Dakpa Sherab

The engagement of twice-monthly confessions, the rains retreat (summer retreat, Tib. yarne) and the closing of the rains retreat by a monastic community is a glimpse of the Buddhadharma existing in its pure form. Basically, the continuation of pure Buddhadharma solely depends on the monks’ communities which engage in the aforesaid retreats.

Nowadays people have their own definition of the pure dharma according to their own capacities and dispositions, but in general, the respect of the Vinaya’s precepts and good maintenance is unarguably mandatory!

In Yarne, all monastic communities, especially of the Geluk sect, here in South India, are busy engaging in numerous events. These include annual protector puja days, debate presentation of selected candidates during the assembly on their subjects, the Ven Abbot’s and Ven Disciplinarian’s speeches on monastic discipline in the traditional manner, recitation day of Ornament for Clear Realisation (Abhisamayalankara) and Treatise on the Middle Way (Madhyamakakarika) and so on.

Apart from all that, the display of an oral test of major treatises by a monk who has razor-sharp memorisation skills is considered the most attractive of all. This unique presentation takes place during the monks’ assembly, followed by the debate presentation (two selected candidates debate with each other). A monk who voluntarily comes forward to tackle such a monumental task is quite a rare case in the monasteries. This is because of the regular sessions that limit memorising opportunities and the necessity of extraordinary skill.

Thupten Gyatso

Additionally, these days, the presence of modern education in the school makes it even harder, but a few have managed to do it so far who are endowed with the necessary skills in abundance.

An oral test volunteer will be presented with an upper yellow robe and a set of general robes by the administration if he successfully passes the oral test without making mistakes.

In a session, three presentation events follow each other:

1. oral test presentation;
2. uma she rig geshe’s rite recitation and tantric debate test; and
3. debate presentation by the selected monks.

A session’s period is well allocated as per necessity to all these three events, but the schedule is tight. Therefore, the oral test could not be done in a single session and thus is held each day of Yarne. The assembly oral test is mostly based on these treatises; The Essence of Eloquence on the Interpretive and Definitive Teachings, Root Treatise of Pramana-varttika, Root Treatise of Abhidharma-kośa, Root Treatise of Boddhisattva’s Way of Life, etc are the most common.

This year, Thupten Gyatso and Dakpa Tsering who both came from a poor background in Nepal and joined Shar Gaden in 2006, have just pulled off their preparation and are now all set to enter into the milestone that very few could achieve.

Thupten prefers The Essence of Eloquence on the Interpretive and Definitive Teachings, that has 232 pages and 20 long phrases per page, composed by the great master Je Tsongkhapa in Tibet, while Dakpa prefers Root Treatise of Pramana-varttika, which has 208 pages, 28 phrases per page, composed by the great Indian philosopher Dharmakirti in 7th century. We wish them all the best and may their noble deeds bring peace to the world.

Source :
http://shargadenpa.org/the-summer-retreat

About Zong Rinpoche…

Zong Rinpoche was one of the foremost Lamas of his generation, and a life-long Dorje Shugden practitioner besides…
(Zong) Rinpoche was born in Kham in 1905. He went to Lhasa when he was eleven years old to study at Shartse.

He studied effortlessly and became renowned as a powerful and irrefutable debater. A learned geshe at that time said that ‘even if Shri Dharmakirti had been present, he would not have been able to debate better than that.’

After graduating as a high ranking Lharampa geshe at the age of twenty-five he moved on to the Tantric College of Gyuto. In 1937 he was appointed abbot of Shartse, a position he held for nine years.

Rinpoche was known as a strong, detached and wrathful lama. He had impeccable knowledge of all rituals, art and science, and he never hesitated to give reasons to others why this action or that painting was wrong.

He was renowned for his ‘many actions of powerful magic,’ as a result of which ‘the most marvellous, indescribable signs occurred.’
-Wisdom: Magazine of the FPMT, Number 2, 1984.

“In 1916 ( Zong Rinpoche) went to Lhasa to study the dharma at Shartse college (of Ganden Monastery), where he studied the sutras of the Prajnaparamita, Madhyamika, the Abidharma and the Vinaya. He quickly became famous as a sharp analyst and master of philosophical debate. In 1929 he successfully completed his geshe examinations and was awarded with the highest degree, the Geshe Lharampa title …. in 1937 he became abbot of the Shartse college.

