Venerable Ribur Rinpoche
Lama Zopa Rinpoche's requests to FPMT centers and students of Ribur Rinpoche
Prayer for Ribur Rinpoche's Quick Return
July 14th 2006: Lama Zopa Rinpoche wants to advise the FPMT centers and students who have a connection with Ribur Rinpoche (ie: centers where Ribur Rinpoche taught) to regularly schedule Manjushri Sangita recitations* (the Names of Manjushri).
This could be combined with any Lama Chopa, Tara Puja or Medicine Buddha pujas that you organise at the center - add a certain number of recitations of the Manjushri Sangita. The main thing is to please keep reciting the Manjushri Sangita regularly and as much as you can with prayers for the quick return of Ribur Rinpoche.
This advice has come directly from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
As well the mantra in the FPMT version starts with the line:
OM SARVA DHARMA BHAVA SVABHAVA VISHUDDHA VAJRA A A AM AH
While the Alex Berzin translation starts with the line:
Om sarva dharma 'bhava svabhava vishuddha vajra chakshu, a a am a
Click here for an alternate translation by Alex Berzin
Jan 21st 2006: Lama Zopa Rinpoche has checked and is asking centers if you can also do Lama Chopa tsok for Ribur Rinpoche, with strong prayers for the success of all Ribur Rinpoche's wishes and intentions.
Jan 16th 2006: Lama Zopa Rinpoche is requesting people and centers, especially those with a connection with Ribur Rinpoche, to do Medicine Buddha puja with strong prayers for the success of all Ribur Rinpoche's wishes and intentions.
Photo by Mark Gatter
For photos of his holy body in meditation and the cremation ceremony, please click here.
Ribur Rinpoche was born in the Kham region of Tibet in 1923, and was recognized by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the head lama of Ribur Monastery. After studying at Sera Me monastery, where he received numerous teachings from his root guru, Pabongka Rinpoche, Rinpoche received his geshe degree in 1948. Rinpoche was then confined in Lhasa from 1959 until 1976, during which time he experienced relentless interrogation and torture during thirty-five of the infamous struggle sessions. "If I told you what happened on a regular basis, you would find it hard to believe."
At the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, Ribur Rinpoche spent more than 10 years in Chinese labor camps and was given a job with the Religious Affairs Office in Tibet. On one of his trips to China, he worked with the Panchen Lama and recovered holy objects – including the famous Shakyamuni Buddha statue in the Ramoche temple – that had been dismantled and shipped to China. He also re-established the destroyed stupa of Lama Tsongkhapa, which contained some of Lama Tsongkhapa's bodily relics.
Since his exile to India in 1985, Ribur Rinpoche wrote numerous biographies of great lamas such as the Thirteenth Dalai Lama and an extensive history of Tibet, which includes his autobiography. Ribur Rinpoche spent many years living in northern California where he gave teachings and led retreats, before returning to India, where he passed away.