This year’s Nine Yanas retreat was an eventful one. Coinciding with a week of teachings and practice, was the first annual Nepal Lamas’ Gathering held at the Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. During this ten day event, Kyabje Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche g ave numerous empowerments and reading transmissions to the gathered lamas which lasted from early morning to late evening every day. It was during this atmosphere of daily empowerments and thousands of people bustling about, that the 2013 Nine Yanas Retreat with Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche took place.

This year was the third year of teaching held in Nepal. Dharma teachings and meditation instructions were given to students participating in their first, second and third year. As Phakchok Rinpoche was receiving the empowerments everyday in connection with the Lama Gathering, it was a very tight and ever changing schedule of teachings and meditation sessions.  Often Phakchok Rinpoche would come from the empowerments and then give three to four hours of teachings, seeming to have an endless amount of energy. The participants were a combination of practitioners from around the world, monks from Rinpoche’s two monasteries, Vajravarahi and Riwoche, as well as many who were new to the dharma and came to learn for the first time.

The Nine Yanas are the general layout of the progressive path of the Buddhadharma according to Nyingma school of Early Translations.  In particular the Nine Yanas courses taught by Phakchok Rinpoche follow the treasure teaching of the great 19^th century treasure revealer Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa and are part of a larger revealed cycle of teaching called Dzogchen Desum. Guru Rinpoche in his great compassion and foresight for future generations of dharma practitioners prepared this cycle of teachings so that an individual may be able to learn and practice the essential meaning of each of the Nine Yanas. This gives the opportunity to create a solid foundation of knowledge and experience of each yana before going on to the next and helps to make one’s practice effective throughout one’s life.

Phakchok Rinpoche always stresses the importance of sincerity, dignity and dharma practice in one’s life and was a great example of this during this year’s retreat.  All the participants showed much flexibility, patience, determination and devotion during the retreat.  With these elements of the teacher and students coming together, the 2013 Nine Yanas retreat in Kathmandu was unique and a great success!

On 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.

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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In the Tibetan tradition, the year when one reaches 60 years of age is considered an astrologically unfavourable year, where one may encounter many obstacles. For this reason, it is considered traditionally auspicious to conduct a tenshuk, or long-life ceremony for great masters at the beginning of such years.

On 25 Feb 2013, Tulku Urgyen Yangsi Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Phakchok Rinpoche, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, together with the ordained sangha from Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery, Shechen Monastery, Nagi Gompa, Chapagaon and Riwoche monasteries, as well as our affiliated centres worldwide and sangha in Kathmandu gathered to offer a long-life ceremony for Kyabje Chokling Rinpoche.

It was an especially auspicious day, as it was also the day when we enthroned our monasteries’ first Khenpos (Professors in Buddhist Philosophy), and our latest batch of three-year retreatants returned to the monastery for the first time. Some of the retreatants have been in retreat for the past seven years, and some for six years. All present sincerely prayed from the depths of their heart for Chokling Rinpoche’s and all the great masters’ long life and good health, and fully rejoiced for the retreatants’ return and our five new Khenpos – Khenpo Karma Gyurmey, Khenpo Lodro Rabsel, Khenpo Urgyen Tenphel, Khenpo Tsondru Sangpo and Khenpo Pema Namgyal.

Click here to view the photos from the ceremony.

On 2 March 2013, Chokling Rinpoche and Phakchok Rinpoche, accompanied by senior monks from Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery, as well as young monks from Chapagaon and Riwoche monasteries, released more than 65,000 fishes into the Tirsuli River. Acts such as life release, are an important means to generate longevity, to enable us to perfect our Dharma practice in this life. It is also an act of compassion for the fish released, and they are given sacred blessing water before they are released into the river. The life release was sponsored by our sangha in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the sangha at Lerab Ling (France), as well as students of Rangjung Yeshe Institute, as well as our many dharma friends in Kathmandu.

Click here for the photos from the life release

Our growth in the past, present and continued growth in the future is directly a result of your involvement, and it is through this strong interdependent bond that we will be able to continue our Rinpoches’ boundlessly compassionate activities for all sentient beings. To directly lend a hand in our teachers’ activities is rare and precious and we greatly rejoice in the vast merit that you have accumulated through your contributions.

This year, anyone who donates any amounts towards any of our projects will be warmly welcomed into our Mandala of Merit.

