On March 20, 2010, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led 13 disciples to travel to India from Taipei. As it was Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s 11th retreat, it was also the second time that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had his disciples practice retreat under his guidance.

In the morning of March 21, 2010, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led 13 disciples to leave the hotel for Jangchubling Monastery, Dehra Dun, the place to perform the retreat. When having lunch at a restaurant on the way, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche in casual clothes without Dharma rope was requested an audience with an Indian woman who asked to do it on her initiative at the sight of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche compassionately granted her request, and bestowed upon her the blessings with his vajra after she subsequently brought her palms together and knelt down in front of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Before she left with gratitude for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, she bent over and gently touched Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s feet with her hands. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche ever told us that Indian people would express their complete faith in someone by touching his feet with their hands. It is obvious by this incident that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s great gathering power is truly incredible. This travel took Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche along with his disciples nearly 10 hours by car to arrive at Jangchubling by 6 pm. Then Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, despite his travel fatigue, changed his clothes to dharma robes immediately, and led the disciples to see His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche. Upon seeing His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche made scarf offering and a big offering to his root guru at once. All the accompanying disciples deeply felt Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s immense reverence and genuine admiration towards his root guru, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche.

Then, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche reported to His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche that all of the accompanying 13 disciples to practice the retreat have received the Bodhisattva vows and completed mandala offering one hundred thousand times. Afterwards, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche granted blessing to the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center with a Buddhist statue and wished everyone a successful and perfect retreat. The disciples knelt down to express their gratitude to His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche and Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche before they left.

Upon the completion of Dharma transmission, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche compassionately bestowed each disciple, one by one, the Buddha Amitayus nectar pills granted by His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, and asked disciples to take it immediately. For the disciples, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is not merely a sever teacher but also the most affectionate father.

Upon completing the retreat, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche paid his respect to his root Guru — His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche immediately. Later on, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche again led the disciples to His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche’s lounge to have an audience with His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche. His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche personally bestowed upon each disciple a statue of Jigten Sumgon, the founder of Drikung Kagyu tradition, and a scarf. His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche enlightened: “In the midst of the Buddha statue there is a small pill of Jigten Sumgon’s heart, which was brought from the main monastery of Drikung Kagyu in Tibet by Garchen Rinpoche. The total numbers of the pills is merely one hundred more ..” Being moved to tears, the disciples had immense gratitude for being granted with such previous and rare sacred relic, and also felt deeply ashamed of not meriting this auspicious gift. It was all due to Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s great merits for us to possess this causes and conditions! Guru’s favor, mercy and compassion, protection and blessings are all engraved on the disciples’ minds life after lives.

At the point of time of leaving after expressing our gratitude to His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche looked at Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche with a fatherly affection filled in his eyes. Moreover, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche bestowed blessings on Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche by touching Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s forehead with his forehead. It is His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche’s praise on the disciple for his true Buddhist practices and for liberating beings, but also confers blessings of the whole Dharma-lineage tradition on Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for having more strength to benefit sentient beings. Afterwards, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led the thirteen disciples to return to Delhi by car, and then back to Taipei.

Updated on April 20, 2010