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SAMTEN
TSE
RETREAT
CENTER
Samten
Tse
Retreat
Center was established in the year 1993 as a branch of Mindrolling for nuns and retreatants from other countries. Samten Tse is situated in Mussoorie in the Shivalik hills of the Himalayas and is headed by the Venerable Khandro Rinpoche. About 30 nuns from India, Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal study and practice the Dharma at Samten Tse. Nuns are taught recitation, calligraphy, grammar, philosophy, rituals, playing ritual instruments and English. Nuns also undertake retreats of various lengths. Practitioners from Europe, Canada and the USA also visit Samten Tse in order to study the Dharma and do retreats. Samten Tse is administered by its executive board registered as the Samten Tse Charitable Society.
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LIBRARIES
Libraries are set up in Ngedon Gatsal Ling and
Ngagyur
Nyingma
College for the monks. These contain the Kagyur or Sutras, Tengyur or Commentaries by various Indian masters on the Buddha's teachings, Sastras and works of many great Tibetan masters. The libraries also contain the Collected Works of Terdag Lingpa consisting of sixteen volumes and the Collected Works of Lochen Dharmashri consisting of twenty-one volumes. These have been computerized and printed through the untiring perseverance and effort of the Venerable Khochhen Rinpoche.
THE WORLD PEACE
STUPA
With the immense blessing from His Holiness Trichen Rinpoche,
His Eminence Khenchen Rinpoche and the constant hard-work of
the most venerable Khochhen Rinpoche, the 185 feet tall and
100 square feet wide World Peace Stupa or stupa of Buddha's descent
from Heaven was built on 29th April, 2000. Built according to the
instructions of the learned, this stupa is a source of merit to the
entire beings.
The facade of the main
stupa contains a magnificent relief of Maitreya, the future Buddha.
Descending from the tri-colored steps (representing lapis lazuli,
gold and silver) of the stupa is Buddha Shakyamuni. The artwork
within this stupa is an outstanding example of Buddhist art. The
main stupa has five main shrine rooms. The ground floor level's
shrine is of Guru Padmasambhava and its main statue is his
manifestation as Guru Lakeborn Vajra. The life-story of the glorious
Guru Padmasambhava is painted on the walls in accordance with the
terma of Ogyen Lingpa, the Crystal Cave Chronicles [bKa'-thang
Shel-brag-,ma], which consists of one hundred and eight
chapters. Also included are the paintings of the Seven Chapter
Supplication [Le'u bDun-ma], the Supplication for Clearing
the Obstacles to the Path [Bar-chad Lam-sel], the Outer, Inner and
Secret Assembly of Heart Essence of Vidyadharas [Rigs'dzin Thug-thigs],
the short description of the past lives of Terdak Lingpa, the One
Hundred and Eight Mahasiddhas of India, the Twenty-five Disciples of
Padmasambhava, the One Hundred and Eight Great Treasure Masters, the
Eight Great Chariots of the Practice Lineage, and the Dharmapalas
who protect the Dharma.
The shrine room on the first floor is dedicated to Shakyamuni
Buddha. The murals on the walls depict the Jataka tales according to
the text Wish-fulfilling Tree [rTog-brjod dpak-bsam Khri-shing],
written by the Dharma king Kshemendra. The 16 great arhats, the
seven entrusted with the teachings, and the 17 panditas of Nalanda,
India, are shown on the pillars.
The shrine room above contains statues of the descendants of Terdag
Lingpa, the great throne holders [Khris-chen] and the lineage
of the supreme abbots [mKhan-chen]. A magnificent
3-dim_nsional mandala of the union of the oral lineage transmission
[bKa'-ma] and the treasure teachings [gTer-ma], based on
Lochen Zhi-khro, is built in the center of the shrine room. In
addition to these, there are paintings of the precious lineage
masters of the Patrimoksha, Bodhisattvayana, and Vajrayana.
In the vase enclosure of the stupa are the images of the thousand
Buddhas of 'the Good Aeon'. In it are the statues of the field of
accumulation that embodies the entire qualities of the three secrets
of all the victorious sugatas, based on' Ati Zab-don snying-po, the
extraordinary tradition revealed by Terdak Lingpa.
