Yesterday, June 24, was the last day of the Vairochana puja at Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery in Namo Buddha, Nepal. This was the main practice for the 3rd week of the Parinirivana Puja of Kyabje Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, who passed into parinirvana on the 15th of Saga Dawa.
As instructed by His Holiness the Karmapa, monastics started preparations last night for the mandala for the Jinasagara (Gyalwa Gyamtso) puja, which is the main practice for the 4th week of the Parinirivana Puja.
Jinasagara is one of the most important yidam deities of the Kagyu lineage. The Jinasagara sadhana belongs to the highest yoga tantra of the Vajrayana and is the most profound practice of Avalokitesvara. There are many different practices of Avalokitesvara in Tibet, and Jinasagara is the most renowned and beneficial practice. Thrangu Monastery has been conducting the Jinasagara practice for over 600 years. The mandala of Jinasagara was set up in the main shrine hall of the Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery under the guidance of Vajra Master Lama Dawa Phurba, Thrangu Dharmakara’s publisher Khenpo Dawa, and Lama Sonam, the resident lama of Malaysia’s dharma center. They completed the preparations at half past midnight yesterday. The main shrine holds the image of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, and has a dharma banner above. Five colored cloths adorn the sides; on the central shrine, three tiers of offerings include the eight offerings, the eight auspicious symbols, nectar, torma, incense and so forth. The mandalas are situated on the left and right sides of the main shrine.
Today on June 25, at 8 in the morning, the Venerable Lodro Nyima Rinpoche led the Jinasagara practice, and his table was especially adorned with the eight offerings. After Rinpoche took his seat, the Umze began reciting prayers such as “The Seven-Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche,” the “Thirty-Five Buddhas Confession,” and “The Four Session Guru Yoga”. Monastics and lay devotees of Thrangu Monastery then began the Jinasagara practice, which will be conducted for 4 sessions per day for 7 consecutive days at Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery in Namo Buddha.
In addition, Thrangu Monastery has invited the Ngagyur Nyingma monastic sangha to perform the Vajrasattva sadhana (Minling Dorsem) and Guru Yoga. Led by Ven. Khenpo Gyurme Tsultrim, senior Khenpos, Lopons, and more than 70 monastics of Shechen Monastery held the puja for the entire day at the Tara shrine hall of Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery. Many other local devotees also came to pay respects to the Kudung of Kyabje Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche.
