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HIS
HOLINESS THE TWELFTH GYALWANG DRUKPA
WROTE ABOUT HIS RECENT VISIT TO NANGCHEN
Reproduced
from His Holiness's website: www.drukpa.org
NANGCHEN
TOUR
Satrul
Rinpoche, Choegon Rinpoche, myself and Tsoknyi Rinpoche
I
did not, initially, have a very high hope in regards to the
development of our Pelden Drukpa Lineage in Nangchen, mainly
due to my own cynical nature. I am that sort of person who
would rather have low expectation or bad expectation before
the actual event, so that I don't really get disappointed
when things do not happen as I have wished. So, I guess by
nature, I am not a very happy person, or rather a person who
has been disappointed by too many incidents and too many
people for too many times.
No less than 100 horses join
as part of the welcome party
But
this trip to Nangchen gave me a boost in confidence that I
have to work for the benefit of our lineage for many more
years to come. The monasteries of our Drukpa Lineage in
Nangchen are very well looked after and the practitioners
are holding up the lineage very nicely and confidently. The
lineage is actually very well-developed in Nangchen. This
makes me very happy.
The
landscape of Nangchen is so vast and so beautiful. No wonder
Nangchen is known to be the land of yogis and yoginis.
Historically, many enlightened yogis came from Tshechu Gompa
and many enlightened yoginis came from Gechak Gompa.
Speaking about Gechak Gompa, I didn't have enough time to
visit this time. I promise that I will try to visit Gechak
Gompa in the future, to give moral support to the female
practitioners there. It was good that Gelongma Tenzin Palmo
and Venerable Jinba went around looking for yoginis on our
behalf. I was so happy to meet them in Nangchen.
Adeu Rinpoche's Tshechu Gompa
in Nangchen
Initiation at Tshechu Gompa,
more than 30 thousand people came
I
can see that Rinpoches of our lineage are trying their best,
despite their limited resources, to provide a very good
spiritual practice environment for the monks, nuns, yogis,
yoginis and the lay people. I can tell from the various
activities that were carried out this time, how much effort
that the late Kyabje Adeu Rinpoche, Satrul Rinpoche, Lhachok
Rinpoche and so many other of our Rinpoches have put in, to
hold our lineage together.
Jamme Choeseng Rinpoche on left
and Jamme Lhachok Rinpohce on the right,
with the newly recognized Tulku Heruka in the center
I
stayed one night at Jamme Gompa, a very important monastery
of the Drukpa Lineage and the home of many enlightened
yogis, and I visited the new Druk Yulo Dechen Ling nunnery
that Lhachok Rinpoche is building with the money he got from
the sale of his own second-hand land cruiser and the support
of his Malaysian devotees. I was very touched by his
unwavering dedication and strong commitment in spite of all
sorts of difficulties I know that he must have been enduring
together with Jamme Choeseng Rinpoche. This is truly the
Drukpa spirit that I wish and pray all of our lineage
holders can develop for the sake of our 800-year-old lineage
and its future. I have not informed Lhachok Rinpoche, but I
am sure someone will, after reading this message, that I
deeply wish that he will turn the existing Jamme Gompa into
the nunnery and use the new building dedicated for nunnery
as monastery.
His Holiness with Chibug Chogga
Rinpoche, Choegyal Dorje Rinpoche
and Cao Ning, a photographer
I
have the same positive feeling for the young and energetic
Chibug Chogga Rinpoche, whom I met a few times in Malaysia.
Initially, I was not too sure about his activities, and
therefore was hesitating about his intention and was
avoiding him a bit. Now, having visited Chibug Monastery in
person, I came to know that he too has been doing a pretty
good job for upholding the lineage in Nangchen.
Unfortunately, I didn't quite like the present location of
the building which does not have a good fengshui, and I have
instructed Chogga Rinpoche to change the spot and build a new
building on the new location, and he had happily agreed. I
hope that with the new building, the monastery will grow and
do well financially.
