Vajra Dance “The Life of Tenzin Yuoe Bumme”

In August 2017 (the sixth month of the Tibetan Year of the Fire Rooster), the monks at Tashi Triling performed a two-day vajra dance "The Life of Tenzin Yuoe Bumme". Tenzin Yuoe Bumme was a spiritual son of the famous warrior king Gesar the Great Lion as well as his designated throne successor. He was also a key Dharma protector for the Earlier Translation School of Nyingma.

In 1997, on the way of pilgrimage to Mount Emei, His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche revealed the Liturgy of Making Offering to Tenzin Yuoe Bumme while resting in the primordial state of mind. The liturgy describes Tenzin Yuoe Bumme as the mind embodiment of Manjushri, the representative of King Gesar the Great Lion, and the collective appearance of the secret body, speech and mind of all warriors. He was also the son of Denma, King Gesar’s warrior minister. His Holiness once declared in the presence of Larung Buddhist Institute’s entire monastic assembly that Denma was one of Mipham Rinpoche’s previous incarnations and His Holiness himself was his son Tenzin. In 1998, with the assistance of his senior students, His Holiness composed the Life of Tenzin Yuoe Bumme, a drama which was performed in the form of vajra dance by monks at Larung initially and spread to other monasteries in Tibet gradually.

This vajra dance consists of five episodes which signify respectively Tenzin’s four enlightened activities (pacifying, increasing, magnetizing and subjugating) and his final victory. It takes five days to perform the entire dance. Only the first (pacifying) and fourth (subjugating) episodes were performed at Tashi Triling last August. Episode One describes Tenzin’s birth, study and practice as well as his spiritual achievement. Episode Four is about how Tenzin subjugated various demons. By watching this dance performance, one can attain superior blessing if he has bodhicitta, faith and pure view while at the same time praying constantly.

At the dance event, Khenchen Sherab Zangpo Rinpoche gave a Dharma talk. He elaborated on His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok’s teaching that the performance of this vajra dance can help eliminate all adversities and disasters in the world. It is also one of the most effective means to help practitioners to dispel obstacles, accumulate merit and virtue, and obtain favorable conditions for Dharma practice. And the Degenerate Age in which we live now is the right time for this vajra dance to be disseminated.