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The
Grand Mahakala Puja and Sacred Protector Dance
Everyday at every monastery and the residence
of the serious practitioners, offering pujas to the great
protector Mahakala and entourage are performed in the evening
without fail. And at every end of year, it is traditional
for all Karma Kagyu Monasteries to perform the year-end Mahakala
Grand Puja and Sacred Protector Dance. The puja normally
lasts around 9 days starting at 3 am and usually ends at 12
mid-night. For conclusion, the Sacred Protector Dance called
Gonpo Cham would be performed for 2 days by sometimes as many
as hundreds of lamas in established monasteries, either as
dancers or musicians. Many thousands of people from all over
would turn up to participate and especially witness the Sacred
Protector Dance, in the believe that by seeing, hearing and
sincerely praying to the Sacred Protector Dance, and through
the symbolic burning of the Mahakala torma at the end, all
obstructive forces and evil activities to the Body, Speech
and Mind would be destroyed and removed to usher in the New
Year.
There are many forms of Mahakala, 4-arms, 6-arms, black,
white and more. Each is prominent with one particular lineage.
Mahakala Dorje Bernagchen (2-armed Vajra Black Cloaked
one) and consort Mahakali is the special protector
of the Karma Kagyu Lineage having protected all the Karmapas
and Lineage Masters in their various activities. Even the
17th Karmapa Orgen Trinley Dorje, when performing his first
public display of lama dance, chose to do the Mahakala dance
while still in Tsurphu Monastery, Tibet.
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