Sacred Drukpa Lineage relics on display (from Bhutanese National Newspaper Kuensel)

For the first time ever, several liberation-on-sight nangtens were made public at the first annual Drukpa Council in Kathmandu

24 April, 2009 - Thousands of devotees, including hundreds of Bhutanese, got a glimpse of sacred Drukpa Lineage relics, as old as 800 years, in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu last week.

The nangtens (sacred relics), including Dechok Khorlodompa (Cakrasamvara), tutelary deity, a tooth relic of Marpa and an image of Jetsun Milarepa were made public for the first time in Drukpa Lineage history, during the first Annual Drukpa Council (ADC) at Druk Amitabha. About 50 rinpoches and truelkus also saw the relics of their masters and gurus for the first time.

The Dechok Khorlodompa arose naturally in the heart of Kuenkhen Pema Karpo, the 4th reincarnation of Drogoen Tsangpa Gyare, founder of the Drukpa school in Tibet.

The chairman of ADC, the 9th Khamtrul Rinpoche, said the self-created image of Cakrasamvara is no different from the Rangjung Kharsapani, the self-created image of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), obtained from the first vertebra of Drogoen Tsangpa Gyare, and brought to Bhutan by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1616.

In 1161, Tsangpa Gyare, the Dharma King, protector of all sentient beings, was born as a human manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara is the compassionate embodiment of all the Buddhas residing in ten büms (10 stages). Avalokiteshvara pledged to free all sentient beings, manifesting himself in the form of teachers, kings, ministers, ordinary human beings, animals and many others.

As a sign of true reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, Tsangpa Gyare, after passing away in 1211, left many miraculous relics in his ashes. His 21 vertebrae, found in the ashes, naturally turned into 21 self-arisen Chenreyzig statues.

The tooth of the Tibetan saint Marpa Chokyi Lodro (1012-1096), the great translator, was believed to be the self-arisen image of Thro-Wo Me-tsek, a deity who protects one from diseases caused by defilement. There was also a self-arisen image of a conch (dungkhar aykher) on the fingernail of Dag-me ma, the secret consort of Marpa Chokyi Lodro.

The statue of Jetsun Milarepa (1040-1123) is believed to have been made by his sister Peta Gonkyi and consecrated by Milarepa himself. Along with that, there was also a hand-made stone image of Dudsol ma, the dharma protector, attributed to Goenpo Ludrup (Nagarjuna).

“This is the first time I’m seeing the relics,” said the 9th Khamtrul Rinpoche, who said that a glimpse of the relics will remove devotees from all negative karma and liberate them from khorwa (samsara). The two-day relics display was also accompanied by a long life initiation by His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa Rinpoche, the reincarnation of Drogoen Tsangpa Gyare.

By Tenzin Namgyel

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