We had loads of good things post mid-term break. Firstly, it was Choe-Shey by the reputed Khenpo Tshewang and as my Principal announced, it was a good omen to kickstart our second session with his blessings. Just yesterday, we had another equally reputed khenpo, Khenpo Karpo, from Lhuntse who was kind enough to drop by at our school and give us yet another blessing.
Infact, i do not know much about the first khenpo but it is said like all learned men,he is famous for his own wisdom. He regularly gives talks on religion in BBS(Morning Session).
However, Khenpo Karpo deserves some explanation. According to a reliable source, it is said that Karpo followed normal life of a villageman in Kurtoe(Lhuntse). He toiled in his field with a spade and tended his cattles like any other folks in the village. As he worked in his field, it is said that the handle of the spade got so worn out due to his repeated use and probably due to his grip, that one day there wasn't anything left to hold that metal spade(he "finished" the wooden handle!). I do not need to elaborate on how sincerely and ruthlessly he toiled in his agricultural field.
On another account, as a villageman, he also had to attend Woo-la. At one time, he was working on the
Mongar-Lhuntse highway along the road clearing the debris with a crowbar. While trying to remove a big stone, the crowbar broke into two pieces like a dried twig! He was 35 by that time. He took those signs as a call to religion and that was when he renounces worldly matters. He got ordained as an ordinary monk, and with his hardwork, earned himself a place to learn under the late Dudjom Rinpoche. It is said he was one of the trusted pupil of the late rinpoche.
Khenpo Karpo gave us Wang with a small Dorji. But before blessing us with that Dorji, he exaplined us thus.( I had the good fortune of seeing the Dorji at a very close range).
That Dorji was originally discovered by the great Tibetan Terton Ratna Lingpa(1403-1479) from Pema Koed(present day Arunachal pradesh) offered to the ruling nobility of that region. Changing hands, it was reached to the late Dudjom Rinpoche(also a nobility of Pemakoed). He later gave that Dorji to one of his sons, Shenphen Dawa Norbu Rinpoche. Shenphen Dawa went to US(?) and built a Dratshang to start his own teachings and while doing so he entered into huge financial debt. In order to clear away the debts, he sold that Dorji to a wealthy Bristish for 50,000$.
As a student under late Dudjom Rinpoche, he heard that story from the Rinpoche. Since then he made a personal pledge to get that treasure back for the sake of his master.
It so happened that while he was overlooking the construction of the famous Guru statue in Lhuntse, a British tourist happen to visit the site. Upon conversation with him, Khenpo Karpo found out that the tourist knew abt that Dorji! The tourist gave him the e-mail address of the British who had that Dorji. Then, through countless numbers of correspondance via e-mails, he could finally convince that British on why he should return the 'Ter'.(Khenpo karpo convinced him that the Dorji would be used as the main Nangtens in the Guru statue in Lhuntse).
Thus, it reached to Bhutan in May, 2012. Ever since it is with Khenpo Karpo wrapped around his neck!
As he was blessing us with that Dorji, a circular rainbow was seen around the sun(all of us saw, some took the pictures while i regretted not having a camera that time!). You would say it was just a coincidence but it surely was a good omen!
I would try to write about other things that our School did in the next issue. For today, we are quite busy for Tomorrow's program, Drup Tshe Zhi(First Sermon of Lord Buddha).
(Khenpo Karpo did explain about the "Ter" to all the gathering before he blessed us with that Dorji. Other abstracts are oral version which are not researched. The circular rainbow was fact!)
Infact, i do not know much about the first khenpo but it is said like all learned men,he is famous for his own wisdom. He regularly gives talks on religion in BBS(Morning Session).
However, Khenpo Karpo deserves some explanation. According to a reliable source, it is said that Karpo followed normal life of a villageman in Kurtoe(Lhuntse). He toiled in his field with a spade and tended his cattles like any other folks in the village. As he worked in his field, it is said that the handle of the spade got so worn out due to his repeated use and probably due to his grip, that one day there wasn't anything left to hold that metal spade(he "finished" the wooden handle!). I do not need to elaborate on how sincerely and ruthlessly he toiled in his agricultural field.
