Konchok Chidü Empowerments

Chokling RinpocheOn 10th April, here at our main monastery in Kathmandu, Chokling Rinpoche kindly began bestowing upon us the empowerments and oral transmissions for Konchok Chidü (The Embodiment of the Precious Ones), a set of blessed treasure teachings focused on Guru Rinpoche that were revealed by the great master Jatsön Nyingpo (1585 – 1656). These empowerments were specially arranged for the lamas and practitioners from all the villages in Nepal, and lamas from about sixty-five states in Nepal made the journey down to Kathmandu for this precious event.

While the five hundred guest lamas were seated inside the main shrine hall together with our own senior monks and nuns, the monastery’s entire front lawn and all the courtyards were jam-packed with other lamas, monks, nuns, and laypeople who had come to joyfully receive these rare transmissions. In the mornings they had the opportunity to receive teachings from Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche for the first two days, and Phakchok Rinpoche for the remaining days. Chokling Rinpoche will then proceed to perform the self-empowerment, before giving the empowerments and transmissions in the afternoons.

The first day saw a crowd of about 3,000 which then grew every single day. The event was scheduled to end on 16 April, but as Chokling Rinpoche kindly wanted to complete the transmission of all six volumes, the event was stretched for another three days to 19 April, with additional empowerments of Zabtik Drolma (Tara), Tukdrub Barche Kunsel and Amitabha from the Chokling Tersar cycle of teachings.

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By 18 April, the crowd grew to 8,000 plus, and the whole monastery plus local and foreign volunteers worked joyfully together to serve all those present including giving lunch to everyone present (1300kg of rice per day!), as well as water throughout the day and afternoon tea. It was also wonderful to witness the relentless generosity, devotion, and gratitude of the Himalayan people, who in spite of being relatively poor made unstinting offerings day after day. We concluded yesterday with a long-life Amithabha empowerment on 19 April, that was attended by more than 15,000 people, all of whom devotedly queued up in the monastery for six or more hours in order to receive the blessings in spite of the heat, dust, and crowds.

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