Tashi Deleg! As I sit here now in my little

retreat, I wanted to share some of this awesome experience - of containment, depth and heart

warmth among my community. I am so appreciative, especially

after so many years of remaining away from my home.

However please know that in the midst of all of this, to tell you truth, I do miss my western

family and students. I am East-West, Emaho!  nnn

VAJRAKILAYA PUJA The actual ceremony starts on

18th December and concludes on your Christmas Day, the 25th

December.

The peaceful aspect of Vajrakilaya

is Vajrasattava, the Buddha of Purification, who clears both gross

and subtle karmic imprints. 

I am in Manali, my home town in the Indian Himalayas. This year, after so many years of continual traveling and teaching, I am staying in one place to retreat and relax. It has been wonderful to be home again. Now it is getting cold here, and I look at our beautiful and inspiring snow capped mountains as the warmth of our little wooden stove keeps me feeling cozy.

There is also a communal excitement for this winter's obstacle-removing puja - I can sense the monks and nuns here in my father’s gompa, preparing for the annual Vajrakilaya puja. This year I am honoured to attend this auspicious annual puja with 90year old Emi-la (my father’s life long attendant and a great yogi), my dharma mates who are yogis

from the Himalaya regions and the local people of Manali.

This puja has been conducted annually directly by Emi-la, as Vajramaster since 1992. Before that my late father and Gegen Khyentse Rinpoche offered this puja to the community. It is so beautiful to see this lineage of elaborate puja continue to this day and hope that our next generation will pursue this wisdom tradition for future generations.

This Christmas letter is to wish you all the joys of the season and to invite and include all of you in the special ceremonies

here. As you cannot attend this ceremony physically, I do invite to this mandala of Vajrakilaya and his consort, all of your

family obstacles, national obstacles and universal obstacles. May they be released and all goodness come to you and to our

planet!

T A S H I D E L E G ! M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S A N D H A P P Y N E W Y E A R

news fromKhandro Thrinlay Chodon

You can come to this mandala in spirit by being present in your mind. I will send you pictures.

You can make offering to this mandala through our website www.khachodling.org Please go to Donate Now page and click Donate via eWAY here then quote  4a puja/prayers. Below is the actual page address - https://khachodling.worldsecuresystems.com/Donate_Now.html

Once you have completed your online offering you can send email to admin@khachodling.org  notating your name, and any obstacles and wishes.

Light a lamp and feel me and my prayers at your home.

Vajrakilaya Puja

There are many different aspects of Vajrakilaya practice. The puja that we offer in our lineage is from the mind treasure of the renowned treasure revealer Guru Chewang. Vajrakilaya is the wrathful aspect of Buddha’s activities, especially effective in this time of chaos and uncertainty. 

When great practitioners invoke such a powerful Mandala of Vajrakilaya and consort it protects the well being of our outer world (our environment) as well as protecting it’s inhabitants from the destructive forces of greed, anger, competition and restlessness. This practice subdues all chaotic energy to bring peace on both an individual and collective level.

So it is my pleasure to invite you to this powerful mandala in which this year I will be present to remove outer, inner and secret obstacles that hinder our progress in both worldly and spiritual activities. This invitation is my Christmas gift with new beginning for the year of Monkey 2016.

How to be a part of this puja?

nnn

The trip to Manali was a circuitous journey as record snow falls had closed many roads and our group detoured through many sacred places with caves and Yogis. We also stopped to meet people who had benefitted from Khachodling’s many projects, including a memorable visit to a school where education of many poor local children were funded. Often it felt as if we were driving atop the clouds.  When the snow was finally cleared our convoy joined a long queue of vehicles until we at long last arrived at Rinpoche’s brother Sey Jampal’s wonderfully warm home. 

During our stay the power was down and we alternated between icy showers, warm fire places, and trekking up an icy road to the puja being held up in the family monastery hall.  All of these obstacles contributed to the pilgrimage, purifying our negative karma and delusions, and strengthening our resolve. We were not the only people to have made this journey.  The family compound was overflowing with many hundreds of traditional people from surrounding villages who came to make offerings and receive the blessings of the puja.  Many came to Khandro-la for advice, and although we could not understand what was said, we could feel the heartfelt connection these local people had to Khandro-la and the Shakya Shri Lineage. 

The puja itself was an elaborate affair, presided over by Sey Rinpoche, Khandro Rinpoche’s eldest brother, and assisted by Lama Imi Drupten as well as Khandro Rinpoche, Sey Jigme, and many senior monks who had completed many years in retreat.  The energy produced by the puja was powerful and constant for many hours a day from early in the morning until nightfall.  Sitting there was very healing, and a chance to add my small prayers, specifically for my mother-in-law who was dying of cancer, and others in my life to join with prayers of these great masters flowing out to help all beings who suffer in the universe. 

At the end of the ceremony the butter sculptures representing both the positive and negative obstructions were taken out into the yard and burned, driving away the outer and internal demons for another year.” 

“ONE THING THAT WILL ALWAYS STAY WITH ME FROM THIS AMAZING EXPERIENCE WAS THE UNQUESTIONABLE AUTHENTICITY OF OUR KHANDRO RINPOCHE”

Report from my student Sam Nelson who attended the 2014 Vajrakilaya Puja

"Last year it was my great honour to accompany Khandro Rinpoche, Sey Jigme and Yeshe to Manali to participate this awe-inspiring puja. There was another Australian lady named Jo Wagstaff and her son as well as Sylvia from Hong Kong.