• About H.E. Luding Khen Rinpoche

His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche is a great teacher and the 78th throneholder of the Ngor lineage. He comes from a very blessed family, his mother being the great female teacher Her Eminence Jetsun Kushog Chime Luding (His Holiness Sakya Trizin’s sister), and his father, Sei Kushog being the brother of the 77th Ngor throneholder.

Khen Rinpoche was enthroned on 16 March 2000 as the abbot of the Ngor Monastery of the Sakya Order, and head of hundreds of other branch monasteries. He is one of the most important young lineage holders of the Sakya Order.

Khen Rinpoche has spent the past three decades in intensive study and meditation. Since the age of five, he has excelled in a rigorous course of training. In addition to mastering years of esoteric teachings at the famous Ngor School of Ritual Studies and advanced philosophical training at the Sakya College, Khen Rinpoche has received many Sakya oral instructions passed from great lineage holders to their successors. Following this, he spent years in meditation retreat on the practices of all of the major tantric deities. Requested by His Holiness Sakya Trizin and His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche (senior), Khen Rinpoche is now giving teachings to the public.

This is his first visit to Australia and Sakya Tharpa Ling was very honoured to be able to host this part of his tour.

We were blessed to have His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche and his entourage join Sakya Tharpa Ling's Annual Shamatha Retreat at the Drogmi Retreat Centre for three days, bestowing the Mahakala Initiation and much more.

Mahakala is the most commonly invoked of all the Dharmapalas (‘Protectors of the Dharma’), being important to all four Tibetan Schools of Buddhism. Dharmapalas are the vajra protectors of both exoteric and esoteric refuges. They are the bodyguards of the tantras - they prevent the disclosure of the secrets of the tantras to the uninitiated and prevent practitioners from breaking their samayas. They also guard the dharma and its practitioners from their inner and outer foes. On the deeper level Dharmapalas represent the inner energies e.g. anger which can be channeled into compassion through the meditation on the deity concerned.

His Eminence bestowed the empowerment of the Six-armed Mahakala, the semi-wrathful manifestation of the compassionate Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig). This ‘hastening six-armed form’ encompasses all four activities - peaceful, enriching, magnetising and subjugating. His Eminence gave the Vajrasattva transmission as well, then elucidated very clearly and in detail, the sadhanas of these two deities. He practised with us, took questions and had discussions with us on several occasions. The retreat was auspiciously concluded with the White Mahakala fire puja conducted by His Eminence.

In the following days, His Eminence kindly visited Sakya Tharpa Ling in Sydney where he bestowed the Chenrezig Mahamudra empowerment.

We are all very grateful that His Eminence accepted Khenpo’s invitation to bestow these empowerments and the many blessings received.