On November 27th, 2010, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led 68 disciples to New Zealand. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and his disciples particularly paid a visit to the Milarepa Retreat Center, which is being constructed and supervised by His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s three grace root guru. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche also invited His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang to take a leisure trip to Southern Island, New Zealand, thereby bestowing blessings and protection to the land and sentient beings.
On November 28th, upon His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s arrival in Auckland on Northern Island, New Zealand, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang’s lama attendant and several local New Zealanders of different ethnic groups waited at the airport to welcome Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche with flowers and khatas at His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang’s order, showing His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang’s regard for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche.
On November 29th, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche led 68 followers to the Milarepa Retreat Center of Drikung Kagyu Lineage, located in the vicinity of Auckland, New Zealand and paid homage to Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s three grace root guru, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang. The site of the retreat center was decided in 2007, when Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang took Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to New Zealand for the first time. Judging from the various auspicious signs manifested at that time, both Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang and Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche thought the site was ideal for retreat practices. Thus, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang and Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, the guru and the disciple, decided to purchase the piece of land and then began to realize their plan of constructing a retreat center there.
Milarepa Retreat Center is located in an area surrounded by hills and mountains, about 90 minutes in driving distance from downtown Auckland. It is a secluded and tranquil site, currently inaccessible by larger vehicles. So far, the management building and His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang’s residence have been erected, and there are tens of retreat huts are under construction. Building these establishments is extremely costly due to strict regulations of construction in New Zealand in terms of construction materials, methods, and environmental protection measures. Additionally, since the location is quite remote, the expenditure on transportation adds up the total cost. Nevertheless, in order to fulfill the vow of the guru and to sustain the Lineage, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has been making financial contributions to support the construction of the retreat center and will continue to make great financial efforts for the project.
As His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang is staying in the region, organizing and establishing the retreat center, many local believers of New Zealand have wanted to seek an audience with His Holiness. They, however, did not gain His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang’s consent to visit this retreat center. Nonetheless, the 68 disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center were not only fortunate enough to visit the auspicious place but were also granted individual blessings personally by His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang. Moreover, His Holiness particularly instructed the local believers to prepare lunch and special local fruit for the disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center. Besides, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang even kindly inquired after the disciples. All of the disciples felt immensely grateful to their Guru, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, for giving them such a precious opportunity.
At lunchtime, rain began to fall all of a sudden. The local believers felt joyful at seeing the rain and said that they had been worried about the long-lasting draught due to lack of rain. This rainfall truly relieved the draught. It was the arrival of His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang and Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche that brought the rain as well as fortune and hope to the land and the sentient beings.
On December 1, when His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, and the over 60 disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center were having the lunch in Queenstown, located on the south island of New Zealand, local journalists particularly came to the restaurant to request having an interview with His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, and the disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center regarding the purpose and itinerary of their trip to New Zealand. The next day, the local newspapers of “The Southland Times” and “Mountain Scene” both had coverage for the event and presented pictures of His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, and His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang’s lama attendant. The newspapers titled His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon as an important “Buddhist leader”, and revealed that the Milarepa Retreat Center of the Drikung Kagyu Order was being established under the supervision of His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang with the support of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. What’s more, they even reported the fact that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has cured many cancer patients with Buddha-Dharma instead of medication. Many people also escaped death with his help.
One night, when His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang and His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had dinner with over 60 disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang particularly bestowed brief but precious teachings to the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center: Buddha Sakyamuni entered nirvana in Bodhgaya 2554 years ago, and the Buddhist teachings spread from Bodhgaya thereafter. The Buddhist lineages are known to be Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana, i.e. the Lesser, Greater, and Vajra Vehicles. At that time, there was Hinayana Buddhism. As the word vehicle refers to a carrier, one who is on the Lesser Vehicle merely tries to gain self-liberation and does not think about the sentient beings. Geographically, it can also be called the Southern Buddhism, spreading southwards from Bodhgaya to areas such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Burma. 500 years thereafter, Bodhisattva Nagarjuna started Mahayana Buddhism, i.e. the Northern Buddhism, spreading northwards from Bodhgaya to North India, West Ladakh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, western territories, and China. As this Vehicle carries more than individuals benefits and one has to practice for the sentient beings, it is then called the Greater Vehicle of Buddhism. In Taiwan, research documents on the history of Chinese Buddhism attest that the Lesser Vehicle represents the forming period of Buddhism, the Greater Vehicle represents the developing period of Buddhism, and the Tibetan Buddhism represents a later period of Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism was initiated around the times of the 7th century. The Bon religion still had great influence over Tibet at the time, so Buddhism was unable to root in the region until Padmasambhava entered Tibet. Zen Buddhism from China made its entrance during this early period. Currently, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang is researching in this field and has published several books. The resources for the books include material from the Paris Library and the British Library, as well as texts found in the 17th cave in Dunhuang on the Silk Road. The books were a result of collaboration between the Drikung Kagyu Foundation and the British Library.
