What is Bhumtsok and Guru Bhumtsok?
Bhumtsok is the Great Prayer and Feast Offering Ritual Practice based on the Vajrayana Tradition. Participating in it is an exceptional way to accumulate merit, purify negative mental states and karma to achieve Enlightenment or the State of Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. The offering itself will be accumulated over a hundred thousand times, which usually lasts for a few days.
This particular traditional ritual practice, which the Nechung monks will perform, is called , which means 'The Sadhana of the Lineage of Vidhyadharas" , and is dedicated to Guru Rinpoche and Tibet. The Great Fifth Dalai Lama took special interest in this practice for the benefit of the Tibetan people during his time in Tibet. Because of this, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama revived and officially instituted this practice at his monastery in Dharamsala. The Tibetan Religious Administration in Exile organizes this Guru Bhumtsok every year at the main Temple (Tsuglangkhng) in Dharamsala, India.
This tradition belongs to the Jang-Ter, Northern Treasure of Nyingma Tibetan Buddhist Order, in which Kyabje Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche is the main lineage holder. The monks of Nechung Monastery have been practicing this tradition for many generations.
How and When
Traditionally, Maha Guru Bhumtsok is done with a large number of people gathering, hundreds and thousands of monks, nuns and is led by qualified monks, nuns and high Lamas. This ritual practice also includes the special preparation of Torma, the ritual cake offerings and butter sculpture as well as the Sadhana, or ritual text, which has to be performed orderly with the accuracy and understanding of deep meditation.
NBC requested the Ven. Thupten Ngodup, the Medium of Tibet's Chief State Oracle, and the Nechung Monastery in India to give us their insight and guidance as well as to lead the Guru Bhumtsok. They have kindly and formally accepted our request, so we have invited Ven. Thupten Ngodup and eight monks from the Nechung Monastery, Dharamsala, India, to lead this landmark Guru Bumtsok.
NBC is organizing this Great Prayer and Feast Offering Ritual Practice to Guru Rinpoche for His Holiness' Long Life, to remove obstacles in his life and fulfill his wishes, as well as for the longevity of all great upholders of the sublime Dharma. We are expecting a great number of both Tibetans and non-Tibetans from Bay Area and other parts of the US to participate in this great event.
NBC also dedicates this great prayer gathering for the following causes:
- For peace in this troubling world, which at present has an abundance of man-made sufferings.
- To end the Russian Ukraine war and to those who died and suffered due to the war.
- For all Tibetans inside Tibet and especially those who self-immolated themselves for the cause of the holy Dharma and Tibet.
- To overcome the natural disasters brought by the drought, floods, and fires in California and else where
Mahaguru Bhumtsok Chopa & Tsok (offering)
After days of consistent and meticulous work by the visiting monks from Nechung monastery in India, the complex and time consuming Mahaguru Bhumtsok Chopa (offering) is ready and we greatly rejoice it’s completion. The 8 days long elaborate Mahaguru Bhumtsok will begin on Friday July 21, 2023, 10am at the Tibetan Association of Northern California (TANC).
Appreciation for the volunteer
Nechung Rinpoche offers thank you scarves to the kitchen volunteers staff who enormously spent their precious time with showing dedication to serve lunch and dinner for all the attendees during nechung 8 days long bumtsok.
