Blessings of Shingkhar

Below is the full article on Shingkhar by Dr. Karma Phuntsho. It is featured in the in-flight magazine of Bhutan Airlines; "Kuzugangpo la" and therefore, people who have travelled recently in Bhutan Airlines,  must have read it already. But with kind permission from Dr. Karma, I am sharing this article on my blog for my personal record. I hope Bhutan Airlines do not mind like I did not mind with them when they used my pictures without credit. Anyways have a nice read and please look how I look with Dr. Karma

Prayer to Longchenpa on his anniversary

PHA JETSÜN LAMA RINPOCHE

Beloved master, precious one, father of mine,

KHYÉ SANGYÉ KUN DANG YERME PÉ

You are forever one with all the Buddhas,

DENG MÖPÉ BU LA TUK TSEWÉ

Now show your kindness and love to your devoted child.

TRAL GYALSÉ CHOK GI TSUL ZUNG NÉ

You who took birth intentionally

LAR SAM SHYING KYEWA SHYÉ DZEPÉ

Reminiscences of Shingkhar Rabney 2014

Last week, against the wishes of my bosses here in Paro, I had to take a long leave to go to my village. Forgoing a very important official occasion here in Paro (International Customs Day) I had to rush home to be a part of our local event there. Its called Shingkhar Rabney. You can read about Rabney here in bits and pieces.

This years Rabney has been the grandest Rabney ever and it will go down in the history of Shingkhar as the most memorable Rabney.

Longchen Thongdrel Consecrated

Final Thongdrol of Longchenapa

Models

His eminence the Namkhai Nyingpo Rimpoche consecrated the Thongdorl of Kuenkhen Longchen on 12th Oct 2013 inThimphu. The Thongdrol worth more than million Nu was built by the people of Shingkhar village along with the support of other Longchen devotees across the country. My cousin monk who took active part in the process told me that it is to purely to bring harmony and happiness not only in Shingkhar, but also in Bhutan and world at large. Thongdrol will be soon taken to Shingkhar and will be unfurled once in a year coinciding with the annual Shingkhar Rabney.

Longchen Thongdrol

Picture courtesy: Sonam Rinchen

Sometime ago in 2011, a group of people from Shingkhar has initiated sacred project called 'Longchen Thongdrol Project'. I remember blogging about it on different occasions. Longchen Thongdrol project is one such project which is undertaken purely by local people of Shingkhar, who reside mostly in urban Thimphu. I was told that the project is worth more than a million Nu and all the funds are expected to come by way of donation and contributions. Till date, I was told that Funds have mostly come form Shingkharpas only. And in few instances, even the die hard Shingkharpas (including me) have failed to make any contributions! 

I feel sad for not being able to contribute even a penny till date. But I would like my fellas at home to know that I am praying very big at the moment. I am wholeheartedly praying to Meme Raguala and Longchen that one day I become someone who could contribute lot more than pennies and pounds. I hope Longchen and and Meme Ragula understands my situation better. I am surviving on limited stipend and unlike many people who study, I do not earn any dollars. I hope Meme Ragula and Longchen also understand that the economic condition of our country is not good now. So if Shingkharpas are not regular in their contribution, then it is not Shingkharpas to be blamed but Bhutan's economy.

oohh! by the way lets also not forget that, at the moment people of Bhutan are busy contributing for the reconstruction of Wangdi Dzong too.

The aim of constructing a sacred Thingdrol is to liberate all the sentient beings who are suffering in samsara. As a Buddhist undertaking, the project when completed is expected to bring blessings to every single individuals who beholds it. All in all, it is expected to bring happiness and prosperity to Bhutan in particular and world in general. 

year of Photography: 2003

Therefore, through this post, I would like to invite individuals who have great reverence to Buddhism in general and Longchen and his teachings in particular to also come forward and offer your part. On behalf of my brothers and sisters from Shingkhar, I invite you to make your drop count in building an ocean of good deed. No matter how tiny your flower may be, Longchen Thongdrol project would still deem it an offering as big as the word big itself.

Longchen Thongdrel Project

First Design 

Second Design

Third Design

Fourth Design

Shingkhar Dechenling is said to be the foremost of the eight holy places established by Omniscient Longchen Rabjampa in Bhutan at around 1308-1363. The 14th century master who propounded the philosophy and practices of the Dzogchen School of Buddhism, Longchenpa who was assisted by one of the primary protector deity of Nyingma, Rahul, meditated at Drogri Rinchen Jungney (Garkhai) and preached in the beautiful valley below. Later his great grandson, Tsezang Thaye Drakpa built a small temple to enshrine the sacred throne and became the first Shingkhar Lama. The throne was discovered in 1999 when renovating the temple. Currently, it is adorned with yet another wooden throne to elevate the life size statue of the master himself.

Today, we the youths in Shingkhar under the leadership of Dasho Lham Dorji and Lyonpo Minjur Dorji, are initiating "Longchen Thongdrol Project". The primary objective of the project is to pay homage to Longchenpa and his teachings. This magnificent Thongdrol is also for the general well being of  all the sentient beings who are constantly longing to see the end of samsaric sufferings and to bring harmony, peace and prosperity to the World at large.

