On the second day of the Mönlam the participants gathered once again at the holy site of the Mahabodhi Temple for another day of chanting. In the morning the Gyalwa Karmapa and Shamar Rinpoche did not join in the recitation – there was another event scheduled which required their presence: the enthronement of Je Karma Trinlepa Chenpo, a tulku of the Karma Kagyu lineage who manifests only once every five or six generations.

The holy site of the Mahabodhi Temple was at its most splendid on the morning of the opening day of this year’s Kagyu Monlam. Thangkas depicting the masters of the Kagyu lineage had been put up on the Monlam shrine, and in front of them countless flower garlands, bouquets of flowers and butter lamps had been arranged, and a vast number of elaborately manufactured offering tormas set out. Every surface was covered with flowers laid out in intricate patterns, and a mood of joyful anticipation was in the air.