Guru Rinpoche 

by Tulku Jigme Rinpoche

For the July teaching, I thought it fitting to tell you a little about Guru Rinpoche and why we should all try to celebrate The Great Festival of the 10th Day. Every month at Nyingmapa Wishfulfilling Center we celebrate The Great Festival of the 10th Day with an all day puja and tsok offering. The day honors Guru Rinpoche and July 12th marked not only this month's celebration but also the anniversary of Guru Rinpoche's birth.

According to historians, Guru Rinpoche is generally thought to have been born eight years after the Buddha’s parinirvana and traveled extensively in India, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. He studied, taught and spread the Dharma. He is credited with firmly establishing Buddhism in Tibet by subjugating the negative spirits and forces and transforming them into Dharma Protectors, who protect Buddhist teachings and holy places. Considered to be the Second Buddha, Guru Rinpoche is the founder of the Nyingmapa sect, the Óld School. Guru Rinpoche began the tradition of termas, the concealment of dharma teachings that lie in wait to be revealed at an appropriate time to benefit people. The image of Guru Rinpoche holds the central position in the Nyingmapa Refuge Tree, and he is often featured predominately in Nyingmapa temples and monasteries. For these reasons and more Guru Rinpoche is important to Buddhism, and especially to the Nyingmapa School whose followers pray to him.

During his appearance in the earthly realm, Guru Rinpoche attained the ‘great transformation body’ -- the Rainbow Body -- and so we believe, even centuries after his birth, that Guru Rinpoche is still living to benefit all sentient beings. Indeed Guru Rinpoche made a promise, “To all those devoted to me, I come riding on the first rays of the sun at daybreak.” So, if you have strong faith in Guru Rinpoche, he is always near you.

During his multi-century life on Earth, Guru Rinpoche displayed many wondrous deeds, especially on the 10th of the month. It is said that if one honors Guru Rinpoche on The Great Festival of the 10th Day, disease and evil spirits are lessened and merit, courageous powers and long life are increased. Prosperity is increased as is your well-being. Desire comes under one’s own control and power. A blissful mind grows more quickly and impartial wisdom achieved. Wishes are granted, good fortune and luck increase. Local deities and guardians listen to you as slaves. Harm and danger from Yama (the Lord of Death), The God of the Ground, and the nagas are lessened, and one won’t be harmed by enemies or thieves. The Dharma Protectors insure that all your committed works are completed and all impediments and obstacles to your practice alleviated. Illness, acute and chronic disease is purified and in addition to the mind, the body is made blissful and the soul happy. The dangers from ‘bad sign’ days, months and years are diminished. The eight kinds of demons causing diseases and evil spirits and all the causes of untimely death are lessened. All the weakened Samaya, slander of the holy one, immoral behaviors and three vows (Monastic, Bodhisattva and Secret Mantrayana) get purified. Disasters never befall you. You become cleansed. After death, having crossed through the Bardo, you are born near Guru Rinpoche. In short, a strong faith in Guru Rinpoche brings infinite good effects. It’s a special time for accumulating merit and accomplishing prayers.

On The Great Festival of the 10th Day we at Nyingmapa Wishfulfilling Center perform a puja taken from a large body of works attributed to Guru Rinpoche. These works were discovered by the First His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Tragthung Dudjom Lingpa (1835 – 1903), and the Second His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje (1904 – 1987). Collectively these treasures are known as the “New Treasure of Dudjom.” They are one of the most direct, pure and powerful lineages of treasure teachings transmitted from Guru Rinpoche and down to our own root lama. It is the New Treasure of Dudjom that we principally study, teach and practice at Nyingmapa Wishfulfilling Center.

In closing this month, let me quote a prophecy from the scripture of Lama Sangdue:

On the 10^th day of the Monkey Year in the Monkey month,

And on all the 10^th days of each month,

When emanations cover all the earth,

I will give you the ordinary and supreme realizations,

Accomplishing lama for lifetime,

And at the end of your life,

You will dissolve into Orgyen -- my mind.

Students of the Venerable Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche and Tulku Jigme Rinpoche are invited to ask questions at

dudjom_institute@yahoo.com.

Guru Rinpoche and The Great Festival of the 10^th Day