Kyabje Bokar Rinpoche Enthronement
The formal enthronement for Kyabje Bokar Rinpoche occurred on November 22nd at Bokar Monastery in India.
The newly enthroned Bokar Rinpoche was born on April 25, 2006—though he was not recognized by the Gyalwang Karmapa until 2015. Lama Eric resided at Bokar Monastery from 2004 through 2019 and was was also the young Bokar Rinpoche English teacher and playmate-in-chief for the initial five years after Rinpoche’s arrival. Lama Eric and sangha members John Rothermich, Shelley Turley, Emmett Rothermich, and Lisa Shannon traveled to Bokar Monastery (Facebook Link)and attended the enthronement on behalf of KCC.
The November 22nd enthronement date is the 22nd day of the 9th lunar month which marks one of four principal days special to the life of Buddha Shakyamuni—Buddha’s Descent from the God Realm. It is said that the Buddha traveled to and spent three months in the deva realm giving teachings to his mother who was born there, having died shortly after his birth. This day marks his return from there.
The previous Kyabje Bokar Rinpoche was born in Western Tibet on October 15, 1940 and died on August 17, 2004. He and his predecessor were lineage holders of the Karma Kagyu tradition. Rinpoche studied at Tsurphu Monastery from 1951-1954 under the auspices the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa. His plans to do the three-year retreat there were thwarted by the invasion of the Chinese, and so he fled to India in 1959 where he soon met the previous Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche. Under the direct guidance of Kalu Rinpoche, Bokar Rinpoche participated in the first Shangpa Kagyu three-year retreat and a subsequent Karma Kagyu three-year retreat at the former’s monastery in Sonada. Upon Kalu Rinpoche’s passing, Bokar Rinpoche became the spiritual heir of Kalu Rinpoche and the principal holder of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage.
Bokar Rinpoche began teaching around the world in the 1980s and created the Mahamudra Seminar in 1992 which inspired many other teachers to adopt similar programs. In 1996 Lama Michael Conklin and KCC invited Rinpoche to lead that seminar in Portland, and it was attended by nearly 200 people. Lama Eric and many others met Rinpoche then and became his students, while others at the center had already been practicing under his guidance. This visit invigorated an already growing sangha in Portland and inspired a deep practice habit in the community.
