Birth of the 17th Karmapa: On June 26, a ceremony is held in honour of the birth of the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje. On this day there are cultural programs, sacred dances done by the monks, and folk songs.

Row Ceremony: On the second day of the Losar festival, Gyalwang Karmapa acknowledges those who share the burden of his official and administrative responsibilities, and those who work in managing the comprehensive Kagyu Monlam.  This ceremony is also known as the Row Ceremony, because everyone is seated in rows in front of the Karmapa. This monastic ceremony includes a lavish Tibetan style banquet.

Summer Retreat: Each summer the monks at the Rumtek monastery observe a forty-five days retreat which begins on the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the Buddhist calendar (July-August of the Gregorian calendar). During this time the monks perform basic rituals, make confessions of faults and renew their vows. They also observe special rules and regulations and do not go out of the monastery. The retreat concludes with ... More

Birth of the 17th Karmapa: On June 26, a ceremony is held in honour of the birth of the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje. On this day there are cultural programs, sacred dances done by the monks, and folk songs.

Row Ceremony: On the second day of the Losar festival, Gyalwang Karmapa acknowledges those who share the burden of his official and administrative responsibilities, and those who work in managing the comprehensive Kagyu Monlam.  This ceremony is also known as the Row Ceremony, because everyone is seated in rows in front of the Karmapa. This monastic ceremony includes a lavish Tibetan style banquet.

Summer Retreat: Each summer the monks at the Rumtek monastery observe a forty-five days retreat which begins on the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the Buddhist calendar (July-August of the Gregorian calendar). During this time the monks perform basic rituals, make confessions of faults and renew their vows. They also observe special rules and regulations and do not go out of the monastery. The retreat concludes with the gakye ceremony after which all restrictions are lifted. There is a lhamo performance to mark the end of the retreat.

Kora: Kora means the circumambulation of the Dharma Chakra Centre complex along the stupa walkway. The stupa, which overlooks the city of Gangtok, is accessed by a path which starts from the south wall of the monastery. It takes only twenty minutes to complete the kora. The walkway is  paved with stones and is lined with prayer flags. The flags have different colours, each symbolizing an element. Thus blue stands for iron, white for water, red for fire, yellow for earth, and green for wood. Some have prayers printed on them. At the top of the hill there is a small house, called the tenkhar that has been built for the local deities. After this, the path descends down the hill, and reaches the stupa. It is thirty-five feet tall, and has ancient scripts, and the image of the deity Raksha Tötreng, whose mantra is carved on the front. It is believed that the stupa was built to remove the obstacles that were coming in the way for the reincarnation of His Holiness, the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa.