In September, 2011, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led 226 disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center to Tibet and had an audience with His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang, who personally bestowed each disciple the blessings as well as an exquisite prayer scarf (Khata), a string of prayer beads, and silk paintings of Buddhist scenes (Thangkas). Furthermore, on September 18, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led the disciples to the Drikung Thil Monastery to perform the Vajrasattva Dharma in the main hall and the ritual of Dharma Protector Achi in the Dharma Protector Hall. At that moment, the sky showed an auspicious sign. The sun shone, and it rained and snowed at the same time. Many big black vultures also hovered above the Dharma Protector Hall. These signs symbolized that the Gods, Nagas, and Dharma Protector praised Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s immense merits, which benefit countless sentient beings.
When the news of this tour was announced, the disciples knew that it would be an extremely rare opportunity to go to Tibet following their Vajra guru, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Therefore the disciples were so eager to sign for this tour that registration vastly exceeded the estimates. Fortunately, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche compassionately instructed that all of the registered disciples could have the opportunity to go to Tibet. The disciples were very grateful.
Before leaving for Tibet, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche especially prepared supplements for the disciples and instructed them to take the supplements in order to reduce the effects of altitude sickness. Being so caring to the disciples, even when Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was very busy, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche still was attentive to the disciples’ needs. Besides that, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche personally worked with the tourist agency to arrange the tour, so that not only would disciples have the necessities of life for traveling abroad, but also they would be in good health condition on the journey. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is like a father to care the disciples in every possible way.
On September 15, the His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche arrived at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Sichuan Province. The disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center had reverently lined up at the airport to wait for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s arrival. Just after Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche passed through Customs, the ordained disciples presented flowers and ceremonial scarves (Khada) as an offering.
The same evening, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had a dinner with disciples in order to let disciples accumulate the virtues they would gain from eating dinner together with a Mahasiddha. The Director-General of the Qinghai Tourism Department was present and was invited to have dinner with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche at the same table to enjoy the delicious meal. The restaurant also prepared a red huge banner hanging on the lobby with the text “Welcome the arrival of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche” to welcome the Mahasiddha‘s coming. After the dinner was finished, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche explained the helpful things to know when traveling in Tibet for the disciples:
When you go to Tibet for the first time, be aware that after arriving, you should not get too excited. If you run around everywhere, taking pictures for souvenirs, you will consume a lot of oxygen. Usually, when you arrive on the plateau, you will be fine the first day, but will have altitude sickness symptoms the second and third days. When you take a shower, do not use water that is too hot, because using hot water to shower consumes a lot of oxygen. Also while on the plateau, do not eat too much. Eating about seventy percent of a full stomach is fine, but filling your stomach would also consume oxygen very quickly.
After arriving in Tibet, do not run around. Your movements must be slow and relaxed. When the plane lands, do not get too excited when you see the blue sky. Don’t get off the plane and immediately get busy taking pictures and walking around, because you will consume a lot of oxygen. Do not assume that you will not have problems because you are healthy. Often, people who think they have very good health will have altitude sickness. By contrast, some people who have health conditions or are elderly will have no problem at all.
In Tibet, do not think that since it is sunny, you can take off your jacket immediately when you feel hot. Temperature changes quite quickly in the plateau region. Both in places that have sun and in places that do not have the sun, the temperature could change by 5 to 10 degrees very quickly. If you are not wearing a coat, then when the wind blows, you will get cold immediately. The wind on the plateau is different from the wind on the plains, and it is very cold. If you are not used to the plateau climate, your pores are open, and when you are being blown by the plateau wind then you will get a cold. So, when you are hot outside, do not take off your coat in a hurry. It is okay when you are in the car, when you are outdoor, a coat and scarf must be worn. If anyone in the group has a cough or a fever, then they should not go to Tibet, because they could give their illness to others.
Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche will have many things to take care of in Tibet and cannot not give blessings to you, Do not assume when you have health problems, you can just beseech Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for blessings. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche will tell you right now: absolutely no blessings. If you really have a mishap and die, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche will bestow Phowa for you. If you do not die, you will go back to Taiwan. For those who brought their kids along, you must look after your kids very carefully. Do not let the children run around, running around and crying can easily cause altitude sickness. Or let them take their coats off when they say they are hot. It is troublesome if your kids get sick. When that happens, do not hold your kids and kneel down in front of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s room and beseech Rinchen Dorgee Rinpoche for blessings. His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s room number is a confidential. If you do not follow instructions and get into troubles, the tour guide will absolutely not tell you Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s room number.
