In partnership with our friends at Ewam, we are honored to announce that Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, world-renowned leader H.H. Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche will visit Montana from October 6-11 for a multi-day event full of consecrations, teachings, and empowerments. Rabjam Rinpoche, born in 1967, is the grandson and spiritual heir of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Since his grandfather’s passing in 1991, Rabjam Rinpoche has taken the responsibility of transmitting Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s teachings and is bringing his vision for the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist teaching and culture to fruition.
With grateful hearts, Ewam and Namchak invite our community, neighbors, friends, and anyone interested to celebrate this rare occasion.
Full schedule of events:
Friday, October 6, 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Garden of One Thousand Buddhas Reception of Rabjam Rinpoche with a welcoming procession by the Sanghas.
Saturday, October 7, 9:00 a.m. -7:00 p.m. Garden of One Thousand Buddhas: Chanting of Verses of the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones and the opening of the program curtain. Following that, the lamps will be lit, and aspiration prayers will be recited. VIPs, including Gochen Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche, the founder of the Garden, and Rabjam Rinpoche, the honorable chief guest, will deliver speeches. After lunch, various songs and dances of celebration will be performed.
Sunday, October 8, 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Namchak Retreat Ranch: We invite you to join us in welcoming esteemed guest Rabjam Rinpoche to the Namchak Retreat Ranch in Hot Springs, MT. Namchak lineage holder Tulku Sangak Rinpoche, revered teacher and Tibetan Buddhist scholar Khen Rinpoche, and co-founder of Namchak Lama Tsomo will also be in attendance. This event is a unique opportunity to meet distinguished Tibetan Buddhist teachers and receive teachings from Rabjam Rinpoche. He will bestow consecration blessings on the future site of the Guru Rinpoche Park, the Stupa Garden, the site of the three-year retreat buildings, and the facilities. The day will be filled with delicious food and tea, along with community discourse and celebration.
During his visit to the Namchak Retreat Ranch, Rabjam Rinpoche will teach Ambrosia for the Mind, a text which is close to Rabjam Rinpoche’s heart, and which is important for the Khyentse lineage. It was composed by the great Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and is a text which Rabjam Rinpoche recites daily, and which was recited daily by his grandfather and root guru Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. This text is a prayer for all the qualities of the Seven Points of Mind Training to arise in our mindstreams. We are very fortunate to receive these precious teachings which will show us how to apply the preliminaries of the four thoughts, how to develop the two aspects of bodhicitta, to take adversity on the path, apply the practice throughout our lives, gauge our level of success, and apply the commitments and precepts for mind training.
- Lunch and dinner will be provided. Please register so that we can prepare the correct amount.
- *Bus transportation will be provided to the Ranch, departing from Ewam at 8:00 a.m.
- In order to keep our events on schedule, we ask that attendees arrive promptly at 9:30 a.m.
Monday, October 9, Time-TBD, Garden of One Thousand Buddhas: Empowerments with Rabjam Rinpoche. The Guru Pema Gyalpo and Yumka Phagmo (Vajravarahi) empowerments from H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s profound treasure titled Rangjung Pema Nyingtik, and Kurukulle (Pema Khandro) empowerments from Rongzom Maha Pandita, which Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo received in a pure vision. These teachings are found in the collected teachings of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Following that, the mandala of gratitude to Rabjam Rinpoche will be offered by Ewam and Namchak Sanghas.
If you’re interested in attending the empowerment ceremony, please make note of the following information:
By participating in these empowerments, you are committing to becoming a Buddhist by taking refuge, taking bodhisattva vows, as well as taking tantric samaya commitments with Rabjam Rinpoche and therefore, this program is recommended for serious Vajrayana practitioners only. When registering for the event, please note if you intend on taking empowerments on October 9.
Tuesday, October 10, Time-TBD, Garden of One Thousand Buddhas: Celebratory songs and dances
Wednesday, October 11, Time-TBD, Garden of One Thousand Buddhas: Farewell procession for Rabjam Rinpoche from the Garden to the Missoula, MT International Airport.
