150 participants of the Nairatmya Drubchen practiced for 6 days, so that at least five people did the meditation practice continuously, day and night. Four sessions were conducted daily plus the Dusolma protector practice and Profound Teachings by His Holiness.

At His Holiness's request, a rediscovered text by Ngok Zhedang Dorje was translated into English for this Nairatmya Drubchen to make the practice more accessible to Western practitioners. This text is very close to the original practice of Marpa. The text was partly recited during the retreat, but also partly sung with new melodies. Praises, offerings etc. were written in verse form.

With the support of the Mar Ngok Committee, in which Carl Djung, Daniela König, Dr. Cécile Ducher, Westin Harris, Spencer Ames and Drubpon Rachel Dodds have been active over the last few years, the Hevajra/Nairatmya texts were created and translated.

The Drubchen was concluded on Sunday (7.7.) with a Nairatmya offering puja and a fire puja. In bright sunshine, H.H. led the fire puja surrounded by the participants. In this way, all faults and impurities that had arisen during the drubbing or in connection with the practice were purified. At the end, many thanks were offered to His Holiness, the Lamas, the leaders of the practice sessions, the musicians and all those who contributed their skills and energy in the many team areas.

His Holiness, visibly delighted with the sangha, which was able to perform the Rituals independently, gave an outlook on his future beyond his Three-Year Retreat, which he will begin in the middle of next year, and announced his coming in 2029 to give further teachings on Hevajra/Nairatmya. Until then, the current group, with H.E. Choeze Kuchen Rinpoche as vajra master, will hold a Hevajra or Nairatmya Drubchen for one week every year on a rotating basis.

 

 

Participants were grateful to receive this rare teaching and felt a deep connection to the sandhana through Western melodies. His Holiness was pleased to witness the merging of the East and West, and believes that after years of dedicated work and practice, disciples in Europe are approaching readiness to lead the Hevajra/Nairatmya Drubchen independently.

On July 16th, the annual European Hevajra Drubchen concluded with the Hevajra Fire Puja. Participants expressed joy and gratitude through music and song offerings to His Holiness. Dr. Cecile Ducher, the Mar-Ngok expert working closely with His Holiness on his commentary on Marpa's Hevajra Sadhana, won the blessed prayer-wheel in a raffle.

On July 17th and 18th, His Holiness granted Vajrasattva, Amitayus, and the Great Chakrasamvara empowerment to five retreatants who will enter a traditional 3-year retreat in August in Milarepa Retreat Zentrum under the guidance of Drupon Rachel.

After a brief birthday celebration on July 21st, His Holiness departed for Switzerland.

Early in the morning, H.H. all necessary preparations for the empowerment. After a mandala offering to H.H. he granted the empowerment originally conferred by Naropa to Marpa and then on to Milarepa, Gampopa and Phagmodrupa. From this the transmission of the Hevajratantra continued to the Taklung Kagyu lineage, which held it for hundreds of years.

After the empowerment, H.H. gave oral transmissions of the Sadhanas of Hevajra, Nairatmya and Düsolma.

In the afternoon the Hevajratantra was the main topic. His Holiness began the ten-day teachings on the important Hevajratantra root text through the commentary Bum Chung Nyima. This commentary is based on Marpa's handwritten notes of Naropa's teachings on the Hevajratantra.

 

 

Conclusion of the Hevajratantra teachings

The ten-day teaching of H.H. Drikung Kyabgon Tinley Lhundup at the Milarepa Retreat Center (MRZ) in Germany. ended with an impressive Hevajra-Ganachakra and a common prayer for pacifying global conflicts. The participants were deeply moved by the intense and complex explanations of Hevajratantra given by H.H. after atheHevajra empowerment. In his closing words, he pointed out that it is now more and more the responsibility of the participants to maintain this line of transmission for future generations. Over the next three years, H.H. will lead and accompany further retreats in the MRZ, as well as give further teachings. After that, others must continue this path.

Also on behalf of the participants, the organizers thanked H.H. and were very pleased to hear that the next meeting here at the same location has been scheduled for July 2023. The Mar Ngok group had worked intensively for years to prepare the necessary texts in English translation, and others had also contributed with great dedication before and during the event.

While the teachings were translated from Tibetan into German and English, at His Holiness's request, as in previous retreats, the practice was conducted in English only, although the mantras were recited in Sanskrit. The translation of the necessary texts will therefore also be of great importance in the years to come.