This drupchen is very important for the benefit of all sentient beings and particularly it is a very special event for those who have a strong wish to practice the authentic Dharma, not just to receive fundamental teachings without having confidence or determination. We need to receive direct teachings but we also need to be determined and ready to use them practically and correctly. In order to receive that kind of teaching, we must prepare ourselves to be ready to receive the pith instructions that will lead us to enlightenment in a single life.

It is very important to receive the teachings of the Buddha. When we receive authentic teachings, there is a lot of benefit for all sentient beings, not only for ourselves. If you receive pith instructions and apply them, you become enlightened in this single life. It is really beneficial for all sentient beings. Therefore, we urgently need to act in order to become enlightened, for our own benefit and for the benefit of all other sentient beings, and that’s why I’m preparing for the drupchen. A Dorje Sempa drupchen is an intensive practice of Vajrasattva sadhanas and it is the best purifier of our negativities, it is the best antidote for our ignorance and it is the best path to achieve enlightenment.

Sometimes, if we look at things from the prospective view of fundamentalism, we may think we understand everything, but we don’t understand the essential point – true nature. We may say we are helping others, but at the same time we have a lot of expectations. We can also talk a lot about impartial compassion, but in reality we are concerned about ourselves, we are self-oriented and self-benefiting. And we may look very much concerned and talk about peace in the world and in our family, but in reality we are destroying peace.

In the same way, sometimes we think we are purifying our dirty body, dirty speech and dirty mind, but in some cases, maybe mistakenly, we are virtually making them even dirtier. But if we follow perfect genuine persons and practice correctly, we can get true instructions from the true guide and then in future we can manage our own path, in future we can ourselves control our path. Therefore it is very important to have an enlightened guideline to practice like this.

As for the coming drupchen, it has a tremendous effect and potency, so whoever attends and enjoys this Vajrasattva drupchen gets a lot of benefit. People participating in it accumulate the same amount of virtue they would accumulate in a 3-year retreat. For example, let’s say 30-40 people are coming for this Vajrasattva drupchen; practicing in groups and taking turns, we are continually, without interruption, reciting the Vajrasattva 100-syllable mantra, and maybe each practitioner will recite 3,000 or 4,000 mantras during the whole drupchen; then altogether it can make 100,000 Vajrasattva 100-syllable mantras and the total amount becomes the achievement of each participant. If you practice the Vajrasattva 100-syllable mantra individually, by yourself, sometimes it takes many years.

So, if you attend this 7-day drupchen, you will probably receive great benefits. It is a very powerful collective practice and it is a good opportunity to come together and do some positive things for the benefit of all.

Written by Patrul Rinpoche, 2010, Georgia

Vajrasattva Preparatory 14 – 16 August 2026

Vajrasattva Drupchen 17 – 25 August 2026