His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s Puja Teachings – June 26, 2026

 
From June 19 to June 26, 2026, His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche entered a seven-day retreat at the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, this marked Rinpoche’s 35th retreat. Simultaneously, he led and personally guided 29 disciples in a three-to-seven-day retreat at the Retreat Center of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for the second time. 
 
Upholding the Drikung Kagyu lineage gurus’ long tradition of emphasizing actual practice and retreat, Rinpoche has perfectly completed 35 retreats between 1997 and 2026. For the purpose of propagating the authentic Buddha Dharma and benefiting sentient beings vastly, Rinpoche gave rise to the great vow of karuṇā and established the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche as a place dedicated to practice and retreat. Within the Monastery, Rinpoche also established the Retreat Center, compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) granting his disciples the incomparably wondrous fate to enter a retreat.
 
Earlier this March, Rinpoche personally led disciples in a retreat for the first time. Only a few months later, he once again compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) led the disciples into a retreat. Before entering the retreat, Rinpoche compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) performed the Dharma and bestowed blessings upon the disciples for a long time to purify obstacles to their cultivation. He also gave detailed instructions on many aspects of the conduct and practice during the retreat. Upon the perfect completion of the retreat, Rinpoche performed Vajrasattva to make up for any shortcomings or deficiencies that had arisen in the disciples’ mantra recitation during retreat.
 
Throughout the retreat, while remaining in their individual retreat rooms, the disciples were able to hear the Dharma voice of Rinpoche’s mantra chant. They also sensed the sublime, miraculous fragrance, noticed the earth shake, and felt warmth throughout their entire bodies. These experiences enabled them to realize deeply that their guru was constantly attracting (Puja Teachings Index 22), protecting, and caring for them, never leaving them even for a single moment. So that the disciples’ obstacles were removed, their minds and bodies became settled, and, therefore, they were able to complete the retreat perfectly. The disciples understood profoundly that to encounter such a meritorious Vajra guru in this evil time of the Five Turbidities is an incomparably wondrously virtuous fate across countless lifetimes.
 
The disciples realize profoundly that taking refuge and relying on the guru is the very foundation of all practice. Without the guru’s attraction (Puja Teachings Index 22), blessings, and teachings, any attainments in practice are ultimately impossible. They, therefore, only implore to take refuge in and rely on the guru through lifetime after lifetime, and faithfully practice according to his teachings.
 
At 3:30 p.m. on June 19, as Rinpoche ascended the Dharma throne in the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Monastery to perform the Dharma, gentle breezes blew by one after another, breaking the oppressive afternoon heat and instantly bringing a sense of coolness, tranquility, and peace to everyone’s body and mind.

Rinpoche first recited the Great Six-Syllable Mantra. At this moment, it seemed as though a fine nectar Dharma rain descended with an ultimate, miraculous fragrance that permeated. Light radiated from the point between Rinpoche’s eyebrows, and the face shone radiantly. The sacred statue of the Thousand-Armed-and-Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteshvara radiated brilliant light. During the puja, white egrets and black birds soared above the golden roof, while butterflies and dragonflies fluttered outside the glass wall. After that, Rinpoche compassionately (maitrī and karuṇā) performed the Dharma to clear away the disciples’ obstacles to practice. During the period of performing the Dharma, the earth trembled, and the power of blessing is incomparably wondrous and inconceivable. Rinpoche further blessed each disciple for a long period of time with his compassionate(maitrī and karuṇā) gaze. Afterward, Rinpoche performed the Dharma Protector Achi Liturgy and the Furious Dharma Protector Achi Liturgy and bestowed precious Dharma teachings:
 
The retreat in Buddha Dharma is not about obtaining something or becoming someone. Do not think that, going into a retreat for seven days, coming out, and one will become different. We, life and life, all live amid the restless and chaotic world, and our minds also have become accustomed to the restless and chaotic. Therefore, why does one go into retreat?  It is to practice being lonely and alone, because at the time of death, it is lonely and alone. This matter needs practice, and the practice begins now.

During these seven days, one must cut off all external fate, to be able to see your own mind and hear the voice of your inner mind, only then can one truly settle his mind to practice the yidam or devote to a particular Dharma practice. However, you will still interfere with your own mind, thinking about this and that.

Retreat still belongs to the stage of good fortune, merit, and resources. Only when one’s accumulation of good fortune, merit, and resources is sufficient can one enter the prayogamārga (Puja Index Teachings 11), which is to strengthen the power of one’s practice. This is followed by the darśanamārga (Puja Index Teachings 12), in which one sees the path of the cultivation of the Buddha. After that comes the bhāvanāmārga (Puja Index Teachings 13), in which one cultivates the Bodhisattva Path.
 
