March 2000
In This Issue
THE
FOUR PILLARS OF BUDDHISM -
<Part I>
<Part II>
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
DZONGSAR
INSTITUTE CONSECRATION CEREMONIES
A
TRIBUTE TO NYOSHUL KHENPO JAMYANG DORJE
TALES
OF A VAGABOND -
INTERVIEW WITH JAKOB LESCHLY
DZONGSAR INSTITUTE CONSECRATION CEREMONIES
From
18 September to 7 October 1999 His Holiness Sakya Trizin and his entourage
visited Dzongsar Institute in Bir to formally consecrate the Institute.
As Glenn Fawcett reports from India, the ceremonies were a great success,
but not without their challenging moments.
Rinpoche, in true Western style, instructed us to have preparations for
the consecration under way months before the event. This is distinguished
from the Tibetan style of improvising on the day. Rinpoche used this difference
in styles to instruct his Khenpos who, after nine years of philosophy,
seemed "distanced", perhaps even "practically challenged"
to use a politically correct euphemism. Rinpoche quickly introduced taking
notes - to those who never have - and even though Rinpoche sometimes upbraided
them with great gusto, in the end only one of four used a notebook. Westerners,
of course, had a lot to learn by dealing with the chaos principle, which
is how most things work in the Tibetan Buddhist framework, especially
in India. Our evening meetings were sometimes tremendously funny and occasionally
tense with the anticipation of Rinpoche's wrath. But even though Rinpoche
was giving the entire Chokling Tersar at Chokling Gonpa from 4 a.m. to
5 p.m. daily for more than a month, he still imbued great humour into
the process of training the Khenpos in organisation.
The
gravity of Rinpoche's approach to the inauguration stems from the fact
that His Holiness Sakya Trizin is one of Rinpoche's root teachers for
whom Rinpoche has great devotion. In terms of religious protocol, some
are equal but none higher than His Holiness. It was extremely important
to Rinpoche that the event be organised in a way which reflected the importance
of His Holiness from the view of protocol and Rinpoche's devotion to him.
The five main V.I.P. guests were His Holiness Sakya Trizin, His Holiness's
wife Dhagmo Kusho, their two sons Ratna and Gyana Vajra Rinpoches, and
Luding Shabdrung Rinpoche. Sixty-three monks from Sakya College in Dehra
Dun also accompanied His Holiness for the occasion.
The itinerary of His Holiness and his entourage in the Bir area extended
to around 17 days, including five days for the consecration ceremony,
three days each at Pema Awam Choegar Gyurmeling Monastery (with Orgyen
Tobgyal Rinpoche and Neten Chokling Rinpoche) and Bir Sakya Lama School
Monastery, several one-day trips to places such as Tai Situ Rinpoche's
Monastery, Sherabling, and visits to the schools and various Tibetan community
offices.
The Opening Ceremony
The
opening event was a public long-life empowerment and blessing consecration
puja according to Vajrakilaya mandala given by His Holiness. An estimated
5000 Tibetans attended the empowerment in overcast conditions which became
a monsoonal downpour toward the end, causing the huge crowd to push and
jostle trying to ensure a blessing from His Holiness for themselves and
their loved ones. The very strongest of monks were stationed in front
of His Holiness and joined hands to keep the crowds under control and,
although they did so with great humour, the job was also quite difficult.
This event set the mood in Bir at bright and happy for the rest of the
ceremonies. The Tibetan community set about cooking and helping organise
wherever they could, and a delightful development was the
inclusion of the local Indian community, some of whom attended many of
the ritual pujas. Rinpoche arranged for several hundred Bir Indians to
be invited for a lunch hosted by Dzongsar Institute monks. This sort of
gesture goes a long way to healing differences and helping develop a cohesive
community
made up of people from different cultures.
The
presence of around 25 Bhutanese was noticeable in the melee, as their
dress (goh for men and kira for women, brightly coloured, hand-woven fabrics
in distinctive Bhutanese designs) is easy to pick in any crowd. Chief
among the Bhutanese guests were the King's Secretary, representing
the King of Bhutan and representatives of the four Queens.
Consecration of Dzongsar Institute
The
consecration included two days of preliminaries, two of consecration ceremonies
and a day of Tangra, a thanksgiving ceremony including reparation for
additions and omissions. A daily fire puja was performed in either North,
South, East or West, according to the required outcome of pacifying, increasing,
etc. During one such puja a very heavy, beautifully designed, Japanese-style
brass urn, holding an immense weight was balanced precariously on four
thin, angle-iron metal legs above a raging fire. Thousands watched spellbound
as the litany of subduing mantras invoked the powers which support, and
subdued those which sought to bring obstacles. Rinpoche shifted uneasily,
video camera in hand recording the event (a climax to many days of prayers),
his forehead creased with concern as one of the legs had begun to collapse
under the weight of hundreds of litres of kheer
(a milk sweet), even while a line of monks continued pouring the delicious
liquid into the vessel out of gallon buckets. This moment was crucial
as the outcome of this puja would decide whether the Institute would have
an auspicious beginning or not! A very nervous moment for all. Thankfully
the prayers of those great lamas and all present were enough to keep the
urn upright until the fire puja was complete.
