The Nyingma Palyul Meditation Centre Vancouver (PMCV) hosted a birthday celebration for the esteemed Nyingma tulku Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche on 27 September, who this year turned 90. The celebratory dinner in Richmond, British Columbia, honored Rinpoche’s “lifelong compassion and tireless devotion, offering prayers for his excellent health, long life, and continued turning of the Wheel of Dharma.”
More than 300 guests gathered for the occasion, which was described as “a rare and precious evening of gratitude and spiritual connection” with Khenchen Rinpoche, who has spent more than 50 years preserving and sharing the Dharma and guiding generations of practitioners.
“His Eminence Kyabje Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche is one of the most senior, revered khenpos (grand scholars and masters) of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism today,” the PMCV remarked. “Born in Derge, eastern Tibet, in 1936, Rinpoche ordained at a young age and pursued rigorous study of the sutras and tantras at renowned monastic colleges, including Palyul Monastery and Dorje Drak Monastery.”
Among the guests for the celebration were Khenpo Tenzin Norgay Rinpoche, and Khenchen Rinpoche’s personal attendant Khenpo Sonam Tsewang.
The birthday commemoration was organized “in profound gratitude for Kyabje Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche’s extraordinary contributions to the Dharma, as well as his boundless compassion and wisdom,” Nyingma Palyul Meditation Centre Vancouver emphasized.
“This special gathering honors His Eminence’s lifelong dedication to the Dharma and all sentient beings,” the PMCV said in an announcement for the occasion, paying tribute to Rinpoche’s “immense kindness, wisdom, and compassionate teachings.”
Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche was born in 1936 in Riphu Village, in the traditional Tibetan region of Kham. In 1953, Shechen Kongtrul Rinpoche (1901–59) bestowed novice vows upon him. In 1959, he fled to India, where he met Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910–91), from whom he received most of his teachings.
Khenchen Rinpoche received many teachings and oral transmission from Dudjom Rinpoche (1904–87) and Penor Rinpoche (1932–2009) on various occasion. In 1968, Penor Rinpoche invited Khenchen Rinpoche to Namdroling to teach the Dharma.
“Under the guidance of Penor Rinpoche, Khenchen Rinpoche co-founded the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute (NNI) at Namdroling Monastery in South India. For over five decades, he has trained thousands of khenpos, tulkus, and monks, playing a vital role in preserving and flourishing the Nyingma teachings worldwide,” Nyingma Palyul Meditation Center Vancouver noted.
Khenchen Rinpoche has traveled extensively in India, Nepal, and Europe, visiting Dharma centers and sharing the Buddhadharma with thousands of practitioners.
“Renowned for his profound scholarship, crystal-clear teaching style, deep humility, and boundless warmth, Khenchen Rinpoche continues to guide practitioners across the globe with pure lineage wisdom,” Nyingma Palyul Meditation Center Vancouver said.
On 26 September, Khenchen Rinpoche presided over the profound and auspicious “Dharma Protector & 21 Dzambhala Big Puja,” a grand ceremony featuring combined practices of Dharma Protectors and Wealth Deities in the Nyingma tradition.
“Dharma Protectors are the ultimate foundation of protection for a Vajrayana practitioner’s practice and endeavors, while Wealth Deities are the compassionate manifestations of the buddhas and bodhisattvas to relieve the suffering of poverty for all sentient beings,” Nyingma Palyul Meditation Center Vancouver explained.
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90th Birthday Celebration w/ Khenchen Pema Sherab 堪千贝玛谢绕仁波切九十华诞庆祝晚宴 (Eventbrite)
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