The extensive ritual of Dorje Phagmo, the so-called Dorje Phagmo Drubpa was first introduced into the official seminar program in Grabnik in the year 2000. Earlier, following the advice of Kyabje Tenga Rinpoche, it was not performed in public, but in a closed group of people who had fully completed the external, internal and secret practice. After some time, however, Tenga Rinpoche decided that performing the Drubpa in an open manner would be beneficial. Since then, we have practiced almost every year in this way.
In 2013, for the first time we performed this puja with the support of a sand mandala. It was possible thanks to the skills acquired by our Polish lamas during the first three-year retreat in Benchen Drubde Osal Ling drubkhang in Grabnik.
Since then, we have attempted to practice the extensive practice of Dorje Phagmo or Khorlo Demchog once a year. It usually lasts seven days. At the beginning of a Drubpa there is a special ritual of consecrating the place for the mandala (sachok), then for a few days the participants create the sand mandala, then again for a few days we practice the long puja and then finish the practice with the fire puja (jinsek) and the ceremony of throwing the sand from the mandala into a river.
Last year, Venerable Sangter Rinpoche bestowed the Khorlo Demchog empowerment and right afterwards we created a sand mandala and practiced Khorlo Demchog Drubpa. This year, therefore, we planned the seven-day Dorje Phagmo Drubpa for the middle of July.
On one of the evenings, we were honored by the presence of Sangter Rinpoche, who explained, among other things, why the ritual of consecration of the earth is being carried out, what attitude of mind should be maintained throughout the Drubpa and what benefits come from practicing in a group.
Dorje Phagmo, also known as Vajrayogini, is the main meditation deity in the Karma Kamtsang tradition. She was the secret Yidam of the great fathers of the Kagyu lineage: Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa, as well as subsequent Karmapas. For thirteen generations, the knowledge about it was passed from the master only to one chosen student. Currently, in our tradition, it is the most commonly used Yidam practice.
It is said that the Dorje Phagmo sadhana is the gate leading to both the mahamudra practice and the Six Dharmas of Naropa, and its blessing leads exceptionally quickly to insight.
At the time of the Drubpa, only those who had received the Dorje Phagmo abhisheka recite the text, but the blessing of this unique meditation permeates to everyone who is in the vicinity of the place where the practice is taking place. Tenga Rinpoche always advised his disciples to stay at the temple and do their own meditation during the puja.
The blessing also extends beyond the temple, not only to the entire neighbourhood, but also to the areas through which the river, to which the sand from the mandala has been thrown, flows, and reaches all beings in the oceans into which the waters of this river fall.
A three-day Khorlo Demchog Drubpa is planned in the Autumn. It will be based on a painted mandala, while in the summer of 2019 - another week-long Khorlo Demchog Drubpa is planned and it will be supported on a sand mandala.
You can see photos from this year's Dorje Phagmo Drubpa in our gallery, as well as photos from last year’s Khorlo Demczog Drubpa.
