Amitabha Foundation USA
We are pleased to announce that H.E. Palchen Galo Rinpoche will give a 10-day Phowa Course September 7-16 in Indianapolis, Indiana, sponsored by An Lac Temple. There is no charge to attend, but voluntary offerings and sponsorships are welcome.
Please save the dates. More details will follow soon.
We are sorry to announce that H.E. Choeje Ayang Rinpoche has indefinitely postponed his upcoming Phowa Course in Nepal, originally scheduled for April 11-18, 2024. Please see Rinpoche’s letter to the sangha.
Opak Kyilkhor Chöling
Amitabha Foundation Retreat Center, Nepal
Phowa Course (March 16-22) and Introduction to True Nature of Mind (March 26)
His Eminence Choje Ayang Rinpoche has been conducting Phowa courses all over the world for over four decades. Rinpoche had plans to teach Phowa in Nepal too when the Amitabha Temple was completed. Unfortunately, it could not happen as planned, due to the Nepal earthquake in 2015 that damaged the newly constructed Amitabha Temple in Kopan. When the renovation of the temple was complete, the Covid-19 pandemic followed soon thereafter. This affected the whole world and travel and public gatherings were restricted.
To fulfill the longtime requests and the fervent wish of many local devotees of Vajrayana followers, Rinpoche has now decided to bestow both the Nyingma and Drikung Lineage Phowa teachings at the Amitabha Foundation Retreat Center, Kopan, Buddanilkantha Nagarpalika Ward-11, Kathmandu Nepal.
For a description, download the flyer in English, Tibetan and Nepali. To register and find information about accommodations, meals, local transportation and other details please visit this website. At this time, translation will be available in Nepali, Russian, Mandarin and Cantonese. Rinpoche often teaches in English, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet. Please bring an AM/FM portable radio with a headset.
Please note that there are commitments to taking the Phowa course. If you take the Phowa course for the first time, Rinpoche asks that you attend all sessions. According to Rinpoche’s instructions, those who have completed the Ngondro (Preliminary Practices with 100,000 accumulations) can attend the course without taking a commitment in order to receive the teachings. For other interested people (including those who are currently doing the Ngondro) you can either promise to finish the Ngondro within 3 years, or accumulate 150,000 recitations of the Vajrasattva long (100 Syllable) mantra with visualization and 150,000 recitations of the Buddha Amitabha mantra (OM AMI DEWA HRI) with visualization within 3 years. Both Vajrasattva and Buddha Amitabha practices as required for these commitments are taught during the Phowa course. Most students can complete their commitments easily with approximately one hour a day of practice over the 3 years.
Students must commit to do the Phowa practice daily for 10 days after the course, and to purchase or make either a Buddha Amitabha statue or a Buddha Amitabha Pure Land thangka, as a support for their practice. Rinpoche strongly advises everyone to do the complete practice (approximately 2 hours) at least twice a month after the course, preferably on the full moon and new moon, for the rest of their lives.
If Rinpoche offers the Introduction to the True Nature of the Mind, this will probably be after not before the Phowa course. However this has not been confirmed.
Wrathful Dharma Protector Achi Choekyi Drolma
The annual 100,000 Offering Prayer Accumulation Puja for the Dharma Protectors Achi Choekyi Dolma, Choechung Tsimar and Mahakala started April 25 at Ayang Rinpoche’s monastery in Bylakuppe, India. The monks are accumulating 100,000 offering prayers (Solka) for each dharma protector.
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| Protector Mahakala | Protector Choechung Tsimar |
You are welcome to join the Dharma Protector Offerings by reciting Achi Choekyi Dolma mantras during this time:
OM SARVA BUDDHA DAKINI HRI MAMA TSAK TRA SOHA
Those who would like to make an auspicious connection with the Dharma Protectors and the annual puja may send a check to the Amitabha Foundation, P.O. Box 2572, Aptos, California 95001, or donate online below.
Here is an edited excerpt of a short biography of Achi Chokyi Dolma, given by Ayang Rinpoche in Sydney, Australia in 2004:
Achi Chokyi Drolma is an emanation of Vajra Yogini and Tara. She was born in the central area of Tibet. Beginning at a young age she was very special. She had great compassion and always practiced Tara, and she taught the Tara prayer for everyone in the village. When she grew older she prophesized that in the future there would be a new Buddhadharma lineage, and that she would be that lineage’s Dharma protector, whereupon she wrote protector offering prayers. Several generations later, her great grandson Jigten Sumgon started the Drikung lineage and she did become the main lineage Dharma protector.
She moved to Eastern Tibet, married and had 4 sons. Her most holy practice place is in East Tibet. At her death she attained the Great Rainbow Body. Her entire body become rainbows and light, leaving only her hair and nails. Like this, with no need to change this physical body, she went to the Pure Land.
On the relative level Achi was like the Dharma protector. But on the ultimate level, Achi had already attained the 10th Bhumi of a Bodhisattva. In this way, Achi was already enlightened. Achi’s activity in Tibet is very famous. All the Tibetan people, especially the older generation people, know very well about her great activity, how it is so helpful because it is very fast. In Tibet, some great masters say that Achi is exactly the same as the Buddha, and if we pray to Achi, then by our Achi practice we will achieve enlightenment, or we will attain the Pure Land at our death moment.
Here are some photos of the ongoing 100,000 Dharma Protector Prayer Offering Puja in Bylakuppe.
