100-Deities Jang Chog Puja and Chod Puja
Led by Ven. Dupsing Rinpoche
13 August 2011 - 16 August 2011
Dear Dharma brothers and sisters,
Venerable Dupsing Rinpoche and his entourage from Nepal will be performing the 100-Deities Jang Chog (also sometimes spelt Chang Chog or Chang Chod) puja in our center. This is Rinpoche's first Jang Chog puja in Malaysia. For those who are new to Rinpoche, Ven. 2nd Dupsing Rinpoche was recognzed as an incarnation of the Great Master Dupsing Rinpoche by 14th Shamar Rinpoche (Shamarpa). Please find below the biography of Ven. Dupsing Rinpoche for your information.
As most of you may know, this puja is especially conducted in the 7th lunar month in our center for the deceased.Amitayus The merits accumulated through making offerings to the 100 Deities are transferred to the deceased for their purification and liberation. This practice helps the deceased in the bardo and shows them the path to enlightenment. To further gain more information on 100 Deities Jang Chog Puja, Chod Puja and Gyashi Puja, please continue to scroll down.
May the blessing of the Triple Gem be with you and your family always. Take care.
100 Deities Jang Chog Prayer
The Origin
It is stated in the Tantric legend that a king once executed his spiritual master. Due to this heavy sin, he passed away immediately and was born in the hell. He experienced the sufferings of all the six realms at the same time. Lord Buddha saw the great suffering of this being and He instructed him on the teaching and practice of the hundred deities. By just listening to this teaching and mantras of the hundred deities, this suffering being was liberated and reborn in heaven.
At one time, there was an evil minister called Shata in Tibet. He had killed many innocent people and also caused a lot of obstacles to prevent the consort of Padmasambhawa, Yeshe Tsogyal, from practicing the Dharma. After his death, he was born in hell. Guru Padmasambhawa, and his consort saw with their wisdom eyes that the former evil minister was experiencing unbearable suffering. His consort tried to save him by using various methods but she did not succeed. Guru Padmasambhawa then used the hundred deities Mandala with Jang Chog to help the evil minister and many beings in the hells. All of them were liberated. Later Guru Padmasambhawa transmitted the teaching of the hundred deities to his twenty-five renowned disciples.
The hundred deities are the attributes and activities of the five Buddhas and their female counterparts. They are the manifestations from the pure nature of our minds, and remain within us in the form of five faculties, five elements and twelve sources of perception and so on. By relying on the practice of the hundred deities or even by just hearing the mantra and seeing the mandala and picture of the hundred deities, one may either instantly or gradually realizes that the nature of one’s mind is inseparable from the perfect wisdom of the hundred deities.
The Puja and Its Benefits
During the performance of Jang Chog puja, the hundred deities are invoked and the various types of offerings are made to them. The merits accumulated from these offerings are dedicated to the deceased to help them in their purification and liberation. The prayer itself is also an offering of assistance to those in the intermediate or Bardo state to show them the path to liberation.
At the end of puja, the paper tablets of the deceased are burnt away. The fire used in the burning symbolizes the wisdom of the hundred deities; the burning of the tablets symbolizes the cutting of the attachment of the deceased to a “self” which is the cause of his or her suffering. Through the prayer and the ritual performed, the consciousness of the deceased are merged and become inseparable from the wisdom of the hundred deities. Thus they are liberated.
Chod Puja
During the second sermon, Lord Buddha Shakyamuni had given the Prajnaparamita teaching to his followers. The essence of his teaching was to develop the perfect wisdom of Enlightenment. Later on, the Indian saint Dampa Sangye and a Tibetan great master Machig Labdron introduced a unique method of cutting the ego clinging instantly based on the essence of the Prajnaparamita teaching. In Tibetan, this practice is called Chod. This practice flourishes and spreads to the entire Himalaya region.
The main practice of Chod is to recognize the defilement of ego clinging, attachment to self and phenomena, which obstruct the Path to Enlightenment. This method is used to rid the root of defilement, that is the ego clinging, and all the subsequent defilements such as hatred, desire, and ignorance that arise from it. It is effective for purification of sickness and especially for those who have disturbance caused by evil spirit. It also benefits us in our daily needs such as prosperity, health, and longevity.
