Please see this letter from Ayang Rinpoche giving his condolences to the family and students of his friend, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, who passed into parinirvana Monday, July 22, 2013.

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche was a tenth generation descendent of Palchen Namkha Jigme (1757-1821) of Repkong, Tibet who founded a large non-monastic community of Shitro and Vajrakilaya practitioners that continues to the present day.  Lama Tharchin Rinpoche was born in Kongpo, southern Tibet, and was educated at Lamaling by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche. In addition to His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche’s main teachers were his uncle, Lama Sherab Dorje, Chadral Rinpoche, and Dudjom Rinpoche’s son, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche.

He left his homeland in 1960 and went to live in His Holiness’ community in Orissa, India, which is where he met Ayang Rinpoche. After living briefly in Nepal and Taiwan, he came to the USA in 1984 to improve his health. He soon established the Vajrayana Foundation and Pema Osel Ling, a retreat center in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. To read more about his life, please visit the Vajrayana Foundation website.

The Amitabha Foundation has a special connection with Lama Tharchin Rinpoche. He was the first teacher Ayang Rinpoche sent to encourage and develop our practice in our earliest days.  He gave precious teachings on the Great Perfection, Guru Yoga, and preliminary practices, and gave practical instructions on bringing the Dharma into one’s daily life.  Lama Tharchin Rinpoche came annually over many years, teaching at our Dharma Center and at our Canandaigua retreat land. For many of us connected with the Amitabha Foundation, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche continued to be a cherished teacher and spiritual friend, even after his health prevented his travel to Rochester.

During the cremation ceremony for Lama Tharchin Rinpoche’s ku-dung (sacred body), Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche shared these comments that are relevant for all of us:

“For those who are Lama Tharchin’s students, if you have a spiritual connection to him as a student and him as a teacher, this is a time to do your guru yoga. The guru doesn’t ever pass. The guru is always in the present. So please do whatever form of guru yoga you can. Also this is the time to do Vajrasattva mantra to purify all [your] misdeeds. Also light butter lamps…” 

Also, during the puja held at Pema Osel Ling the day after Lama Tharchin Rinpoche passed, his nephew Loppon Jigme Rinpoche said the following words:

His legacy was that he created this wonderful Guru Rinpoche’s mandala here for us to enter into and connect with … He worked tirelessly with every effort, mental, vocal, physical, for the teachings and well being of all beings and he slowly accomplished this wondrous mandala here and his aspiration and message for us to enter this mandala to practice with devotion and trust in the guru. And that when we trust and have devotion and faith in the guru, only then we can relate our own inner absolute guru within us that has never been separated from us.

We are sharing this short remembrance with our Amitabha Foundation sangha, and invite everyone to post their own memories of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche’s visits to Rochester on our Facebook page.