His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima
(By Tsem Rinpoche)
The abbot, tantric master, Vidyadhara, pandit and Vinaya holder. I place his picture here so all of you can be 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.
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 1 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.
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
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.
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It is always so inspiring to read about pure Masters as HH Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima. All the more with this moving account given by Rinpoche. Rinpoche gives such a good example of Guru Devotion and the merits of serving one’s Guru. Thank you, Rinpoche for sharing Rinpoche’s time with HH Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche with us and sharing the blessings with us.
It is always nice and sweet to hear Rinpoche sharing old memories about taking care of Rinpoche’s guru. Especially someone like His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima. Rinpoche is so fortunate to meet him and has the merits to take care of His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima. How i wish to have the merits to at least meet and offer food and tea to Rinpoche personally in this lifetime.?? Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for this nice and short sharing. ????
Feeling blessed reading through the biography of a great master. His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima was the abbot, tantric master, Vidyadhara, pandit and Vinaya holder and was also known as the Lord of the East. He was from Gaden Shartse Monastery and also a devoted student of H.H. Trijang Rinpoche and H.H. Zong Rinpoche. Rinpoche has the privilege to meet and serve H.H.Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima. Merely by hearing his holy name and seeing the images of a great master His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche all of us can receive his blessings .
Thank your Rinpoche for sharing the write-up of H.H. Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche and given a chance to see the image of a great master.
Always a joyful to read the namtars of the great spiritual masters, who focused on a whole multitude of sentient beings.
Thanks Wai Meng.
Now only I know the spiritual biography in Tibetan is called Namtar. Yes, fully agreed with you that it is always joyful to listen or read biographies of great beings. They might manifested simple life however, it has lots more meaning than ours.
Thanks Rinpoche for sharing with us the story of this Master.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing with us about this great master and his holy picture with us, I think being able to be engage in the retreat is the best thing that we can do for ourselves but unfortunately most of us will rather choose samsaric enjoyment than spiritual because of our habituation life time after life time so the only way is to inspire by this great master that can motivate us to be more committed in our spiritual journey.
Wow… amazing indeed to know that our lineage of vajra Yogini practice comes from such esteemed Gurus/living Buddhas. Now I recognise and understand this word “Nyenchen” from Rinpoche’s explanation that day. I always like how Rinpoche shares with us stories and experiences with such highly attained masters… it brings them to life, it brings us one step closer and connected with our lineage Gurus. It helps us appreciate our connection with Rinpoche and gives us direction to how we should aspire to become. Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing… and well I guess someone as highly attained as His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche could not have been wrong or mistaken about Dorje Shugden. If His Holiness would rely on Dorje Shugden, obviously it is definitely good for us.
Dear Rinpoche,
I enjoyed reading your write-up H.H. Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche. He was such an attained master and yet so humble. I’m glad his reincarnation is back.
Dear Rinpoche,
I love Rinpoche’s stories for its honesty, emotion, devotion and powerful visuals. I am always overwhelmed with the many emotions that RInpoche portray within each story and how each has a message to relay. I love this story for the accomplishment of this great lama and for Rinpoche’s devotion. Such stories bring tears to my eyes and how rare it is to find such devotion in today’s world of materialism and self-gratification.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing about His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima, this great pandit and tantric Master, abbot of Gaden Shartse Monastery, who was a great Vajrayogini practitioner.I read, with awe and amazement about his accomplishments. He went into two 3 year, 3 month and 3 day Vajra Yogini retreat (Nyenchen), one after another. After he had completed his second retreat, he was appointed abbot of Gaden Shartse Monastery by HH the Dalai Lama.Yet he was so humble about all this. When asked later what he would have done if he had not been appointed as abbot of Gaden Shartse, he said without hesitation, he would have entered his 3rd Nyenchen of Vajra Yogini!
But it was Tsem Rinpoche’s devotion to him that is itself a most powerful teaching on devotion to one’s Guru. Cleaning the holy body of one’s Guru, Rinpoche says, is a highly meritorious act, as well as serving him with food and taking care of his health; cleaning him is also a powerful practice of purification. The following account is a study in humility and Guru Devotion -that of Tsem Rinpoche toward his Guru, HH Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima.
“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”
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing an introduction and pictures of His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima with Rinpoche’s experience in Gaden Shartse Monastery. We are fortunate to receive the blessings through the pictures of His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche as well as knowing about His Holiness Vajra Yogini retreat (Nyenchen).
May Dharma continues to grow to all directions and more people connecting to Dharma practice through the current reincarnation of His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing an insight into the practice of such a great monk as His Holiness Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Nyima; and also how Rinpoche revered this great Guru and received the Vajrayogini empowerments. The information is valuable as one has the aspiration to receive such divine empowerments, as a ticket out of samsara and into Enlightment. As Rinpoche wisely quoted “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 “. Thank you Rinpoche
Thank you Rinpoche for this beautiful sharing.
Even though Rinpoche wishes to be in retreat but have not done so due to your compassionate nature to give us dharma teachings instead.
I pray that one day Rinpoche’s wish to be in retreat will come true.
And knowing that Rinpoche will be giving some students the VajraYogini practice is simply so wonderful.