This auspicious, wish-granting stupa is a tamer of maras, meaningful to behold. May it be virtuous!

 

In the words of Sonam Özer of Tsarong,

 

The greatest qualities of a patron,

Are having faith, devotion, diligence, and compassion,

Genuinely delighting in virtue and the spirit of giving,

Being dependable, patient, and free from deceit,

And showing humility towards deities and artisans.

 

Generally speaking, his altruistic motivation and diligence in voluntarily building and restoring representations of the Three Jewels’ enlightened body, speech, and mind indicate that the qualities listed here are perfectly complete in him.  Specifically, the excellent construction of the Great World Peace Stupa by this noble man was the timely fulfillment of auspicious interconnection and prophecies.  As it says in the “Ritual for Increasing the Auspiciousness of Places” in Rigdzin Düdül Dorje’s Innermost Secret Heart-Essence of the Dakini,

 

All those supportive patrons with the good fortune to keep this vital place in their custody

As a means to happiness in the land of Tibet,

Whether they are tantric yogis, Buddhists or Bönpos, men or women,

It is the auspicious result of excellent aspirations made long ago

In the presence of the mighty lord of sages, Padmasambhava.

Whether they are tantric yogis, Buddhists or Bönpos, men or women,

It is certain that they are emanations of the Great Dharma King of Oddiyana. 

 

Also, the symbolic prophecy of the great treasure-revealer Orgyen Sherab Dorje states:  

 

Before the lotus spiraling upwards from the gold-bearing earth,

A crucial sacred support of enlightened mind , mountain like a chain of vajras,

Great fortune and splendor, like the patterns on brocade,

Shaped in the form of the mystic cross, 

Vessel of glory of the Land of Snows, vital essence of happiness,

The vast brilliance of the great Dharma holders,

The rays of the all-pervading sun’s mighty chariot, drawn by seven horses,

Clear away all the darkness of the deep ravines,

The thousandfold brilliance of the gathering of gods and humans expands. 

 

Likewise, the treasure prophecy of the great treasure-revealer Dewey Dorje says:

 

The great life-tree Dharma holder (Tenzin), an emanated display

Of the oceans of infinite buddhas’ enlightened activity,

Whose light (Ö) dispels the darkness of the five degenerations,

With blazing rays (zer) of mighty strength and blessing,

Will build a victorious stupa, sole ornament of the world,

To protect the Dharma and beings in the Land of Snows,

Liberating everyone who sees it and leading them on the path to liberation.   

 

Also, a prophecy revealed by Gonpa Tulku Lerab Dorje, also known as Pema Drodül Pawo, states:

 

Dakini of space, the ground of great emptiness,

Sang this song of experience of bliss-emptiness and unobstructed energy,

Powered by previous positive twofold accumulations :

The time will come for the excellent result of aspirations.

The tiger’s stripes are its natural adornment;

The southern forest is like the great ornaments of a wealthy lady,

The time for unceasing benefit of beings is near,

To nurture and ripen disciples of the six realms.

Do not neglect the activity of offering and worship—strive!

Restore the sweet melodies of your throat with your own voice!

Flash the hundred rays of the rising sun of auspicious excellence! 

Hindrances pacified, enlightened activity will blaze!

The decline of this dark age will certainly be reversed! 

All who make a connection will travel to Shambhala.

The indestructible appearance of these symbols vanishes into space.

 

The infallible prophecies of numerous vidyadhara masters with unobscured knowledge of the past, present, and future accurately predict the name, birth year, deeds, and so on of the excellent, faithful patron, the glorious and excellent nirmanakaya emanation, Khenpo Tenzin Özer. He is vastly generous and free of miserliness, his mindstream has been saturated with bodhichitta since his early youth, and he is adorned with the purity of the three vows.  He was clearly recognized, first by Getse’s teacher Thupten Zangpo and later by Choktrül Rinpoche Gelek Chökyi Nyima and numerous other great masters of like mind, as the undisputed reincarnation of Akyab Lama Karma Döyöd, a renunciate free from clinging to the eight worldly concerns, who was one of the four main doctrine-holders of the Central Tibetan dakini Dewey Dorje (Sera Khandro), herself a living embodiment of the Queen of Space, Yeshe Tsogyal. During the time of the Buddha, he was the farmer’s daughter, Sujata,  and during the period when the Great Master of Oddiyana was in Tibet, he was Master Yudra Nyingpo.  At first, he was crowned with the name Tupten Karma Nyendrak.  Later, with the proper number of ordained monks present as his supports, including Khenchen Tupten Norbu, Khen Tingdzin Zangpo, Trakya Khenpo Sherab, Tongkor Geshe Gyatso and others, he received the precious sugata precepts and was crowned with a second name: Tupten Tenzin Özer. 

 

From then on, the glorious and excellent Khenpo Tupten Tenzin Özer became renowned throughout the world, and his story was written down by many great masters.  However, the details of the outer, inner, and secret biographies of a great man like him are beyond the grasp of a lowly person like me, and he would not be pleased by such descriptions anyway.  So I will refrain from elaborating here and offer a brief account instead.

