Grand Festival at Kham’s Dorje Shugden Monastery (featuring Gangchen Rinpoche)

[Mana]

About 40,000 to 50,000 people camped out in tents outside and surrounding Denma Gonsa Monastery in Kham to celebrate a special Dorje Shugden festival, and around 4,000 to 5,000 are monks. His Eminence Gangchen Rinpoche is the special guest of honour. You can see beautiful huge thangkas are hanging outside the Monastery with Denma Gonsa Rinpoche in the centre. Left is Dorje Shugden thangka and right is Je Tsongkapa.

Mana

Lama Jampa Ngodup (right) escorting Gangchen Rinpoche into the monastery

Dorje Shugden chapel with the 18ft protector statue


Lama Jampa Ngodup and Gangchen Rinpoche conducting Dorje Shugden puja in the chapel


Click here for many more pictures: http://dorjeshugden.com/wp/?p=8905

[hope rainbow]

Amazingly beautiful!
It is a joy to see these images.
One day we will all realize that we are actually living historical times! (well I hope many will realize that...)

[Big Uncle]

Thank you Mana! It is really amazing to see all these great Lamas, monks and practitioners of Dorje Shugden gather together. I love this large image of Dorje Shugden. He is so huge and I am sure it will be so beneficial. I am thinking that this must be a special consecration puja of the Dorje Shugden statue. It is beautiful that they invited so many Lamas from all over. I think this must be the tallest Dorje Shugden statue in the world so far. I wonder if there are any more of such huge images of Dorje Shugden... It would be nice if more and more Dorje Shugden images and statues appear all over China.

[dsiluvu]

Wow!!! what an amazing sight! Thank you so much Mana for posting up wonderful rejoicing news all the time.

This is so encouraging to know and who goes to show that DS practice is growing ever so rapidly, right back from the heart it came from Tibet! The Dorje Shugden statue is awesome and it is so nice to see everyone celebrating this huge event. Sure is not a minority picture. This is truly another history in the making. So nice to see great masters like Gangchen Rinpoche and in time I am sure the way will be pave for Pabongka Rinpoche to teach to the masses again. We are so fortunate to be live in this age to see all this happening.

[LosangKhyentse]

On the Tibetan govt's official website, they have a whole section with videos trying to defame and denegrade His Eminence Gangchen Rinpoche. It's amazing that a govt would do so much to surpress their own people. It's shameful actually. Why are they against Gangchen Rinpoche? What was his alleged crime? Why is he on the top of their 'hit' list to defame? It reflects the immaturity of the Tibetan Govt. They have so little in their exiled population already and they wish to isolate more people from within their community. Gangchen Rinpoche's only 'crime' is to worship Dorje Shugden. Tibetan govt really alienate people to their own detriment. It's too bad.

Whatever they have tried to do against Gangchen Rinpoche, it has no effect. It would make more sense for the them to make 'friends' with Gangchen Rinpoche. The more friends the Tibetan Govt has, the better it is for them in the long run. I don't think they can think on such a long term basis. Even their name is now changed to Tibetan Central Administration. They have been demoted from a govt  to a administration. Shameful, sad, embarrrasing and a sign of their demise or decline.

TK

[DharmaSpace]

Gangchen Lama is an international lama who operates all of the over. It would be benefit for the Central Administration(CA) to ally with strong Buddhist groups who have a presence all over including China. Might give them more clout and better opportunity to negotiate with the Chinese. As tk duly pointed make more friends CA.

[happysun]

It is so amazing!!!! Thank you Mana for this post. Looking at those pictures I am praying in my heart sincerely, one day I have enough merit to attend this such grand and great festival at Kham's Dorje Shugen Monastery. It is incredible.

But, it is also so bad the Tibetan government used different ways to suppress high lama like Gangchen Rinpoche, again it is unreasonable to me. If a festival can attract so many, so many high lama, monks, nuns and lay people can to attend, it is should be very beneficial, but a government because of some differentiation of view then do something nasty it is very funny.

Honestly, a high lama like Gangchen Rinpoche, he himself had done so many things beneficial to the universe, how come he can be wrong, what the Tibetan government want to hold back actually.....             

[dsiluvu]

Yes, If the TCA wants a better future for their people and that is their concern... then it would be better for them to make friends with all the great Lama like Gangchen Rinpoche who are very influential. Agree with Tk how narrow minded they are to not think about their goals long term. Now what would they need to fight for, what will be their objective since they are not even a recognised Govt???

Yes if TCA is smart they will consolidate, get united again instead of burning down their bridges. Unless of course their concern was never about their own people. Sad to see this happening in a society positioned and highly regarded as spiritual loving people, just what will they stand for now?

[LosangKhyentse]

Yes, If the TCA wants a better future for their people and that is their concern... then it would be better for them to make friends with all the great Lama like Gangchen Rinpoche who are very influential. Agree with Tk how narrow minded they are to not think about their goals long term. Now what would they need to fight for, what will be their objective since they are not even a recognised Govt???

Yes if TCA is smart they will consolidate, get united again instead of burning down their bridges. Unless of course their concern was never about their own people. Sad to see this happening in a society positioned and highly regarded as spiritual loving people, just what will they stand for now?

