The victorious Nyingmapa lord of dharma- Kathok monastery 

Kathok Dorjeden: the second secret abode

  The founder of the monastery: The great secret old translation school Nyingmapa [victorious lord of dharma] [Tathagata the king of dharma of the great jewel] Master Ka Dampa Deshe shi Re Senge.

 Tathagata the master Great Jewel Ka Dampa Deshe shi Re Senge

          The “Direct-Throw” Cliff is one of the four rivers and the six cliffs in Tibet .  To its right is the 

clear Shedan River , and to its left is the Delongpo River .  In 1122, in the year of Water Tiger, in the area in Baimo, which is the present day Serkang, a place that was called the garden of Zheshuigan , a miraculous event took place. In the middle of winter flower started to bloom.  A baby was born along with numerous auspicious signs.  He is the embodiment of the great wisdom Bodhisattva Manjushri, The founder of the Kathok tradition, Tathagatha Rinchen Choje Master Ka Dampa Deshe Shire Senge.  The boy was beautiful, kind, compassionate, pure, and articulate.  When he was nine, he generated the mind of renunciation, and he also received Boddhisattva vow.  In the holy place in Daotza he had vision of yidam, Avaloketeshvara, and Green Tara.  He had understanding of the meaning of Vajrayana teachings, had listen, contemplate, practice the dharma, and he excelled in debate.  He took the monastic ordination when he was 24 years old.  His guru gave him the name Shere Senge.  During this time signs of his fame and accomplishment began to manifest.  All the masters and saints (who knew him) praised him and were joyous upon meeting him.  He stayed 13 years in Tibet for his studying.  At 29,  Kyabje Master Zantunpa prophasized that “if you practice in Kanpori you will attain the light body.  If you go to Eastern Kathok , the sacred retreat ground personally blessed 13 times by Guru Rinpoche and Lotsawa Verochana, you will have the circumstance to greatly benefit sentient beings, and Buddha dharma will flourish for thousand of years”.  Ka Danpa Rinpoche took on the responsibility of benefiting sentient beings by giving dharma teaching as his primary duty.  He went to Kham to search for Kathok.  He also had received all the teachings form over one hundred qualified lamas.  When he was 30, he returned home to engage in doing practice.  The Lord of the Land in Easter Kapo requested teaching from him, but Ka Dampa Rinpoche said “ my connection with Kathok has begun, so please return!”  Afterwards he took his attended Dorje Jiansen to find Kathok.  When they arrived in [Dongpo Yongsong Tangda], a Dakini manifested on the top of a Bon Monastery and said “ please go to the upper area to propagate dharma and practice, I will be your protector!”
　

        During the seventh day of doing retreat in the cave where Lotsawa Verochana also practiced in, Dampa Rinpoche saw Guru Rinpoche directly face to face.  Ambrosias flow out and churned in his offereing.  He also saw Amitayus directly during his practice on Buddha Amitayus.  Longivity spring started to flow in The Corner Pierced By A Goat. (Note.  This is the hidden treasure of Amitayus Ambrosia).  Geluk, the leader of four thousand tribes in Huor was once a follower of Bon.  When he met Choje Dampa Rinpoche and saw the many miracles Rinpoche displayed, Geluk started to have deep faith in Rinpoche and became an important benefactor.  All the auspicious circumstances for building the first Kathok Monastery began to ripen.

　

        In 1160, when Dampa Rinpoche was 37 years old, they started to lay foundation to the main temple.  At this time Bon Protector Duoyan began to create obstacles such as causing snowing to interfere with the construction.  Dampa Rinpoche and his students followed the protetor and saw Duoyan hide in a huge rock.  Rinpoche and his students displayed their powers and subdued the spirit.  They pierced the rock with their robe, whipped the rock and pull the rock close to the river near the monastery.  The rock still stands today.  Finally Duoyan vowed “I will do everything that you command”.  There were eight high Bon priests that did a retreat in a cave performing black magic to harm Kathok Monastery.  Palden Lhamo destroyed the cave, and Rinpoche sealed the cave by drawing a cross vaja with his finger.  This rock is still called [The Rock That Pressed The Eight] (Note: It means subduing the eight Bon Priests)

