His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima

His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima the Lord of the East. He is from Gaden Shartse Monastery and a devoted student of H.H. Trijang Rinpoche and H.H. Zong Rinpoche.

He was in a 3 year, 3 month and 3 day Vajra Yogini retreat (Nyenchen) in Bomdila, North India after completing his term of abbot of Gyuto Tantric College. He did 10 million Vajra Yogini mantras during the retreat with four sessions a day and many offerings with full sadhana. After completing as per ritual, he did 100,000 fire puja offering to Vajra Yogini to conclude the Nyenchen. The fire pujas were daily and all day and took him one month to complete. He did his multitude of sadhanas daily of other deities and commitments and also his Dorje Shugden pujas once a month as he has been doing for over 50 years!

After resting for a short while, he entered into ANOTHER Nyenchen for the next three years again! After he completed his second Vajra Yogini Nyenchen, he was instructed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to become the abbot of Gaden Shartse Monastery.

I had the privilege/honor/good merits to meet him as the abbot and I had the great fortune to receive Vajra Yogini initiation from him. He did it privately in his room with around only 15 persons. I was too lucky. He did not like fanfare of any kind or honors or prestige. He was a simple and quiet monk although so high ranking, it never affected him in any way.

The abbot, tantric master, Vidyadhara, pandit and Vinaya holder. I places his picture here so all of you can blessed for seeing him and hearing his holy name. May all of you be blessed and follow in his footsteps. There is nothing new in samsara and nothing further to learn. Nothing more to explore. Practice Dharma and transform from the depths of your being.

I use to have the great good merits once to enter into the washroom and personally wash his body, cut his nails and dry him off and offer him fresh robes. It is very meritorious to wash our gurus, wash their clothes, to keep their rooms and items clean and clean their temples where they teach dharma. We believe the act of cleaning holy objects like statues and temples and sangha residences is a very powerful way to gain merit and create the causes for us to eliminate ego. We believe you purify a lot of demerit. He allowed me to do this as I requested many times. After washing his holy body, scrubbing, rinsing, cutting nails, I dried him and offered him clean clothes to this pure and virtuous monk. I prostrated to him fully to thank him to allow a dirty, useless, ego filled person like me to touch his body, wash and clean this Vinaya holder. He patiently let me wash him and then dry him. After he put on his clothes, he allowed me to offer him some delicious Indian food as this was in India. I was so happy to offer him food and tea.

The next few days I took him for full medical checks as Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche manifested diabetes. I was able to find sponsorship for everything due to some kind persons. So I took him for the full round of tests and doctors. I wanted his diabetes to be under control. I was so happy to do this. Some will not allow this as they have no plans to extend his life. Luckily for us, he extended his life therefore allowing this.

This is one of the masters that touch me deeply and tears flow when I think of him. I miss him very much and I feel fortunate to have received Vajra Yogini from him as he and Vajra Yogini have merged minds. He was a scholar of the highest degree, a tantric master, an abbot and Sharpa Choje which is throne holder of the East, next in line to be Gaden Tripa. He was always humble and simple next to his gurus and exhibited the freedom from the 8 Worldly Dharmas.

I follow and trust the mind, examples and works of beings like him. I strive to be like him although I know it’s a longshot. I will never listen to associates, family, peers, friends who advise me against dharma as they do not know what they are saying. They may have good intention, but without wisdom, good intents can lead to unhappy circumstances in samsara. I wanted to share this great master with all of you…I asked him once, if he didn’t become abbot of Gaden Shartse Monastery, what would he have done? He said without hesitation, he would have entered his 3rd Nyenchen of Vajra Yogini!

With my crown to his feet,

Tsem Rinpoche

His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima the Vinaya Holder and Mahasiddha.

Sharpa Choeje’s current incarnation.

His reincarnation as confirmed by Dorje Shugden and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. When you do your practice correctly, you do return to continue. Reincarnation and gaining control of it, is one of the beneficial features of tantra and Vajra Yogini’s practice. When one wishes to pass away, where to reincarnate and what circumstances will be a controlled choice of accomplished Vajra Yogini practitioners.