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His Eminence Ven. Dupthop Rinpoche is the current Abbot and Founder Director of Wochen Thukje Choling Monastery at Sraswatithan of Swoyambhu, Kathmandu. He was born in 1929 at Lhokha Drak-nang, south of Lhasa, Tibet. In 1937 at the age of nine he entered Drepung Monastic University in Lhasa. He studied until 1959 on various subjects of Tantric text Books along with metaphysics of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a prisoner for a year after Tibet was captured under the Chinese occupation in 1959 because of his reputation. He was soon released after his original Nepalese nationality was proved.
Since then he was deported to the border of Sikkim at the end of 1961. From there he came to Kathmandu after spending three months in Sikkim. He made a great struggle for the spread and promotion of Buddha’s teaching to both monks and laity for about fourteen years during which he was able to inspire many of his devotees from both within and without, Nepal and India.
He founded Wochen Thukje Choling Monastery in the year 1975 with the united effort and contributions that have been made from his devotees of within and without Nepal.
Eventually he introduced a simple and short practice known as Nyung-ne. This is a religious observance with fasting on an every alternative day a self-penance, a seven day long Yangdrup, a Tantric ritual that calls a fortune to eliminate famine, poverty and disease in the entire country. Nyung-ne is held six times annually. Its duration vary according to the importance of the occasion. During Dasain or Dasaira is held the longest period of sixteen days plus the first and final day during which many sacrificial offerings are made during this festival.
In general, Rinpoche is a self-less person in rendering services for the benefit of all the living beings and stricken destitute and orphan children in particular.
Then eventually he established a separate school for the poor and needy children (monks) to whom he provides food, shelter and education out of his monastery income and donations come from various sponsors and people.
In the year 1925, he made the discovery of the self-originated image of Tara with a scanty tin roof, which none has ever realized the unique national treasure. As years elapse, the image came to be more and more visible to the eyes of Rinpoche. Attaching a cultural importance and value of the treasure, in 1975 he founded the small temple existing at present at Pharping (Yang-le-zhol) as the shelter of the invaluable image of Tara Devi which emerged by itself from a rock so miraculously with Ganesh.
Thereafter, it is not only enshrined with handmade twenty-one Tara statues but also the recitation ritual of this deity is performed daily by eight elder monks. This serves an important purpose of removing the disease, famine, hunger and hostility of the mankind. The upper floor of the temple is built for the purpose of a retreat center for those who want to meditate from different walks of life.
In the year 1996, a separate school building for the young monks close to the temple was founded with the principal donation of a Swiss family in memory of their son who died and with the donations of his devotees of both home and different nationals.
Children in this school are taught with primary education onwards to higher studies of metaphysics, liturgical Text Books of Tibetan Buddhist culture along with Nepali and English courses. The school is run with the monastery income and donations from different people. Hence the donations that come to the school are appropriately utilized for the school children and teachers’ salary.
Thukje Choling Monastery
GPO Box: 3868, 1047. Swayambunath,
Kathmandu, Nepal.
Tel: 270056
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