Main Assistants of the Dharma King

Dear friends around the world,

I hope this latest post finds you all well. In 2009 I visited Tibet and one of the places was the holy Tashi Lhunpo Monastery of His Holiness Panchen Rinpoche. Panchen Rinpoche’s previous ten incarnations have been great masters, scholars and yogis benefiting hundreds of thousands of beings in Mongolia, China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Russia and Siberia. His previous lives left behind many volumes of writing on history, tantra, meditation, commentaries, dialectical texts and philosophy. They are stored in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery but proliferated all over the North Asian regions. After His Holiness the Dalai Lama left Tibet in 1959, His Holiness the 10th Panchen Lama became the main source of inspiration, comfort and spiritual solace for the people of Tibet. Thousands from China as well as Mongolia are also his students. The 10th Panchen Lama’s mastery of Buddhism, display of paranormal feats and teachings have touched the Tibetan people beyond any sect although Panchen Lama is a great lama of the Gelug School of Buddhism.

I have visited Panchen Rinpoche’s monastery of Tashi Lhunpo in Shigatse. I was happy to find a large chapel dedicated specifically to Dorje Shugden and entourage. Pujas and prayers are held daily and thousands of pilgrims visit Dorje Shugden here. His Holiness the Panchen Lama is a great practitioner of Dorje Shugden throughout his 10th incarnation and well as the 9th. I was happy to see the beautiful Dorje Shugden statue and of his entourage on this trip. So I took pictures and decided in the future, I will also create large statues of Dorje Shugden and his entourage. I have finally done so! With the great assistance of so many devoted people in Kechara.

In this short video, you will see our wonderful group consecrating the entourage of Dorje Shugden and placing them below the throne in Kechara’s Wisdom Hall.

Entourage includes:

• Kache Marpo
• Namka Barzin (already there)
• 8 Guiding Monks
• 9 Dakini Mothers
• 10 Youthful and Wrathful assistants

That would be 29 holy beings which primarily assist Dorje Shugden. In Dorje Shugden’s mandala including the four primary Shugden emanations there are a total of 32 primary beings. Some would include Namka Barzin who is a later assistant that joined only about 80 years ago. That makes it 33. But most still consider it 32. Above Dorje Shugden in his mandala on the next story resides the great protector Setrap who is also called Tsangpa. Yes, Setrap abides in the same mandala house with Dorje Shugden. Above Setrap in the top-most story is Buddha Amitabha. Dorje Shugden’s divine *mandala house is filled with spiritually-charged Buddhas (click here to see the mandala and who resides in it).

We have ordered these beautifully carved images, painted them ourselves and filled them with mantras. Then the proper pujas were done to consecrate them in the traditional manner. Please see the short video. You will be very happy.

I send my greetings and good wishes to all students, sponsors, volunteers, staff and friends who participated in this holy event from beginning to completion. May we be blessed by Dorje Shugden’s holy presence as well as his entourage. Dorje Shugden’s lineage will proliferate and spread further in this world as his time for us has come.

Tsem Rinpoche

Watch the video of the offering ceremony here

This is Wisdom Hall in Kechara Forest Retreat, Malaysia which is our space dedicated to the World Peace Protector Dorje Shugden.

In Kechara, we have a special chapel named Wisdom Hall dedicated to World Peace Protector Dorje Shugden in Bentong, Malaysia.

To consecrate the statues and prepare for them to be escorted onto our altar, soongdroop and rabney puja were performed by our very own pastors who learned these rituals authentically and as per the scripture from monks who came to visit us from the monastery. The monks stayed with us for a few months to teach our Kecharians to do their own pujas exactly as it is done in the monastery. Here you can see the set-up done for the soongdroop and rabney pujas as seen in the day time.

The Shakyamuni statue is here gracing the hall temporarily till we finish our larger prayer hall where Shakyamuni will preside permanently. This hall here which seats 700 is specifically dedicated to Dorje Shugden, His lineage, practice and rites.

After the soongdroop and rabney pujas were performed, the set-up remained in Wisdom Hall for our Dorje Shugden kangsol (monthly puja) done the same night. Wisdom Hall is our space dedicated to Dorje Shugden prayers, liturgies, rituals and learning.

The 8 Guiding Monks of Dorje Shugden’s entourage.

The 8 Guiding Monks of Dorje Shugden’s entourage, who assist Dorje Shugden for growth of the Dharma and the establishment of the mind training teachings (Lojong). These monks bless the establishment for the Sangha to grow, and for the increase of more practitioners who will hold the three sets of vows (Pratimoksha, Bodhicitta and Tantric).

The 9 Beautiful Mothers.

Five of the 9 Beautiful Mothers bless each of our senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) and remaining four control the elements (earth, air, water, fire) in our external environment and internally within our bodies. They also confer blessings to achieve tantric attainments, and give auspicious signs and omens along the way to encourage our practices.

The 10 Youthful and Wrathful Assistants.

The 10 Youthful and Wrathful Assistants assist Dorje Shugden in removing obstacles in samsara for practitioners. They wear Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian, Kashmiri, Indian, Nepali, etc. garments to indicate where they come from. These assistants travel the formless, desire and form realms at the speed of thought.

