Report October 2024: Elaborate Rigdzin Düpa Wang
This month we published our first translated chapter of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's comprehensive empowerment manual for the Longchen Nyingtik, the chapter for giving the Rigdzin Düpa empowerment: A Feast that Delights the Fortunate Ones and Reveals the Nectar of the Profound and Secret, A Garland of Liturgies for Bestowing the General and Specific Empowerments of the Three Roots of the Great Perfection’s Heart-Essence of the Vast Expanse. Chapter Two: The Elaborate Empowerment for The Gathering of Vidyādharas (Rigdzin Düpa).
In Tibet, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Rinpoche had assigned Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche with the task of writing the still lacking empowerment manuals for the Longchen Nyingtik cycle. Later on, after having fled Tibet, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche had a vision of Jigme Lingpa at Paro Taktsang in which Jigme Lingpa told him that the tradition of the Longchen Nyingtik belonged to him, and he can do whatever he feels is appropriate. That was the catalyst for Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche to begin writing the empowerment manual, and while staying at Paro Taktsang, on the anniversary of Mipham Rinpoche, on the 25th day of the fourth month of vaiśākha in the Fire Horse Year of the 16th calendrical cycle (13th of June, 1966), he began, and he finished it at Kyichu Lhakhang. He mentions that he based himself on the Sphere of Liberation (Droltik) empowerment manual written by Jigme Lingpa and other texts.
In this chapter for the Rigdzin Düpa empowerment, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche says:"Dodrup Rinpoche Jigme Trinle Özer knew it to be very appropriate indeed to bestow this ripening empowerment at the very beginning, supplemented by the pith instructions of Clarifying the Essential Meaning: the Basic Principles of Empowerment, which include the outer and inner empowerments, and the five empowerments for the students. This tradition was widespread in the Kham region, but unfortunately I was unable to find any actual text. Yet, I hold this tradition to be excellent, and so to prevent the wisdom intent from deteriorating and the tradition from being interrupted, I have here unerringly written down the meaning."