Ngor Luding Khen Rinpoche, Senior Sakya Lineage Holder, Teaches Throughout the U.S.

His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche, Abbot of the Ngor Monastery of the Sakya Order, is making a rare teaching visit to the United States this summer at the invitation of Tsechen Kunchab Ling, His Holiness the Sakya Trizin's temple in the United States. The highlight of the teaching tour will be bestowal of two major tantric initiation and teaching cycles, the Seven Mandalas of the Ngor tradition, and the Maha Vairochana tantra.

Biography of H.E. Luding Khen Rinpoche

His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche is a member of one of the great families of Tibetan Buddhism. His mother is Her Eminence Jetsun Kushog Chime Luding, the sister of His Holiness the Sakya Trizin, and his father is Sei Kushog, the brother of the senior abbot of Ngor Monastery in India.

As a child, Luding Khen Rinpoche was selected to be trained as the successor to the abbot of the Ngor Monastery and was sent to Ngor monastery in Manduwala, India to undergo the rigorous training that is a prerequisite for lineage holders. He also received many teachings and empowerments directly from His Holiness the Sakya Trizin. Having completed his training as successor to headship of Ngor Monastery in March, 2000, Luding Khen Rinpoche was enthroned as abbot.

Venerable Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen, Vice President of the temple, said: "Rinpoche will bestow the Guhyasamaja initiation from the father-line tantra, the Chakrasamvara initiation from the mother-line tantra, Hevajra from the non-dual tantra, Samputa from the common non-dual tantra; and Vajrapanjara from the uncommon non-dual tantra. Receiving these five initiations is a truly great blessing for serious practitioners of the tantra."

Concerning the Maha Vairochana initiation and teachings, Venerable Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen continued, "This initiation and practice belongs to the yoga tantra tradition, and is based upon the Maha Vairochana Sarwa Durgati Parishodani tantra, the title of which means 'complete purification of going to lower rebirth.' As the name indicates, the blessing of receiving this initiation cuts that possibility for those who receive the initiation themselves, as well as for deceased beings on whose behalf the ritual is performed. It is one of the more advanced rituals studied by Tibetan monks during their monastic training."