His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche Reverently Invited His Holiness Drikung Chetsang Kyabgon’s to Preside over the Hevajra Puja to Perfect Completion.

From January 16th to the 21st, 2025, the Founding Abbot Guru of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche reverently invited his root guru, His Holiness Drikung Chetsang Kyabgon, to preside over the Hevajra Puja at the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery. During the six-day-long puja, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche reverently invited His Holiness Drikung Chetsang Kyabgon to lead the practice of the incomparably wondrous Hevajra Liturgy in the Vajra (Secret) Hall. Furthermore, on the 19th of January, His Holiness, in answering to Rinpoche’s supplication, presided over the Hevajra Empowerment Puja, bestowing the supremely incomparably wondrous Hevajra empowerment. The 2000 attendees of this puja included believers, disciples, and monastics of both Exoteric and Vajra practices from the US, India, and various places in Taiwan. It was a complete four-fold Buddhist assembly of both the Exoteric and Vajra sectors, and the first Hevajra Puja ever held in Taiwan, turning a new page in Drikung Kagyu’s history.

The Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery was consecrated on November 12th last year (2024) by the Founding Abbot Guru, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, and there is great significance for Rinpoche to reverently invite His Holiness Drikung Chetsang Kyabgon to preside over this special occasion. First, His Holiness Drikung Chetsang Kyabgon is Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s root guru, and Rinpoche has always been His Holiness’s disciple; Rinpoche spent eight years building the Monastery, which is incomparably wondrous, and no small feat at all; therefore, upon perfect completion of the consecration, the guru is reverently invited to transmit Dharma and give blessings. Second, the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery was built by Rinpoche, but Rinpoche’s Dharma lineage comes from Drikung Kagyu. His Holiness is Drikung Kagyu’s Dharma lineage holder; thus, there is profound significance and representation to respectfully invite His Holiness, such that the Drikung Kagyu Dharma lineage will be present in the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery.

As His Holiness has declared, “The Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery is one of the three Drikung Kagyu Hevajra Dharma centers in the whole world.” Hevajra was transmitted by Marpa the Great Translator, who is particularly suitable for non-monastic practitioners (lay practitioners) to practice. To continue the Dharma lineage, His Holiness reorganized the Hevajra Dharmas and, in 2007, brought His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche in person to Lapchi Snow Mountain to complete a three-month retreat practicing Hevajra. In this retreat, Rinpoche attained a great, incomparably wondrous achievement. Thus, the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery is a Dharma center rooted in Hevajra; it is also the only (center) at the scale of a monastery.

During the puja on January 19th, His Holiness praised the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery, situated in Miaoli, for its magnificent construction, which embodies Rinpoche’s vow and good fortune. Furthermore, His Holiness declared the monastery, the fruit of Rinpoche’s retreat in Lapchi. Rinpoche, having always benefited boundless sentient beings with his profound and vast heart of compassion, will begin to shoulder even greater responsibilities in propagating Buddha Dharma with the completion of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery, and will have very excellent and stable developments in the future. The Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery will impact the Drikung Kagyu Lineage globally in a profound way, turning a new page in Drikung Kagyu’s history, and will propagate Buddha Dharma expansively to benefit all sentient beings. On the day (of the puja), His Holiness bestowed the body, speech, and mind blessing empowerments of Hevajra, and authorized that future great empowerments may be given by Rinpoche in continuation. Moreover, His Holiness made a special point of bestowing the precious hand-written Dharma texts by Naropa and Marpa upon Rinpoche. Rinpoche, being mindful that His Holiness was about to begin a three–year retreat, not only felt grateful but also had cherishing and devoted thoughts towards His Holiness. Simultaneously, Rinpoche compassionately helped sentient beings connect deep Dharma fate with His Holiness. All attendees were grateful for the opportunity to attend such an incomparably wondrous Hevajra empowerment puja; the grace of the guru is truly vast and boundless.

Updated on February 4, 2025