 

Khenpo Tenzin Özer entered the monastery at the age of fifteen and studied with over thirty authentic, learned and accomplished spiritual masters in both Tibet and India, taking the dust beneath their feet upon his crown. Among them were Khentrul Jamyang Lekshey Chökyi Nyima, Khenchen Münsel Dorje Chang, Khenchen Tingdzin Zangpo, Khenchen Shedrup Tenpey Gyaltsen, Khen Tashi Rabten, Kyabje Dodrub Rinpoche, Kyabje Drubwang Pema Norbu Shedrup Chökyi Drayang Rinpoche, Kyabje Chatral Sangye Dorje, Kathok Moktrul Rinpoche Jigdral Lodrö Tenpey Gyaltsen, Kyabje Tsophu Dorlo Pema Gyurme Gyatso, Terchen Dewey Dorje, Choktrul Kunzang Tekchok Tenpey Nyima, Choktrul Gelek Chökyi Nyima, Öntrul Tenpey Wangchuk, Nubri Lama Jigme, Barchung Lama Pema Wangyal, Surik Lama Sonam Chöpel, and Muru Lama Jangchup Dorje.  They granted him empowerments, reading transmissions, pith instructions, and teachings on Sutra, Mantra, and the auxiliary sciences, which he studied, contemplated, and meditated upon until he reached perfect mastery.  He accepted the abbotship of Dralak Monastery, the thirteenth in their succession of abbots, and taught, debated, and composed on numerous major classical works, the Thirteen Great Scriptures being principal among them.

 

During that period, Khenpo restored the lower assembly hall of the Buddhist College and built a new upper story, tea house, and 120 new monk cells.  In 1994, he made a pilgrimage to all the great sacred places of India, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan and spent time in retreat, practicing the phases of approach and accomplishment. Later, at the command of Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche, he trained the young Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche Sangye Pema Sheypa, Kyabje Kathok Situ Rinpoche Ngedön Chökyi Drönme, and many other illustrious disciples, granting them teachings on everything from the stages of the preliminary practices and mind training to the empowerments, reading transmissions, and guidance for many works on Sutra and Mantra.  He received teachings from them, as well.  He immersed himself exclusively in teaching, practice, and other Dharma activity.  Propelled by tireless dedication and sublime bodhichitta, he has never mixed with the poison of the eight worldly concerns, and with a pure heart, he has worked for the benefit of the Dharma and beings.

 

Specifically, he has strived to pacify all kinds of undesirable and unfavorable adverse circumstances that plague the beings of these degenerate times, such as earthquakes, floods, and other destruction caused by the four elements, as well as sickness, war, famine, political turmoil, animosity, and strife.  In order that all the beings of this world enjoy the glory of peace, harmony, and happiness, and in order to restore the two stupas built long ago by Kyabgön Getse Mahapandita Gyurme Tsewang Chokdrup—a rare Demon-Taming Stupa that was liberating upon seeing and a Kalachakra Stupa, which were intended for the good of the teachings and beings but which were completely destroyed by our lack of communal merit and by the fierce and raging storms of barbarians and demons who adhere to asura doctrines, he determined to build a beautiful new stupa in their stead.  He was encouraged to do so by all the lamas, tulkus, monks, and laypeople of each of the districts in Dathangma. As the treasure prophecy of Rigdzin Düdül Dorje states:

 

During the incalculable aeon, apart from the great vidyadharas and bodhisattvas

Who excellently accomplish their powerful pure aspirations to guide beings,

All those who [claim to] restore vital places and shoulder the burden of the Buddhadharma for the benefit of others [will forsake it]: 

Some will disguise themselves as lamas and benefactors and forsake it;

Some will disguise themselves as relatives and friends and forsake it;

Some will be carried away by pleasures and riches and forsake it;

Some will assert wrong views, false claims, and disparagement and forsake it;

Some will claim that foreign armies will not invade these parts and forsake it:

Some will claim there is no benefit and forsake it;

Some, not understanding the common sequence of the teachings,

Will cling to particular schools of thought with sectarian bias and forsake it.

 

As this describes, normally, in this day and age, there seem to be only those intent on causing outer and inner obstacles, and hardly any friends who wish to help.  Those who claim to work for beings’ benefit are mostly paying lip service to it; actually achieving this goal is difficult. However, with the help of faithful donations from multiple people who disregarded hardship and fatigue, including people from thirteen districts, such as three in our own area of Getse Gong-gab; two in Nyarong Abse Bariyul; three in Rakor Gong-gabs; and others from Barkhyung and Kangtsa. Likewise, faithful disciples from India, Nepal, the United States, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have visualized the field of merit and offered whatever they could, making myriad contributions of all sizes.  No offering was disparaged or wasted, and whatever was received went directly to helping the great Khenpo Tenzin Özer construct the World Peace Stupa. 

 

Drawn forth by the dawning of your compassionate aspiration,

The sun of the Great Peace Stupa has arisen.

The darkness of barbaric forces has been banished, and at once,

The golden age of the four abundances is illumined—oh, joy!  

Now, may various peoples of different races

Join their palms of faith, and in concert,

Singing mantras and aspiration prayers,

May they exert themselves in noble actions to gather the twofold provisions [of merit and wisdom].

 

Thus, I offer this verse of wonder.