Some years before his Parinirvana in September 2019, His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche advised that, in the future, the ordained Sangha of Kechara Forest Retreat (KFR) should make daily food offerings to Hariti. Hariti is a deity renowned for removing obstacles, and her ability to help maintain a stable and thriving Sangha community. It was always Tsem Rinpoche’s wish to have a fully-fledged monastic community based in KFR, and the recent ordination of the first members of Kechara’s Sangha in September 2022 was the first step towards realising this vision. Following the ordination, one of Tsem Rinpoche’s main assistants (changtsos) requested advice about the Hariti practice from His Eminence Kensur Rinpoche Lobsang Phende, the abbot emeritus of Shar Gaden Monastery and the ordination master for the first batch of Kechara’s Sangha. Kensur Rinpoche gracefully agreed to give a short teaching on the practice, inviting Kechara’s Sangha and a few others to lunch together. During the lunch, Kensur Rinpoche taught about this captivating deity, her benefits and how to do her practice. Kensur Rinpoche’s explanation sparked the fire of faith in such an incredible practice. Hariti was originally a yakshini who captured human children to be devoured by her own offspring. Yakshinis and their male […]