The Third Arya Kshema Winter Dharma Gathering was brought to a close. The nuns began by chanting the opening prayers in Sanskrit, the sacred language of ancient India. Behind His Holiness the Karmapa was a thangka of a standing Avalokiteshvara, holding a lotus flower in his left hand and raising his right hand, from which emanated an image of Ananda, a disciple and cousin of the Buddha. The nuns sang praises to the Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, Ananda, and Mahaprajapati Gautami,
第三屆讖摩比丘尼辯經法會於2月3日圓滿閉幕。尼眾首先以古印度的神聖語言梵文進行念誦，接著一一讚頌佛陀、觀世音菩薩、阿難，以及為女性請命出家的憍曇彌(或稱「摩訶波闍波提」)。

the step-mother of the Buddha, who raised and cared for the Buddha after his mother passed away seven days after he was born. It was Mahaprajapati Gautami who first beseeched the Buddha to allow women to enter the sangha. After the Buddha initially declined—as the Karmapa explained earlier during the Arya Kshema Gathering, allowing women to enter the monastic order during that particular period of Indian history was considered a radical move—Mahaprajapati Gautami then approached Ananda to convince the Buddha to allow her and other women to go forth and enter the Sangha.
佛陀的親生母親摩耶夫人在生下佛陀七天後便過世，後由姨母兼繼母憍曇彌將他撫養長大。第一位向佛陀請求允許女性出家的女眾便是憍曇彌， 但佛陀一開始並沒有答應她的請求，原因即是法王噶瑪巴之前在辯經法會中所解釋的：當時印度社會的女性地位低下，大眾無法接受女性出家。然而憍曇彌沒有放棄，她央求阿難代向佛陀說項，允許她和其他女性出家修行，因而開啟了比丘尼僧團的成立。

This morning, the nuns engaged in a Ritual Practice for the Dharma to Flourish in Women’s and Especially Nuns’ Communities, composed by His Holiness. Here one finds that women should supplicate Ananda, bring him to mind and praise him, and Ananda will protect and remove obstacles for women who sincerely wish to practice the Dharma. The sadhana states,
當天上午，尼師們修持由法王著作的〈比丘尼教法興盛〉儀軌，祈求佛法能於女性、特別是尼眾僧團中弘揚興盛。儀軌中提到，女性應當祈請、憶念、讚頌阿難尊者，而阿難尊者必定會保護虔心修行的女性，並為之去除障礙。儀軌中寫道：

• 「無論善男子或善女子，其於此生以及未來世，世間出世間願皆滿足。」
  “Whether they are male or female, they will accomplish all mundane and supramundane needs in this and all future lives.”

Reciting the text, repeating again and again the words selected by the Karmapa to demonstrate clearly women’s ability to attain enlightenment, created great faith and inspiration among the nuns and the members of the audience. Many were moved to the point of tears. With gratitude in their hearts, nuns and laywomen looked to the Karmapa who had the unwavering conviction that they could attain ultimate fruits of liberation through the study, practice, and discipline in the Dharma. The supplication began as follows:
透過一遍又一遍地唱誦，尼眾和與會大眾不斷重溫儀軌當中，法王對女性證悟能力的肯定，許多人因此產生極大的信心和啟發，感動地潸然淚下。法王堅信，透過修學佛法和持戒，女性同樣可以證得究竟解脫的佛果。仰望著對她們信心不移的法王，尼眾和女性行者帶著感恩的心情如是祈請：

• 恆時頂禮薄伽梵應供、I always prostrate at the feet of the Bhagavan Arhat,
  正等正覺釋迦牟尼佛，Completely perfect Buddha Shakyamuni.
  我等虔誠供養求皈依，I make offerings and go for refuge.
  祈請能仁護佑賜加持。Please grant your blessings.
• 恆時禮拜阿難尊足前，I always prostrate at the feet of Noble Ananda.
  我等虔誠供養求皈依，I make offerings and go for refuge.
  祈請尊者護佑賜加持。Please grant your blessings.
• 恆時頂禮文殊師利尊，I always prostrate to Noble Manjushri
  以及男女菩薩諸聖眾，And the other male and female bodhisattvas.
  我等虔誠供養求皈依，I make offerings and go for refuge.
  祈請眾尊護佑賜加持。Please grant your blessings.
• 頂禮憍曇彌及羅漢眷，I prostrate to Noble Mahaprajapati and her entire retinue of arhats,
  阿難尊者諸佛與菩薩，To Noble Ananda and the hosts of buddhas and bodhisattvas,
  我等虔誠供養求皈依，I make offerings and go for refuge.
  祈請眾尊護佑賜加持。Please grant your blessings.

