Beautiful Altar of Rabten Chodarling

[harrynephew]

I just found these pics online of Rabten Chodarling's altar picture and would like to share it with everyone. I know it looks a bit busy and cluttered with a lot of statues on the altar but what really stood out on the altar is the beautiful image of our protector Dorje Shugden.

I find him sticking out in midst of the entire assembly of deities on the altar because there is a very strong presence to the statue. check this out!

[beggar]

Thank you for sharing. This is beautiful - I love the busyness actually. You can imagine how much love, care, sponsorship and effort has gone into collecting these many statues over the years and how each one of them must have a story. I love that all the practices of the lineage - the yidam, the guru, the protector - are all together providing many different focuses for different individuals in their collective prayers.

I find it always fascinating how different altars are set up and how the same image can be expressed, adorned and placed in such very different ways, and how ultimately, it is an expression of the practitioner's own path - the effort we put into beautifying our altars is an offering in itself.

Most of all, I love that Dorje Shugden sits right in the middle of this altar, a protective core for all our practices, whatever our main practices / yidams / focus and meditations might be. This is an example of how he is truly a protector of our time - at the core of every part of our practice to keep us steady, fending off the interferences and keeping us close and connected to our practice and lineage.

[dsiluvu]

Very very nice! Of course I was looking for the Dorje Shugden statue hehee... I like how the altar has a beautiful mix of Tibetan as well as Chinese Mahayana statues of Buddhas as well... so vibrant and colourful.

Of course I find this image in Rabten Chodrang most beautiful...



This is a picture of H.H. Trijang Choktul Rinpoche who bestowed the Tantric Empowerment Maha-Abisheka of Shri Yamantaka Ekavira when He visited on 20th October. This is a rare opportunity for good practitioners, who are faithful to the Guru and the Dharma. If one wishes to take the empowerment, it is necessary to participate on both days!

[paolorossi]

I deeply rejoice of the great efforts of the people of Rabten Chodarling,may you never be separated from Lama Geshe Tamdrin Rabten Rinpoche and His Yansi Rabten Tulku and The Great Gonsar Tulku.Italy Champa Togme.

[Ensapa]

Proof that another Dorje Shugden Lama is doing well and has come back, and has a huge Dharma center to boot. I really rejoice when I saw the altar and Trijang Rinpoche, all of these pictures are just so majestic that i felt my heart skip a beat or two. I really love the brocades and the statues, it may look cluttered, but it looks very majestic at the same time. If praying to Dorje Shugden can grant a Lama all of these so that he can spread the Dharma far and wide, count me in coz there is no way he can be evil, if he really is then Trijang Rinpoche would not be able to give initiations in Rabten Choling, or that there will be any Dharma activity anywhere.

[WisdomBeing]

Thank you for sharing the photos of the altar at Rabten Chodarling, Harry. I must say that like beggar, I do like the 'cluttered' look of the altar - not being the most anally retentive person about tidiness, I am very attracted to busy altars and my own personal altar is full of Buddha images because I can't put one or two there and not the others! Maybe that is why i am so attracted to Tibetan Buddhism with all its pomp and ceremony. Definitely the minimalist Zen style does not appeal to me which does tell me that I am so attached to how things should be. Ooops. Back to the drawing board.

[Ensapa]

Oh I can identify the Chinese representations of Manjushri and Samathabadra! as well as a Chinese style Namthose at the altar. It is good to know that they are accepting of the Chinese and their culture in Rabten Choling instead of having a rangzen like culture where anything Chinese is frowned upon. In some ways, it is far more progressive as compared to the people in Dharamsala as they seem to have this hate thing going on against the Chinese. It's more than half a decade and they still have not let go. Anyway, the multicultural altar of Rabten Choling is very pretty indeed and it does reflect the eclecticness of Rabten Choling and also Dorje Shugden practitioners in general. It dosent make them a Chinese spy at all.

[WisdomBeing]

Oh thanks for pointing that out, Ensapa. I couldn't tell the difference between the Chinese styles. This just confirms to me that the Dorje Shugden Lamas are working together with the Chinese to ensure that Buddhism grows in Tibet as part of China.

The fact that Lama Jampa Ngodup Wangchuk Rinpoche was the first Tibetan lama to be appointed by the Chinese Government to travel on an official trip abroad to give Dharma teachings in Switzerland in December last year (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/news/the-first-lama-that-china-sent-abroad/ ) shows that the Chinese trust Dorje Shugden lamas. This is perhaps because it is public knowledge that Dorje Shugden lamas are not in HH the Dalai Lama's good books, nor endorsed by the CTA, so there is no political threat of Dorje Shugden lamas to be dissidents. In fact, Dorje Shugden lamas are purely spiritual, as they are just interested in the growth of the dharma, which is surely how lamas should be!