Consecration of New Retreat Centre
After the consecration of Dzongsar Institute, His Holiness spent three days at Chokling Monastery, giving Vajrakilaya teachings and consecrating the new retreat centre for Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and Neten Chokling Rinpoche. The main shrine room of the retreat centre is breath-taking with exquisite statues which took more than a year to make, including a huge, 10-metre high Guru Rinpoche. The retreat centre has a dozen or so separate retreat rooms around the main shrine building in which, by now, the first batch of retreatants will have begun a five-year retreat under the guidance of Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche.
Consecration of the Site for a New Shedra at Chauntra
Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk, current Abbot of Dzongsar Institute, requested His Holiness to consecrate a piece of land at Chauntra, six kilometres from Bir, on which Khenpo would like to build another shedra so he can increase the number of monks at Dzongsar Institute. The current amenities are already full to overflowing.
Two
things happened while we sat through the brief ceremony. As soon as His
Holiness began the ritual, thunder clapped in the distance and as soon
as His Holiness finished a rainbow appeared in the sky to the North. I
quickly told myself to keep in mind that it had been raining daily and
these events
could easily happen as a matter of course given the weather conditions.
But the funny thing is these sorts of coincidences were a daily occurrence
around His Holiness such that, in the end, I began to
doubt my scepticism.
Cultural Performances
During
the course of His Holiness's visit there were several cultural performances
from the Tibetan schools and community, culminating in a fabulous performance
of songs, dances and Tibetan opera by the internationally acclaimed Tibetan
Institute of Performing Arts. These performances were heavily attended
by the community, and His Holiness and his family thoroughly enjoyed the
spectacles. His Holiness often gave lengthy talks at secular events and,
under all conditions, kept the listeners spellbound with his stream-of-consciousness
style of oratory.
Long-Life Puja for His Holiness
At 4 a.m. on 4 October Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Dzongsar Institute and Chokling Monastery monks began the Phagma Nyingthik long-life ceremony for His Holiness and Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, the elder son of His Holiness and heir to the Sakya throne. The previous day effigies of His Holiness and Ratna Vajra Rinpoche had been sculpted and dressed to achieve a very good likeness of them for the purpose of luring harmful spirits away from the real people and into the effigies.
His Holiness, his two sons, Luding Shabdrung and Dhagmo Kusho arrived at 6 a.m. to join the ceremonies. The luring was done during a lama dance in which five monks, dressed in elaborate ritual costumes to resemble five dakinis, beckoned malevolent entities away from His Holiness and his son and into the effigies. At 6.30 a.m, when the dance was completed, some monks took the effigies four hours away on a truck and threw them into a river. The monks had been instructed not to look back from where they had come until the statues were in the river.
At 7 a.m. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche offered support of body, speech, mind, qualities and activities to His Holiness, followed by a mandala offering to the retinue and offerings to His Holiness. Next a long line of monks presented hundreds of offerings from Khyentse Rinpoche to His Holiness and the presiding Rinpoches, which included the traditional offerings of hand-woven carpets, ground barley flour (tsampa), as well as rare and precious texts, and statues discovered as termas by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.
Itinerary
of Events for His Holiness Sakya Trizin in Bir for Dzongsar Institute
Consecration Ceremony,
September - October 1999
16
September
Khenpos go to reception with His Holiness at Rajpur (His Holiness's home).
17 In the morning proceed to Una (halfway to Bir), stay overnight.
18 Proceed to Palampur (one hour from Bir) for lunch and reception. Proceed to Bir for Dzongsar Institute reception including traditional Tibetan dance group.
19 Public long-life empowerment, blessing and consecration puja according to Vajrakilaya mandala.
20 Mahakala puja for the welfare of the Tibetan people.
21, 22 Preliminary consecration ceremony: pacifying fire puja.
23 Actual consecration ceremonies: increasing fire puja, offering of sweet kheer
24 Actual consecration ceremonies.
25 Tangra thanksgiving ceremony, restoration for additions and omissions.
26 Consecration of Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche's new retreat centre, preliminary empowerment for Vajrakilaya.
27 His Holiness gives main Vajrakilaya empowerment.
28 Empowerment on how to manifest activity through the practice of Vajrakilaya.
29 To Bir Sakya School. Consecration ceremony and Mahakala empowerments.
30 Tara initiation according to Atisha at Bir Sakya School. Visit to Bir Tibetan Society Offices and Bir Primary Health Clinic. Visit Chauntra School for cultural programme. Consecration of site for new Dzongsar Institute shedra.
1
October
To Tai Situ Rinpoche's Monastery, Sherabling, for Hayagriva, Garuda and
Vajrapani empowerments. To Suja for speech and cultural programme at Tibetan
Children's Village School .
2 Dzongsar Institute and 25 monks from Chokling Rinpoche's Pema Awam Choegar Gyurmeling Monastery begin preparatory practice for Phagma Nyingthig long-life ceremony for His Holiness. His Holiness begins Hevajra empowerment.
3 Continuation of His Holiness's long-life puja.
4
At 4 a.m. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and Chokling monks begin long-life
puja.
At 6 a.m. His Holiness, his sons, Luding Shabdrung Rinpoche and Dhagmo
Kusho arrive.
At 6.30 a.m. Effigies sent off after five dakinis lure malevolent entities into them.
At 7 a.m. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche offers support of body, speech, mind, qualities and activities to His Holiness, followed by Mandala offering to retinue and offering to His Holiness.
In the afternoon Tibetan Institute of Performing Artists offers auspicious dances and opera.
5 His Holiness gives Hevajra initiation.
6 Morning offering of gratitude and thanksgiving.
7
His Holiness and retinue depart Bir.
