Group photo of the participants of Winter Session of Discussion on Pramana with Kyabgon Gongma Trichen Rinpoche and Secretary Chime Tseyang.
Dharamshala: Secretary Chime Tseyang from the Department of Religion and Culture (DRC) attended and addressed the 5th Geshema (bhikkhuni) Convocation Ceremony and the Winter Session of Discussion on Pramana’s closing ceremony at Bodhgaya on 18 November 2022.
The ceremony was also attended by the 41st Sakya Trizin Kyabgon Gongma Trichen Rinpoche as the event’s chief guest, along with the president of Geshema Examination Committee, tutors, the Director of the Tibetan Nuns Project, and participants of the Winter Session of Discussion on Pramana.
Following the chief guest’s conferment of Geshema’s Degree, DRC Secretary awarded presents to the recipients during the convocation ceremony. She lauded the unprecedented contributions of reverent lamas who assisted in fulfilling His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s vision of empowering Tibetan Buddhist nuns through educating Buddhist scriptures traditionally studied by monks only. She further encouraged geshemas to uphold the custom of servicing all sentient beings while speaking briefly about the evolution of geshema status in the community. Out of the ten recipients of this year’s Geshema’s Degree, four nuns are from the Jangchub Choeling Nunnery, another four are from Kopan Monastery, and the rest two are from Geden Choeling Nunnery.
At the same time, Secretary Chime Tseyang also paid visits to the Stupa of Reconciliation (Wyl. dbyen bsdum mchod rten) at Rajgir, the All-Victorious Stupa (Wyl. rnam rgyal mchod rten) at Vaishali, and the Enlightenment Stupa (Wyl. byang chub mchod rten) at Bodhgaya.
To express gratitude to the government and people of India and to accumulate merits for all Tibetans, the DRC built each eight stupas of Buddha at eight holy places of Buddhism in 2016. On every Lhabab Duchen (Buddha’s Descent From Tushita Heaven), the DRC also performs a cleansing ritual and consecration of the eight stupas at various places, namely the Lotus Blossom Stupa at Lumbini, the Enlightenment Stupa at Bodhgaya, the Stupa of Turning the Wheel of Dharma at Varanasi, the Great Miracle Stupa at Shravasti, the Stupa of the Descent from Tushita Heaven at Sankisa, the Stupa of Reconciliation at Rajgir, the All-Victorious Stupa at Vaishali, and the Parinirvana Stupa at Kushinagar.
-Report filed by the Department of Religion and Culture, CTA
Geshema’s Degree recipients of the 5th Geshema Convocation Ceremony with Kyabgon Gongma Trichen Rinpoche and Secretary Chime Tseyang.
A glimpse of the ceremony at Bodhgaya.
Secretary Chime Tseyang giving presents to the recipients of Geshema’s Degree on behalf of DRC.
