Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, Kyoto, Japan

The Main Entry of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, Kyoto, Japan
The Authority Letter (of May 19, 2008) from His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche: His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, for the religious activities in Japan, specially appointed Rinchen Dorje Rinpoche to disseminate and host the Bao-Ji-Shang (Glorious Jewel) Buddhism Cultural Exchange Center for Drikung Kagyu Order of Tibetan Buddhism in Japan
Photo 1: The two tablets above the main entry bear the inscriptions “Natabhatika” and “Glorious Jewel Meditation Place” respectively which are endowed by His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche

The Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center, Kyoto, Japan of Drikung Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism is the Buddhist Teachings Center not only of the Drikung Kagyu but also among the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism that is established according to the local religious laws in Japan. Under the guidance of His Holiness the 37th Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, the His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, the Abbot of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center in Taiwan, founded the center on The 29th of May 2008. At the reverent invitation of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, His Holiness the 37th Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche presided over the inauguration ceremony and the consecration puja on the same day.

Since the 7th century when Buddhism was spread in Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism has inherited complete Exoteric teachings as well as Esoteric teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni. Being one of subsects of the Kagyu lineage, one of four major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, Drikung Kagyu Order conscientiously emphasizes on oral transmissions as well as the true practice and true realization. The transmissions of the pure tradition have never been interrupted, and therefore the blessings of the Drikung Kagyu order are especially powerful. At present, H. H. 36th Kaybgon Chungtsang Rinpoche and H. H. 37th Kaybgon Chetsang Rinpoche head the Drikung Kagyu Order. For many years, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche has been traveling and establishing Buddhist centers all over the world to benefit tremendous sentient beings and to propagate the extraordinarily auspicious teachings of Drikung Kagyu. To repay grace of H.H. Chetsang Rinpoche, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche not only makes his vow that the flags of the Drikung Kagyu Order would be flying in all the lands bordering the four oceans, but also accomplishes the vows by actions such as traveling to Asia, Europe, and Australasia to propagate Buddha Dharma.

Several years ago, upon hearing his root Guru H.H. Chetsang Rinpoche’s prophecy about the flourishing propagation of Drikung Kagyu’s teachings in Japan, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche vowed to establish a Buddhist center in Japan and started the preparation quietly. In 2005, when Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was in Japan to explore the location of the center, H.H. Chetsang Rinpoche, far away in India, had already known the on-going preparation of this Japanese center and given his strong support. Moreover, Most Venerable Yunga Rinpoche, one of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s root gurus in a long-term retreat in QingHai, had also predicted that the new center would be flourishing and upholds Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s teachings, before Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche reported about the new center. Additionally, Yunga Rinpoche bestowed upon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche a Buddha statue to be enshrined in the new center. At the end of 2005, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche reverently invited His Holiness to Japan for the confirmation of the center’s location. As His Holiness arrived at the present location of the new venue, the scene was so extraordinary that a flock of birds was circling around and chirping pleasant melodies and the rainbow beam across the sky. In October of 2007 when Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche cleansed the center place during the beam raising ceremony conducted by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche in person, auspicious clouds were appearing in the clear sky as if there was a dragon flying in the sky (photo 2). All of these auspicious signs that indicated the perfect origins signify that this Buddhist center in Japan has obtained the blessings from the lineage, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Deva, Naga and Dharma Protectors.

Photo 2: When Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche conducted the beam raising ceremony, auspicious clouds were appearing in the clear sky as if there was a dragon flying in the sky.

Originally to found the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center in Kyoto was extremely difficult since it was very difficult to start an authentic Buddhist center of Tibetan Buddhism in Kyoto. Nonetheless, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche held on his own belief and did not have any tiny flinch by virtue of his strong faith in His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche and the Drikung Kagyu gurus of all generations as well as the vow power of great compassion to benefit sentient beings. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche gradually solved the various difficulties and dispelled the misgivings of local people by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s perfect wisdom, and also helped Japanese believers with Buddhism as well. Furthermore, in December 2007, at the request of Japanese believers, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche unprecedentedly conducted a Chod puja on the moving Sagano Sight Seeing Tram in the vicinity of Kyoto<<click here for detailed news>> <<click here for photo album>>. That made Japanese realizes Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s aspiration of mercy and compassion as well as the greatness of Buddha Dharma, and thus exhibits their admiration and cooperation. After years of efforts, the Glorious Jewel Buddhist center, Kyoto, Japan was eventually inaugurated.

On the 29th of May in 2008, at the reverent request of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche arrived at the new Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center in Kyoto, Japan to preside over the inauguration ceremony as well as the consecration puja. For this significant grand event, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche personally went to India and greeted and served His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche all the way to Taiwan and then to Japan for the ribbon cutting and inauguration ceremony as well as the consecration puja (photos 3 and 4).

Photo 3: His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche and Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center of Drikung Kagyu Lineage in Kyoto, Japan.

