This year Kyabje Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche spent nearly two months in Malaysia and Singapore sharing the dharma with many people. The tour started at Ka-Nying Ling, the oldest of our dharma centers in S.E. Asia, with several empowerments. Though Rinpoche had to suddenly travel back to Nepal to preside over the cremation ceremony of our monastery’s beloved treasurer, Namdrol Gyatso, who stayed in post death meditative samadhi for numerous days after his passing, the lamas travelling with Rinpoche stayed back and performed numerous pujas for the occasion.
When Chokling Rinpoche returned to Malaysia several days later, he led the planting of naga vases in the ocean in Klang, near Kuala Lumpur. In Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche’s newly established Rangjung Yeshe dharma center in Selangor, Chokling Rinpoche gave the empowerment for Tukdrup Sampha Lhundrup. This was very well attended and the new center was filled to the brim. Rinpoche then gave wonderful heart advice based on the Four Dharmas of Gampopa and Longchenpa at our Rangjung Yeshe center in Ipoh, Perak.
The sangha in Singapore led by resident lama Tulku Migmar have been working hard to open their new dharma center. Chokling Rinpoche along with lamas inaugurated the new Rangjung Yeshe Oddiyana dharma center and the inauguration ceremony was attended by sangha from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia as well as from numerous Buddhist foundations in the area. Rinpoche’s visit to Singapore was concluded with a three day retreat on the Concise Manual For Daily Practice. This is the most concise Guru Rinpoche sadhana in our New Treasures lineage and the retreat was very well attended.
The highlight of Chokling Rinpoche’s two month dharma tour was the International Vajrasattva retreat held at the Ipoh Cave Temple. The location of the retreat was special because it is the place where our great refuge and protector, Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche did three months of retreat, built a stupa, taught the dharma and gave empowerments for the first time in Malaysia thus planting the seeds of our lineage there. During the retreat Rinpoche gave a detailed commentary on the Vajrasattva of The Secret Essence practice and everyone practised four group sessions each day.
The next stop was in Cameron Highlands where Rinpoche conducted a Kurukulle fire puja. Rinpoche then travelled to the dharma center Rangjung Yeshe Kedah for the first time. He performed two days of puja there with the local sangha and was very happy to meet the students there.
The final stop on Rinpoche’s tour was Penang where he held a program in their new Rangjung Yeshe dharma center. Rinpoche auspiciously gave the center a copy of the forty volumes of the Chokling New Treasures texts. Rinpoche then taught on the four mind changings and the need to gradually gain stability in meditation through cultivating one’s practice on the path.
All in all it was a very successful dharma tour and everywhere Chokling Rinpoche went became filled with blessings and the auspiciousness of the dharma. It is taught that the dharma is the only medicine that can cure the sufferings of samsara and to have a master such as our Kyabje Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche guiding us on the path is an incredible good fortune. May this great fortune continue further and further without obstacle!