Patna, India -- The 17th Karmapa, spiritual head of the
Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhists, Saturday began the Kagyu-Moenlam
prayer amid tight security at Bodh Gaya, considered the birthplace of
Buddhism, in Bihar, police said.
Kagyu Monlam (“moen” in Tibetan means aspiration, and “lam” means path)
is a prayer for peace in the world. The Karmapa had earlier explained
that the Kagyu Moenlam prayer is an avenue through which, in times of
dire need, love and compassion can be made to spread like a great ripple
outwards from Bodh Gaya.
Hundreds of Buddhists, including monks and lamas from different
countries, are attending the Kagyu Moenlam prayer led by Karmapa Ugyen
Trinley Dorje.
“The Karmapa started prayers seeking world peace,” a police official said.
Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police Nishant Kumar Tiwari said special
security arrangements have been made for the Karmapa and for Buddhists
attending the prayer in view of the perception of a terrorist threat.
The Karmapa will stay in Bodh Gaya till the completion of prayers next week.
Last week, intelligence agencies alerted Bihar Police of a possible
threat to Buddhist tourists likely to visit Bodh Gaya this winter. The serial bomb blasts at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya July 7 this
year shocked the state government, local residents and tourists. Ten bombs exploded at or in the vicinity of the temple and two Buddhist
monks were injured. Three live bombs were recovered and defused that
day. After the serial blasts, the security at the temple was beefed up.
The Mahabodhi Temple – a Unesco World Heritage Site – in Bodh Gaya,
about 110 km from the state capital, is where the Buddha, born in
neighbouring Nepal, attained enlightenment around 2,550 years ago.
The Karmapa has been staying in India as a guest since the year 2000
when he fled the Tsurfu Monastery in Tibet by giving the slip to Chinese
authorities. After his escape, he took shelter with the spiritual head
of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
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