Photo 4: During the consecration puja of the grand inauguration ceremony, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is making offering of madala to His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche.

There were more than 100 attendees in the grand inauguration ceremony, including 40 local guests in Japan, guests from India and Taiwan, and the disciples from the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center in Taiwan. During the inauguration ceremony, His Holiness particularly bestowed upon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche a statue of Buddha Amitayus from the holy place of Lapchi in Nepal and a sutra, symbolizing the arrival of Buddha Amitayus and the blooming glory of the one-thousand-year-old pure Drikung Kagyu tradition in Japan respectively (photo 5). After the perfect completion of the inauguration ceremony, His Holiness Chetsang led Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to conduct a fire puja in the yard of the Buddhist center (photo 6). During the fire puja, many auspicious signs manifested such as the rain stopped right before the beginning of the ritual, the fire became fierce within split second by a blast of strong wind, a cloud in the shape of a dragon appeared in the sky, and the sun shined down on the place of the center through the cloud near the end of puja, …etc. All the auspicious signs signified the perfect completion of the fire puja that benefited countless sentient beings, and predicted the prominent development of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center in Kyoto, and the flourishing propagation of the Drikung Kagyu’s teachings in Japan. During the inauguration ceremony, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche also enlightened that “I hope that the teachings of Drikung Kagyu Order will help Japanese friends. I wish and I believe it is also His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche’s wish that the teachings can bring serenity, peace, and happiness to this place.” <<click here for detailed news>> <<click here for photo album>>

Photo 5: During the consecration puja of the grand inauguration ceremony, His Holiness particularly bestowed upon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche a statue of Buddha Amitayus and a sutra.

Photo 6; After the perfect completion of the inauguration ceremony, His Holiness Chetsang led Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to conduct a fire puja in the yard of the Buddhist center.

Situated on the top of a hill in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan, the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center overlooks a vast view of the surrounding area from the vantage point and embodies the sense of tranquility. During the “Daimonji Fire Festival”, the important annual ancestor worship in Kyoto, the location of Buddhist center is also good to view the character of “dai” (meaning “large”) depicted by fires lit on the mountain in front. It is said that at the beginning it was a residence of the diplomats of Chinese Ching Dynasty. Since the center is located in the
	Photo 7: The fires lit of the character of “dai” by the “Daimonji Fire Festival”.
landscape area, there are strict restrictions on the reconstruction as well as the building height. When the buildings of Buddhist center were reconstructing on the same location, the cemented pillars, in order to reach rock strata, were poured 10 meters deep under the ground, symbolizing the abiding solid foundation and the forever abiding of the Buddhist center. The foursquare main building erected is massive and elegant in the way that it possesses the traditional calmness and elegance of Japanese architecture (photo 8). Its front gable is decorated with the Drikung Kagyu’s logo of seed syllable in red, white and blue colors. Each of eaves tiles also has the high relief carving of seed syllable (photo 9). The two tablets above the main entry bear the inscriptions “Natabhatika” and “Glorious Jewel Meditation Place” respectively which are endowed by His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche (photo 1). The other gable as well as the eaves tiles is carved in relief with the symbol of the sacred vase (photo 10). In addition, a graceful Japanese garden surrounds the main building. Particularly, the mountain and water landscape in the center’s backyard is the landscape of Mountain Meru, and was designed in accordance with the Mountain Meru on an ancient painting of an aged temple in Kyoto (photo 11). In brief, the exterior of the Buddhist center demonstrates a perfect Japanese style in harmony with the surroundings while in its interior the mandala is presented by the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. It signifies that, to benefit all of sentient beings, Buddhist rituals can be manifested in different appearances while the essence of Buddha Dharma would forever remain the same.

Photo 8: The foursquare main building erected is massive and elegant in the way that it possesses the traditional calmness and elegance of Japanese architecture.	Photo 9: The front gable as well as the eaves tiles is decorated with the Drikung Kagyu’s logo of seed syllable in red, white and blue colors.
Photo 10: The gable as well as the eaves tiles is carved in relief with the symbol of the sacred vase.	Photo 11: The mountain and water landscape in the center’s backyard is the landscape of Mountain Meru.

For the development of Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center in Kyoto, Japan, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has exerted unbelievable expense and efforts in making the vow, planning, establishing, inaugurating the center and propagating Buddha Dharma in the center. Most importantly, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has been granted the blessings from the root Guru His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, as well as the generation after generations’ lineage gurus and great practitioners of the Drikung Kagyu, and has been protected by Bhuddas and Bodhisattvas and the Dharma Protectors. Numerous sentient beings appraise it and the origin is auspicious and perfect. It foretells that under the immense mercy and compassion as well as great vow power of His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center in Kyoto, Japan will attain prominent prestige, the propagation of the Drikung Kagyu’s teachings will flourish in Japan, and countless sentient beings will be benefited from Buddha Dharma.

Updated on May 14, 2009