If you feel you cannot breathe, do not try to breathe deeply, as this will consume more oxygen. Therefore, when you feel hypoxia, just calm down and breathe slowly. Everyone has prepared brown sugar for the time when they are lightheaded and short of breath. Eating the brown sugar will have a faster and better effect than taking the anti-altitude sickness drugs. If you feel uncomfortable, eating the brown sugar will be soothing. Do not walk around everywhere when you are free, rather, lying in the bed and watching TV would be fine. Sometimes, being lack of oxygen would make one have bad-temper. In short, be relaxed, do not get too excited.
Some of you have asked the tour guide where to buy dzi beads. You should know that genuine dzi beads would cost you at least one million RMB. If you have that kind of money, it would be more worthwhile that you make an offering to Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Those who want to buy dzi beads are people who don’t believe in the Buddha Dharma, thinking that wearing dzi beads will entail protection and blessing. If wearing dzi beads could give protection and blessing, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche would wear some dzi beads and tell His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang that Rinpoche doesn’t have to cultivate and practice Buddha Dharma. Nor would Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche have to perform retreats! You shouldn’t be deceived! Genuine and quality ancient dzi beads are now only owned by living Buddhas and wealthy people. The price of the dzi beads you see on the streets can range from 10 RMB to tens of thousands RMB. If you really want to own dzi beads, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche can buy a lot for you. Don’t think those one-eye, two-eye, or nine-eye dzi beads are real. They are actually fakes and made of agate. Beads can be colored to look genuine with strong acid. How can this kind of dzi beads be helpful to your health? How is it possible they can bring about protection and blessing? In fact, dzi beads can entail no protection at all. They are simply symbols of wealth.
Tour guides of Sino Travel Services Co. will not take you to go shopping. Nor should you ask your guides to do so. If you still want to buy souvenirs, you have to sign an agreement that you’ll be fully responsible for your actions. If you buy something bad, it won’t be the responsibility of the travel company.
Some of you joined this pilgrimage but still complained about many things, feeling that the travel company has not provided you with the services that you want. If you are willing to pay ten times more than you have already paid, you can have a private guide to give you one-on-one service. Otherwise you have to follow the group. If you are not satisfied, you can return to Taiwan earlier. When we are traveling to different places, we should learn to appreciate other people’s qualities. Don’t just focus on their shortcomings. Otherwise, you will feel displeasure. During this trip to Tibet, do not think you’ll gain something good or expect something nice to occur. The purposes of bringing you with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to Tibet are twofold: to pay homage to His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang and to visit Drikung Thil Monastery. Additionally, you can witness the new construction that the government has built for Tibet. In 1994 when Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche went to Tibet, the Potala Palace was more than in disrepair. If the government hadn’t maintained and reconstructed since then, people may not be able to see the Potala Palace today.
When traveling, we should not ask others to satisfy us. Every place has its own strengths and shortcomings. Even our own home has its drawbacks too and it cannot be perfect. If others came to our home today, they would have something to frown on as well. Since we have this chance to go to a new place, we should learn about other people’s strengths in order for us to have the opportunity to grow. This journey will be meaningful to us if we have such a mindset.
When you arrive at Drikung Thil Monastery, the staff will prepare butter tea for you to drink. According to Tibetan custom, they will refill your tea constantly. If you do not want to drink that much or are not used to the taste of butter tea, you should let them know. Do not think that it is embarrassing to refuse them. In addition, the monastery staff will warmly serve you some refreshments. If you do not want to eat, you should just say so. Do not carry a pack of cookies and candies when you leave Drikung Thil Monastery. Do not think you are different than others because you are treated so hospitably by the monastery staff. This is just the usual warm hospitality of Tibetan people. If you come to someone’s home, they will naturally serve you warmly. You should also understand that if you were not with the group from Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, you would not have received such treatment. You would have just been treated as ordinary tourists.
In Tibet, when you meet some children asking you for something, you had better not give them anything. Once you give one of them something, there will be a group of children surrounding you. Some of them make a living from begging. And they, seeing you dressed in clothes of light color, would grab your clothes with their dirty hands so that you have to give them money. You should move as a group so nobody gets lost, and you have to be punctual. Team leaders who have more than 200 members should not have to wait for one or two people who are late. When assembly time is up, the team leaders should leave immediately rather than waiting for those who haven’t arrived. Every minute you are late, over 200 people are waiting, wasting more than 200 minutes. Team leaders don’t need to worry that the late members might have problems if they don’t wait for them. Every member has been insured. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche told you earlier that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche will conduct the Phowa for him or her if someone passes away. What else would you worry about? If team leaders don’t act accordingly, they should just stay in Lhasa and not come back to Taiwan.
