Rinchen Terzod: Sharing the Experience

I recently sent an email to the Orgyen Khamdroling members (students of Anyen Rinpoche) where I shared the prayers that are being used throughout the three-month transmission and empowerment cycle here in Alameda, California. The response was very positive, and some folks wanted even more :-) They asked if I might start sharing information and giving a glimpse of what daily life is like throughout the teaching.

I think that's a great idea, and will strive to do just that... in a series of blog posts. This first one will just be an introduction and I'll dive into more details in later posts.

What is the Rinchen Terzod?

The Rinchen Terzod (Tib. རིན་ཆེན་གཏེར་མཛོད) is a massive collection of termas (hidden treasures) revealed by tertons of every major lineage. Our teacher is from Amdo (as is the Vajra master for the empowerments), so we often transliterate Tibetan terms with the normally absent (silent) letters. As such, we're spelling it "Terzod" but you will also see it spelled "Terzö" or "Terzo".

Who "wrote" it?

It was compiled by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thayé over the course of about 34 years in the second half of the 19th century.

Why would I want it?

The Rinchen Terzöd is a very precious collection of revelations, empowerments, and practice instructions. The average Tibetan monk is lucky if they get to attend the empowerments once in their lifetime. Even luckier ones will be able to attend twice. It has only been given once in the US before (by Penor Rinpoche) and no one knows when it will (or even can) be given again after this. If you have faith in the teachings, the Vajra master (Yangthang Tulku Rinpoche), Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thayé, etc., then you would want to be here, even if only for the blessings. If you want to do any of the practices from the Rinchen Terzod in the future, this is a great opportunity for you.

More Info

You can read more about the Rinchen Terzod happening here in California at the following location: http://www.orgyendorjeden.org/RTZD_YTR.html

What's Next?

In the coming posts, I will describe what the average day is like, and answer any questions that folks have posted in the blog comments :-)