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Summer 2008
The Newsletter of Lhokha Gongkar Choede Dorje Dhen Tibetan Buddhist Monastery Seat of the Dzongpa Branch of the Glorious Sakya Tradition
Issue 1
Dorje Dhen:
Having come out of half a year of intensive Retreat, it must have been a delightful sight for His Eminence Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche at this years Losar (Tibetan New Year) to see an awesome three-story high thangka of Shakyamuni Buddha erected at the front of his monastery and so many local Tibetan and Indian Buddhists along with His Eminence Chogye Shabdrung Rinpoche and the monks of Sakya College, nuns from Sakya Nunnery, as well as friends from overseas joining the resident Sangha for ceremony and celebration.
Eye of Wisdom on a New Beginning

Senior monks of the monastery donned special 10 metre long shamtabs (lower robes), ceremonial hats and brocade tunics, along with liberal coatings of face-paint and large drums tied to their backs to perform the Cham (ritual dance) unique to the Dzongpa lineage. This tradition of Cham, which has both common and uncommon forms, was devised by the founding Master of our lineage, Dorje Dhenpa Kunga Namgyal himself. For this occasion, the younger generation of monks also made their debut Cham, with a short and almost flawless ceremony that enchanted all those gathered. All of this, together with extensive prayers of homage and aspiration, was carried out as an offering to the Triple Gem (the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) as an auspicious way to start the New Year.
The finishing touches for one senior monk ready For the Losar ceremonies to begin
Summer 2008
Before entering his Retreat, Rinpoche was able look with encouragement at significant progress at Gongkar Tsedrub Lhakhang (The Gongkar Centre for the Deities of the Accomplishment of Long Life), the new temple being built in the nearby small Tibetan community of Lakhanwala. The portico-gate was completed in mid 2006, with two joyful peacocks flanking a golden vajra upon a blooming lotus on its summit, and in August of 2007, the Water Tower nearby was crowned with a magnificent statue of Acharya Nagarjuna, the great Pandit predicted by the Buddha himself. This temple is designed to be the centre to fully revive the sacred ritual practices that were carried out by the Dzongpa Sangha in Lhasa, Tibets capital, at the Potala Palace and nearby temples since the time of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama. These are from the tradition of the great Sakya Master Dorje Dhenpa Kunga Namgyal and are practices of Kalachakra, White Tara and the Protector Brahmanrupa Mahakala for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the welfare of all sentient beings. All this came to an end in 1959 with the brutal invasion of Tibet and the murder of the 5th Tulku Dorje Dhenpa by the Chinese. So how heart-warming and inspiring for His Eminence the 6th Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche to now see a hub of practice and study taking shape in exile with the support of the local Tibetan community and friends abroad wishing to keep the unique Tibetan Buddhist culture alive in our world. Just recently, in time for the birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the large thangka painting of White Tara offered to the Sangha by His Holiness himself, together with a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha and a similarly sized statue of Brahmanrupa Mahakala were ceremoniously brought to the site of the new temple by His Eminence and the entire Sangha, who were greeted by lines of devoted local Tibetans and local Tibetan officials, and extensive auspicious pujas were performed. However, at present, the only interior space for such events is a small room intended for one or two monks at most to use as lodgings. The only building on the site so far is one block for monastic lodgings and storage, and a makeshift hut that serves as a kitchen. With modest funding, the plans for full development may take time, but eventually, the plan is for the present block to be extended so that there is sufficient space for classes to take place for the monks and of course an actual Gompa (temple).
Summer 2008
Gongkar Choede was inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the Sakya Trizin in 2003, and since then, His Eminence Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche has taken full responsibility for the running of the monastery and the revival of his lineage, supported by the monasterys abbot, Khenpo Jampal Chodzin, and the sixty-one resident monks. All of the Sangha have personally taken part in building the monastery, which sits deep in a forest of Sal and Teak in the district of Dehradun near Vikasnagar. They also helped make the winding forest road that leads to the monastery and the small Tibetan community of Khera Goan, and help to cultivate their own organic fruit and vegetables, as well as putting out the occasional unfortunate forest fire! The main focus of course is the study and practice of the rituals, philosophy and meditation that form the backbone of Buddhist monastic life. Now the time has come to fully revive the actual practice by senior qualified monks at the new temple to consolidate the Dzongpa as a flourishing facet of the jewel that is Tibetan Buddhism. The main monastery will then be able to focus wholeheartedly on the education and training of younger monks, and His Eminences longterm vision is to extend the capacity of Gongkar Choede, both physically and academically, to have a school for the higher study of Tibetan Buddhist language and literature. As the Supreme Head of the Ngorpa Branch of the Glorious Sakya Tradition, His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche, once commented, Like a small candle that burns very brightly, so this small monastery has developed so well. In that same spirit, the new projects develop, and in the same spirit, His Eminence has slowly begun to accept invitations to bring the blessings of the lineage abroad. Having already made successful visits to Taiwan and Singapore, His Eminence has been invited on further teaching trips overseas, and The Vajra Seat Newsletter will update those interested as His itinerary takes shape.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama with H.E. Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche
Summer 2008
Making Contact Connecting with Dharma Giving Support
His Eminence Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche, centre-left, Venerable Khenpo Jampal Chodzin, centre-right, The Sangha of Gongkar Choede and members of the local Tibetan Community Together with Rinpoches dog, Karma, front-left!
To receive further updates and remain informed of His Eminence Dorje Dhenpas teaching programmes, please check our website: www.dzongpa.com If you would like to make an offering to sponsor one of the pujas for healing, long-life and overcoming obstacles at Gongkar Tsedrub Lhakhang for a special dedication, this can also be done through the website. To offer a donation, no matter how small, for the welfare of the Dzongpa Sangha and the construction of Gongkar Tsedrub Lhakhang, please also check our website..
His Eminence Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche and the Sangha of Gongkar Choede wish you MANY TASHI DELEK! May all sentient beings be free from Suffering. May the precious tradition of Dorje Dhenpa Kunga Namgyal flourish and prevail.
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Summer 2008

Eye of Wisdom on a New Beginning

Making Contact Connecting with Dharma Giving Support

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