Drukpa Gompa
Far left is Sonam Ge Rinpoche
and far right is Khenpo Ngawang Lobsang
Staying
one night at the Drukpa Gompa near Kyeku or Yushu was also a
marvelous experience. I am so happy that all the Rinpoches
and Khenpos there are trying their best to develop the
Shedra (monastic school) and Drubdra (meditation or retreat center). I was told that Khenpo Ngawang Lobsang who is quite
young and active has been doing very well to get sponsors
from other places to help the Shedra. I encouraged him to do
this more consistently. I am very happy that the Shedra has
a Khenpo like him. I also requested Sonam Ge Rinpoche to
look after the retreat center. As the essence of the retreat
center is to practice the tantric deities, such as
Chakrasamvara and Kalachakra, which are practices prepared
by the late Adeu Rinpoche, I requested Sonam Ge Rinpoche to
take charge of this very crucial part of the training. Sonam
Ge Rinpoche is one of the most important Rinpoches taking
care of the whole Drukpa Gompa, unfortunately due to an
accident that he went through, he is not physically well,
but he kindly accepted my request to look after all these
practices that were prepared by the late Adeu Rinpoche for
the lineage. I felt so warm that he accepted my request. For
this, I even promised to join in these Tantric practices
through financial support. Each of these practices needs
around RMB 100,000 a year, which is only for food and
offering in the mandala and for preparing the mandala. Even
though this is a very small help, it is very important for
the benefit of the lineage, and it is one of the most
important missions that Adeu Rinpoche had in mind. I am very
happy to be able to offer this small help. I hope that this
kind of Tantric practices will be carried out not only at
Drukpa Gompa, but also other monasteries of the lineage in
Nangchen, for the sake of all sentient beings. This
collection of Tantric practices according to our Drukpa
tradition is known as "Drukpa Chodzod Chenmo" or
"The Great Treasure of Dharma of the Pelden Drukpa
Lineage".
Likewise,
Jamme Choeseng Rinpoche and Jamme Lhachok Rinpoche are also
doing their part. Besides what I have mentioned earlier,
they really dedicate all their money and efforts for the
annual Drukpa Monlam which has happened two times at Jamme
Gompa. Even though I didn't initially have much confidence
in them doing this, they were fully committed to organize this Monlam no matter the circumstances. So far what they
did was so good and everyone is so happy. I am also
requesting every single monastery of the Drukpa Lineage in
Nangchen to join them whenever the Drukpa Monlam is organized
by them. I am very moved by their motivation and
persistent effort. Even though they are not financially that
well-off, they are fully dedicated to help the lineage. One
day, I hope I will be able to help them in my own small way.
How
impressive it was for me to see the stupa built by Satrul
Rinpoche! It is the second Boudhanath, not only by the
physical appearance, but also by the holy relics that the
late Adeu Rinpoche had placed inside the stupa, and on top
of everything, Adeu Rinpoche himself consecrated the stupa.
According to witnesses and to the photos I had seen, there
were a lot of good omens and auspicious signs during the
consecration. More importantly, I had a very positive
feeling. I want to thank Satrul Rinpoche for fulfilling Adeu
Rinpoche's wishes by completing this amazing project
successfully in a difficult and remote area, for example I
can imagine how difficult it was to get the materials up to
the mountain. It's amazing to know how human beings can
create this sort of holy structures when they have
altruistic motivation. I want to thank Shiao Mei, a student
of Adeu Rinpoche and Satrul Rinpoche, and several people
from Beijing, for helping these genuine masters for
achieving these Bodhisattva deeds. Not only I want to thank
them for supporting these masters of our lineage, I want
everyone to rejoice in their benevolent activities and pray
for their spiritual progress and happiness.
Overall,
I had a very nice time with the people of Nangchen,
especially the monks there. The monks in Nangchen have very
positive qualities of spiritual practitioners. I can see in
them the qualities of Adeu Rinpoche held by them. I have
seen many monks all over the world, especially monks practicing
in the Drukpa Lineage. I think none of them are
so impressive like the monks I have met this time in
Nangchen, and that tells me a lot about their masters, such
as Adeu Rinpoche.
Also,
I was very happy that Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpohce joined me in
this trip. We had such a good time, sharing heart-to-heart
feelings, and spent a number of days together, doing prayers
and pujas in front of Adeu Rinpoche's relics. This was a
very rare opportunity for us to gather together, especially
for me to be with masters like Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche and
Drukpa Choegon Rinpoche, along with many other Rinpoches and
tulkus. More than a hundred Rinpoches, Tulkus and senior
Khenpos from our very own Drukpa Lineage in Nangchen and
many other places in Tibet came together this time in
Nangchen, which was very rare.
I
had an unusual experience, this time in Nangchen. I was
mainly thinking that this was just going to be a tour. I
went there as a tourist, with a touring motivation, but it
happened to be more than touring, in terms of the impact on
the Pelden Drukpa Lineage and on the people following the
lineage, and most of all, the impact on my own role this
life as the head of the lineage. If all of us, the lineage
holders of Pelden Drukpa Lineage, continue to support each
other, irregardless of differences, with one-pointed aim to
help the lineage, the lineage will definitely continue to
benefit countless humans, countless beings. Isn't it why we
have all come back for?
I
want to thank all of my colleagues, my friends and students,
who were by my side, during this wonderful experience in
Nangchen. It must have been this way for many generations,
for many lives. Let's hope that this positive spiritual
connection and interdependence will bring us all on the path
to ultimate freedom, ultimate happiness!
Source:
www.drukpa.org
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