Most monastics believe that the purpose of retreat is to attain enlightenment. Rinpoche pointed at one of the male monastic disciples and said that this was precisely how he is—entering retreat in the hope of becoming enlightened. Without good fortune, without merit, even going into a retreat for a hundred years would not reach enlightenment. If you still think in such a way, I advise you not to enter a retreat. 
 
This is not a life-and-death retreat, so the requirements are not as strict. If it were a life-and-death retreat, the requirements would be very strict. Therefore, if you want to take a shower, then go. If you don’t want to take a shower, then simply rinse the essential parts of the body. Do not eat too full when you eat the meal, from my cultivation experience, one needs to stay a little bit hungry. Eating too much easily leads to styana(Puja Teachings Index 24), which in turn hinders the practice.
 
Plan for yourself how many sessions you will practice each day, do not rush just to keep up with the schedule, the number is not what matters most. It is best if you can complete the number of recitations you have set for yourself. Don’t move around while reciting, don’t get up if you haven’t finished a round of recitation; if you get up in the middle of it, that round doesn’t count. At the end of each session, recite that text printed on the white sheet. It was distributed during the previous retreat, for those attending the retreat for the first time, it will be handed out to you shortly. 

When you practice the Guruyoga, make dedications only after performing the final set—recite the dedication prayers at the end of the Dharma text—and after reciting the dedication, you should practice Achi and implore Achi for this retreat to reach perfect completion. During the dedication, one needn’t invite all the Yidams to depart—there are the Wisdom Yidam and the sambhogakaya (Puja Teachings Index 08) Yidam; the Wisdom Yidam should remain in front of you while the sambhogakaya (Puja Teachings Index 08) Yidam merges into your body. 
 
On the day we emerge from retreat, you shall exit retreat at 9 o’clock, and at 9:30 I will perform the Fire Offering. It is now 3:30; you should enter the retreat rooms at 5:00. If you are feeling unwell, don’t force it. 

Afterward, the disciples reverently sent Rinpoche off as he descended the Dharma throne, and entered the retreat rooms at 5:00 PM, marking the formal commencement of the retreat. 
 
At noon on June 25th, Rinpoche compassionately(maitrī and karuṇā) instructed the retreaters to emerge from retreat at 8:30 AM, and before emerging, they were to perform another practice session within the retreat rooms. The Fire Offering will be at 9:00. 
 
At 8:10 AM on June 26th, Rinpoche instructed the disciples in the retreat rooms about to exit that they were to bring the Guruyoga Dharma text and that all disciples were to follow instructions and emerge from retreat at 8:30 AM. Due to heavy rainfall, the Fire Offering had been canceled, and all members were to go to the Mahavira Hall of the Monastery to welcome Rinpoche reverently once he emerged from retreat. 
 
At 9 o’clock, Rinpoche ascended the Dharma throne in the Mahavira Hall of the Monastery and performed Achi Dharma Protector, followed by the Furious Achi, and the compassionate (maitrī and karuṇā) verbal transmission of the Guruyoga, during which Rinpoche explained the content of the Dharma text in detail and instructed the method of practice so that the disciples could understand the essence of its cultivation. 
 
Upon perfect completion of verbally transmitting the Guruyoga, Rinpoche expounded: 

It’s raining today, so there’s no chance of performing the Fire Offering, I will perform the Vajrasattva on your behalf. Because when you recite the mantras, they may become scattered, dispersed, or fly off; they cannot gather and concentrate. So I willpractice Vajrasattva to help you gather the mantra you have recited. 

When Rinpoche was transmitting the Guru Yoga verbally and performing the Vajrasattva, Rinpoche’s sacred body and the mandala emitted rays of golden light, the ground shook, and a refined fragrance permeated throughout the Mahavira Hall, lingering only until the puja came to perfect completion.
 
Upon the perfect completion of the puja, the rain stopped, clouds cleared, the breeze blew gently, and the air became crisp and clean—all was bright and balmy. With boundless compassion  (maitrī and karuṇā) and no concern for his own fatigue, Rinpoche benefited sentient beings tirelessly. Only by engraving the guru’s teachings in their hearts, having absolute faith and reverence towards the guru, and holding absolutely no doubt at all, can the disciples not fail to repay the profound debt of gratitude for the guru’s compassionate   (maitrī and karuṇā) instruction.

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Updated on June 30, 2026