　

        In this remote and secluded place, there are more than a thousand practitioners there that helped constructing the temple in the morning, and at night they listened to the dharma and do practice.  When they were building the Temple of Pure Incense , there were more than 3000 people.  When they needed to transport the needed lumbers, Dampa Rinpoche used his power and had people guide the lumbers so the lumbers could reach the monastery themselves. Dampa Rinpoche also personally made many Buddha statues.  The main temple contained many texts, relics, and sacred objects.  Some of these objects were: [one hundred thousand verse] written in gold and silver, [Tangyur] written in gold, Master Nu Sange Yeshe’s (one of the 25 disciples) belt, Sandak Dropupa’s robe, Dashu’s tooth, Venerable Atisha’s hat, and Buddha’s relic.  
　

        The construction of the temple successfully finished in two years.  During the blessing ceremony for the monastery, parasol-like rainbow, flower, and melodies came down from the clear sky.  All this were sign of wisdom beings had descended and resided in the monastery.  All the sentient beings were moved by seeing these signs.  There were 4000 individuals coming from various regions to come and receive the ten precept.

　

        From then, wheel of dharma was turned in this holy land of the East, Kathok Monastery.  The teaching especially widely taught was the Old Translation School Nyingmapa three collections on [sutra, illusory nature, mind], the three collection of empowerments, teachings, commentary, and instruction on [nature of mind, reality of phenomenon, pith instruction].  Sometimes he would give 13 teachings in one day.   Fortunate disciple he had seen was as much as the stars in summer night.  There were as much as eighty thousand monks and practitioners gathered at the time.  The name of Kathok is like a banner waving in the three lands.  When King Gesar’s grandson Drala Zheya passed away, Rinpoche was asked to perform the ceremony for the dead. He was offered gifts such as the armor wore by Jarcha himself, Drala Zheya’s armor, and four swords. These gift were still being well kept as of today.

　

        Choje Ka Dampa Rinpoche through his diligent practice reached enlightenment, and often had visions of Padmasambhava and Amitabha’s Mandala.  He received prophasies from Buddhas, and displayed numerious miraculous signs.  One day when Guru Zhandunpa requested the practice of Dakini Phowa from Ka Dampa Rinpoche, Rinpoche replied: “please bring me the dead birds on your front door”, and also said “don’t touch my body’.  When Ka Dampa Rinpoche was performing the rite, the dead birds were resurrected, flew to the sky, and were sent to The Pureland of Great Bliss, Dewachen.  Rinpoche could walk through walls without difficulties and did not cast shadows.  He inscribed the Muni Mantra on the rock, left hand and foot prints on the rock, and displayed the signs of boiling ambrosia.  There was also a time when a Dakini danced and gave him prophecy, flower fell like raindrops from the sky and glistened with red light, and the Muni Mantra and the name of Amitabha echoed in the sky.  Rinpoche is a prolific writer.  He wrote 19 cycles of texts on many topics, but only few survived.  Even at 70, he still bestowed the Boddhicitta Ceremony to seventy thousand people and personally gave the transmission to the disciples.
　

        His Stupa was decorated with picture of lineage masters and their attendants that was so delicate that it looked like it is coming to life.  Even today one can directly pay homage to the Stupa.  All the sentient beings around him had fervent devotion to him.  Whoever saw, heard, or thought of him has plant the seed of liberation.

　

        The great wisdom being Bodhisattva Manjushri’s manifestation Ka Dampa Rinpoche is the pioneer in the Nyingmapa Tradition.  Eight hundred years after his passing, numerous student and disciples traveled on the road to liberation due to his great virtue.  Because of this, let us pray with devotion that may the light of Dampa Rinpoche shine and touch the heart of every sentient being.  May the Kathok teaching founded by Choje Dampa lead every sentient being to realize the original state of the Mind of Great Perfection.