Today, July 2, marks the fifth week after the parinirvana of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche on the fifteenth day of Saga Dawa of the Tibetan lunar calendar. Following the instructions of His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa, the monastics of Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery commenced the weeklong practice of the “Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities” at Namo Buddha.

Last night, under the guidance of Dorje Lopon Lama Dawa Phurba, more than 30 monks worked till late to set up the mandala for the “Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities” puja. Lama Dawa Phurba recalled, “I once attended this puja that Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche presided over in 1993. After 30 years, now I have to visualize Rinpoche as inseparable from the yidam deity in the mandala. This brings up strong feelings that are hard to describe.”

The “Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities” refers to 58 wrathful deities and 42 peaceful deities. At the main shrine hall of Thrangu Monastery, a 4 tiered mandala was built. At the middle of the top tier is a red torma representing Vajradhara; there are white, yellow, red, and blue tormas in the four directions, white tormas on the four corners, and tormas representing the 16 bodhisattvas. The tier below it has 108 tormas and 108 sets of menrak. On the third tier are offerings including flowers and incense, and there are tsok offerings on the lowest tier. There is also a set of eight offerings placed before the mandala.

The Parinirvana Puja committee also invited monastics from the Sakya tradition to perform the Vairochana puja at Namo Buddha today. The Venerable Kyabje Deshung Rinpoche and Khenpo Kamal Bandari, the head of Nepal Bauddha Mahansagh, along with 65 monastics from Tharlam Monastery arrived early in the morning and performed the puja in the Tara shrine hall at Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery for the entire day.