IMEY LAMA CHOPA, A Tibetan Rimey Tantric Feast: A Rite to Invoke the Supreme Nectar of Wisdom
composed by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche at the request of Trulzhik Rinpoche, translated by Glenn H. Mullin, foreword by Ven. Matthieu Ricard
The Lama Chopa liturgy contained in this volume was written by the late great Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of the greatest Nyingma lamas of the Tibetan diaspora. It is an excellent example of the tone and style of the Lama Chopa practices, and demonstrates through its poetry and imagery why these rituals are so beloved. Lama Chopa is also known as Gurupuja, Guruyoga, or Lama Naljor, generally meaning "meditation with chanting," and often performed in conjunction with a tsok, or tantric feast celebration.
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991) was regarded as one of the most talented and inspired masters of his generation. He was the archetype of a spiritual teacher, someone whose inner journey led him to an extraordinary depth of knowledge and enabled him to be, for whoever met him, a fountain of loving kindness, wisdom and compassion. To achieve these extraordinary qualities, Khyentse Rinpoche spent more than twenty years in retreat, in remote hermitages and caves. After and in between his retreats, Khyentse Rinpoche worked constantly for the benefit of all living beings with tireless energy. He became one of the main teachers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, of the Royal Family of Bhutan, and of countless disciples. He was thus a master among masters.
While his personal practice was centered upon the Nyingma tradition, he was deeply committed to receiving, preserving and transmitting the teachings from all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He was not just paying lip service, but was deeply concerned by the need to prevent rare transmissions from becoming extinct and greatly saddened when realizing that the lineage for the transmission of certain texts and empowerments was about to vanish. His knowledge of the enormous range of Tibetan Buddhist literature was probably unparalleled, and he inherited Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's determination to preserve and make available texts of all traditions, particularly those in danger of disappearing.
It is therefore understandable that Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, at the request of Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, wrote a complete set of prayers, praises and Offering to the Masters of the lineage of the Eight Great Chariots of Accomplishments, integrated in a single text known as "Invoking The Nectar Of Wisdom: Prayers, Praises and Offering [inspired by] the Remembrance of the Assembly of Supreme Beings from the Various Lineages of the Muni's Teachings". The present Rimey Lama Chopa is that text.
Grateful thanks to Glenn Mullin for translating this ritual into English, thus making it available for the first time to countless practitioners around the world. His poetic translation was first used on the most auspicious occasion of celebrating the 100th anniversary of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's birth, in February 2010, at Shechen Monastery in Nepal where over a hundred masters from the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism together with foreign disciples from twenty five countries gathered for three days, practicing the Rimey Lama Chopa. We are equally grateful to the Chicago Rimey Dharma Center and Roberto Sanchez to have made the request for this translation.
May it be dedicated to the temporary and ultimate benefit of all beings, and the long life of all the great masters of all lineages, more especially to those of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche Yangsi, Orgyen Tendzin Jigme Lhundrup and His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of all Tibetans, who more than anyone in this century has succeeded in having the Rimey perspective and pure views not only towards all schools of Tibetan Buddhism but towards all major religions at large. May this be widely accepted as the norm by all genuine practitioners.
Used very good. Just a stamp on the first page
