Recite The Verses that Saved Sakya from Sickness with monastics at His Holiness the Karmapa's North American Monastic Seat During Covid-19

The 17 Karmapas, abqktc.org.

Every Thursday night in May 2020, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje's monastery in Woodstock, NY will be leading a recitation of the prayer he advised to stop the spread of Covid-19. All are welcome to join in via the livestream.

Karmapa's Monastic Seats
His Holiness the 1st Karmapa Chokyi Drakpa was born in Kham, Tibet in 1110 CE. He founded his first monastic seat (religious and administrative center) in Kham in 1164 and named it Kampo Nenang.

His Holiness the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje was born in Kham in 1924. He fled to India in 1959 during the Cultural Revolution, and established his monastic seat-in-exile in Sikkim, India, in 1966, naming it Rumtek Monastery. 

In 1976 he established his North American monastic seat in Woodstock, NY, naming it Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD). KTD is now the North American monastic seat of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje. Born in Kham in 1985, he escaped to India in 1999. He made his first trip to the West in 2008.

KTD's website explains, "The Karmapa’s main seats have ensured that not only his future disciples but also his future reincarnations have a lasting base to which they can turn to connect with the lineage generation after generation ... they ensure that the insight and wisdom cultivated by exceptional practitioners is not lost with their passing."

Thangthong Gyalpo, KTD prayer book.

The Verses that Saved Sakya from Sickness: A Prayer for Pacifying the Fear of Disease

His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje has advised reciting The Verses that Saved Sakya from Sickness: A Prayer for Pacifying the Fear of Disease by Thangthong Gyalpo to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

He led people all over the world in the recitation of the prayer on YouTube livestream from Europe on April 24, 2020.

During that teaching His Holiness the Karmapa explained about the prayer, saying, "Tangtong Gyalpo was a well-known 14th century Tibetan siddha. Once there was a large epidemic at the great Sakya monastery, and none of the medical treatments, offerings, or rituals they tried could help. When everyone was close to dying, they asked Tangtong Gyalpo for help. He wrote this prayer and the epidemic subsided, as the histories related."

Read the rest of the transcript on His Holiness the Karmapa's website.

KTD after Mahakala Puja, February 2020, KTD Facebook.

Karma Triyana Dharmachakra

The Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) community will be reciting the prayer and broadcasting it on YouTube livestream and the KTD Facebook page on Thursday, May 7 at 4:00 PM PT.


"Thursday Night Chenrezik (Chenrezig) Practice and Special Prayers to Calm Sickness, 7-8:30 PM Eastern Time.

"Join Khenpo Karma Tenkyong and the khenpos and lamas of KTD as they chant the Chenrezik (Chenresig) compassion practice along with The Prayer that Saved Sakya, a prayer from the 14th century that stopped an epidemic in old Tibet, and has been recommended to us by His Holiness Karmapa to recite now.

"This month, the Full Moon Chenrezik (Chenrezig) practice falls on Thursday, May 7.

"Every Thursday Night in May:
May 7 – Full Moon Chenrezik (Chenrezig) Practice
May 14, May 21, May 28"

Please note KTD is using the translation of The Prayer that Saved Sakya shared by Lotsawa House, which is different than the translation in His Holiness the Karmapa's Prayers for a Time of Pandemic prayer book.

The Chenreszik (Chenrezig) practice is also freely available on the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra website.