On March 4, 2009, the His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche will lead fifty disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center to Jangchubling, Dehra Dun, India, and to begin a seven-day retreat at noon the next day. This will be the first time that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche leads disciples to conduct the retreat practice. The disciplines of the retreat are very strict. They are no speaking, no contacting outside, no looking out of the window, no reacting to crying for help in next rooms, no bathing, no cutting hair or finger nails, no applying soap or scented lotion, and so on. Everyday it has to wake up before 6 o’clock in the morning and go to bed after 9 o’clock at night. Taking a nap at noon is not allowed. In addition to a short break after lunch, the only activity all day is dharma practice. It is not allowed to leave the retreat room earlier than planned, even falling ill during the retreat.

In 2007, there was once a time when Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was performing the retreat in the sacred place of Lapchi Mountain where Venerable Milarepa had performed retreats before, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s heart beat violently one hundred times per minute and Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s breath stopped. Then when Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche suddenly woke up, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche did not worry about Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s own life at this critical moment of life, instead prayed to Dharma protectors and Yidam deities, “If my body is helpless to benefit all beings, please take me away; if it can still be helpful to benefit all beings, then let me stay.” During the retreat of forbidding speaking, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche did not ask for help from outside the retreat room nor conducted dharma for himself, but continued to the retreat practice and eventually passed the crisis safely. It is evident that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s great vows to benefit all beings are blessed by all Buddhas and Bodhisattvass.

Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche enlightened that it is going to practice Avalokiteshvara’s heart mantra, Six Syllable Mantra, during this time retreat. There will be four to six sessions every day and one session lasts for two hours. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche further enlightened that Drikung Kagyu Lineage particularly places considerable emphasis on practices, and therefore thinks highly of the retreat practices. Many things cannot be realized without the retreat practice. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s killing karma of this life was not removed until Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s first retreat practice. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche suffered skin cancer at the age of 45, and its negative karma was suppressed by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s learning Buddhism. It was not until after the perfect completion of the retreat of the year 2007 on the sacred Lapchi Mountain of 4500 meters high where Venerable Milarepa had performed retreats before that the callus on Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s face caused by the skin cancer was completely fell off in 2008.

Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche also enlightened that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s root guru, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, always gave blessings to Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche near Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s retreat room during each of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s retreats. Upon the perfect completion of each of retreats, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche always certainly offered all merits and virtues of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s cultivation from the perfect completion of retreat to the root guru, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche also reported on the auspicious signs during the retreat to His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, and then His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche also confirmed Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s accomplishments of practice. This time when conducting the retreat practice for fifty disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, Rinchen Dorjeee Rinpoche himself will also perform retreat in the retreat room and look after disciples’ practice. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s care for disciples is in all aspects and life after lives.

Updated on February 19, 2009