On another account, as a villageman, he also had to attend Woo-la. At one time, he was working on the
Mongar-Lhuntse highway along the road clearing the debris with a crowbar. While trying to remove a big stone, the crowbar broke into two pieces like a dried twig! He was 35 by that time. He took those signs as a call to religion and that was when he renounces worldly matters. He got ordained as an ordinary monk, and with his hardwork, earned himself a place to learn under the late Dudjom Rinpoche. It is said he was one of the trusted pupil of the late rinpoche.
Khenpo Karpo gave us Wang with a small Dorji. But before blessing us with that Dorji, he exaplined us thus.( I had the good fortune of seeing the Dorji at a very close range).
That Dorji was originally discovered by the great Tibetan Terton Ratna Lingpa(1403-1479) from Pema Koed(present day Arunachal pradesh) offered to the ruling nobility of that region. Changing hands, it was reached to the late Dudjom Rinpoche(also a nobility of Pemakoed). He later gave that Dorji to one of his sons, Shenphen Dawa Norbu Rinpoche. Shenphen Dawa went to US(?) and built a Dratshang to start his own teachings and while doing so he entered into huge financial debt. In order to clear away the debts, he sold that Dorji to a wealthy Bristish for 50,000$.
As a student under late Dudjom Rinpoche, he heard that story from the Rinpoche. Since then he made a personal pledge to get that treasure back for the sake of his master.
It so happened that while he was overlooking the construction of the famous Guru statue in Lhuntse, a British tourist happen to visit the site. Upon conversation with him, Khenpo Karpo found out that the tourist knew abt that Dorji! The tourist gave him the e-mail address of the British who had that Dorji. Then, through countless numbers of correspondance via e-mails, he could finally convince that British on why he should return the 'Ter'.(Khenpo karpo convinced him that the Dorji would be used as the main Nangtens in the Guru statue in Lhuntse).
Thus, it reached to Bhutan in May, 2012. Ever since it is with Khenpo Karpo wrapped around his neck!
As he was blessing us with that Dorji, a circular rainbow was seen around the sun(all of us saw, some took the pictures while i regretted not having a camera that time!). You would say it was just a coincidence but it surely was a good omen!
I would try to write about other things that our School did in the next issue. For today, we are quite busy for Tomorrow's program, Drup Tshe Zhi(First Sermon of Lord Buddha).
(Khenpo Karpo did explain about the "Ter" to all the gathering before he blessed us with that Dorji. Other abstracts are oral version which are not researched. The circular rainbow was fact!)
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| Khenpo Karpo Blessing with the Treasure Vajra |
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| The Circular rainbow |
SOnam, It is indeed a very very insightful update on Khenpo Karpo. But your update on that Dorji thing is still very profound. Well. I have been told that My dad and Khenpo were a great buddies. That one lasted until Khnepo renounced this mundanely affairs in his mid life. Khenpo still calls my dad as 'totsang'
ReplyDeleteand about Khenpo Tshewang, He is from our place, Ura. I also dont know much about him, but i heard he is one of the most intelligent and devoted disciple of late Penor Rimpoche. In Mysore Nyingma School, it is being told that there aren't many people who could match him in the field of Buddhist astrology, debate, philosophy and composition.
I was told that he did his 'lo sum, chu sum' meditation in the Tibet among the mountains, hiding from Chinese PLAs. Not only that, I have also seen him meditating in different places in Bumthang and Paro.
He is a son of farmer an ordinary person like you and me. But through his hard work and integrity, i think, he has now earned his place now as lama.
Anyways I enjoyed your post. keep going
PSN
Hello PSN, i am humbled that you liked my post( i tried to write seriously devoid of humour in this piece.:)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that khenpo Tsewang is highly learned and i was susrprised to learn that you come from a good root(how i wish so!).
khenpo karpo is around Thimphu these days with his Chinese friends and the Dorji too. I wish if you could get a glimpse of that DOrji(it is sealed with a yellow seal by the dudjom rinpoche).
Thanks for the additional information.
warm regards, Sillywit:)