From April 25 to 28, 2011, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led fifty-two disciples from the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center to New Zealand to pay homage to Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s Three Grace Root Guru His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang and to visit the Milarepa Retreat Center of the Drikung Kagyu Order, which is being constructed and supervised by His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche also invited His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang to visit tourist sights near the Milarepa Retreat Center.

On April 26 at noon, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche arrived at the Auckland Airport on Northern Island, and was welcomed by His Holiness’s attendant, who was sent by His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, several Chinese believers, and local New Zealanders. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was presented with flowers and khatas, which showed His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang’s regard for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Due to earnest concern for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s Three Grace Root Guru, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche immediately proceeded to pay homage to His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang and eat lunch with His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang.

On April 27, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led fifty-two disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center to visit the Drikung Kagyu’s Milarepa Retreat Center near Auckland and to pay homage to His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang as well. The Milarepa Retreat Center is surrounded by hills and mountains, and is about a ninety-minute drive from downtown Auckland. It is a secluded and tranquil site, currently inaccessible by larger vehicles. The entourage, consisting of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s disciples, drove the large vehicles to the hill to wait for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. While they waited, they were amazed to see dozens of cattle, which were initially scattered on the hill, move toward the hedge around the road, quietly line up, and face the road to wait for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche mentioned before that animals have spirituality too. Upon seeing the cattle respecting the great practitioner, the disciples considered themselves not as good, compared to the cattle.

His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang planned the Milarepa Retreat Center for many years, and then started building it in 2010. At the entrance of the Milarepa Retreat Center towers a sign of the Drikung Kagyu Order as well as a wooden sign with “Welcome to Milarepa Retreat Center of the Drikung Kagyu Order” carved in Tibetan and English. Currently, they are building around ten retreat rooms. Building this establishment is extremely costly due to strict regulations regarding construction materials, methods, and environmental protection measures. Additionally, since the location is quite remote, the transportation expenses increase the total cost. Nevertheless, in order to fulfill the guru’s wish and his vow of upholding the Drikung Kagyu Order, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has been providing tremendous financial contributions for purchase of the land, planning, and construction of the retreat center, and will continue to do so.

While His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang presided over the construction of the retreat center, many local believers of New Zealand tried to seek an audience with His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang. However, they were not granted audience, and therefore they could not visit the retreat center. But the fifty-two disciples from the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center were not only very fortunate to visit this auspicious place, they were also granted enlightenment of Buddha Dharma by His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang. His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang instructed the local believers to prepare lunch with special local New Zealand fruit for the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, and also gave them warm regards. The disciples were very grateful to the guru, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, who bestowed this extraordinary opportunity on them.

His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang gave the disciples from the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center precious enlightenment of Buddha Dharma: Seven years ago, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang visited many places in the United States over the course of one week, including Esoteric and Mahayana Buddhist centers. On the way back from the United States, the plane made a short stop in New Zealand. At the time, there was a Taiwanese believer named Nina who beseeched His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang to build a retreat center in New Zealand. She said that she would find the land. His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang said that the air and land were very clean in New Zealand, and therefore His Holiness agreed. It was left like that without much communication. Two years later, Nina called His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang and said that the land had been found, and now was the best time to buy. Prior to this, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang instructed that the land should be an hour drive from the airport, in a quiet place, not in town, and about one hundred acres or so. At the time, Nina said that fifty acres would be enough for the retreat center, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang said that it was very good, and then Nina went to find it!

Nina found four places, each about fifty acres in size, so His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang began to apply for a visa to New Zealand. But in India it is not easy to apply for a visa; many lamas’ applications were not approved. Only the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang obtained a visa to New Zealand. As a result, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang brought along Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to New Zealand. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche didn’t sleep on the airplane, but His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang slept very well. When they arrived in New Zealand, it was three o’clock local time. Since it was a three-day trip and His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang was concerned that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche did not sleep enough and needed to rest, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang went to visit the first property alone, but felt it was not suitable. The next day, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang led Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to search for an appropriate piece of property, but they didn’t like that property either. At that time, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was quite tired. His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang was very considerate and let Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche rest in the other car while Nina’s car followed behind. His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang then asked whether there might be some newspaper advertisements they could check. While in the car, they read advertisements and found an ad for about one hundred acres at only half the price of the other properties. The fifty-acre properties they looked at before sold for 750,000 NZD. In the ad, a 120-acre property was being offered for only about 650,000 NZD. At that time, they had not yet eaten lunch, but His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang said it was all right! They made a stop on the highway, called the real estate company, and asked them to prepare the documents for them. They then drove to the office, which was within a twenty-minute drive, by the seashore, and afterward, they went to see the land. There were many trees blocking the path so they couldn’t enter. They could only see mountains and flat land, but they knew it was the place! So they left after seeing the landscape. Later, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and Nina helped purchase the land. During the first year, they built roads. During the second and third years, they made necessary preparations. Now, the small retreat center is on its way.

