Ngakso Drubchen
This is an important annual event on the monastery calendar. Please enjoy these photos from the 2016 Drubchen–and rejoice in this auspicious activity! You are very welcome to join at the monastery for this important purification practice.
The great terton, Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa (1829-1870), composed the Ngakso Drubchen sādhana. He drew the text from his own treasure revelations as well as many other tantric scriptures . It unfolds the vast display of Guru Rinpoche. This display includes Guru Rinpoche and his 12 Manifestations. In addition, it reveals Avalokiteśvara, Amitābha, and the 100 Peaceful and Wrathful Deities.
During this practice we mend and purify broken commitments, or samaya. It is extremely important that we do this regularly to ensure harmony in a sangha. The practice also enhances one’s own meditation experience. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, the great-grandson of Chokgyur Lingpa, was one of the chief lineage-holders of the Chokling Tersar. He emphasized the benefit of performing the Ngakso pūjā. Under his guidance, the practice became an annual event at the monastery.
The colorful and rich sādhana reveals and celebrates each participant’s own innate Buddha nature. The text includes poetic descriptions, images, music, chanting, and reflection. Many local residents make a point to visit the monastery during the practice. It is considered beneficial to attend, even for a brief period, in order to soak up this sacred atmosphere.
Daily Practice Sessions
The morning sessions describe the unfolding of this awe-inspiring reality. In the afternoon sessions, we engage in profound, heartfelt confession and tantric purification practices. The practice also includes empowerments and gathering offerings (tsok).
At the monastery, practice continues 24-hours a day. Two night shifts of monks keep the mantra chain recitation unbroken. All the monks, even the youngest, recite mantras in shifts. Large crowds of lay practitioners also joyfully participate.
On the final day of the drubchen, the entire courtyard of the monastery is filled with practitioners. They arrive in the early hours of the morning to receive the blessings and purified substances that have been specially consecrated with the full energy of the group practice.