Therefore it is our humble request for all the devoted followers of Longchenpa to come forward and play a part. We wholeheartedly assure that contribution offered in any form will not go in vain and that everything will be properly acknowledged and accounted for.

A/C No: 5000040605011

Bank: Bhutan National Bank, Thimphu main branch

A/C Name: Shingkhar Dechenling Tshogpa


Contact Person:
Dasho Lham Dorji (Director General of RSTA, Thimphu)
Phuntsho Ddendup Mobile: ++975 17626323 )
Sonam Rinchen (Buddhist Astrologer, Pangrizampa, Thimphu)
Pema Wanagdi (Dentist, JDWNRN, Thimphu)

Drogri Rinchen Jungney Lhakhang
that houses the unique statue of
Longchenpa as shown above

Slight Change in Thongdrel

As Desired by Meme Lama (also referred to as Dasho Shingkhar Lam) Slight changes have been made in the Thongdrel. There is an inclusion of first Shingkhar Lam, Tsezang Thaye Drakpa and exclusion of Shingkhar Lam Kunzang Wangchuk. Besides those changes, the other visible and notable changes are inclusion of some trees which are suppose to  symbolize prosperity and harmony.

The most sublime changes included are inclusion of Yak on the one side and a cow and a calf on the other. For me this is one of the most thoughtful idea. Shingkhar has long been a home for those animals. In fact they were once the back bone of Shingkhar's survival. Yak rearing has gone with the winds of time, but how happy that generation to come in Shingkhar will be reminded about those animals in a most pious way.

With this I would like to pray to Longchenpa himself that this Thongdrel Projest see its success. May the sun of happiness shine forever and may the lineage of Shingkhar Lama prevail till eternity. 

Lineage of Shingkhar Lama

1-Longchen Rabjam

2-Jamyang Dragpa Oedzer

3-Kuenkhen Dawa

4-Tsezang Thaye Drakpa (1st Shingkhar Lama)

5-Lama Jabodma

6-Kunga Wangpo alias Pema Kuendrak

7-Phuntso Jungney

8-Namgyal Dorji

9-Yeshi Wangpo

10-Tenzin Namgyal alias Dechen

11-Jigme Lhamo

12-Kencho Wangdue

13- Jangchub Dorji

14-Konchog Gyaltsen

15-Choney Jamtso

16-Kunzang Wangchuk 

17-Ngodup Dorji

Up Coming Thongdrel of Longchenpa in Shingkhar

༈ གངས་རི་ཐོད་དཀར་རིན་ཆེན་སྙིང་པོའི་མགོན། །

ཡོན་ཏན་ཀུན་བྱུང་དགའ་བའི་སྐྱེད་ཚལ་དུ། །

སྙིགས་མའི་དོན་གཟིགས་སྦས་པའི་རྣལ་འབྱོར་པ། །

ཀློང་ཆེན་རབ་འབྱམས་ཞབས་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས།།

I have picked up this picture from the facebook page of Shingkharpas. I am deeply moved by the initiatives taken by my brother who is a Bhutanese astrologer in Pangrizampa. I hope to see him succeed in his endeavor. I hope the blessings of Longchenpa will continue to bring the peace and wellbeing in Shingkhar (in particular) and Bhutan and  the World (in general)

My brother, Soman Rinchen, Bhutnese Astrologer

I would like to convey my sincerest and deepest Tashi Delek to Sonam. I would also like my readers everywhere in the world to join me in wishing him a  great success. 

The Sights, Sounds and Souls of Shingkhar; -The Origin of Shingkhar Naktsang

Current Shingkhar Lam Nidup and Dasho Shingkhar Lam
 during one of five day Shingkhar Rabney

Shingkhar is a small village in Bumthang. It has around 30 households and population of little over 500 people. The locals speak native Bumthap and are known for their.....well nothing. The folks are easy going people. More than wealth, they are people who like humor in abundance. Besides rearing yaks and cattles, its a place also known for the great plains and abundant fir trees.

The current location of the village is believed to have been the place from where the great Nyingma Scholar, (popularly known as the Kuenkhen Longchen Rabjam) meditated and propagated Buddhism to his followers in 13th century. Historically, the main village of Shingkhar, also known as the Rinchengang was located  in the South, about a mile from the current location. However the ruins of Rinchengang are still visible. Dechenling and lamas residence were the only dwelling that time. Of eight such 'Lings' which Longchenpa established to also pursue his writings about the Zogpaphenpo, including 'dzoduen', Shingkhar Dechenling happens to be one among them. "Dzoduen" is the most remarkable book written by Longchenpa.

Later, the great grand son of Longchenpa, popularly known as Tsezang Thaye Drakpa became the first Shingkhar Lama.  He was succeeded by his Son, Lama Jaboedm. He later curved wooden statue of his late father, along with the statues of Guru and Drolkar. They are still preserved in Shingkhar Lhakhang. Also the mask of Lhamo and Gyempo along with the the masks of chhoejong (except the horns) are widely believed to have been made by Lama Jaboedma himslef. Today these objects have become the main Nangten of  Shingkhar Lhakhang.

The house in which successive Shinglhar Lams lived was known to locals as 'Naktsang', -the house of lama and his family.



Shingkhar Naktsang.