[Ensapa]

Oh thanks for pointing that out, Ensapa. I couldn't tell the difference between the Chinese styles. This just confirms to me that the Dorje Shugden Lamas are working together with the Chinese to ensure that Buddhism grows in Tibet as part of China.

The fact that Lama Jampa Ngodup Wangchuk Rinpoche was the first Tibetan lama to be appointed by the Chinese Government to travel on an official trip abroad to give Dharma teachings in Switzerland in December last year (http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/news/the-first-lama-that-china-sent-abroad/ ) shows that the Chinese trust Dorje Shugden lamas. This is perhaps because it is public knowledge that Dorje Shugden lamas are not in HH the Dalai Lama's good books, nor endorsed by the CTA, so there is no political threat of Dorje Shugden lamas to be dissidents. In fact, Dorje Shugden lamas are purely spiritual, as they are just interested in the growth of the dharma, which is surely how lamas should be!

That is right! Dharma and politics do not mix at all. They cannot and do not mix. Dorje Shugden monks may support the Dalai Lama but they would not show it outwardly as that is a very stupid thing to do, so they keep quiet about that and continue to teach Dharma without any political influence and tethering with their Dharma. I havent heard of any Dorje Shugden Lamas being political so far as their main focus would always be the Dharma and for the Dharma. It is no wonder that China promotes them so much and helps them build temples (even though it may be for commercial purposes, but there are still benefits)

[Tenzin Malgyur]

Thanks Harry for sharing this beautiful view of the altar at Rabten Chodarling. It sure looks very colorful and brimming with so many deities and Buddhas. My favorite statue of all is the Dorje Shugden main form. The face features are very well painted, so lively. Even the features and expression on the snow lion looks gorgeous. May the day will come when DS practitioners everywhere will be able to own beautiful Dorje Shugden statues like this to adorn their altar.

[samayakeeper]

I personally do not prefer my altar to be so cluttered but the point here from the pics is that there is an image of Dorje Shugden and Setrab in full view. May Rabten Chodarling grow to serve and benefit sentient beings in that area.

[Aurore]

The truth is there is many Buddhas living amongst us and around us. They exist and very much real. Dorje Shugden in this "clutter" shows he is an enlightened protector and very much a Buddha like the rest of the Enlightened statues on this altar.

In many temples, Buddha statues are usually placed indoors while worldly gods images are positioned in the outdoors as a respect. This shows where Dorje Shugden's statues are placed which is amongst the other Buddhas, indicates he is acknowledged and respected as a Buddha.

[Ensapa]

The truth is there is many Buddhas living amongst us and around us. They exist and very much real. Dorje Shugden in this "clutter" shows he is an enlightened protector and very much a Buddha like the rest of the Enlightened statues on this altar.

In many temples, Buddha statues are usually placed indoors while worldly gods images are positioned in the outdoors as a respect. This shows where Dorje Shugden's statues are placed which is amongst the other Buddhas, indicates he is acknowledged and respected as a Buddha.

that's a good observation you have there! Dorje Shugden is an enlightened protector and if it has been recognised as such by such a huge organization as Rabten Choling, surely it has to be enlightened because if it is not, how is it possible that an 'illegal' organization grow so big and gain so many followers? surely something must have been done right for that to happen. It simply isnt logical for them to be "wrong" and place an unenlightened protector on par with an enlightened one.

[Rihanna]

Such a beautiful altar! Thank you for sharing Aurore. Dorje Shugen is among the elite Buddhas! I am so happy to see so many statues in this busy altar and there are some Chinese ones too which creates a beautiful mixture collection of statues there. This altar might appear to be cluttered but I feel it takes a lot of merits for one to be able to own so many statues. The most important image in this altar for me is Dorje Shugden, the protector of our time. 

[lotus1]

Thank you for sharing such a beautiful altar of Rabten Chodarling.  It is again showing to us that Dorje Shugden is the enlightened Buddha. We can see that Geshe Rabten who was doing Dorje Shugden practice and passed away in 1986 has reincarnated back. Today, the centre of Geshe Rabten is still growing and spreading Dharma to all over the world especially in Europe. The young Tenzin Rabgyä Rinpoche, who is the unmistaken incarnation of the Geshe Rabten, also started to give his first teaching of Taking Refuge in the age of 10 years old. This has clearly proofed to us that Dorje Shugden is not an evil spirits, as we can see high lama who practice him are reincarnated back and spread Dharma again. (For more info on Rabten Rinpoche, please refer to this thread http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1308.0 or read on http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/features/how-five-powerful-lamas-are-changing-the-world/)
May Rabgya Rinpoche live long and turn the wheel of Dharma benefiting more people.