Fifteen retreat rooms have been built and will be finished this June. Four of them are equipped with bathrooms. These 4 rooms are for performing three-year, long-term retreats. Others are for performing short-term retreats that range from one, two, or three weeks to one month in duration. Bathrooms for performing short-term retreats are located in different places. This is how the construction of the retreat center began. Next year, there will be an inauguration ceremony on the day of Milarepa’s death, which will be soon after the New Year. Additionally, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche will be helping with another project that will be discussed this afternoon. Since Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s disciples were here and everyone was interested in the construction plans, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang took the opportunity to talk about how the retreat center came to be.

His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang also gave a dharma talk on the relationship between a guru and his disciples. His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang has been in contact with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for twenty some years, since 1986. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has been the greatest help in, but not limited to, India, New Zealand, Tibet, Qinghai, and Nepal. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has helped to restore the gilded roofs of the Drikung Thil Monastery, the main seat of the Drikung tradition. Its glided roofs have been missed since the Great Cultural Revolution. Now, another main temple is Phagmodru Monastery, which is also the major monastery of Lord Jigten Sumgon’s guru. Phagmodru Monastery is authorized for restoration by the government and well known to the Eight Great Kagyu Orders. Although the government protects, maintains, makes plans for, and funds the monastery, it doesn’t take care of the monastery’s internal matters. It is Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche who provides financial support to gild the monastery’s Buddha statues. The restoration will be done this year and the Buddha statues will be consecrated in the next years. Besides, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche also has done a lot in Qinghai, such as construction in Jigten Sumgon’s birthplace in Yushu. These projects are too numerous to mention! Anyway, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s devotion to the Drikung Kagyu Lineage and to the guru is steady and unswerving. For this, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang is very grateful.

Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche may be very strict with you. Sometimes, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang feels that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche may be too strict. Then Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s disciples answered in one voice, “No. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is not too strict.” On the other hand, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang thinks that because ordinary people in this world all have bad habitual patterns, they can’t do without a strict guru. Before, Marpa was strict too. Marpa did not talk to Milarepa, and just ordered him to move many stones back and forth. Repeatedly working hard, Milarepa even broke his back. Before, in the first retreat center of the Drikung Kagyu Order, Drubwang Konchog Norbu Rinpoche also was very strict. Many people said that Marpa must have acted the same way before! If Drubwang Rinpoche had not been that rigorous, the three-year solitary retreat practice would not have been completed. Now, it is Drupon Sonam Jorphel Rinpoche. Once, some people from Rinchen Ling Monastery went to Nepal for consecration. Amongst them was a person who performed his first retreat. He was also strictly taught and even got beaten. Therefore, he tried to escape several times but failed. Another retreat practitioner suffered from diarrhea, but was not allowed to see a doctor. If he died, he would have died in the retreat room. He was sick but he was still not allowed to see a doctor during his retreat. It was just that strict. His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang felt content with the first three-year retreat, but did not feel satisfied with the second. Being content with the first three-year retreat, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang made a treasured sword and waved it in the sky! His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang said that it was strict in a good way!

Therefore, a guru is very important. In the Kagyu Lineage, in particular, and every other lineage, in general, the guru is of utmost importance, just like a teacher plays an important role in school. Many blessings are passed down through the guru’s channels, so having a guru matters a lot. A blessing can be bestowed when two conditions are met, as all the phenomena have their causes and conditions. A guru cannot simply do everything for you, nor can you rely solely on your reverence generated at a given time. Therefore, it takes two conditions: the guru’s mercy and compassion, and the disciple’s faith and sincerity. When the two have contact with each other, it is like a match being struck to create a fire. This explains why all phenomena have their causes and conditions. One who is sincere and faithful will receive blessings only upon contact with the guru’s mercy and compassion. So, it is very important to have such a karmic connection.

