Last month, we went on a privilege trip to China and witness small opening ceremony of Xi Chiong Shi Temple. It is rare to see a new temple open these days.

Xi Chiong Shi Temple (西琼寺) is situated on one of the most historical Buddhist land in China. It is also the meditation site of Padmasambhava also known as Guru Rinpoche (莲花生大师). This temple belongs to the Nyingma Sect (宁玛巴派,སྔ་འགྱུར་རྙིང་མ།). It is one of the oldest tradition of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug). The Nyingma particularly believes in hidden terma (གཏེར་མ) treasures and place emphasis on Dzogchen (大圓滿, རྫོགས་ཆེན་).

Terma are various forms of hidden teachings that are key to Vajrayana and Bon religious traditions. Tradition holds that terma may be a physical object such as a text or ritual implement that is buried in the ground (or earth), hidden in a rock or crystal, secreted in a herb, or a tree, hidden in a lake (or water), or hidden in the sky (space). Though a literal understanding of terma is "hidden treasure", and sometimes refers to objects that are hidden away, the teachings associated should be understood as being 'concealed within the mind of the guru', that is, the true place of concealment is in the tertön's nature or essence of mind. If the concealed or encoded teaching or object is a text, it is often written in dakini script, a non-human type of code or writing that only a tertön can decipher.

Termas are not always made public right away. The conditions may not be right; people may not yet be ready for them; and further instructions may need to be revealed to clarify their meaning. Often, the tertön himself has to practice them for many years.

Dzogchen or "Great Perfection" is a tradition of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism aimed at discovering and continuing in the natural primordial state of being.It is a central teaching of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and of Bon. In these traditions, Dzogchen is the highest and most definitive path of the nine vehicles to liberation. The term initially referred to the "highest perfection" of deity visualisation, after the visualisation has been dissolved and one rests in the natural state of the innately luminous and pure mind.In the 10th and 11th century, Dzogchen emerged as a separate tantric vehicle in the Nyingma tradition,used synonymously with the Sanskrit term ati yoga(primordial yoga).

Rinpoche La Long Ba (拉龙巴活佛慈诚罗珠仁波切)

The completion of this temple is the big wishes of Rinpoche La Long Ba (拉龙巴活佛慈诚罗珠仁波切). He hopes to spread Tibetan Medicine. With the generous support of his devotees, the temple is able complete to a largfe extent. However, he still needs continue support to help train more doctors, buy medicinal ingredients and complete the final stages of the temple.

Let's enjoy more pictures in part 2