Mercy and Compassion V.S. SARS
From November of 2002 to July of 2003, the new disease Severe Acute of Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) broke out all over the world. This fatal and contagious disease, lacking effective treatment, had soon caused a worldwide panic. People changed their daily life such as reduced entering the public place and avoided contacting with crowds. Even worse, they were greatly perplexed and anxious. During the SARS outbreak in Taiwan, a great number of public activities, including the religious activities of major religious groups, were halted. The main gates of temples of major Buddhist schools also closed to suspend teachings and to prohibit people from going in and out.
The His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche mercifully and compassionately had sympathy for people sufferings as well as sorrows and knew it was the time that sentient beings needed help and to be saved most. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche enlightened “As sentient beings need our help most, how can we leave them behind?” Thus, during the peak period of the SARS epidemic in Taiwan, from April 27 to July 6 of 2003, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche still uninterruptedly conducted 17 weekly auspicious tantric pujas of Drikung Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (refer to followed photo albums of pujas). Since during that period the venue of The Glorious Buddhist Center at Min-Quan West Road in Taipei had not been available yet, the pujas were held in many different places that were surveyed and investigated by the base of hundreds even one thousand of attendees every week. Those places where there had not been any pujas for decades or there were surrounded by cemeteries were also particularly selected by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, for much more sentient beings in sufferings in such places need to be rescued. Therefore, the pujas were held all over the Taipei city, including Taipei City Government, the auditorium of Taipei Public Transportation Office, Datong District Office of Taipei City, the assembly hall of Songshan District Activity Center, Jiankang Elementary School, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Taiwan Normal University, National Taipei University of Education, Song Shan Armed Forces General Hospital, and so on. Changing places frequently to hold pujas had been extremely difficult to the practitioner. Nevertheless Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche never thought about the hardies and had conducted the pujas to benefit more sentient beings.
All attendees of these pujas conducted by the His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche during SARS period were sound and safe from SARS infection, so were all the residents living in the areas where the pujas were held. For instance, there were no SARS cases in Datong District, Taipei, the area where was adjacent to the Wanhua District, where the most severely infected Taipei City Heping Hospital was located. Despite the fact that all people had been staying away from SARS infected patients and their hospitals, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, at high risk of being infected from SARS patients, still went to hospitals to bless the suffering patients immediately when they implored. For example, at the request of the director of Student Affairs of Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School where SARS-infected patient Student Xsiao was studying, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, without concern of his own safety, went to the Taipei City Zhongxiao Hospital several times to give blessings to him, who had already been on intubation and on critical. After that, Student Xiao was getting better, and was recovered and discharged from the hospital. In 2004 he was admitted to the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University. Another on critical SARS patient that was saved by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche was Dr. Wang Zun-Wen, the attending physician of the emergency unit of Taipei City Heping Hospital (<<click here for related story>>). Dr. Wang was recovered after his younger brother attended the most auspicious tantric pujas of Drikung Kagyu Lineage conducted by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche on his behalf. Furthermore, till nowadays, Dr. Wang does not have any of SARS-induced sequelae, such as pulmonary Fibrosis, pulmonary dysfunction, hepatitis, gastroenteritis, mild arthritis, necrosis of femoral head of the hip joint, peripheral nerve neuropathy, hair loss, or going bald. He has become even healthier than before when he was infected (photo 1).
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| Photo 1: Dr. Wang Zun-Wen, the attending physician of the emergency unit of Taipei City Heping Hospital. Photo was taken on June 30, 2009. Dr. Wang does not have any of SARS-induced sequelae since 2003. |
Among the numerous events, the most particular one was the puja of April 27, 2003, in Armed Forces Songshan Hospital, Taipei. On April 26, 2003, Song Shan Armed Forces General Hospital, Taipei, was assigned to be the first hospital with the special mission of treating SARS patients in Taiwan. Nevertheless, the next day, April 27, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche still held a puja in Song Shan Armed Forces General Hospital, Taipei and conducted the ritual of Lohma Jolma Curing to eliminate disasters and pray for blessings for sentient beings. Song Shan Armed Forces General Hospital, Taipei had been treating nearly 300 SARS patients since it accommodated and treated the first SARS case on April 26th. It has been well known for its extremely high cure rate in the world.
Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has been being heartily concerned for the disciples, the believers and all the sentient beings. During this SARS period, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche not only gave Buddhist teachings to help sentient beings set aside their mental and physical worries, but also, to release sentient beings’ sufferings, conducted many various auspicious tantras, including the rituals of Buddha Amitayus, empowerment of Vajrasattva, Green Tara, Lama Chopa, Lohma Jolma, Ksitigarbha’s mantra, White Vajra Healing Mantra by the wrathful Padmasambhava, various mantras against the God of Plague, and Chod. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche particularly transmitted the Ksitigarbha’s mantra during the puja of May 4, 2003 at the Datong District Office, and particularly practiced mantras against the God of Plague as well as the White Vajra Healing Mantra by the wrathful Padmasambhava during the puja of May 11, 2003 at the Datong District Office. Besides, during the later puja, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche also bestowed a chakra wheel of tantric mantras as well as bottled anti-SARS nectar blessed with tantric mantras upon each attendee and hoped that they would share this auspicious anti-SARS nectar widely with any sentient being in need. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, with his mercy and compassion as well as wisdom of void of nature, immense Bodhichitta, and great amount of merits, helped innumerable sentient beings to eliminate their greed, hatred, delusion and attachment, and so as to be released from the sorrow ocean. Whenever the patients or their relatives with appropriate causes and conditions requested help from Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche always helped them through various means of Buddha Dharma, even the patients was been isolated, by bestowing remote blessings upon them, giving them the enlightenment over the phone, presenting them the audio recording of Buddhist teachings. Therefore, the SARS epidemic disappeared after the June of 2003, just as Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had predicted and enlightened. Furthermore, Chen Jing-Qiu (<<click here for related story>>), the deceased Head Nurse of Hoping Hospital Taipei, the first medical staff who unfortunately died of SARS disease on May 1, also obtained the conduction of auspicious and rare Chod rituals of Drikung Kagyu by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to transfer her consciousness <<click here for Rare and Auspicious Chod>>.
Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has ever enlightened that contagious diseases such as SARS resulted from eating meat and killing. People do not believe in the law of cause and effect, and hurt many sentient beings to fulfill their greedy appetite desire. The diseases, originated from the hatred of killed beings, are exactly their resentment towards the human beings. Only the merciful and compassionate power of Buddha Dharma could cease their hatred and eliminate the disaster. During the period of SARS in Taiwan, that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche selflessly rescued myriad people from suffering and sorrow without concern of his own life has prevented the wider spread of SARS disease. It is just proving what Sutra says: the merits of a Mahasiddha could protect and bless the place where he stays so that the people there live in peace with less disputes among each other, and abiding happiness with less illness. We have immense gratitude to the His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche.
Date: April 27, 2003
Place: The Auditorium of SongShang Armed Forces General Hospital, Taipei
Puja: The Lohma Jolma Curing Puja
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche made prostration to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas at the mandala. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche lighted and offered the butter lamp to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. |
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. |
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| At the completion of the practice, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche performed an outer offering. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche compassionately enlightened the attendees the importance of holding pujas during the SARS period. |
Date: May 4, 2003
Place: Datong District Office Auditorium, Taipei City
Puja: Transmission of the Kitigarbha’s mantra
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche made prostration himself to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas at the mandala. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche lighted and offered the butter lamp to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. |
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras and prayed for the blessing of Bodhisattva Kitigarbha. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche lighted and offered the butter lamp to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. |
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche bestowing compassionate teachings. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche bestowing compassionate teachings. |
Date: May 11, 2003
Place: Datong District Office Auditorium, Taipei City
Puja: Wrathful Padmasambhava Curing Puja
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| All attendees reverently greeted Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to ascend to the dharma throne. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. |
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras against the God of Plague and the White Vajra Healing Mantra by the Wrathful Padmasambhava. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche blessed every single bottle of anti-SARS nectar and distributed the nectar among the attendees. |
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche bestowing blessings upon the chakra wheels with tantric mantras and the anti-SARS nectar. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche bestowing blessings upon the chakra wheels with tantric mantras and the anti-SARS nectar. |
Date: May 18, 2003
Place: Datong District Office Auditorium, Taipei City
Puja: Lama Chopa Puja
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche blessing an outer offering torma. |
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche accepting the mandala offering. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche accepting the mandala offering. |
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche performing an auspicious tsok offering during the practice of Lama Chopa. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche performing an auspicious tsok offering during the practice of Lama Chopa. |
Date: May 25, 2003
Place: Taipei City Hall Auditorium
Puja: Regular Puja
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| All attendees reverently greeted Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche to ascend to the dharma throne. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche made prostration to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas at the mandala. |
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| The attendees made prostration to the Mst Venerable Vajra Guru, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche bestowing the attendees with compassionate teachings. |
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche bestowing the attendees with compassionate teachings. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche bestowing the attendees with compassionate teachings. |
Date: June 8, 2003
Place: Taipei City Hall Auditorium
Puja: Conversion Ceremony
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche bestowing compassionate teachings. |
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| The attendees listening to the compassionate teachings of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. | The believers who were to take refuge went on the stage to receive Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s teachings on the Five Precepts. |
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| The believers who were to take refuge went on the stage to receive Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s teachings on the Five Precepts. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche cut the refugees’ hair, symbolizing that they were to leave their home of reincarnation within the three worlds. |
Date: June 15, 2003
Place: Datong District Office Auditorium, Taipei City
Puja: Regular Puja
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. |
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| The attendees listening to the extraordinary teachings of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. | The attendees reverently receiving the nectar blessed by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. |
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| The attendees reverently listening to the extraordinary teachings of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. | The attendees reverently listening to the extraordinary teachings of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. |
Date: July 6, 2003
Place: Taipei City Hall Auditorium
Puja: Regular Puja
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. |
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. | Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche recited mantras to bless the whole puja venue as well as innumerable sentient beings. |
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| Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche bestowing extraordinary teachings. | The attendees reverently listening to the extraordinary teachings of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. |
Updated on June 12, 2009