by Chris M
A group of 12 Tibetan Buddhist Society students embarked on a short pilgrimage to India in mid-December 2025 to visit Loden Rinpoche, a delightful young man and the reincarnation of our holy teacher, Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden.
Arrival in Bengaluru
We arrived in Bengaluru on 11 December where we were met by a smiling Geshe Penpa, a happenstance as he was at the airport to greet students from Singapore. Meeting Geshe Penpa was an unexpected pleasure, like seeing a very good friend again and we were delighted to be able to have lunch with Geshe-la and his students. The next day we departed Bengaluru through the congested but functioning traffic and arrived at our destination in Bylakuppe at about 4:00pm.
Loden Labrang
The next day (13 December), we drove to Loden Labrang which is located near Sera Je monastery to meet Geshe Penpa and Loden Rinpoche. Loden Labrang is home to Geshe Penpa, Loden Rinpoche and seven other monks serving both as accommodation and a place of study.
We adjourned to the meeting room to present Loden Rinpoche with khatas and small gifts and received the khatas back as a blessing. We later made presentations to other lamas at the Labrang – Geshe Penpa as Loden Rinpoche’s guardian and Gelek, the Tibetan English translator.
We also offered Loden Rinpoche and the other two young monks who live at Loden Labrang, raincoats in monastic colours to provide protection for the monsoon season.
The Labrang kindly catered for us by providing three delicious vegetarian meals every day for the duration of our stay. The monks set out the food in the kitchen, and we queued to collect it to enjoy in the dining area amidst wonderful conversations.
On one memorable occasion I was standing in the queue, and I felt a light nudge in my stomach. Looking down, I saw Loden Rinpoche was offering me a plate of food to streamline the serving process. I was reminded of how at the end of class, Geshe Loden would serve us cake and sometimes could be quite insistent about pressing a slice of cake on a plate into our hands to enjoy with our cup of tea.
Denma Khangsten
Denma Khangsten was Geshe Loden’s khangsten (or college) and it is affiliated with Sera Je monastery. We had a visit from four or five senior monks who hold administrative positions in the khangsten. They came to make traditional offerings of khatas to us as visitors and long-term supporters of the khangsten, which had been facilitated by the past kindness and wisdom of Geshe Loden. They also invited us to lunch.
The next day we had lunch upstairs at the Denma temple. The Denma monks kindly provided an extensive menu of delicious vegetarian food. In their brief speech they thanked us for the support for Denma Khangsten that amongst other things enabled them to continue their studies.
After lunch we were given a tour of the temple and were shown the special quarters reserved for His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he came to stay, and also the room reserved for Geshe Loden when he came to stay, recognising the kindness of Geshe Loden’s support of his khangsten. It was quite moving to see this all firsthand – the reverence and respect with which Geshe Loden is held – and to meet others who had benefited from Geshe Loden’s kindness.
Sera Je Monastery
Sera Je was Geshe Loden’s main monastery. We went to Sera on the Lama Tsong Khapa commemoration day, a day of celebration for Gelug monasteries where decorative lights are displayed and pujas are performed. It was an auspicious day for us to sponsor a puja at Sera Je and be able to make offerings to approximately 2500 monks.
On this special occasion we were first invited upstairs to view the puja and to receive the traditional offering of tea and sweet rice with nuts and dried fruit. The chanting, Tibetan horns and cymbals provided an amazing atmosphere. Loden Rinpoche had a special throne from which to view the puja. We then descended the stairs, made prostrations inside the temple entrance and proceeded to make offerings to the assembled monks.
The dedication of the Sera Je puja was for the benefit of the sponsors and members, friends and supporters of the Tibetan Buddhist Society and its community.
In the evening, we returned to Sera Je to participate in the celebrations with many hundreds of ordained sangha, by making light offerings outside the temple, walking around the temple and reciting the Tsong Khapa mantra, and then being able to place khatas inside the temple at the statues of the Buddha and Lama Tsong Khapa. We then walked to other monasteries and khangstens all of which were festooned in celebratory lighting. This was yet another amazing experience.
Doga Labrang
The day before returning to Melbourne, we were fortunate to visit the long-term friend of Geshe Loden and the Tibetan Buddhist Society – Venerable Geshe Doga at his Labrang near Sera Je. Unfortunately, Loden Rinpoche had an exam that morning, so he was unable to be present. Rinpoche was however able to visit Geshe Doga at a later date. It was lovely to see Geshe Doga and our dharma friends from Tara Institute, and we enjoyed having morning tea with them.
Departing Loden Labrang
After enjoying lunch and saying farewell to Loden Rinpoche, Geshe Penpa and the monks, we began our five-hour drive back to Bengaluru for flights back to Melbourne.
This trip was a very special opportunity to visit Loden Rinpoche and the monks at Loden Labrang as well as experience the privilege of making offerings to the monks of Sera Je monastery. I hope to have the opportunity to do it again at some point.
Many thanks to those who put a lot of work in planning and facilitating this trip and especially Geshe Penpa and monks from Loden Labrang who demonstrated great kindness in providing support during our stay.
For more photos of this wonderful visit refer to the photo gallery.