Gyashi (4 Hundred Offerings) Puja: Symbolism and Pacification of the 4 Maras
During Buddha Sakyamuni's time, the Demi-gods (Asuras) often attacked the Heaven of King Indra. At one time, his kingdom was about to be conquered, his lifespan was about to end and he saw that his next rebirth will be in a lower realm. He became very desperate and requested Vajrapani to save his life and his kingdom. Vajrapani then seeked help from Buddha to protect his kingdom and increase his lifespan. With compassion, Buddha Sakyamuni taught the Gyashi practice. The king was freed from the Mara of the Death after he performed the practice. The practice taught by Buddha Sakyamuni and also the commentary given by Vajrapani were recorded both in the sutras and tantras. Based on these sources, Saint Khache Pandita composed the ritual version of Gyashi, and in the Karma Kagyu tradition, Karma Chagme collected all the essential teachings.
Gyashi Puja means 400 offerings puja, to pacify the 4 maras. All the obstacles that we had experienced were caused by them. These are mara of the son of god, mara of defilement, mara of death and mara of form which are represented by white, red, black and yellow color respectively. They symbolize the 4 types of obscurations. Through making offerings of 100 lamps, one would have pacified the mara of the son of god and be freed of the obscuration of knowledge. Similarly, by making offerings of 100 tsa tsa one would have pacified the mara of defilement and be freed of the obscuration of the five poisons. By making offering of 100 tormas, one would have pacified the mara of death and be freed of obscurations of karmic causes. And by making offering of 100 human form figures, one would have pacified the mara of form and be freed of the obscuration of habitual tendencies.
Benefits:
The sutra and tantra have mentioned that when one performs the Gyashi practice, it will increase one's lifespan and merits and purify one's defilement and sufferings. In Tibet, this practice is performed when a person is severely sick, has a bad dream, encountering bad omen or misfortune and anticipating bad omen through prediction.
For Gyashi Puja, please pack in an 'ang pow' for each person 1) hair strands, 2) a piece of fabric from clothing that has been worn by the person and 3) fingernail cuttings. For persons unable to attend personally, do pack a piece of dough which has been rubbed on parts of their bodies which have sickness. The dough should not be rubbed on the forehead or heart area.
Event Schedule
| Date | Time | Events |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 13 Aug | 10 am - 10 pm | 100 Deities Jang Chog Puja. |
| Sun 14 Aug | 9 am | Releasing Lives |
| 10 am - 7 pm | 100 Deities Jang Chog Puja continues and ends with the burning of deceased paper tabets at 6 am | |
| Mon 15 | 10 am - 10 pm | Chod Puja |
| Tue 16 Aug | 2 pm - 10 pm | Gyashi Puja |
Biography of Ven. Tulku Dupsing Rinpoche
The first Dupsing Rinpoche was a very qualified and great master in Tibet. His Holiness 16th Gyalwa Karmapa instructed him take the responsibility as the Dorje Lopoen (Vajra Master) in Mendong Monastery. There, he served as Vajra Master till the Chinese occupation (1959) in Tibet. Rinpoche left Tibet and reached Nepal at a place called Pokhara. He and some of his disciples settled down there with a small temporary Monastery and slowly established and developed a permanent Monastery with about 33 monks including the young tulku, Shangpa Rinpoche. Dupsing Rinpoche and Shangpa Rinpoche are strongly connected to each other, having established this unique bond in their precious incarnations.
The 1st Dupsing Rinpoche was the reincarnation of the Khenpo Lama Pema Gyaltsen, a disciple of the 15th Karmapa. The previous Dupsing Rinpoche passed away in 1979.
The current Dupsing Rinpoche was born on 17th November 1981 in Mundgod, southern India. His mother had an auspicious dream prior to his birth. When he was two years old, he started telling everyone that he had two monasteries, one in Tibet and the other in Nepal. At the age of 4 years old, he wanted to become a monk, to which his parents agreed. Rinpoche was ordained as a monk by one great dharma practitioner in India. Later, His Holiness Shamar Rinpoche, H.E. Tai Situ, and H.E. Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche recognized him as the previous Dupsing Rinpoche. Within one month’s time, his disciples of his previous life from Pokhara came and welcomed him. Rinpoche then moved back to his Monastery in Pokhara, Nepal.
Dupsing Rinpoche studied under numerous masters in Pokhara. At the age of 14; Rinpoche joined Vikrama Shila Buddhist Institute in Pokhara where he studied for six years. Rinpoche topped his class every year and graduated with BA in Buddhist Philosophy. He furthered his education in the University of Cambridge in UK on English Literature, Theology and completed his studies with the degree MA in Theology. Dupsing Rinpoche has recently ended a 3 years retreat in Jangchub Choeling Monastery, Pokhara.
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