Who is Rabjam Rinpoche? H.H. Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, born in 1967, is the grandson and spiritual heir of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Since his grandfather’s passing in 1991, Rabjam Rinpoche has taken the responsibility of transmitting Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s teachings and is bringing his vision for the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist teaching and culture to fruition.
Rabjam Rinpoche is the seventh in the line of the Rabjam succession. The second Rabjam Rinpoche founded Shechen Monastery in Kham, eastern Tibet. The monastery became one of the six main Nyingma Monasteries in Tibet but was destroyed in the mid-twentieth century. At the age of three, Rabjam Rinpoche began taking teachings from his revered grandfather and today holds this unbroken lineage. He was raised by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and attended almost every teaching, drupchen (9-day ceremony), and empowerment that he gave during his twenty-five years. He traveled throughout the world with Khyentse Rinpoche and first visited the West in 1976.
In the early 1980s, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche built Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Nepal and established Rabjam Rinpoche as its abbot. Today, there are 450 monks studying and practicing there under his guidance. Rabjam Rinpoche has created an administration and organization within the monk community that is a model of education, joyful discipline, and humanitarian activity.
Rabjam Rinpoche established the Shechen Philosophical College and the Shechen Retreat Center in Nepal. In response to the needs of women wanting to practice and study in the lineage of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, he rebuilt and improved the facilities of the Sisinang Nunnery in Bhutan, where 180 nuns of all ages study and practice. In accordance with the wish of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, he built a small Nyingma monastery and study center in Bodhgaya, India.
Rabjam Rinpoche maintains an active interest in the preservation of Tibetan culture. He has undertaken the completion of the stupas for peace project. Shechen Monastery in Tibet was renowned for its particular style of cham (sacred dance) and performance of rituals and chant. Rabjam Rinpoche is revitalizing that tradition. Under his leadership, the Shechen Dancers have performed throughout Europe and South America. In an effort to preserve the tradition of sacred painting, he created the Tsering Art School. His book, The Great Medicine, was published in English and other languages.
Rabjam Rinpoche’ has an acute interest in humanitarian projects. He is maintaining the authentic Tibetan Buddhist tradition as taught to him by his grandfather in combination with a modern interest in the needs of the community and its individuals.
Garden of One Thousand Buddhas Address:
- 34574 White Coyote Rd, Arlee, MT 59821
Namchak Retreat Ranch Address:
- 55819 Garcon Gulch Rd Hot Springs, Montana
Schedule At-a-glance
- Friday, October 6, 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. @ Ewam Garden of One Thousand Buddhas
- Saturday, October 7, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. @ Ewam Garden of One Thousand Buddhas
- Sunday, October 8, 2023 from 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. @ Namchak Retreat Ranch
- Monday, October 9, 2023 @ Ewam Garden of One Thousand Buddhas
- Tuesday, October 10, 2023 @ Ewam Garden of One Thousand Buddhas
Who’s Invited? The public is invited to attend the festivities at the Namchak Retreat Ranch and the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas. We are happy to share we will provide shuttles from the Garden to the Namchak Retreat Ranch on Sunday, October 8. If you’re interested in using the shuttle service, please make note of that when registering for the event. The shuttles will depart from the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas for the Namchak Retreat Ranch on Sunday morning at 8 a.m.
How to Register? This is a FREE multi-day event. The events are open to the public, and attendees are welcome to participate for one day, several days, or throughout the entire program. Please note that October 9th will be dedicated to serious Vajrayana practitioners. Please use the link below to register for the October 8 festivities. Make sure to select whether you will be using the shuttle service from the Ewam Buddha Garden to the Namchak Retreat Ranch on Sunday, October 8. Registering will help us plan accordingly. To register for the festivities at the Ewam Buddha Garden on October 6, 7,9, 10, and 11, please email “[email protected]” and indicate the following information.
- Names and numbers of participants
- Specify the duration of your stay and/or participation
- Lodging plan (if any)
- Contact information, i.e., email and phone numbers