A close-up of the altar set-up with the mandala deities of Dorje Shugden’s entourage. Also included are newly arrived Setrap statue and two pieces of Kache Marpo, the main attendant minister of Dorje Shugden.

Each month, our students gather to perform a monthly Dorje Shugden kangsol or puja in front of our Dorje Shugden holy statue. This month, they had the great honour and privilege to invite Dorje Shugden’s entourage onto the altar so I recorded a short message for them. I wanted to explain the significance of offering entourage statues to Dorje Shugden, and also a little bit about my trip to Tibet where I visited Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and saw their Dorje Shugden chapel which housed also the entourage of Dorje Shugden. Tashi Lhunpo is the monastery of the Panchen Lamas who are very high-ranking and considered next to Dalai Lama. Frequently when the Dalai Lama is in between rebirths, the Panchen Lamas would assist to oversee the overall spiritual matters in Tibet and help to recognise the next Dalai Lama when his predecessor has taken rebirth.

Students are listening carefully to my video message as to what are the entourage of Shugden.

We begin every kangsol or Dorje Shugden puja by reciting the 50 Verses of Guru Devotion by Ashvagosha to remind us of the kindness of our lamas.

Our 24ft (7.3m) Dorje Shugden is filled with trillions of Buddha images and mantras, as well as many, many holy relics, high lamas’ clothes, texts and precious items. We are extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful statue in front of which we can renew our commitments to Shugden monthly.

Datuk May Phng who is the President of Kechara House, offers on behalf of the whole organisation a statue of Kache Marpo. Kache Marpo is Dorje Shugden’s chief minister and an emanation of Hayagriva. He is therefore enlightened himself, and can be considered a Dharma Protector in his own right. Interesting to note, Kache Marpo was known as Tsiu Marpo and one of the protectors of Samye Monastery, the first monastery built in Tibet by Guru Padmasambhava. Kache Marpo is still worshipped in other schools of Tibetan Buddhism under the name of Tsiu Marpo.

Students and friends took turns to offer the 32 entourage statues on behalf of the whole Kechara organisation. It began with Pastor Yek Yee who is our Head Pastor, followed by Datuk May Phng who is the President of our Kechara House. After that, the other pastors offered a statue each and then members of the Board of Directors and also our older members.

The holy entourage of Dorje Shugden fully enshrined under the benevolent throne of Dorje Shugden, the World Peace Protector.

Some additional information and pictures

Panchen Lama’s Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, Shigatse, Tibet.

Panchen Lama’s Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet.

Dorje Shugden chapel in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. This whole building is dedicated to the practice of Dorje Shugden. Monks gather daily to propitiate Dorje Shugden here. Below is the inside.

The main prayer hall of Dorje Shugden chapel within Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. Extensive offerings and pujas are offered to Dorje Shugden daily as instructed by the great Panchen Lamas themselves. The tradition alive and well today.

Dorje Shugden statue inside the chapel of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. Even the immaculate Panchen Rinpoche adopts Dorje Shugden as one of his principal protectors.

H.H. the 9th Panchen Lama.

His Holiness the 9th Panchen Lama. Great scholar, master, yogi and writer whose many works are studied in the monasteries today. He was a devoted Dorje Shugden practitioner.

H.H. the 10th Panchen Lama.

His Holiness the 10th Panchen Lama. He offered solace, dharma, education, comfort and tremendous hope to the six millions Tibetans inside Tibet. He was an ardent practitioner of Dorje Shugden and had pujas done daily to this protector in his Tashi Lhunpo Monastery.
Panchen Lama’s sungbum (collected works) with Dorje Shugden prayers. These prayers to the World Peace Protector Dorje Shugden was composed by His Holiness the 10th Panchen Rinpoche himself. They have gone for repeated reprints in Tibet as they are very popular and the monastic bookshops sell out fast. Majority of the high Gelug Lamas and some Sakya Lamas have practiced Dorje Shugden for four hundred years. To say Dorje Shugden is something other than beneficial is to degrade the wisdom, learning and attainments of high lamas like Panchen Rinpoche who practiced Dorje Shugden throughout their lives.

Table of contents: Manjunatha’s (Tsongkhapa) Lineage protector Dorje Shugden and five forms wrathful propitiations and confessional prayers and fulfillment of activities rites by the 10th Panchen Lama.

The hard copy of the 10th Panchen Lama’s collected works.

For your blessings and as a gift, I am including the complete volume to this holy text by Panchen Rinpoche which includes the Dorje Shugden prayers on PDF format. You may print out and share or read. You can also keep it on your shrine. Even download into thumb-drives to insert into holy stupas and statues of Buddhas. Click here to download the collected works of the Panchen Lama.

More interesting links about Dorje Shugden:

• The Dorje Shugden category on my blog
• Will the Dalai Lama agree with this?
• Can Tibetan Lamas Make Mistakes?
• Dorje Shugden people
• I pray to what I want to
• Making offerings to Shar Gaden Monastery
• How My Protector Healed Me

More information about Kechara Forest Retreat:

• Kechara Forest Retreat

The Mandala of Dorje Shugden
With his four primary (cardinal) emanations and entourage

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