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The Newsletter of Lhokha Gongkar Choede Dorje DhenTibetan Buddhist Monastery

Seat of the Dzongpa Branch of the Glorious Sakya Tradition

Dorje Dhen:

Issue 1

Eye of Wisdom on a New Beginning

Having come out of half a year of intensive Retreat, it must have been a delightfulsight for His Eminence Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche at this years Losar (Tibetan NewYear) to see an awesome three-story high thangka of Shakyamuni Buddha erectedat the front of his monastery and so many local Tibetan and Indian Buddhists alongwith His Eminence Chogye Shabdrung Rinpoche and the monks of Sakya College,nuns from Sakya Nunnery, as well as friends from overseas joining the residentSangha for ceremony and celebration.

Senior monks of the monastery donned special 10 metre long shamtabs (lowerrobes), ceremonial hats and brocade tunics, along with liberal coatings of face-paintand large drums tied to their backs to perform the Cham (ritual dance) unique to theDzongpa lineage. This tradition of Cham, which has both common and uncommon

forms, was devised by the founding Master of our lineage, Dorje Dhenpa KungaNamgyal himself. For this occasion, the younger generation of monks also madetheir 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 anoffering 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

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Before entering his Retreat, Rinpoche wasable look with encouragement at significantprogress at Gongkar Tsedrub Lhakhang (TheGongkar Centre for the Deities of the Accom-plishment of Long Life), the new temple being

built in the nearby small Tibetan community of Lakhanwala. Theportico-gate was completed in mid 2006, with two joyful pea-cocks flanking a golden vajra upon a blooming lotus on its sum-mit, and in August of 2007, the Water Tower nearby wascrowned with a magnificent statue of Acharya Nagarjuna, thegreat Pandit predicted by the Buddha himself.This temple is designed to be the centre to fully revive the sacredritual practices that were carried out by the Dzongpa Sangha inLhasa, Tibets capital, at the Potala Palace and nearby templessince the time of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama. These are from thetradition of the great Sakya Master Dorje Dhenpa Kunga Nam-gyal and are practices of Kalachakra, White Tara and the Protec-tor Brahmanrupa Mahakala for the long life of His Holiness the

Dalai Lama and the welfare of all sentient beings. All this cameto an end in 1959 with the brutal invasion of Tibet and the mur-der of the 5th Tulku Dorje Dhenpa by the Chinese.So how heart-warming and inspiring for His Eminence the 6thDorje Dhenpa Rinpoche to now see a hub of practice and studytaking shape in exile with the support of the local Tibetan com-munity and friends abroad wishing to keep the unique TibetanBuddhist culture alive in our world.Just recently, in time for the birthday of His Holiness the DalaiLama, the large thangka painting of White Tara offered to theSangha by His Holiness himself, together with a statue ofShakyamuni Buddha and a similarly sized statue of Brahman-rupa Mahakala were ceremoniously brought to the site of the

new temple by His Eminence and the entire Sangha, who weregreeted 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 atmost to use as lodgings. The only building on the site so far is one block for monastic lodgings and storage, and amakeshift hut that serves as a kitchen. With modest funding, the plans for full development may take time, buteventually, the plan is for the present block to be extended so that there is sufficient space for classes to takeplace for the monks and of course an actual Gompa (temple).

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama

with H.E. Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche

Gongkar Choede was inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the Sakya Trizin in 2003, andsince then, His Eminence Dorje Dhenpa Rinpoche has taken full responsibility for the running of the monastery andthe revival of his lineage, supported by the monasterys abbot, Khenpo Jampal Chodzin, and the sixty-one residentmonks. All of the Sangha have personally taken part in building the monastery, which sits deep in a forest of Sal andTeak in the district of Dehradun near Vikasnagar. They also helped make the winding forest road that leads to themonastery and the small Tibetan community of Khera Goan, and help to cultivate their own organic fruit and vegeta-bles, 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 ofBuddhist monastic life. Now the time has come to fully revive the actual practice by senior qualified monks at the newtemple 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 long-term vision is to extend the capacity of Gongkar Choede, bothphysically and academically, to have a school for the higherstudy of Tibetan Buddhist language and literature.As the Supreme Head of the Ngorpa Branch of the GloriousSakya 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 samespirit, the new projects develop, and in the same spirit, HisEminence has slowly begun to accept invitations to bring theblessings of the lineage abroad. Having already made suc-cessful visits to Taiwan and Singapore, His Eminence hasbeen invited on further teaching trips overseas, and The Vajra

Seat Newsletter will update those interested as His itinerarytakes shape.

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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 DorjeDhenpas 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 aspecial dedication, this can also be done through the website.To offer a donation, no matter how small, for the welfare of the DzongpaSangha and the construction of Gongkar Tsedrub Lhakhang, please alsocheck 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.