Cremation of Professor Sempa Dorje

August 20, 2022

Two days ago, on 18 August 2022, the cremation ceremony for Professor Sempa Dorje took place at the cremation ground next to KIBI in New Delhi.

In the morning Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, performed the preparatory puja of Gyalwa Gyatso (a red, four-armed form of Chenresig, the embodiment of enlightened compassion) in the KIBI main shrine room, while His Eminence Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche simultaneously carried out the ritual of Mitrugpa at the cremation site.

In the afternoon the kudung (honorific term for the mortal remains of a realised master) was ceremoniously carried to the nearby cremation site, where the fire for the funeral rites was lit, and the djinsek (fire puja) was performed by Karmapa, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, and an assembly of monks.

A number of representatives and delegations from various monasteries and institutions, as well as numerous family members and students of Genla, took the opportunity to pay their final respects to this exceptional scholar and practitioner.

During his long life Genla benefitted countless beings through his vast knowledge and wisdom, which he so generously shared with whoever turned to him for advice and instructions.

It is now up to each of us to follow this great Bodhisattva’s life example by making the best use of our own precious human life.