Additionally, Lord Jigten Sumgon said that the ultimate realization of Mahamudra is determined by one’s great accomplishment of Guru Yoga towards his guru. Besides, the guru and his disciples should not be too close or too far away. In fact, this is true not only in one’s practice, but also in many social relationships. As the Tibetan saying goes, “When it is cold in Tibet, one needs to warm himself by a fire or under the sun, but it must be done at a certain distance.” Likewise, you need to keep a certain distance from your relatives in order to help them. It is true in the Buddhist teachings as well. The relationship and distance between you and your guru are very important in terms of achieving accomplishments to benefit yourself and sentient beings.

The Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center is growing bigger and bigger, and the staff is working harder and harder. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche also works very hard. His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang hopes that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche will definitely have some rest time. Now, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is older and still receives many believers; this demands a lot of time. However, you must make sure that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has time to rest. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is very compassionate and knows that many believers want to beseech Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for blessings. Furthermore, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is always very warm-hearted to the believers and never fails to make time to see them. However, it is only good if one’s physical health is well enough to do so. This is very important since benefiting sentient beings is not for a short period of time like a few months or a year, but is a long-term effort. Therefore, you must care for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s health. And you, as staff, have to carefully consider and coordinate Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s time for receiving believers and time for rest. You, the staff, also work very hard, but you should not treat your work as general work that is done for a salary. We should not do things with this attitude since we are cultivating Buddhism. It is the same here; when you remove a weed or lift some things, you are doing it for this center, this center of cultivation, sentient beings, and Buddha Dharma; it is not for yourself. So everything you have done is for the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center and for benefiting sentient beings. Therefore, your every move is for eliminating your karma and is also an opportunity to accumulate blessings and merits. It is meaningful if you do things with such a mindset. If you do not keep this attitude when doing things, and you treat them as a normal job that you have arranged, it is not good. Very importantly, the main focus of Buddhism is the working of the mind. You as a Buddhist practitioner should, in your mind, apply everything you do and know to Buddhism so you can accumulate virtues and merits to benefit sentient beings, and meanwhile, cultivate your Bodhicitta. That is, if you combine your knowledge and work with Buddhism, you can attain many benefits. After listening to His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang’s enlightenment, all the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center wholeheartedly appreciated His Holiness and spoke in unison, “Thank you, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang! Thank you, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche!”

His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang said that the weather forecasted for this week was not good. His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang now has an iPad. With one touch, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang is able to find out the weather for the next half of the month and the local temperature. About a week or ten days ago, many leaves were falling due to the strong wind and rain. Therefore, His Holiness the Drikung Kaybgon Chetsang decided to make a phone call and change plans because of concern that it would be difficult to walk. When you arrived in New Zealand yesterday, it was still raining here but it is only sprinkling now. After seeing you, the weather cooperated too! You may rest and take a walk. Then, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche jokingly said, “If you get lost, no one will look for you.” His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang said, “You can go for a walk on the roads up there. The air is fresh. Since you are all from the city, you should take a walk.” All of the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center again said, “Thank you, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang! Thank you, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche!”

On April 28, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche again led the disciples to the retreat center to greet His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang and to take His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang to see nearby tourist sights. On the way, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was informed that a disciple’s father had just passed away. His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche immediately performed the dharma for this disciple’s father to protect his father’s consciousness. The disciple and his wife, who had also taken refuge, came to New Zealand together, and thanked Most Venerable Vajra Guru for compassionately performing the dharma.

On that day, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, and the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center ate lunch together. Then, they visited a nearby forest of giant trees. During a fifteen-minute walk on a primitive forest trail, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang walked in front while Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche followed behind. All the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center closely followed, one after another, in the footsteps of the guru. They marched step by step, with the guru leading everyone out of the dark forest and toward the brightness. As Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche enlightened, this was like the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas saving the naughty children out of the forest. It was really inspiring!

Updated on June 2, 2011