LATEST UPDATES ON HIS HOLINESS DRUBWANG PEMA NORBU RINPOCHE

Date: 21st May 2009

To:

Resident Rinpoches, lamas and students of Palyul Dharma Centers around the globe as well as well-wishers of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, We are very glad to know that all of you have been performing parinirvana prayers for our beloved and compassionate guru, the late His Holiness Penor Rinpoche

We, the sangha members of Namdroling Monastery have also been gathering for the last forty-nine days since Rinpoche displayed his passing away into parinirvana. We hear that, like in Namdroling, you also will be performing grand puja on the forty-ninth day (22nd May 2009) in order to accumulate tremendous virtue and purify all the negativities. This is highly appreciated.

We are very unfortunate that our beloved and compassionate root guru and guide; His Holiness Penor Rinpoche is not here with us today as he passed away to parinirvana for the benefit of sentient beings. However, His Holiness’ enlightened mind and spirit, his blessings and inspiration, his priceless words and instructions are still very much intact and fresh in our hearts. If we feel that we are the worthy and devoted spiritual offspring of His Holiness and we need to keep his enlightened activities alive within us, we have to carry out his noble wishes so that we will always be blessed with his ever present wisdom and compassion. Moreover, if we follow his enlightened words through practice, we will be definitely blessed with his reincarnation very soon.

Those who are not able to attend the final parinirvana prayer ceremony on the 28th day of the second month (22 May, 2009) held in Namdroling, we would like assure you that since His Holiness’ compassion and enlightened wisdom is all pervading, your prayers will be answered provided they are sincere and with full devotion. Hence, you should not feel sad for not being able to make it to the parinirvana puja held here. In the near future, we will come soon to the dharma centers to strengthen and increase the spiritual activities started by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche.

Last but not least, we thank all the Palyul students and well-wishers for standing united in performing prayers since the passing away of His Holiness.

With prayers and best wishes,

HH Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, HE Gyangkhang Tulku Rinpoche and HE Mugsang Kuchen Rinpoche

Preparation for 5/22 Grand Puja

The grand puja for the Maha Parnirvana of our beloved teacher, the late His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, will be conducted in this main temple on May 22. The monastery will offer a grand Tsog to all the Tibetan settlements of Bylakuppe as well as Kellegal, Mondgot, and Husur and they have all been participating for the past 49 days in the pujas that have been ongoing since the Paranirvana.

In the afternoon, all devotees can pay their respects and receive blessings from the Kudung Rinpoche until 5 PM. After 5, we will bring the Kudung Rinpoche into Zangdokpalri Temple where it will remain in the Guru Rinpoche Lakhang (shrine) and the Nirmanakaya field. The Kudung Rinpoche will remain there for one year so that all devotees and students of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche from far and wide can come at any time to pay their respects and receive blessings.

– Per Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche

Procession of the “Kudung,” the Holy Body of HH Penor Rinpoche

From 9 April, 2009:  The main events of the Procession of the Kudung are shown here. You will see the faithful lined up to watch the procession, His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, the 12th Throneholder leading the procession with HE Khentrul Gyangkhang Rinpoche and HE Mugsang Kuchen Rinpoche securing the Kudung itself. You will also see the practice and placing of katag (white silk scarf) at the conclusion of the video.

This video was shot by one of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche’s Shabchi (personal attendant), Lama Rapjee Wangchuk and posted on Ustream.TV for us by Tulku Ajam Rinpoche. The full video is about 45 minutes long, but here we have a 10 minute clip.

~ Updated on 11th May 2009 ~

Live Webcast on the 49th Day

Puja Schedule through May 22, 2009

Prayer for the Swift Rebirth for Kyabje Pema Norbu Rinpoche

You may visit www.palyulsg.org/HH Swift Rebirth Prayers.htm for the prayer or download it in PDF format.

His Holiness Penor Rinpoche's Holy Body ("Kudung") is now in Zangdokpalri Temple.  Every day His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche leads the sangha of Tulkus, Khenpos, Lopons, Lamas, monks, and nuns in practices that include Shitro (the Hundred Deities practice), Vajrasattva, Offering to the Guru, among others. 

They also are chanting two very special prayers that we want to provide for your personal practice. 

Prayer for the Swift Rebirth of H.H. Penor Rinpoche

H.E. Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche in his great compassion has given us two prayers for the Swift Rebirth of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. 

The first prayer is based on the one we recite as part of our Namcho Daily Practice.  In the U.S. summer retreat practice book, this prayer is directed to the Second Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche, Thubten Chokyi Langpo. This prayer is also recited as a Long Life prayer for His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. Dungse Rinpoche added two lines so it can be recited as a prayer for Swift Rebirth.