The word drikung in Drikung Kagyu Lineage is the name of a place and kagyu means oral transmission. The lineage of Drikung Kagyu was originated from Tilopa, who was born in Bangladesh, east to India, and his disciple, Naropa, born in Sri Lanka, west to India. Both of them were lay gurus and Naropa had used to take the posts of the resident guru of both Nalanda University and Vikramashila University. Afterwards, the great Marpa went to India three times and Nepal four times to seek teachings. Marpa obtained important scriptures from Nalanda and Vikramashila Universities and brought them back to Tibet. Milarepa, a disciple of Marpa, passed the lineage onto Gampopa, under whom four Kagyu sects rose: Karma Kagyu, Tsalpa Kagyu, Barom Kagyu, and Phagdrub Kagyu. Gampopa was the foremost disciple of Phagmodrupa, who had 500 accomplished disciples. Phagmodrupa’s lineage was divided into 8 Kagyu branches such as Drikung Kagyu, Drukpa Kagyu, Taklung Kagyu. Therefore, the Kagyu school has four major and eight minor sects in total.
The founder, Jigten Sumgon, built Drikung Thil at a place 180 kilometers to the northeast of Lhasa in 1179 AD and also established the Drikung Kagyu order. At the time, there was a popular saying, “Any mountain is Drikung Kagyu’s mountain; any land is Drikung Kagyu’s land.” During the heyday of the Drikung Kagyu order, the lineage had 180,000 monks or nuns. This astonishing number was recorded not only in the history of Drikung Kagyu order; even the histories of other schools such as those of the fifth Dalai Lama and Karma Kagyu, have also recorded such facts. So, this is true . At the time, Jigten Sumgon sent groups of monks and nuns, whose number increased from a few hundred, a few thousand, to more than 50,000 in each patch later in time, to the three holy places of Mount Kailash, Lapchi mountains, and Tsari respectively to perform retreats. These three places were the sacred lands of Chakrasamvara. His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang visited Mount Kailash before and saw the remaining sites of retreats by many monks and nuns in the past. Various local accounts of Buddhist practitioners flying over the mountain tops to get to the site were still being spread.
The most important monastery of Drikung Kagyu order in Tibet is the Drikung Thil monastery to the northeast of Lhasa. His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang especially mentioned again that the golden roof of Drikung Thil was supported and re-built by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Drikung Thil and Nyima Changra Shedra used to be the two major retreat centers of Drikung Kagyu order in Tibet. The main focus of these two retreat centers was to practice Five-fold Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa. Currently, the Drikung Kagyu order has more than 200 monasteries in Tibet and India and over 100 centers overseas. These centers have now been largely on track and can be self-managed. In recent five or six years, they have being focused on the study and practice of Buddha dharma. Only when there is a major issue will the monasteries implore His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang for help. Therefore, in the following 10 years, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang will put more efforts to the construction of three overseas retreat centers: One is in West Germany (for Western Europe), another in Hungary (for Eastern Europe), and the other in Auckland, New Zealand, that everyone visited on this trip (for Pan Pacific area). These three retreat centers will be constructed and managed personally by His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang. Even three-year retreat will be carried out in these three retreat centers as well. The purpose of His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang constructing the three retreat centers is to follow the example of the founder, Jigten Sumgon, in transmitting dharmas in the three retreat sites such as Mount Kailash in the past. Finally, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang bestowed blessing and wished that all disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center would be joyful.
On December 4th, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang and His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, followed by around 60 disciples of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, took a tour boat to see the reputed Milford Sound. While cruising, the captain of the boat invited His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang on his initiative to steer the boat. At once, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang got familiar with steering and handled the boat just like a professional. Being touched, Rinchen Dorjee Rinchen said, “His Holiness is steering the dharma boat to salvage the sentient beings.” All the disciples in this boat were grateful for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for granting them such an auspicious opportunity to be in the same boat with great practitioners and thereby to be able to accumulate their merits, cause and condition.
On December 5th, a female believer and her son, who live in New Zealand, made a special trip from Christchurch to Queenstown to seek an audience with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and implore for his refuge. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche compassionately agreed. Many other local New Zealanders came to see Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and received his auspicious blessings and advice, thereby relieving their medical suffering. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s blessing and influential powers are truly beyond boundaries.
Updated on December 20, 2010