The shrine room above the vase contains the statues of the five
families of Buddha, along with Buddha Amitabha. The walls are
painted with a depiction of the twelve teachers of the Dzogchen
lineage. The life-force tree is shown in accordance with the mandala
and the stupa ritual of the Two Aspects of Stainlessness [Dri-med
rNam-gnyis]. The upper and the lower end of the life-force tree
is anointed with saffron water, and it is covered with silk. There
are over one hundred and eleven extremely secret Dharanis from
sutras and tantras including the five great sections of dharanis.
Dharani of Rigpa Phugron and of Akshobya. Alphabets and the mantra
of the essence of Dependent Origin are also found with them. All the
dharanis are arranged in compliance with 'the Practical Guide on
Offering Dharani' text by Lochen Dharmashri.
The neck of the stupa
lies above the vase and below the 13 golden colored tapering wheels
of Dharma. It is filled with the texts of the Buddhist canon as well
as earlier and later versions of commentaries translated into
Tibetan. It also includes the works of the famous Six Ornaments and
Two Supreme Ones, Rongzom, Mahapandita, the Omniscient Longchenpa,
Terdag Lingpa and Lochen Dharmashri. Also included are a number of
tsa-tsa built according to the ritual of Drimed Namnyi.
Additionally, there are brass statues: five of Buddha Muni, one of
Green.Tara, one of the Lake-born Guru with his retinue of two,
Standing Ksitigarbha, and one of Manjushri. There is a silver statue
of Vajrasattva, a gold and. copper statue of Buddha Amitabha, Phurpa
of Nyang-gter, a Samye. Dora [vajra], and a holy brass statue
of Java Shakyamuni presented by Dzongsar Khentse Rinpoche.
Relics of the four different types are also kept there, namely: the
relics of the Dharmakaya [chas-sku'i ring-bsrel], such as
Guru Rinpoche's tooth (offered by Nyenchen Thangla) and relics of
Buddha Kashyapa; relics of the cremated bodies of holy saints [sku-gdung-gi
ring-bsrel]; relics of the saints' robes [sku-bal-gyi ring-bsrel];
and relics resembling mustard seed [Yung-'bru lta-bu'i ring-bsrel].
Furthermore, the stupa also houses a collection of numerous other
spiritual objects of spontaneous origin, as well as various
indisputably holy substances that were passed down from the reliable
sources. These are all full of blessings. Every aspect of this stupa
was built under the guidance of the most venerable Khochhen Rinpoche
and follows the famous stupa-building guidelines of Phugpa and his
heart sons, Lochen Dharmashri, and other reliable sources.
The
Inauguration and Consecration Ceremony of the Stupa
His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated the World Peace
Stupa on 28th of October, 2001 in presence of the special guests
including the honorable Defense Minister of India, Shri George
Fernandes, the Vice Chairman of Lok-Sabha Shri Lachungpa, and the CM
of UA. Shri. Hari Singh, the CM of Arunachal Pradesh Mr. Tsering
Gyurme, the President of Lhadak's Autonomous Body Mr. Thubten
Tsewang, the Chairman of Tibetan People's Deputy of CTA Mr. Perna
Jungne and the Vice-chairman Mrs. Gyari Dolma, the Minister of
Department of Education and Religion of CTA Mr. Thubten Lungrig, the
Dalai Lama's special envoy to the US Mr. Gyari Lodoe Gyaltsen, the
former Minister of CTA Mr. Sadu Rinchen, and the Ambassador of
Bhutan in Bangladesh. The renowned spiritual masters such as Kyabje
Trulshig Rinpoche, Khenchen Rinpoche, Khochhen Rinpoche, Sakya
Dungse Rinpoche, Dzogchen Rinpoche, and Dorzong Rinpoche, Khenpos,
Tulkus and Lopans were also present during the inaugural ceremony
along with the hundreds of monks and lay people.
Having welcomed all the guests and people who gathered during ,the
ceremony, the Dalai Lama expressed his deep appreciation for this
remarkable achievement, which he said was the result of the
financial support from the great benefactor Yen. Ti Ching, the
infinite aspiration and leadership of His Holiness Trichen Rinpoche,
and the sole administration of Yen. Khochhen Rinpoche. While
particularly thanking Yen. Khochhen Rinpoche for his hard work, the
Dalai Lama admired Khochhen Rinpoche's simplicity and dedicated
personality.