So his name spread all over the country of being a powerful tantrika and he gave many empowerments and teachings on those subjects with a special emphasis on the tantras of Heruka, Hayagriva, Yamantaka, Gyelchen Shugden, Guhyasamaja, Vajrayogini, Green Tara, Mahakali, White Tara, Vaishravani and others. …

He was one of the last teachers of the old generation with the aura of authority and a kind of aristrocratic touch or vajra pride. In his teachings he followed very strictly the original texts. But, concerning his age, he was very open and patient to us Westerners, always kind, polite and helpful to answer our many questions concerning detailed tantra explanations.”
-From the Biography of Zong Rinpoche by Hans Taeger (http://www.iol.ie/~taeger/bio/zong.htm)

Zong Rinpoche On Je Pabongka

(From: Chod in the Ganden Tradition The Oral Instructions of Kyabje Zong Rinpoche By Kyabje Zong Rinpoche Snow lion 2006)

Vast Qualities…

Kyabje Phabongka had such vast qualities that it is difficult to comprehend them. Sincere and pure practitioners should consult the birth stories of this high lama. Je Phabongka was an emanation of Krishnapada. Krishnapada was a great mahasiddha, a scholar and realized being …

An Actual Bodhisattva…

…When he was young, he received lamrim teachings from Dagpo Lama Jampel Lhundrub, and when the customary ritual for generation of bodhichitta was held at the end of the teachings, he actually generated bodhichitta. When this happened, Jampel Lhundrub ordered a throne to be set up for the young Phabongka. On hearing the Sevenfold Cause-and-Effect instructions for the first time, his mind was greatly moved, and he wept.

Je Pabongka was Heruka himself…

Kyabje Phabongka was also an emanation of Heruka Chakrasamvara, but degeneration of the times and jealousy of ordinary beings have made it difficult to become aware of his tremendous qualities. There are many biographies of Kyabje Phabongka that make his realized qualities very clear.

A Dalai Lama acknowledges a Great Teacher…

The thirteenth Dalai Lama requested Kyabje Phabongka to give the yearly lamrim teachings in 1925, instead of asking the Ganden throneholder, as was customary. Usually these teachings lasted seven days, but these lasted for eleven days. These were my first teachings from Kyabje Phabongka. Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang was also present at these teachings.

(From: Chod in the Ganden Tradition The Oral Instructions of Kyabje Zong Rinpoche By Kyabje Zong Rinpoche Snow lion 2006 . All formatting and emphasis mine…)

“Once, returning from Chamdo, Kyabje Phabongka taught at a “dzong,” a fortified monastery. A member of his audience had a vision of Kyabje Phabongka with four arms.

On another occasion, teaching at Lhasa, thirty-two incarnate lamas attended his lamrim discourses. Tapu Dorje Chang traveled from Kham to Lhasa specifically to receive Dharma teachings from Kyabje Phabongka. Tapu Dorje Chang could hear statues of Avalokiteshvara andTara speak, and saw visions of multi-armed yidams. Kyabje Phabongka was Tapu Dorje Chang’s disciple also.

Once Kyabje Phabongka invoked the wisdom beings of Heruka’s mandala to enter into a statue of Heruka Chakrasamvara. Heruka then offered nectar to Kyabje Phabongka, and prophesied that seven generations of his disciples would be protected by the body mandala of Heruka. Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang is cared for by Heruka Chakrasamvara, as are his disciples.

Je Pabongka

Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Ling Rinpoche were tutors to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They taught His Holiness everything from basic teachings to advanced levels.

Kyabje Phabongka passed all of his lineages to Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang. He often said this in discourses. The purpose of this detailed exposition is to affirm the power of the lineage.

If we lose faith in the lineage, we are lost.

We should remember the biographies of past and present teachers. We should never develop negative thoughts towards our root and lineage gurus. If we do not keep the commitments after having received teachings, this is a great downfall.

After giving teachings, the guru should act in accordance with the capacities of disciples and their requests. If the disciples see the guru’s actions as pure, this is proper practice. The guru should not act in contradictory ways.”

February 22, 2009 by truthaboutshugden (http://truthaboutshugden.wordpress.com)