On July 12, 2026, in response to the request of the monasteries and people of Zanskar་ in Ladakh, Guru Vajradhara His Holiness Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa bestowed the long-life empowerment of Machik Drubpe Gyalmo’s tradition and Bodhicitta vow at the Kalachakra Ground of Druzin Phodrang in Padum, Zanskar. This empowerment originates from the hearing lineage instructions of Rechung Dorje Drakpa, the moon-like heart disciple of the exalted Milarepa, foremost among Tibet’s accomplished yogis. The audience included approximately eight thousand devotees, comprising the khenpos, teachers, and the monks' and nuns' communities of the local monasteries, the leaders of various associations, local dignitaries, and faithful laypeople of all ages who had traveled from villages throughout the Zanskar region.

Together with the empowerment, Guru Vajradhara imparted instructions on subduing the afflictive emotions and coarse discursive thoughts that arise in daily life, the essential points of training the mind in the meaning of selflessness and bodhichitta, and how to practice the recitation and meditation of the Mani and Vajra Guru mantras. He thus bestowed precious guidance on what to adopt and what to avoid, beneficial for both this and future lives. He then granted blessings to everyone present. Finally, the organizing associations offered a mandala together with the three sacred representations to Guru Vajradhara as an expression of their gratitude.

Photos