During the inaugural ceremony 28th of October 2002, His Holiness the
Dalai Lama consecrated the stupa. Later, His Eminence Trulshig
Rinpoche performed consecration ritual for five days. Again in early
2003, His Holiness Sakya Trizin led a consecration ceremony for the
stupa for three days.
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PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CLINIC
A primary health care clinic, known as Tsering Gatsal, has been set up on the monastery's premises for the monks and local community. Qualified doctors provide both modern and Tibetan medicine.
GUESTHOUSE
The guesthouse, also known as Dekyi Gatsal, is a well-furnished lodge with nine double-bedded rooms with attached baths. It also has a kitchen and dining room for the use of the guests.
COMMUNITY PRAYER HALL
A large community prayer hall of the Tibetan Colony of Clement Town is on the premises of the monastery and is at the disposal of the Mindrolling monastery. The top floor consists of dormitories for the younger monks and classrooms of the Primary and
Secondary
Buddhist
School.
MINDROLLING CENTERS
There are various other Mindrolling centers. A retreat center and monastery of Mindrolling is in Kalimpong in
Eastern India. There are Mindrolling centers of practice and study in Mongolia and Taiwan.
ADMINISTRATION
The Mindrolling monastery is headed by His Holiness the XIth Mindrolling Trichen, and administered by the Ven. D.G. Khochhen Rinpoche. Ngagyur Nyingma Institute is headed by His Eminence Khenchen Rinpoche. In addition to many tulkus and khenpos, Mindrolling today includes over 300 monks.
The monastery is a Charitable Society registered in
India under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 as 'Nyingmapa Mahabodhi Charitable Society'. Besides providing Buddhist education and research, the organization preserves and promotes Buddhism and Tibetan culture. The monastery provides free food, accommodation, clothing, medical care and education including textbooks and stationery to over 300 monks. The sole source of income is voluntary donations.
The extensive planning and construction began in 1965 under the vision and effort of the Ven. D.G. Khochhen Rinpoche and the late Ven. Jampal Lodro Rinpoche. Since then, many have contributed in various ways to the monastery and its sangha. Today the entire sangha of monks, nuns, and lay people continue to work in propagating and preserving the Dharma.
PACIFIC MINDROLLING
Another
building under construction at the Mindrolling monastery is a new building
with rooms for senior Tibetans who wish to live close to the monastery,
new guest rooms and some stores. Over the years, there have been quite a
few older Tibetans who wish for a place to live, especially close to a
monastery. With this in mind, the Rinpoches of Mindrolling have decided to
provide the ground floor of the building for this purpose.
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VENERABLE KHOCHHEN RINPOCHE
Venerable Khotrul Jurme Dogyud Gyatso Rinpoche, renowned as the Venerable Khochhen Rinpoche, was born in 1937 in Gonjo Dodrup in
Eastern Tibet. He was recognized as the reincarnation of Namdrol Sangpo Rinpoche of Khochhen monastery at an early age by His Eminence the 8th Mindrolling Khenchen. Tersay Chime Rinpoche, who was the elder brother of Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, formally enthroned Rinpoche at Khochhen monastery.
Rinpoche undertook his studies in Mindrolling in Tibet
where he studied and mastered Buddhist philosophy, psychology, tantras, astrology, poetry, literature, calligraphy and rituals. He received profound teachings and instructions from eminent masters such as Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, Minling Chung Rinpoche and Minling Khen Rinpoche. Rinpoche was at Mindrolling for well over ten years until the Communist invasion in 1959. Following the invasion, Rinpoche, at the age of 22, escaped into exile in India as one of the seven-member entourage of His Holiness Mindrolling Trichen.
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Since the establishment of Mindrolling in India, the Venerable Khochhen Rinpoche has worked tirelessly for the construction and maintenance of Mindrolling monastery. His efforts and perseverance have played a major role in every development in the monastery through the years. Besides being the principal of the Mindrolling Monastery, Rinpoche is also the President of the Tibetan community in
Clement
Town since the year 1987. |
