APPEAL TO PERMIT LAST RITES OF SHARMAR RINPOCHE IN NEPAL. This is in response to the Nepal govt.’s refusal to allow Shamar’s kudung passage to Kathmandu Cremation: Devotees and disciples of the late 14th Kunzig Shamar rinpoche, Mepham Chokyi Lodro, in Nepal, has appealed to the government of Nepal to allow the kudung of the rinpoche to be taken to Kathmandu from India to conduct his last rites. In an appeal letter, written by Newari Amrit Lama, on behalf of Shamarpa’s Nepalese devotees and disciples on July 14, they stated that, while proper legal procedures were observed and permission obtained to transport Shamarpa’s sacred remains to Nepal, the sudden order of retraction by the Nepalese home ministry has deeply saddened his disciples worldwide, and especially the Nepalese disciples. “Such a move would deny the Nepalese disciples the opportunity to offer their last homage to the sacred remains of their dear guru,” stated the appeal letter. The kudung was to be taken to the Shar Minub monastery in Kathmandu, Shamar rinpoche’s main seat, on July 13. Considered as an influential spiritual leader from Karma Kagyu tradition, and one of the principal disciples of the late 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorjee, Shamar rinpoche passed away at the age of 62 in Germany last month following a heart attack, and was flown to the Karmapa international Buddhist institute (KIBI) in New Delhi on the morning of June 22. The body was then brought to his Shri Diwakar institute in Kalimpong. The Hindustan Times reported that permission to take Shamar Rinpoche’s kudung was denied by the Nepal government, following pressure from the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu. The Chinese embassy requested the Nepal government to withdraw the permission, upon learning that a representative of Dalai Lama was to accompany the body to Nepal, and that a rally was being planned in Kathmandu, it reported. A spokesman for the Shamarpa administration in Kalimpong, where rinpoche’s kudung is kept, told Kuensel that the Indian newspaper had falsely reported about a Dalai Lama representative accompanying the kudung. “We don’t have any representative or member from Dalai Lama’s office,” he said. The spokesman said that they were waiting for the Nepalese government to respond their request, as the spiritual connection between Kunzig Shamarpa and Nepal is a long-standing historical legacy, dating back to centuries of established ‘karmic’ bonds. The last rites of the Rinpoche cannot be conducted in Kalimpong because of logistic problems, the spokesperson said. “ We will have to tack back the kudung to Delhi if our request is not granted.” The 14th Shamarpa, although born in Tibet, also maintained and further strengthened this auspicious spiritual legacy with Nepal. At the age of five, when the 14th Shamarpa departed from the ongoing turmoil in Tibet, a famous Nepali merchant Gyan Jyoti, fondly referred to as ‘Shamo Karpo’, received and attended to the whole Shamarpa family and entourage at his Bajuratna Kothi residence. One of the first responsibilities that the 14th Shamarpa undertook after the completion of his Buddhist education was to travel to Nepal as the representative of the 16th Karmapa. During this time, he established and renovated many monasteries in Nepal and, in particular, his monastery at Swayambhunath, Kathmandu. In July 2011, Shamar rinpoche received a four-day oral transmission and empowerment of Mahamudra (Chhag Chhen Jazhung) from His Holiness the 70th Je Khenpo, Trulku Jigme Choedra, at Tashichhodzong, Thimphu.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 10:46:30 +0000
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