If we are honest with ourselves in order to investigate suffering and happiness, we will understand that suffering and happiness never come without causes and conditions, therefore we are discovering the causes of happiness and suffering. They come from the positive movement and negative movements of body, speech and mind. That is why we make drupchens.

From the perspective of the Buddha’s teaching, all the different appearances, whether pleasant or unpleasant, come from our own habitual patterns. These appearances, whether truly existent or not, permanent or non-permanent, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, disastrous or non-disastrous, depend entirely on our own mind. Therefore, if in our mind we have habitual patterns of positive perception or habitual patterns of negative perception, through these two habitual patterns of perceptions we project samsara and nirvana. When we are watching a samsaric film, it is unpleasant, because a lot of unbearable suffering happens. In the same way, when we are watching nirvana films, a lot of magnificent happy situations occur there. How can we develop our happy situations more? How can we purify sufferings? We think it is possible only through our mind. That is the reason why we are making a drupchen.

Whoever reads very carefully any sadhana text and what is described there, can comprehend that each sadhana is related to the highest tantric teachings of the Buddha connected to the teaching of the generation and completion stages.

The generation stage is connected to samsara in order to purify it. It is also connected to nirvana in order to develop it. Also, it is connected to the universal single ground of samsara and nirvana. It can lead to the realisation of that. As for the completion stage, it is also connected to both samsara and nirvana and can purify the dualistic labelling between good and bad, which is gathering and separation. It can lead to freedom from the dualistic suffering of gathering and separation.

Therefore, whoever connects to this kind of sadhana can perceive a lot of benefit. Whoever practices correctly this kind of sadhana, we appreciate your practice and rejoice very much.

If you cannot participate in our drupchen this time, please practice in this way yourself or join any other drupchen happening in this world.”

Ranyak Patrul Rinpoche learned all aspects of the sadhana practices in Dzogchen Monastery (Tibet), where he was ‘Chöchen’ (Great Ritual Servant) for many years. In 2008 he was the first who enabled Westerners to perform all drupchen activities by themselves, under his precious guidance. Together with Lopön Tsering Gönpo—who, like Rinpoche, is an outstanding chant leader—they started to teach the mudras, the chanting tunes and all ritual activities. Nowadays the senior students have the skills to guide the newcomers, but Rinpoche is still present during the preparatory course and gives his invaluable advice.

During the preparation course, the students are divided into two groups. Those who want to train instruments and chanting join the “Umze team”, while those who wish to learn everything about ritual service join the “Chopön team”. Generally, newcomers are encouraged to join the Umze team in order to learn the fundamental aspects of the sadhana that all participants are performing: the mudras and the chanting tunes.

Here is what you can learn during the preparatory course:

UMZE TEAM:

• Mudras: different graceful hand gestures with a symbolic meaning, performed at specific moments.
• Melodies: there are different tunes that are useful to know in order to follow the chant leader (umze).
• Umze: those who are already acquainted with the sadhana can learn how to be a chant leader.
• Instruments: many traditional instruments are involved in the ritual: bells, rolmo cymbals, silnyen cymbals, a drum, radongs (very long horns), kangling trumpets, gyaling clarinets, and conchs.

CHOPÖN TEAM:

• Setting up the altar (or mandala): how to arrange the different types of offerings and sacred objects.
• Tsok: the tsok feast is an important part of the drupchen sadhana. Tsok involves a large offering of food and drink, the preparation of which is carried out by the chopön team.
• Tormas: ritual sculptures made of flour and butter and decorated with colors and ornaments. Tormas can represent deities, protectors, food, weapons and so on. Some of them are offered during the ritual, while others stay on the altar for the whole duration of the drupchen.
• Chopön: the chopön is the ritual servant who will perform all kinds of activities on behalf of the Vajra Master. There is a main chopön, an assistant chopön and sometimes several assistants.