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His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was invited to Shravasti, India in September of 2023. He gave a speech at the closing ceremony of the International Mahayana Bhikshuni Varsa.

With an invitation from His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led 300 disciples on a trip to Shravasti, India. On September 15, 2023, they participated in the activities of perfectly completed Varsa retreats of the International Mahayana Bhikshuni Varsa. At the end of closing ceremony on that day, and before His Holiness made a speech, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had been invited to give a speech. Its full text is as follows:

“Your Holiness, all Rinpoches, Kembos, Monastics: This is my fourth visit to this place, and since many Rinpoches, Kembos and Monastics have already given detailed introductions about this holy place of Shakyamuni Buddha, I don’t need to speak of it any further. But what I shall say is: His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang is my root guru. Having followed His Holiness for forty years in practicing, all I know about His Holiness is that for his entire existence, in the interest of the lineage and all sentient beings, he has dedicated one hundred percent of his life and everything to helping other sentient beings reach attainment through his practice and all other ways.

In the matter of practicing, we must follow a guru with merit; as long as you continue on, you will witness your practice blossom and bear fruit. Practicing Buddhism is faint and distant to some people, yet if you can follow the teachings of the guru and Shakyamuni Buddha, practice ceaselessly, you will definitely see the results one day.

My root guru, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang is seventy-eight years old, and I am seventy-six. But, in the interest of Buddhism and the lineage, His Holiness is always endlessly propagating the Buddha Dharma around the world. Although I am two years his junior, I cannot match his physical and mental strength.

Thus, for Drikung Kagyu to have His Holiness, and for the Buddhist world to have a practitioner so dedicated to all sentient beings, it means that there is still a chance for mankind to continue, and for Buddha Dharma to be passed on.

Here I would like to thank every practitioner, and most of all, thank His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang for teaching and guiding us. Although His Holiness usually appears to be very adorable with his smile, he is very serious when he transmits the Dharma to me. His Holiness makes no compromises with the Buddha Dharma, he never takes a step back, and it is to be done as he says. So, it is a blessed thing to follow His Holiness in learning Buddhism, and as said in the Ratnakuta Sutra, all the karma and good fortune that you’ve sown in the past life is what you must accept in this life.

Therefore, it does not matter if you did not do enough in your past life. In this life you have encountered a great practitioner, His Holiness of a lineage. Although it is impossible for us to follow him on a daily basis because he is always running fast, flying from one place to another on a plane everyday, we must follow and respect his teachings, let us continue to learn diligently. Thank you.”

Updated on September 19, 2023