Our Target by April 2013 : US$50,000

• General Use US$15,000 (including Translations & Publications and Gomde Cooperstown)
• Zangdok Palri US$10,000
• Monastic Education US$10,000
• Vajravarahi Clinic US$10,000
• Tibetan Medicine Training US$5,000

From September 24^th through October 10^th the Profound Essence of Tara or Zabtik Drolma sadhana ritual course took place here in Kathmandu, Nepal.  On the first day of the course we received the empowerment (wang) and the reading transmission (lung) from H.E. Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche in his private shrine room at Ka-Nying Shedrup Ling Monastery.  This in itself was a very intimate and precious time to be with a great master such as Chokling Rinpoche.

Our teacher for the course was Ani Dekyi Chodron, a senior nun of Nagi Gonpa, who has taught the dharma at various locations around the world.  She instructed us in the application and meaning(tri) of the sadhana practice, as well as its ritual aspect.  Interweaved with this, she gave concisely yet very profound, the teaching of the Triple Excellence.  This teaching covers the meaning and practice of the three yanas and were revealed as terma by the 19^th century great terton, Orgyen Chokgyur Lingpa.

The making of torma was taught by four instructors: Sherab Puntsok, Lama Busulu, Ani Kunsang and Ani Tsewang Lhamo.  The nine participants learned the different aspects of this practice very well and how a sadhana practice such as this contains the practice of the entire buddhadharma.  On the last day of the course while at Nagi Gonpa, all participants along with Ani Dekyi Chodron, performed the group practice together along with a feast offering.  The students themselves acted as chant master, shrine master, played the drum and cymbals, made the torma used for the ritual offering and practiced well.  In short, the course was very successful.

It is the wish of Kyabgon Phakchok Rinpoche that today’s practitioners from around the world can have the opportunity to learn in an authentic and meaningful way the profound teachings and methods of the Vajrayana path.  These courses are Phakchok Rinpoche’s initiative and are now in their third year of running.

For more information please see:

www.phakchokrinpoche.org

In April 2012, H.E. Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche and Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche  accompanied by family members and around 20 students from around the world set off on a pilgrimage to numerous places of Guru Rinpoche in and around the Kathmandu valley, as well as the Indian state of Sikkim. At each major location connected to Guru Rinpoche the pilgrimage group along with both Rinpoches practiced the sadhana of Padmasambhava entitled Tukdrub Trinley Nyingpo together with a feast offering.

In Kathmandu, we visited the Asura cave, Chumi Jangchub and Maratika. To get to Maratika, we took a one-hour helicopter ride. About fifteen monks and lamas from Ka-Nying Shedrup Ling Monastery met us there and we all practiced the Sampa Lhundrub (Fulfiller of All Wishes) feast offering in one of the main caves together. While in Sikkim we visited sites such as Tashi Ding, where the terton Lhatsun Namkha Jigme established a monastery in 1646 and the great master Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro passed away in 1959 amidst miraculous signs. Khyentse Chokyi Lodro’s golden stupa is on the land and just near it we all performed a feast offering together. In Kalimpong the group paid a short visit to the Copper Colored Mountain temple constructed by Dudjom Rinpoche. At the monastery at Pema Yangtse all were shown rarely seen relics, such as a shoe of Kunkhyen Longchenpa and many terma statues.

At Khandro Sangphuk, the Secret Cave of the Dakinis, all had to squeeze through a narrow passageway to reach the main shrine of the cave. To spend time with Chokling Rinpoche and Phakchok Rinpoche each day while travelling to and practicing at such blessed places was a very memorable and important time for everyone present. All felt very grateful to be able to spend this time together and it seems everyone is looking forward to the next pilgrimage.

On the 23rd September 2012, a team of six dentists, two medical nurses and one general volunteer arrived in the picturesque village of Samagaun for the 7th Dental Camp. They joined the group of monks from Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery who had trekked for five days to get to the village ahead of the doctors, in order to complete the initial preparations. However, the mood in the village was solemn as a tragic avalanche had struck the slopes of Manaslu, the nearby summit earlier that same day and rescue and recovery efforts were underway. The team was quickly thrown into action as the avalanche victims were flown into the village. The medical nurses stabilized the victims as best as they could before evacuation to the nearest hospital.

After this initial flurry of excitement, the dental camp proper got underway for a total of 3 and a half days during which a total of 280 patients were seen and basic dental treatment such as scaling, fillings and extractions were rendered. Each patient was given a toothbrush and dental hygiene instructions were given. Although the patient numbers were not very high as compared to previous camps, the dental need was very high as many patients had multiple procedures done with a few who have never seen a dentist before and even a handful who have not brushed their teeth in their entire life!

The team and organizers would like to express our deep gratitude to the sponsors and well-wishers from Malaysia and Singapore for supporting our efforts to provide basic healthcare to more than ten thousand villagers, for the past seven years. In our own way, we have tried to make a real difference in the lives of these villagers, and put “Compassion Into Action” in practice.