Tergar Shrine Hall
17 – 18 February 2024
On the 17th February, the nuns and their teachers began two days of ritual in Tergar Shrine Hall.
In the morning session the nuns offered the Five-Deity Green Tara of the Acacia Forest sadhana, compiled by the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa to revive an ancient Karma Kamtsang ritual which originated with the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. The extensive practice was first performed at the Special Kagyu Monlam in February 2023.The nuns offered the shorter sadhana practice.
[For more details of this ritual cf http://new.kagyumonlam.org/index.php/en/component/content/article/five-deity-green-tara-of-the-acacia-forest?catid=9&Itemid=111]
The afternoon session was devoted to the practice of Tseringma. At the 3rd Arya Kshema in January 2016, the Gyalwang Karmapa expressed the wish that the nuns should offer this ritual every year in future, so they have. The Five Tseringma [in English the Five Long-Life Sisters] are protectors of all the Kagyu lineages. Tashi Tseringma is the principal deity of this group, who are also known as the Tashi Tsering Chenga.
Their special relationship with the Kagyu lineage dates back to the time of Milarepa. According to the tradition, the five sisters originally lived in the mountains on the Nepalese-Tibetan border. They were spirits tamed by Guru Padmasambhava who ordered them to protect the Buddhist teachings. They tried to distract Milarepa from his meditation in order to test him but failed. They then received teachings from him. As this forged their link with the Kagyu, they became protectors of the Kagyu teachings. Milarepa declared, “In the human realm, my teachings are held by the Teacher from Central Tibet (Gampopa). In the non-human realm, they are held by Tseringma.” The practice was considered very important and was one of the annual rituals at Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet.
