Drupchen

Drupchen (Tib. གྲུབ་ཆེན་, Wyl. sgrub chen) — literally “great accomplishment,” is a form of intensive group practice that epitomizes the depth, power, and precision of the Vajrayana, drawing together the entire range of its skilful methods—mystical, ritual, and artistic—and including: the creation of the mandala house; the complete sadhana practice with visualization, mudra, chant, and music; continuous day and night practice of mantra; the creation of tormas and offerings, with sacred substances and precious relics; the tsok feast; the sacred dance of cham; as well as the construction of the sand mandala. All blend to create the transcendent environment of the pure realm of the deity and awaken, for all those taking part, the pure perception of this world as a sacred realm.

So it is said that several days participating in a drupchen can yield the same results as years of solitary retreat, and great contemporary masters such as Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche have made a point of encouraging and reviving the practice of drupchen, because of its power of transformation in this degenerate age.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche says: "A drubpa chenpo, a drupchen, requires all kinds of details. For example, you have to do six sessions, you must have a certain number of yogis and yoginis and the sound of the mantra must never be interrupted. If there’s any drupchen happening, one must try to participate. Just as we should participate in tsok offerings again and again, it is really good to participate in a drupchen as a Vajrayana practitioner again and again. It is believed that just going to one drupchen will take care of all samaya breakages instantly. Where there is no drupchen, one should try to organize one."

A drupchen lasts for seven days, but with the preliminary day and the siddhis day, it totals nine days.

Teachings Given to the Rigpa Sangha

• Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, 11 August 2010
• Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, 2 August 2013
• Khenchen Pema Sherab, Lerab Ling, 28-29 January 2022

Drupchens Performed at Rigpa Centres

• August 1997, Lerab Ling: Vajrakilaya drupchen led by Neten Chokling Rinpoche, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and the Chokling Monastery monks. Ritual texts: Vajrakilaya of Nyak Lotsawa, The Oral Transmission Lineage: Heart Essence of Vajrakilaya & the briefest practice from the Sogyal Phurba cycle.
• September 2000, Lerab Ling—the complete drupchen and mendrup of Vajrakilaya, according to the practice of Yang Nying Pudri, was led by the monks of Namgyal Monastery and Garje Khamtrul Rinpoche. Kyabjé Trulshik Rinpoche was also present. His Holiness the Dalai Lama took part in the final session of the drupchen, ‘the receiving of the siddhis’, during which he blessed the amrita.
• Summer 2002, Lerab Ling—a Kurukulla drupchen was led by Neten Chokling Rinpoche and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche.
• Summer 2003, Lerab Ling—a Lama Norlha drupchen was led by Neten Chokling Rinpoche and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche.
• 20-28 July 2004, Lerab Ling—a Tukdrup Barché Kunsel drupchen was led by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and the monks of Chokling Monastery.
• 11-19 August 2010, Lerab Ling—an elaborate Tukdrup Barché Kunsel drupchen was led by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and the monks of Chokling Monastery, and included rabne, tenshyuk and mendrup. Present were, Sogyal Rinpoche, Khandro Tsering Chödrön and Mayum Tsering Wangmo.
• 18-27 October 2012, Berlin Centre—Tukdrup Barché Kunsel drupchen led by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and the monks of Chokling Monastery
• 2-10 November 2012, Lerab Ling—Kurukulla drupchen led by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and the monks of Chokling Monastery
• 25 October-2 November 2013, Lerab Ling—Chime Phakme Nyingtik drupchen led by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Neten Chokling Rinpoche and the monks of Chokling Monastery, including tenshyuk and sundok ceremonies.
• 5-13 November 2013, Lerab Ling—Kurukulla drupchen led by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Neten Chokling Rinpoche and the monks of Chokling Monastery
• 16-26 September 2014, Lerab Ling—Chime Phakme Nyingtik drupchen led by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Neten Chokling Rinpoche and the monks of Chokling Monastery, including tenshyuk and sundok ceremonies
• 28 Sept-6 Oct 2014, Lerab Ling—Kurukulla drupchen led by Neten Chokling Rinpoche and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche
• Summer 2015, Lerab Ling—Chime Phakme Nyingtik drupchen led by Neten Chokling Rinpoche, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, and the monks of Chokling Monastery, including tenshyuk and sundok ceremonies
• 12-21 May 2017, Lerab Ling—Kurukulla drupchen led by Neten Chokling Rinpoche and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche
• 9-11 August 2018, Lerab Ling―Netik Phurba drupchen led by Neten Chokling Rinpoche and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and the monks of Chokling Monastery.
• 27 May-4 June 2019, Lerab Ling—Chime Phakme Nyingtik drupchen led by Neten Chokling Rinpoche and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche
• 27 September-6 October 2024, Lerab Ling: Lama Norlha drupchen led by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche
• Dharma Mati, 12-20 October 2024: Pema Khandro drupchen led by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche

Further Reading

• Padmasambhava & Jamgön Kongtrul, The Light of Wisdom, Vol. III, translated by Erik Pema Kunsang.
• Padmasambhava, Great Accomplishment: Teachings on the Drubchen (North Atlantic Books, 2013)

Internal Links

• Drupchö

External Links

• What is Drupchen—From the Ringu Tulku Archive