Many Tibetans who work for the CTA for many years have already immigrated their families to countries outside of India in preparation for HHDL's demise (Sorry). It is unspoken preparation, yet is done. Within Tibetans it is inauspicious to talk about the death of a Lama especially of course including HHDL. So the many employees of the CTA have already used their connections via the HHDL/former Tibetan Govt in Exile for their personal gain.

After the demise of HHDL there will be a large exodus of Tibetans attempting to exit out of India, it's whether they will be successful or not. CTA employees/staff do not think much of the general Tibetan populace at all. This is well known. The CTA employees have taken care of their own families and that is all that really matter to them. The practice of Tibetan Ministers from prior to 1959 to take care of their own interests ONLY is still strong among the current CTA 'ministers'. Why else do you think Tibet is still not independent nor have autonomy after 50 years in exile?

TK

[Big Uncle]

How very sad considering the state of CTA. No wonder they are not strong and unified enough to garner enough support to reclaim their homeland. There is not even a glimmer of hope considering the fact that these are the twilight years of His Holiness. During the reign of the previous Dalai Lama, The Great Thirteenth Dalai Lama, the government was as corrupt and today it is still very much the same except in lesser extent.

Fortunately, we are very lucky that although there is not much progress within Tibetan lay society, the monastics have been really hard at work propagating Buddhism all over the world. His Holiness is at the forefront, establishing Tibetan Buddhism as a world religion instead of a curious Buddhist cult called Lamaism, which incidentally is what Tibetan Buddhism was formerly known as.

[WisdomBeing]

Firstly, thank you for posting these wonderful pictures. I would love to take part in one of these festivals! 40-50,000 people - now that's what i call a party!!! And this is a spiritual one!! How many days is the festival for, does anyone know? And how often do they happen? Are they like annual festivals? And can anyone join in?

Secondly, i just wanted to comment on Lamaism as brought up by Big Uncle. I heard the phrase recently and it was quite derogatory. i guess it is because Guru Devotion is considered quite alien to most westerners and the huge focus on the Lama is almost incomprehensible. What has other people's experiences been with regard to non-Buddhists understanding Guru devotion?

[DharmaSpace]

The people in Kham are really blessed to have a large Dorje Shugden in their midst. It is a know fact that during an earthquake in that region only the Dorje Shugden monastery escaped unscathed. I have faith it is due to Dorje Shugden the Denma Gonsa monastery remained unharmed and in tact.

Dorje Shugden imagery brings us to connect to the Lam Rim, and the Lam Rim is foundation we need to speed us along the path to enlightenment. Of all the things to be proud of, I feel the fact that our lineage has the Lam Rim is truly something to be proud of and appreciated.

[Barzin]

This is amazing!  I have never seen something like that!  What a true blessing to witness a high lama conducting Dorje Shuden puja in presence of hundreds of thousands devotee!!!  This is truly overwhelming!

The people are Kham is truly united and devoted to the protector.  Although the ban had caused quite a stirred but it doesn't affect the faith of the people in  Kham.  Yet you see it is well supported by high attained Lama like His Eminence Gangchen Rinpoche.  He has worked tirelessly, traveled all over the world to spread dharma and well supported by many.  How silly is to say to ban Dorje Shugden practice when one festival like this can attract hundred of thousands of ordained and lay person to step up and attend the event joyfully.

The people must have faith and received tremendously benefit from the protector, if not; how can an evil spirit able to have so much devotees and propitiate by such high lamas?  The protector must have done something good for sure.

[Manjushri]

The pictures herewith are amazing!! There are so many devotees of Dorje Shugden despite the ban. From the photos, there is a lightness and joy between the devotees, and sangha. There is just so much energy bursting from photos; the faces and expressions on peoples faces says it all! I feel so excited looking at the photos, I cannot imagine how powerful the energy was being there in person. wow wow wow wow wow... so ecstatic. Seems like a massive spiritual camp!

It is such an honour being able to attend a puja with Gangchen Rinpoche, one of the current greatest practitioner of Dorje Shugden, who holds his vows perfectly. From the photo, Gangchen Rinpoche looks aged, but still sharp. I have noticed that with the sangha/monks, even when they are aged, they still are very sharp. Is it because of the training their mind has undergone and the awareness they have meditated upon?

[DharmaDefender]

Thank you Mana for the fantastic pictures...it seems like a throwback to the days of Pabongka and when he gave the lamrim discourse.

It is such an honour being able to attend a puja with Gangchen Rinpoche, one of the current greatest practitioner of Dorje Shugden, who holds his vows perfectly. From the photo, Gangchen Rinpoche looks aged, but still sharp. I have noticed that with the sangha/monks, even when they are aged, they still are very sharp. Is it because of the training their mind has undergone and the awareness they have meditated upon?

What my lama always tells me is that its the result of spending a whole lifetime focused outwards on others. My teacher said that if I look carefully, monks never suffer from dementia... theyll suffer from diseases like diabetes or TB, but not any type of mentally degenerative diseases. For laypeople however, we spend our entire lives focused inwards on ourselves. At some point, were going to retreat so far into ourselves, that we forget to look outwards. And when we only need to care about ourselves, we dont train ourselves to be alert and aware of other people's needs. Because theres no training, we end up duller with age.