News of the upcoming Great Indiscriminate Amitabha Puja for Transferring Consciousness of the Drikung Kagyu Order of Tibetan Buddhism to be presided over by His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche

Always mindful of the well-being of sentient beings, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, the Abbot-Guru of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, has vowed to help them to become liberated from the suffering sea of reincarnation. In his compassion, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche will preside over the Great Indiscriminate Amitabha Puja for Transferring Consciousness of the Drikung Kagyu Order of Tibetan Buddhism, for the twelfth time, at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall on July 17th, 2016, to benefit all sentient beings. More than 25,000 people are expected to attend, making this the largest puja for transferring consciousness in all of Taiwan.

The Great Amitabha Dharma for Transferring Consciousness is an auspicious earth terma Tantra of the Drikung Kagyu Order. His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang personally transmitted, one-on-one, the Four Inner-Tantra Empowerments to His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, so this Dharma is extremely rare and precious. Before being able to cultivate Vajrayana Tantra, a practitioner must first lay a foundation by practicing Exoteric Buddhism for at least ten years. A further prerequisite is having mastered the Four Uncommon Preliminary Practices; only then may a practitioner receive the Amitabha Empowerment. Afterwards, he or she must go into retreat under the guidance of the guru, chant the Amitabha Heart Mantra at least one million times, and cultivate until becoming attuned with the yidam. Upon the perfect completion of such a retreat, a practitioner then may strive to master the Phowa, by which the consciousness of the deceased is liberated and transferred to the Pure Land. With such accomplishments, a practitioner is then allowed to cultivate and perform the Great Amitabha Dharma for Transferring Consciousness. The presiding practitioner must also have mastered the Simplicity Yoga, as well as having attained the fruition of a Rinpoche. He or she must possess the compassion of Emptiness, and have no desire for fame or profit. Rather, the practitioner’s aspiration should be to benefit all sentient beings by helping them to attain happiness and liberating them from suffering. Only in this way can the practitioner help them. Before performing the Dharma, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche must make many offerings and complete a lot of preparations; this involves going into retreat for several days. With his incomparably immense compassion and infinite merits, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche helps the sentient beings all of the attendees wish to have liberated by saving them from falling into the Evil Realms and allowing them to be reborn in the Virtuous Realms or even in the Amitabha’s Pure Land.

Ever since 2005, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has presided in person over the auspicious Great Indiscriminate Amitabha Puja for Transferring Consciousness held annually in Taiwan. During the puja, the guru propagates the Right Dharma, guiding sentient beings so that they can, by way of learning Buddhism, obtain the opportunity to become liberated from reincarnation in the Six Realms. His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has said, “The word ‘Indiscriminate’ in the Great Indiscriminate Puja for Transferring Consciousness refers to the fact that ‘there is no discrimination and it is all inclusive.’ Major donors are not honored during the puja. Regardless of social or financial status, all sentient beings who are sincere and have the proper affinity can attend the puja and can receive equal blessings and protection from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.”

As in previous years, no fees will be charged for admission, liberation of the deceased, or the lighting of lamps during the Grand Puja. All representatives who offer the lamps and mandalas to the Buddhas are randomly selected from the attending believers by lot at the venue. Also, in order to maintain the purity of the puja, no commercial activities such as charity sales will be allowed. All costs required to hold the Grand Puja are shared by the members of the Glorious Jewel Buddhism Culture Exchange Association under the supervision of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Neither public fundraising is conducted, nor are public donations accepted. Furthermore, each year, upon the perfect completion of the Great Puja of Transferring Consciousness, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche donates all monetary offerings from the attendees to the Social and Family Affairs Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare. Additionally, in recent years, in response to several major calamities that have occurred in Taiwan such as the Kaohsiung and New Taipei City gas and dust explosions, powerful earthquakes, and so on, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has donated more than NT$65 million to disaster relief funds. Each time, the Ministry of the Interior sends a special letter of appreciation to His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche.

Every year, no billboards or advertisements are posted to promote the Great Puja of Transferring Consciousness; nevertheless, word of mouth among the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center is enough to bring a full house. They share stories with others about Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s great compassion and aspiration. Among the puja’s attendees are believers from countries around the world, including Japan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, South Africa, France, Germany, India, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Britain, Philippines, Brazil, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Macau, Indonesia, Mainland China, and so on. In addition, there are also Ngakpas, Geshes, Khenpos, Lamas, and Anis from the various Orders of Tibetan Buddhism, including the Drikung Kagyu, the Drukpa Kagyu, the Nyingma, and the Gelug, as well as monastics from Exoteric Buddhism. This auspicious Great Indiscriminate Amitabha Puja for Transferring Consciousness is characterized with an all-inclusive participation of the fourfold assembly from both Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism. Over the years, the Grand Pujas have seen more than 160,000 attendees, and more than 507,000 names have been registered on the list for liberation, making the Drikung Kagyu Order very widely known among the people of Taiwan. Not only has this helped to propagate the Drikung Kagyu Lineage, but it has also endowed it with the causal condition to flourish throughout eternity. This truly is a grand, auspicious event for the Drikung Kagyu Order.

Over the years, the Great Indiscriminate Amitabha Pujas for Transferring Consciousness presided over by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche have been pure, peaceful, auspicious, and perfect, liberating countless sentient beings from the Six Realms. As a result, sentient beings that have the affinity to participate in these Grand Pujas possess rare causes, conditions, and good fortune.

Updated on April 15, 2016