Author: Ann MacArthur
Date: 1st August 2025
Kagyu Monlam: 15th century Tibetan prayer festival renewed in Australia
The story of the Kagyu Monlam in Australia
An aspirational prayer, or monlam, conceived in 15th century Tibet and revived in India in the 20th century has taken root in Australia. Centuries ago in a turbulent political climate the 7th generation head of the Kagyu lineage, the Karmapa, established the tradition of great prayer gatherings drawing monastics from all over Tibet. With many Tibetans living in exile in India since 1959, the tradition began again in a humble way with a Kagyu Monlam at Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya in 1983.
The ceremony arrived in Australia when, in acknowledgement of the 900th anniversary of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa expressed the wish that Kagyu Monlams be hosted in other countries. In New South Wales Dukung Gyaltsen Rinpoche took up the call and presided over the first Australia Kagyu Monlam Prayer Festival in August 2011 in Homebush.
The 17th Karmapa has supported other innovations in the prayer festival. Prayers have been included from the other lineages of Tibetan Buddhism – Gelugpa, Nyingma and Sakya. Acknowledging growing international participation, he published the Kagyu Monlam prayer book in 13 languages— in the original Tibetan, and in Hindi, Nepali, English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Polish, Russian, Indonesian, Korean, and Vietnamese.
Unlike other Buddhist festivals, the Kagyu Monlam does not take place on a fixed lunar calendar date. In traditional Tibet aspirational prayers were part of the first two weeks of the lunar new year. Today Kagyu Monlam are organised annually in response to availability of a senior teacher to preside over the ceremony and visiting monastics to support the program.
This month marks the 12th Kagyu Monlam in Australia. It is especially significant as the 12th Kyabgon Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche has travelled from Sikkim to lead the prayers to preside over the four-day ceremony. He is recognised as the reincarnation of regents, or Gyaltsab, to the Karmapa.
In Tibet’s unique tradition, enlightened teachers are said to consciously control their rebirth in order to continue their activity for the benefit of all sentient beings. As such, the Karmapa together with the Gyaltsab have protected and promulgated the accumulated wisdom since the first generation in the 12th century.
Australian Kagyu Monlam is organised by a committee of dedicated volunteers under the guidance of Dukung Rinpoche. Rinpoche is a senior teacher in the Karma Kagyu tradition and spiritual director of Kadri Bodhi Monastery and Karma Yiwong Samten Ling retreat centre. He dedicates his time between Sikkim (India), Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. He teaches in Tibetan, Mandarin and English.
The Kagyu Monlam program includes recitation of texts including the Heart Sutra and Samantabhadra’s King of Aspiration Prayers as well as meditation and teachings. Special attention is paid to the construction of the altar.
Torma, or butter sculptures, are characteristic of Tibetan Buddhist altars in general. The Kagyu Monlam torma designs feature the 8 auspicious symbols, Buddhist deities and images of the Lineage Teachers of Karma Kagyu tradition. Adapting to Australian conditions the monks have experimented with other materials like air dried clay or plasticine. Displays of Buddhist relics and thangka add to the colourful and sacred atmosphere of the Monlam venue.
The opening ceremony for the Australian Kagyu Monlam begins with a Welcome to Country from an Aboriginal elder. As this year’s 2025 festival takes place in Bankstown, respected Darug Elder Aunty Lyn Martin will do the honours.
Another uniquely Australian addition to the Kagyu Monlam program is music and dance offered in honour of the Triple Gem which follow the prayer service.
The multicultural performances by community groups respond to Australian society representing Buddhist followers from diverse cultural backgrounds. The performances also hark back to the origins of monlam in Tibet when monasteries were centres of community life.
The significance of the Kagyu Monlam
At the 2025 Kagyu Monlam in Bodhgaya, Gyaltsab Rinpoche explained the significance of aspiration to volunteers:
One of the particular features of Buddhism is the view that basically all phenomena — the whole of samsara — depends upon the mind. Liberation depends upon the mind. It’s primary. Even when we consider the teachings such as the Four Noble Truths, they also depend on the mind. Anything we are doing, depends upon our mind.
With regards to the Kagyu Monlam, there are common and shared purposes, and there is also a particular purpose. The common purpose is that by making aspirations it helps create the conditions for natural disasters such as wildfires and such, and war and conflict to be pacified. By making the aspirations, we are able to help sentient beings. That is why we make aspirations on a general level. Specifically, we make aspirations that the teachings of the Buddha may last for a long time. In order for Buddhism to remain in the world, we need the teachings of scripture and realisation, and both of these also come down to our aspirations. If we have the aspirations, these will remain, hence the Buddha’s teachings will remain, and people will be able to continue practising Buddhism.
When we make these aspirations together at the Monlam, rather than just one or two people on their own doing aspirations, the effects are far more powerful.
Details of the annual Australia Kagyu Monlam
Table showing the order of Kagyu Monlam in Australia
Further information can be found at:
Learn more about Buddhist festivals in Australia here.