After a one week stay in Sarnath, His Holiness arrived at Tergar Monastery in Bodhgaya on November 17 at 2PM. Waiting for nearly two and a half hours in the midday sun without shade was no easy task. But a chance to receive the Gwalwang Karmapa for the 25th Kagyu Monlam in Bodhgaya is a significant event. As the narrow and dusty road was watered down in preparation for his arrival, the 600 monks who are staying at Tergar for Karma Guncho prepared to receive His Holiness with ritual ceremony. As the cavalcade of SUV jeeps drove up the road one after another, white katas cascaded down from red robed monks, nuns and the lay devotees.
As his jeep drove up, His Holiness looked to his left at all the monastics lined up to greet him and when he arrived in front of the monastery, the Gwalwang Karmapa got out, walked up the steps into the shrinehall and offered a kata and prostrations to the Buddha before him. The crowd of people waiting everywhere swarmed to get a closer glimpse. When His Holiness disappeared into private quarters for lunch, the question was visible on many faces: when can we see His Holiness again?
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