedule also includes daily aspiration prayers, sutra resounding, and the Triratna Anusmriti Sadhana.
Running alongside the Monlam Chenmo at Shechen Monastery is “Befriending Siddhartha,” an eight-day camp for the very young. Open from 19–26 November and facilitated by the Deer Park Institute and Lhomon Education, it is intended as a playful platform for children to relate to the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha with creativity and depth.
Born in Bhutan in 1961, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche is the son of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and was a close student of the Nyingma master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910–91). He is recognized as the third incarnation of the 19th century Tibetan terton Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), founder of the Khyentse lineage, and the immediate incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959).
Rinpoche’s projects and initiatives include: Khyentse Foundation, established in 2001 to promote the Buddha’s teaching and support all traditions of Buddhist study and practice; Siddhartha’s Intent, an international collective of Buddhist groups supporting Rinpoche’s Buddhadharma activities by organizing teachings and retreats, distributing and archiving recorded teachings, and transcribing, editing, and translating manuscripts and practice texts; 84000, a non-profit global initiative to translate the words of the Buddha and make them available to all; Lotus Outreach, which directs a range of projects to ensure the education, health, and safety of vulnerable women and children in the developing world; and Lhomon Society, which promotes sustainable development in Bhutan through education.
Our job is to develop confidence in the fact that our own true nature has exactly the same potential as that of the Buddha, and that all we need to do to mature that potential is follow Siddhartha’s example and apply the right methods. — Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
See more
Siddhartha’s Intent Livestream (YouTube)
Dzongsar རྫོང་སར། (Facebook)
The 8th Dzongsar Mönlam Chenmo (Siddhartha’s Intent)
Deer Park Institute
Lhomon Education (Facebook)
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