After the banquet ends tonight, you should go back to your room and don’t go chatting with others. Don’t think that since you are taking a plane tomorrow early morning, so you talk all night until the departure time and then get on the plane. You should just go back to your room and have a good night’s rest.
After His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche benevolently and repeatedly warned those present of dangers, he also invited Mr. Wu, the director of Qinghai State Bureau of Tourism, to give remarks. The director thanked Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s invitation and wished everyone have a nice trip. Aside from that, he said that he hoped people would have the chance to visit Qinghai in the future.
His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche again enlightened: Thanks to the director for his remarks, as well as for his generous help while we were in Qinghai. You should learn from director Wu. Although he is the director of Qinghai State Bureau of Tourism, he still is wishing that you have a nice trip in Tibet. It is obvious that he is very open-minded.
The banquet ended perfectly in a happy atmosphere. Disciples reverently saw off Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. All members, harboring immense gratitude to His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, were led to their hotel and rested to prepare for the auspicious pilgrimage journey to Tibet.
On September 16, soon after they arrived in Lhasa, Sino Travel Services Co., LTD arranged the accompanying doctor to perform a health check on every group member, checking their heartbeats and oxygen saturation levels. There was also a medical oxygen tank in each car in case of emergencies.
At 4:30 pm, the disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center reverently waited in the hotel lobby in Lhasa for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s arrival. There was a huge red banner hung at the entrance of the local hotel. Soon after His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche got off the plane, despite his fatigue, the guru directly went to the hotel where the group was staying. Upon seeing the disciples waiting respectfully, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, although exhausted from the journey, compassionately bestowed blessing on every disciple. Moreover, he stopped for a while to give a special blessing to a 10-month-old baby by benevolently touching the baby’s head. His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche always cares about his disciples. All attendees were immensely grateful!
In the evening, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche again gave the disciples an auspicious and rare opportunity – to have dinner with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Prior to his departure to the dinner place, a huge, clearly dragon-shaped cloud appeared in the sky right above the hotel where Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche stayed. The scene was really amazing. Due to His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s sublime and great achievement, dragons and heavenly Dharma protectors spontaneously came to protect the disciples, which really made everyone praise and gasp in admiration!
At the banquet, Khenpo Namdol and Kongtrul Nyima were both invited to have a dinner with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche at the same table. His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was very busy arranging many things, but he still blessed the fruit and rice and let his disciples to eat it. Many disciples who traveled to Lhasa for the first time and had altitude sickness were immediately felt their discomfort ease or disappear entirely. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s blessing was really incredible!
On September 17, at 10 am, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche went to wait for His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang in reverence, one hour earlier than the appointment. At 11 am, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche instructed and led the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center to meet with His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang in person. The disciples entered the office reverently to seek an audience with His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang, who personally bestowed each disciple an exquisite prayer scarf (Khata) with eight auspicious symbols, a string of prayer beads, and silk paintings of Buddhist scenes (Thangkas). Throughout the process, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche stood beside His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang making sure that all the disciples have this rare opportunity to be blessed. At that time, in the doorway, a 6-year-old disciple with an oxygen saturation level of about 60% felt very sick, and was unable to stand up. After the compassionate Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche gave this disciple blessing, the 6-year-old who had felt great discomfort, been unable to eat, and lacked physical strength, was able to eat immediately after receiving blessing from Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and was free from altitude sickness. Moreover, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche created such rare virtuous karmic connection for the disciples, enabling the disciples to receive the personal blessing of His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang. The disciples wept uncontrollably when they thought of the profound grace and kindness of their guru.
The tour guides and group leaders were also able to have the precious opportunity to seek an audience with His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang and receive gifts personally bestowed by His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang. They were immensely grateful. Had they not worked for the tour group to Tibet led by His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, it would not be as easy for them – being local residents –- to see His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang. Similarly, without His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, it would be impossible for the disciples to have such an auspicious opportunity to meet with His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang and receive the blessing. His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche continuously created virtuous karmic connections for the disciples and led the disciples in pilgrimage tours despite his own fatigue. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche blessed and cared for the disciples around the clock. What’s more, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche offered all the contributions made by the disciples during the dinner banquet to His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang so as to help his disciples accumulate resources for their Buddhist cultivation. The disciples deeply realized the vast, unsurpassable grace, kindness and compassion of His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche.
