This event is available both In-person and Online.
Khentrul Rinpoche has agreed to bestow the empowerment Kstigarbha and perform a Puja at the request of asian students. Kṣitigarbha is one of the four principal bodhisattvas in East Asian Mahayana Buddhism, alongside Samantabhadra, Manjusri, and Avalokiteśvara. His name translates to “Earth Treasury”. Kṣitigarbha is renowned for his vow to instruct all beings in the six worlds between Gautama Buddha’s death and Maitreya’s rise. He also vowed not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. As a result, he is often seen as the bodhisattva of hell-beings, as well as the guardian of children and the patron deity of deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture.
BENEFITS OF THE PRACTICE Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra outlines the merits of practicing with Kṣitigarbha. The sutra suggests that those who follow its teachings will attain inconceivable merits and benefits. This practice can also aid in dissolving immeasurable negative karma.
Protected by the Naga Kings. Merits increase daily.| Gather the causes of the saints. Bodhi does not degenerate.
Clothing and food are abundant. Diseases do not approach.
Away from water and fire disasters. No thieves and misfortunes.
Being respected. Gods and ghosts assist and help.
Rebirth into men. Become powerful and influential princess.
With upright and good looks. Often born in heaven.
Become an emperor. Innate wisdom.
All requests are granted. Relatives and family are joyful.
All obstacles are eliminated. Escape from the karmic world.
All places are accessible. Dreams at night are peaceful.
The deceased are free from suffering. Receive blessings in future lives.
All saints praise. Intelligent and sharp-witted.
Full of compassionate and loving kindness. Ultimately attain Buddhahood.
Kṣitigarbha Puja during Qingming Festival Kṣitigarbha is a highly revered manifestation of the Buddha among the Chinese due to his significant vows to protect those in the lower realms. This is particularly important to the Chinese, who are concerned about their ancestors who may have been reborn in the lower realms. During the Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day (and sometimes referred to as Chinese Memorial Day or Ancestors’ Day), which is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated by ethnic Chinese across Asia, Kṣitigarbha Puja is a common practice and holds significant relevance for Chinese Buddhists. WHO CAN ATTEND There are no formal prerequisites.
SPONSOR THE PUJA TO DEDICATE TO A LOVED ONE Many people enjoy watching various Pujas online performed by Lamas believing they are receiving a huge benefit. It is also common in the West for people to ask a lama to pray for them without making any offering or having a personal connection. While, as one of all sentient beings, you are connected to the results of the Puja made for the benefit of all sentient beings, the karmic connection is incredibly weak, and therefore so is the result. Normally during certain times in one’s life when a Puja or prayers are required to clear various karmic debts, obstacles, or karmically-based illness, it is customary to make financial offerings to the Lama for prayers and Pujas. This creates a stronger Karmic connection to the Puja, which creates a stronger karmic result.
Schedule by Timezone
Melbourne, Australia
SATURDAY April 4, 2026 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Session 1: Empowerment and Teaching 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Session 2: Puja and Teaching
In honor of Jetsun Taranatha’s Parinrivana, Khentrul Rinpoche will bestow the oral transmission of the Zhentong Nyingpo. In a previous year he gave a commentary on the text which you can find in Learn.dzokden.org.
Jetsun Taranatha was a renowned Tibetan Buddhist scholar, teacher, and master of the Jonang school. He is considered one of the most important figures in the development of Tibetan Buddhism in the 16th and 17th centuries and is best known for his profound contributions to the teachings of emptiness (shunyata) and the nature of mind based on Dolpopa’s Zhentong emptiness. He was a master who had familiarity with all traditions and could write from their doctrinal point of view perfectly. If he wrote a commentary on a Jonang text it reflected no hint of the Nyngma and vice versa.
While a prolific tantric master who wrote many commentaries, empowerments and Sadhanas, he was also known for his poetry. Khentrul Rinpoche will share some of his Dharma poetry in honor of this day.
Due to the global pandemic and the very unusual circumstances we are facing, Rinpoche has agreed to give the empowerment online this year. He does not give empowerment online normally and is making a huge exception.
We hope this helps create the conditions for peace and harmony to flourish around the world. The empowerment ceremony will take place in a meditative atmosphere over a few days. Please make sure to be present for all the sessions in your timezone. It includes a ceremony to spread prayers for peace and harmony around the globe, ritual dances, and the unveiling of a 3d version of the Jonang Kalachakra Mandala. You will be guided in a clear step-by-step way through empowerment so that you can understand what you are receiving. Through lecture, discussion, meditation, mantra, and ritual offerings, form a deep connection to your own inner realm of peace and harmony.
WHO CAN ATTEND There are no prerequisites. This path is flexible; it allows us to engage with it wherever we are at. Everyone who has a desire can learn to practice the profound path of Kalachakra, the pinnacle of the Buddha’s teaching. Empowerment can be taken as a blessing or empowerment.
Anyone who has a sincere aspiration to take the empowerment and registers can attend online. You must be there for all the sessions. Just attending empowerment does not mean you receive it. You must understand and know what is going on. Rinpoche will kindly make his instruction booklet available to you as an eBook so you can follow along.
ABOUT KALACHAKRA Kalachakra brings peace to oneself and the world as we learn to harmonize our environment with our body & mind. Kalachakra, which means wheel of time, transcends religions time, space and perceived reality. It is the essence that makes up our very nature. It harmonizes the cosmic, with our internal system and the enlightened mind. Unlike other Buddhist teachings, Kalachakra is very detailed giving insight and direction to help anyone of any religious tradition realize their true nature. This teaching helps us move past habitual limitations to unleash our limitless potential of love & compassion.
COMPLETE SYSTEM TO ENLIGHTENMENT The Tibetan Buddhist Jonang Lineage specializes in the complete path that guides students in a clear step-by-step system to enlightenment. It is known specifically for upholding the 6 vajra yogas through which many enlightened masters have transitioned. It has rarely been taught in its entirety to lay (non-monastic) practitioners in the West. Most of the Jonang Yogi’s have decided to remain practicing in their caves and monasteries in the Himalayas. Khentrul Rinpoche has made it his life’s mission to bring these teachings to the west in English. He hopes to create the conditions for both female and male practitioners living in their daily lives to realize the heart essence of these profound teachings.
Khentrul Rinpoché is very genuine focusing on catalyzing the transformation of the authentic aspirations of his students. He makes this rich & complex ancient wisdom accessible so that anyone can engage with it more easily, at their own capacity, in all areas of their life.
