The iconic Golden Temple in Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement was inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Friday after it went through a renovation. His Holiness participated as the chief guest at the Seventh Convocation of the nearby Namdroling Monastery along with inaugurating the widely known Golden Temple.
“This monastery is one of the biggest Nyingma centres of learning and although Penor Rinpoche was enthusiastic about encouraging debating skills here, he told me that not all his fellow Nyingma masters were similarly impressed.” His Holiness remarked about the Namdroling Monastery widely known as Golden Temple which is a very well known tourist attraction in the state during the ceremony.
Around 300 graduates including both monks and nuns received their degrees from His Holiness the Dalai Lama during the convocation ceremony. The students included even those who had already completed their graduations since 2011 and they pledged before the Tibetan spiritual leader to serve the Dharma.
“The late Penor Rinpoche worked hard. He was the kind of man who once he had started something would see it through to the end. This centre of learning, Ngagyur Nyingma Institute, is part of his legacy. His deeds and spirit remain an inspiration for us today. The flourishing of the Dharma depends on people undertaking study and practice, not on their building temples and statues. There is a colossal statue of the Buddha in Bodhgaya and another of Guru Rinpoche in TsoPema. They provide inspiration, but neither of them will ever speak. On the other hand, if the Buddha were alive today, what he would do is teach.” His Holiness added.
This morning His Holiness left for Bengaluru where he is scheduled to give a Silver Jubilee Lecture for the Seshadripuram Group of Institutions at the Palace Grounds on Sunday morning. The golden temple will be now be open for public between 7 am to 7pm.