The second prayer is a longer version that Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche wrote especially for us. 

These prayers are now available on Palyul.org and we plan to update this page with an audio version to help with learning this prayer as soon as available.  

(You may also refer to our website for the swift rebirth prayer: http://www.palyulsg.org/HH Swift Rebirth Prayer.htm  )

Commitment

Traditionally, local people at our monastery make a vow in the presence of the Kudung to accumulate a number of recitations of these prayers.  You may also follow this practice and make your individual commitment by visualizing His Holiness and making the promise to complete a certain number of recitations.

Puja Schedule

The Pujas at Namdroling will continue for 49 days from the time of His Holiness' Mahaparanirvana, through to May 22 (not May 15 as previously posted).  

About the Forty-Nine Days

I also want to clarify that practices performed during the Forty-Nine Days are not for His Holiness but for our own sake. Spending these seven weeks in intensive practice gives us the opportunity to purify our samaya, receive the lineage blessings, and so on. And on a relative level, this period of time gives us the opportunity to be together and to grieve. Even though we know His Holiness is "only changing clothes," until we have attained a level of realization we will continue to experience attachment and feel sorrow. Through our practice and going through this time together, I know we have all felt the strengthening our connection with one another and with the heart essence of our precious teacher, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche.

Summer Retreat

We have been working with H.H. Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, H.E. Mugsang Kuchen Rinpoche and H.E. Khentrul Gyangkhang Rinpoche to update information for our Summer Retreat program in Upstate New York.  We will send a revised flier out in the next six weeks, and any further updates will be posted on the website at: http://retreat.palyul.org

H.H. Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, H.E. Mugsang Kuchen Rinpoche, H.E. Khentrul Gyangkhang Rinpoche and I are thinking about and praying for you and all sentient beings. 

With blessings,
Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso 

~ Updated on 21st April 2009 ~

Important Notes

Joining the Practice in Namdroling

If you would like to join the practice, it is possible to do so either from home or to come to Namdroling.  

Although this could change, currently the local police are not enforcing the requirement for the "Protected Area Permit" out of respect for His Holiness.  If this changes, you will simply be required to book a hotel room in one of the local towns.

While we cannot take reservations for accommodations by email, it would help us greatly to know in advance if you are coming, so please send your travel itinerary as soon as you have confirmed it.  You can simply reply to this email with the itinerary information,  and  it will be forwarded to the office in Namdroling.

Webcast
We will attempt to webcast the 49th Day Ceremony.  For your location, please check the following times:

- Namdroling (Bangalore): May 22, 8 AM
- Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore: May 22, 10:30 AM
- London: May 22, 3:30 AM
- New York: May 21, 10:30 PM

This webcast will appear here:
http://www.palyul.org/broadcast.htm 

If your location isn't listed, check here:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

~ Updated on 21st April 2009 ~

Prayer for the swift rebirth for Kyabje Pema Norbu Rinpoche is available in both Tibetan and English for all Palyul students. There is a Short / Long version of the prayer. Students may use this prayer in lieu of His Holiness long life prayer we had usually chant. Once we have the chinese translation, we'll update it to the web.

You may visit www.palyulsg.org/HH Swift Rebirth Prayers.htm for the prayer or download it in PDF format.

~ Updated on 16th April 2009 ~

His Holiness Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche remained in meditation, Thugdam, almost for 8 days. On Thursday morning, 3rd April 2009, around 8am, His Holiness has released from his meditation. Now the monastery is preparing to preserved His Holiness body for some time to allow the public to pay their respect and receive his blessings.

The Board and faculty of the monastery have annoucned that the blessing ceremony will begin on the 9th April 2009 with rituals and a ceremonial procession to carry Kyabje Penor Rinpoche's body into the Zangdok Palri temple at Namdroling Monastery. It is expected that His Holiness's body will remain in the temple for a month.

The monastery welcome all palyul students, Dharma friends and benefactors who wish to go for the ceremony or to receive His Holiness's blessings.

~ Updated on 4th April 2009 ~

Monastery has announced that from 9th April 2009 (Tibetan 15th day) students and public may go to Namdroling Monastery at South India to pay respect and received blessing from His Holiness's body.

The 3 days have passed and His Holiness is still in meditation, Thumgda. Once His Holiness has released His body from meditation, a formal acknowledgement will be out to notify all students. Do keep a lookout for website for any latest updates.

~ Updated on 1st April 2009 ~

His Holiness Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche Enters Thugdam

March 28th, 2009