Interwoven with the words of praise and supplication to the founders of the women’s order, the practice also provides some narrative explaining the story:
在讚誦和祈請尼眾僧團創始者的同時，儀軌中也交織著對這段歷史的描述：

• 爾時憍曇彌母人即以大悲熏修其心，普為未來一切女人，重白佛言：「世尊！若當未來惡世之中，有善女人信樂愛敬於佛法者，唯願聽許，得蒙其例。」 佛言：「善哉！若有女人護持佛法，漸次修學戒、施、多聞及諸善法，在家出家三歸、五戒乃至具戒，及諸度脫、諸助道法，皆悉聽許恣意修習，亦得是三種果報、人天泥洹。」
  The mother Prajapati said this to the Bhagavan for the sake of all women in the future: “Venerable Bhagavan, in the future please allow those who have faith and long for the Buddhadharma to enter the teachings.” The Bhagavan spoke, “Excellent. I allow any woman who protects and upholds the Dharma and practices discipline, generosity, learning, and virtuous qualities to go forth. Or if she remains at home, to receive the Three Refuges and five precepts, to bring discipline to perfection, and to enter liberation as well as the branches of enlightenment. If she practices earnestly, she will achieve the three results and transcend the sorrows of gods and humans.”

The sadhana further explains:
儀軌中進一步說明：

• 「以阿難故，令諸女人得入佛法。憍曇彌！未來末世，若有比丘尼及諸一切諸善女人，常當至心念阿難恩，稱名供養，恭敬尊重讚歎，令不斷絕。 若不能，常晝夜六時令心不忘。」 時憍曇彌告諸比丘尼及一切諸善女人，而作是言：「我等應當至心歸命阿難大師。」
  Due to Ananda, women can enter the Buddha’s teachings.Gautami, in the future, bhikshunis and laywomen should always think of Ananda with their whole hearts.They should respect him, serve him, call him by name, and continually be grateful to him.The narrative continues: “Then Gautami said this to the bhikshunis and women, ‘We should ask Ananda for refuge and devote our lives to him.’”

It is for this reason, the thangka depicting Avalokiteshvara and Ananda was displayed so prominently on the stage. It is said Avalokiteshvara himself emanated in the form of Ananda. Due to the intense faith of Mahaprajapati Gautami, the great kindness of Ananda and the Buddha, we have the women’s monastic order today. Over the course of the 2,500 years since the Buddha’s passing, the importance of these acts and the potential of women was forgotten and nuns’ roles were diminished. The Karmapa composed this practice for nuns, so that with the recitation of these words, the lives and stories of the female arhats could continue to inspire others. The sadhana closed with the following words of aspiration:
基於以上因緣，法會的供壇上特別展示畫有觀世音菩薩和阿難尊者的唐卡，主尊觀世音左手持蓮，上舉的右手化現出佛陀的弟子暨表弟阿難尊者。由於憍曇彌的強烈信心、阿難和佛陀的慈悲，今日才有女性出家眾。然而，佛陀入滅2500年以來，不僅這段歷史的重要性和女性的潛能被遺忘，尼眾的角色也受到貶抑。法王噶瑪巴著作這部儀軌的目的，便是希望透過這些文字的念誦，女性阿羅漢的故事和行誼得以不斷啟發著女性行者。

在儀軌的結尾中，法王祈願：

• 所有一切世間諸女人： May all and every woman in the world’s
  願其身心苦難得平息， physical and mental harms and sufferings be pacified,
  獨立自主具圓滿能力。 And may they gain independence and complete powers and abilities.
• 所有一切女性出家眾， May all women who go forth, perfect the aggregate of discipline
  圓滿聖眾所喜之戒行， that pleases the Noble Ones, and perfect
  三藏法教三學聞思修， their teaching and study of the three baskets of scriptures and
  願皆完備通達得圓成。 their meditation practice of the three trainings.

With these noble aspirations, this final practice of the Third Arya Kshema Winter Dharma Gathering came to conclusion. In the evening the Karmapa presided over an animated debate in which the nuns demonstrated a new self-assurance. After a report of the accounting, everyone who helped to make this third gathering a great success was thanked. The shrine hall was filled with joy, coming from a renewed hope and faith of women and nuns, encouraged by the Karmapa to have confidence in themselves, knowing that they can bring the teachings of the Buddhadharma into fruition.
於此廣大宏願，第三屆讖摩比丘尼辯經法會的最後一場法會圓滿落幕。當天晚上，尼眾在法王的主持下進行激烈的辯經，展現出前所未見的自信。之後，大會報告收支，並向工作人員一一致謝。此時，承蒙法王信心的加被，殿中的尼眾和女性行者個個法喜充滿，帶著延續的希望和信心，誓願為法教和眾生的利益而勇往向前。