Yangsi Rinpoche Enthronement Ceremonies
Around the World
According to the prophecy letter by H.H. Jadral Rinpoche, the reincarnation of the Third Drubwang Padma Norbu Rinpoche was recognized in 2013, at Dunglung Thramo Drak, Tibet—a holy place where Kunkhyen Jigme Lingpa revealed the cycle of Longchen Nyingthig practice. Yangsi Rinpoche was named Pema Dorje by his parents as his birth name.
Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso—one of the vice presidents of Namdroling Monastery—made the announcement regarding the recognition of the reincarnation of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche to the assembly of Namdroling Monastery. With immeasurable happiness and joy on hearing about the rebirth of the genuine reincarnation of our guru, H.H. Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, the 12th Throneholder of the Palyul lineage, officially announced the schedule for the enthronement of Yangsi Rinpoche, which would be held on 31st July, 2014 (the fourth day of the sixth lunar month) coinciding with the auspicious day when the Buddha turned the First Wheel of Dharma. Accordingly, the ceremony took place at Palyul Monastery in Tibet. Similarly, Enthronement Ceremonies were celebrated in various other parts of the world.
Palyul Ling Retreat Center, USA
In America, people pay a lot of attention to weather forecasts. So, we were a bit worried to think that the day of our Yangsi Rinpoche Grand Enthronement Ceremony, to be held outdoors at the Palyul Ling retreat center in McDonough, New York, would be drenched by a huge, deep rain system. There was no hope of sunshine for our September 13 celebration, held at the end of our annual 30-day Ngondro/Tsa Lung/Dzogchen retreat. We listened to the weather reports again and again for a change. No hope.
Hearing this, Lama Tsewang Norbu, who is the main monk stationed at Palyul Ling in 1997 by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, and Lama Kunsang Wangdi, also a longtime helper, worked tirelessly with a crew of volunteers, including Paljor (son of Sonam Tsering), Tseten Yolmo, Ata Tenzin, Pema Kunsang, Pemba Nubri, Karma Gyurme, Sami, Bés, Wangyal, and many others from the Former Namdroling Students Group, to raise tents to cover the performance stage (that they themselves had built by hand) and for everyone to sit under, away from the rain.
Karma Dorjee with Tashi Phuri, Leki Dakpa, Pemba Nubri, Palden Sherpa, Thubten Nyima, and Dorji Sherpa, also part of the Former Namdroling Students Group, organized two buses and two mini-vans from New York City to carry 140 friends to the celebration. When added to the retreatants and others who traveled to the center, those attending the celebration numbered more than 400. Keith Matis and Jill Lamphere were in the office and Mary Waters set up extra tents for those who wanted to spend the night to receive a Long Life Empowerment the next day from His Eminence Gyangkhang Rinpoche; it was going to be a chilly, wet, but fun weekend!
September 13 arrived and, as the weather reports predicted, it was cloudy and the rain poured. But the stage was dry and, as we say in America, the show must go on! A nearly two-meter tall picture of Yangsi Rinpoche, taken in Tibet by Ziggy Palyulian, a Hong Kong-based Palyul student, was centered on the back wall of the stage. Yangsi Rinpoche’s eyes charmed you wherever you walked; he seemed to gaze on you no matter where you stood, making you feel “Nyingje!” with every bone in your body. Everyone felt happy, despite the weather. Huddled together under the tent on damp carpets, the celebrants waited excitedly.
Under the VIP tent sat H.E. Gyangkhang Rinpoche, H.E. Mugsang Kuchen Rinpoche, Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche, Tulku Dawa Gyalpo Rinpoche, Tulku Chonjur Rinpoche, Dorje Lopon Lama Sochuk, Khenpo Tenzin Norgay Rinpoche, Khenpo Thubten Dargye (visiting from Macau), Lopon Pema Tshering, Lama Pasang, Lama Rapjee Wangchuk, Lama Phurba Tenzin (Jigme), Lama Orgyen Randrol, Lama Tenzin Chogyal, Lama Thubten and many others. Other special guests from the nearby town, as well as officials who help the center, sat behind.
