His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, the Abbot – Guru of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, always with the well-being of sentient beings in mind, has vowed compassionately to help all sentient beings be liberated from the suffering sea of reincarnation. With such 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 ninth time, at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall on September 15, 2013 to benefit all sentient beings. It is expected to be attended by 22,000 people.
Every year since 2005, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has been presiding over the auspicious Great Indiscriminate Amitabha Puja for Transferring Consciousness of the Drikung Kagyu Order of Tibetan Buddhism to promote the orthodox Buddhism, purify people’s mind, and pray for blessings for the land of Taiwan as well as all its people. The Great Dharma of Amitabha for Transferring Consciousness performed by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is the auspicious Earth Terma Tantra of the Drikung Kagyu Order. The presiding guru must have gone through rigorous cultivation stages in order to perform this Dharma. That is why it is particularly auspicious and powerful when the Dharma is being performed. Moreover, the presiding guru of this Dharma must also have attained the fruition of a Rinpoche, with compassion of emptiness and the mind that has no desire for fame and profit for himself but for benefiting all sentient beings, helping them attain happiness and liberating them from suffering. Only thus would he be helpful to sentient beings. During the Grand Puja, with his immense compassion and infinite merits, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche helps the deceased that participants wish to have liberated be reborn into the Virtuous Realms and even Amitabha’s Pure Land so that they don’t fall into the Evil Realms.
His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche stated: 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”. Merits of sentient beings are not measured based on money or social status. The major donors are not honored in the puja. All sentient beings who are sincere and have the affinity to attend the puja are able to receive blessings and protection from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on an equal footing. In this spirit, there are no specially designated people to make mandala offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as well as the presiding guru. Instead, all representatives, including 2,000 people who light up and offer the lamps to the Buddhas, are randomly selected from the attending believers by lot at the venue.
Just like the previous eight years, no fees will be charged for admission, liberation of the deceased and lamp – lighting during the Grand Puja; nor are commercial activities such as charity sales allowed in order to maintain the purity of the puja. All costs required for the puja are shared by the members of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Culture Exchange Association under the supervision and guidance of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Neither public fundraising is conducted nor public donations are accepted. Furthermore, each year upon perfect completion of the Great Puja of Transferring Consciousness, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche would donate all monetary offerings from all the attendees to Social and Family Affairs Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare as funds for charity and social welfare to help the socially disadvantaged and needy people, vastly forming virtuous affinity on behalf of all sentient beings. Delegates of the government branch, attorneys, and representatives of the bank are invited to witness and audit the process. Over the past eight years, the total amount donated by His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has reached more than NT$ 51 million. The Ministry of the Interior sends a special letter of appreciation to His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche every year.
No publicity of any form is made to promote the annual Great Puja of Transferring Consciousness. Nor is there any billboard or advertisement posted. Yet the puja sees a full house every year just based solely on the word of mouth among the disciples of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, sharing with others about Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s great compassion and aspiration. Among the attendees are many believers who come especially from across 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 nuns from different Orders of Tibetan Buddhism, such as Drikung Kagyu, Drukpa Kagyu, Nyingma, and Gelug, as well as monks and nuns of 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 past eight years, the Great Pujas of Transferring Consciousness have seen more than 120,000 attendees, and more than 393,000 names have been registered on the list for liberation; as a result, the Drikung Kagyu Order has become widely known by the Taiwanese people. It has not only promoted the Drikung Kagyu Order, but also solidified the causes and conditions of carrying on the Drikung Kagyu Lineage eternally. This puja has indeed become an auspicious great event for the Drikung Kagyu Order. Each year, the Grand Puja has been remarkably auspicious and perfect, and the number of sentient beings who have been liberated is immeasurable. So the sentient beings with the affinity to attend this Grand Puja indeed possess the causal conditions and good fortune that are difficult to obtain.
Updated on August 26, 2013