Prayer to encounter the teaching of je tsongkhapa - Veneux - 2014

OVERVIEW

Rinpoche comments on a prayer entitled The Prayer to Encounter the Teaching of the Three Realms' Dharma King, The Great Tsongkhapa: The Gift of Care and Compassionate Protection, composed by Pabongkha Dorjechang Jampa Tendzin Trinle Gyatso (1878-1941). Over time, it has become a major prayer in the gelukpa school, of which the great Tibetan master Je Tsongkhapa Lobsang Drakpa (1357 -1419) to whom it is dedicated is the founder. This teaching was given during several study weekends in 2014 in Veneux-les-Sablons, France.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THESE TEACHINGS?

Through this prayer, Pabongkha Dorjechang highlights the unique characteristics of the teaching of the great Je Tsongkhapa, who has had an extraordinary influence up to the present day, in Tibet, Central Asia and as far as China, where he is consistently considered beyond cultural differences like a second Buddha. Rinpoche's commentary is thus an opportunity to dive back into the life of this exceptional master, and to evoke:

1. A brief history of the four Tibetan Buddhist schools
2. Philosophical views according to eras and lineages of transmission
3. His prominent role in the transmission of Lamrim teachings
4. The debates of ideas, in particular with Taktsang Lostawa
5. His masters, and in particular Lama Umapa
6. His marvelous way of combining analytical meditation and concentration
7. His specific instructions for engendering renunciation, bodhicitta, and a deep understanding of reality

The last part of the prayer (beyond the thirteenth stanza) has not been publicly commented by Rinpoche because it touches on profound notions related to the practice of tantra. In order to facilitate the study of this magnificent ode, you can download its English translation which is included in this collection: Three Prayers To Je Tsongkhapa.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

These teachings will allow you to better know the life and immense activity of the Tibetan master Je Tsongkhapa Lobsang Drakpa, and to understand why until the present day and for over six centuries he has been revered as a second Buddha in Tibet and Central Asia.