In the audience, summer retreatants from all over the world—Puayyiau Tan and Li Chern from Singapore, Grace Liang from Taiwan, the “Mothers from Mexico,” Australian nuns of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo—gathered with students from the United States and Canada as well as the weekend visitors.
The celebration began with a short lama dance program (Black Hat and Pawo), offered by our monks from the center, accompanied by the sounds of gyaling. The local townspeople, some of whom had never had the blessing of seeing these dances, were entranced and applauded when the dances were complete.
Then the show began. Master of Ceremonies Tseten Lhagyal, formerly of Dehradun, came on stage and introduced the first act, the Lingdro Dance Troupe, led by Tagsar Wangdak Jigmey, who performed incredible Gesar dances that had their origin in Kham.
The next performer caused a lot of cries of excitement from the audience: Phurbu T. Namgyal of our own Bylakuppe area took the stage. The rain was pouring down but no one minded as he sang a song about the sun shining brightly.
While Phurbu T. Namgyal was singing, unbeknownst to many there, a car was pulling into the teacher residences, a half kilometer away. Our most special guest, His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, had quietly arrived at the center. At that moment, the other MC, myself, had been looking down at the performance list, feeling that the rain would never break. But just then I looked up, and suddenly the rain was gone! The sun had come out even though the weather reports said there was no chance that it would. Everyone felt relieved and disbelieving all at the same time, feeling for sure this was the combined blessing of our Holiness who came back as our Yangsi Rinpoche, and the arrival of the third heart son, Palyul’s current throneholder.
Now that the sun was out, the next act continued: the Dege Drochen performed by the Bylakuppe Fourth Camp group, fully dressed in traditional style. They were followed by a Chinese woman named Mooi, who cooks for the retreat center, dressed in pale green silk and performing an amazing dance with a sword. Following this an American woman, Tara Middleton, took the stage to sing a Western Buddhist song and then, excited shouts again from the audience. Who was it?
Raju Lama of Nepal! He sang three of his best songs, enchanting everyone in the audience. The US Nubri Kyidug group from New York then performed songs and dances from their traditions, and after that the Drukpa Kyidug group performed traditional Bhutanese song and dance followed by songs by Sonam Zangpo. Jasmine Ni, daughter of long-time Palyul supporter Ling-Ling Ni, and her brother performed a traditional auspicious Chinese tiger costume dance.
More performers sang and danced and finally we broke for dinner, with our respected guests retiring into a dining room at the center with the local town officials who help our retreat every year. Volunteers led by Cha Chao, a longtime America-based Taiwanese student, provided an amazing feast for the guests with plate after plate of delicious delicacies cooked by Mooi and Monica Hé. When H.E. Gyangkhang Rinpoche was asked if our precious teachers and honored guests would have time to return to the performances, he indicated that they would all return to watch the show to the very end. And they did.
When we came back, Bhutanese superstar Ulab Leki took the stage. He sang traditional songs, but he also made the audience roar with laughter with his ability to imitate sounds. Tashi Tsering performed Tibetan opera. Lorella Mainero of Colombia performed her own “Dance to the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones” accompanied by lovely ladies from all around the world. And, finally, young people taking their chance to perform their songs jumped up and joined in the celebration, such as Pema Chonzum.
The evening grew chilly, but everyone smiled and felt deeply happy, the kind of happy that comes from the core of the heart. Looking for miracles, some might say that we could see it in the rain giving way to sunshine. But the real miracle was in that happiness coming from our joy at the arrival of our Yangsi Rinpoche, the re-appearance of our root teacher so powerful and so unmistakable that it could draw everyone, from all corners of this world, together as one mandala.
By Mary Pratt
New York City, USA