That night, even though His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was exhausted from a full schedule, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche still compassionately had dinner with the disciples, creating the auspicious karmic connection of enjoying food with a Mahasiddha for the disciples. At the dinner banquet, 13 waiters and waitresses brought their palms together, praying for the His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s blessing. Regardless of his tiredness, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche blessed these servers with a Dharma instrument, reciting mantras for a very long time. At the time, a cook quickly came into the hall, taking her hat off and kneeling down with her palms together. At completion of the blessing, the waiters and waitresses were all very grateful and joyful. Some tugged their shirts, saying that their whole bodies felt hot. Others joyfully pointed to the crowns of their heads and showed to others.
His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche again blessed the food and instructed that it should be distributed to the disciples to eat. The disciples were immensely grateful.
In Tibet, it is very difficult to obtain fresh fruit. The Sino Tour Company purchased a lot of fruit specifically for the group members to eat enough fruit. It was obvious that they truly cared. His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was like a father to the disciples, caring about their condition all the time. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche also instructed the hotel to prepare rice porridge for the disciples who felt sick. His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche benevolently protected the disciples so as to prevent them from suffering, and always wants to give the best to them. How fortunate the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center are!
On September 18, in the morning, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led the disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center to the Drikung Thil Monastery and was heartedly greeted by Monastery Steward in person at the main entry. To welcome His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche with most honorable hospitality, the monastery staff specially prepared butter tea, yogurt, grapes, hearty biscuits and candies. As Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has been providing staunch support for the Drikung Thil Monastery in the past years, the lamas at the monastery were very grateful and reverent towards Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Even the disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center were also warmly received. After entering the temple hall, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche sit on the seat next to the main throne by lamas’ appeal, and then gave the disciples the following precious Buddhist teachings:
“Where you are visiting today is the Drikung Kagyu Order’s first Buddhist temple, Drikung Thil Monastery, founded by the lineage founder, Jigten Sumgon. This hall was a place to teach Buddha dharma before by Jigten Sumgon. When Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche first came to Drikung Thil Monastery in 1994, there were only the hall where you are now and the main building. There weren’t roads near here, only fields. However, in these few years, under the efforts of the lamas here, Drikung Thil Monastery has been renovated in quite a magnificent manner.”
His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and Drikung Thil Monastery had very deep connections. The construction of the golden roof in Drikung Thil was supported by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche under His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang’s instruction. His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang had foretold that after the completion of the golden roof of Drikung Thil Monastery, the Drikung Kagyu Order would prosper again. Now after the golden roof was completed, Drikung Kagyu Order indeed prospered as predicted by His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang.
This prosperous period for the Drikung Kagyu Order is the third time in its history. The first time was when Jigten Sumgon, its lineage founder, was still alive. Then, there were more than 180,000 monks and nuns near Drikung Thil Monastery. The Buddhist temples of the Drikung Kagyu Order were all located deep in the mountains, unlike other Buddhist sects whose Buddhist temples were located in urban areas. Hence, there was a saying that the mountains were Drikung Kagyu’s mountains and the dams were Drikung Kagyu’s dams. The saying perfectly reflected the prosperity of the Drikung Kagyu Order at the time. The Drikung Kagyu Order emphasizes true practice with priority to performing retreats. Many small huts can be seen on the mountains behind Drikung Thil Monastery. All of them are huts for performing retreats. Therefore, as a disciple of the Drikung Kagyu Order, you should truly practice Buddha dharma. If a disciple only seeks for blessings and does not correctly follow and practice the Buddhist teachings, they will eventually leave.
When Drubwang Rinpoche was alive, he had instructed Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to support one of Drikung Thil Monastery traditions. Every December in Drikung Thil Monastery, 250 lamas would continuously recite the Six-Syllable Mani Mantra 24 hours a day for 45 days. The tradition, however, was discontinued for quite a long time due to historical circumstances. Drubwang Rinpoche hoped Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche could support this tradition and continue it. Hence, for the past years, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had supported the continuation of the tradition in Drikung Thil Monastery and will keep the tradition going the future. The tradition of reciting the Six-Syllable Mani Mantra in Drikung Thil Monastery is very auspicious. But there is not enough time today, so we won’t discuss it further.
Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had not been to Drikung Thil Monastery for several years. The last visit was in 2004. Therefore, the Vajrasattva Dharma would especially be performed today at the main hall. There are a lot to do in order for the Drikung Kagyu Lineage to return to its previous state of prosperity. So, the practice would be performed in hopes that obstacles could be reduced and eliminated. The disciple gave a chorus of thanks to Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for the performance of such an auspicious Dharma.
After performing the rituals of Vajrasattva Dharma and dedication at the main hall, as lamas and believers in Drikung Thil Monastery pleaded, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche compassionately bestowed blessings upon them, one after another. With the guru’s continuous blessings and protection, the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center were in perfect condition to follow His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to the ancestral monastery of the lineage. All disciples were so grateful. Afterwards, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center to the hall of Dharma Protector Achi to perform the ritual of Dharma Protector Achi. Although the Drikung Thil Monastery is 4000-meters high, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s pace was quick and steady. Many young and strong disciples had to stop to rest and then continue onward. However, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche did not rest at all but marched directly up the stairways, which were dug along the mountain. Rinpoche knew that a quick pace at high altitude can be life-hreatening. In order to make sure all disciples were able to arrive at the hall of the Dharma protector, the His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led in the front. Disciples who felt discomfort due to altitude sickness saw the guru going forward, were inspired to personally visit the auspicious hall of Dharma protector, so that they could practice the ritual of Dharma Protector Achi led by the guru. His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche does not worry about himself at all as long as he can help disciples accumulate virtues. All disciples deeply appreciated the guru’s immense grace and kindness.
When His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was about to enter the Dharma Protector Hall, the sudden change of the weather showed an auspicious sign that it shone, and rained, and snowed at the same time. There were also many big black vultures hovered above Dharma Protector Hall. The local people said that usually the vultures did not fly so high. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche said these phenomena were very good sign that Dharma Protector Achi was joyful. Upon entering the hall, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche made full prostrations to Dharma Protector Achi. By that time, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had already exhausted in performing Dharma and walking fast previously. Therefore, while making the full prostrations, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche could stand up only with attendants’ support. However Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche still persisted in completing the rituals of prostrations. It shows Richen Dorjee Rinpoche’s absolute reverence to the Dharma Protector and the Lineage.
His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led disciples to perform the ritual of the Dharma protector at the hall of Dharma protector. All of the disciples were utterly astonished at the power of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s blessings. Upon completion, they thanked the guru with chorus and cried with tears of joy and gratitude. Next, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche compassionately enlightened that there is a precious object on the left pillar at the hall of Dharma protector. This object was given by the Dragon King who took it from the sea, to make offering to Lord Jigten Sumgön. Then, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche moved forward to a side hall to make Khata offerings to the Most Venerable Tenzin Nyima Rinpoche’s Dharma photo and Buddha statues. Only then would the guru take a little rest in the guesthouse of the temple. The long journey to Drikung Thil Monastery had made Most Venerable Rinpoche Dorjee Rinpoche so tired. But before leaving, several local believers came to the front of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s car to implore for blessings. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche still very compassionately gave blessings to them. The accomplished Vajrayana practitioner benefits sentient beings as such without reservation.
In addition, while His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was in Drikung Thil Monastery, many vultures flew nearby and hovered above Drikung Thil Monastery for a long time. The disciples were so fortunate to witness the auspicious scene. All of them praised and thanked Rinchen Dorjee Rimpoche wholeheartedly.
Thanks to Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s full support of the Drikung Kagyu Order and the Drikung Thil Monastery, all disciples received Khatas and invaluable nectar pills as gifts from the lamas when they left the Monastery. Among the disciples who came to Tibet this time, there were not only elders or infants, but also people suffering from serious diseases like cancer or brain aneurysms. However, with His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s auspicious blessings, all 226 disciples were able to safely go to the 4000-meter-high Drikung Thil Monastery. Even there was a disciple who suffered bone cancer and his bone marrow was also infected could reach Thil Monastery and went around the Sutra Collection Pavilion with the walking stick. How immense the guru’s grace is! How incredible the power of Buddhism is!
After His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche returned to Lhasa from Drikung Thil Monastery, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche did not rest at all and continued to meet with monks, nuns and believers who came to seek help. In the evening, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche compassionately gave disciples the opportunity to eat dinner with him, the accomplished practitioner, so that they could accumulate virtues. The last night of the trip, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche continued to take care of disciples and asked whether they were comfortable or not, or if everyone ate and slept well. The disciples were tremendously grateful, and in the mean time, deeply concerned about the guru’s tiredness and exhaustion. Everyone was inspired by His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s dedication of his whole life to benefit sentient beings without asking anything in return.
Updated on October 14, 2011