Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Source: shechen.org

The teacher is at the very center of the Tibetan Buddhist world. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was the archetype of the spiritual teacher. His inner journey led him to an extraordinary depth of knowledge and enabled him to be, for all who met him, a fountain of loving kindness, wisdom, and compassion.

Childhood

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was born in 1910 in Eastern Tibet to a family descended from the royal lineage of the ninth century king Trisong Detsen. When he was still in his mother’s womb, he was recognized as a tulku or incarnation by the illustrious teacher, Mipham Rinpoche. He was later enthroned as an emanation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, one of the most important tertons (treasure-finders) and writers of the 19th century. Khyen-tse means wisdom and love.
Even as a little boy, Rinpoche manifested a strong desire to devote himself entirely to the spiritual life. Although his father wanted him to follow in his footsteps, he finally agreed to allow his son to pursue his own wishes and, at the age of eleven, Rinpoche entered Shechen Monastery in Kham, one of the six main monasteries of the Nyingma School.

Education and Teachers

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche had many great teachers including his root guru, Shechen Gyaltsap from whom he received all the essential empowerments and instructions of the Nyingma tradition. Then, from the age of fifteen until he was twenty-eight, he spent his time meditating in silent retreat, living in isolated hermitages and caves, or sometimes simply under the shelter of overhanging rocks in the mountainous countryside.
He later spent many years with Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro (1893-1959) receiving empowerments and teachings. When he told his teacher that he wanted to spend the rest of his life in solitary retreats, Chokyi Lodro answered, “The time has come for you to teach and transmit to others the precious teachings you have received.” Since then, Rinpoche worked for the benefit of others with the tireless energy that is the hallmark of the Khyentse lineage. He was a great teacher and terton, and was the most eminent modern day proponent of the non-sectarian or Rimed tradition. His Terma (rediscovered texts) fill five volumes.

Life in Exile

In the late 1950’s Khyentse Rinpoche and his family, his wife, Khandro Lhamo, and their two young daughters, fled Tibet. They were welcomed in Bhutan by the Bhutanese Royal Family. Rinpoche began anew, teaching in a large school near the country’s capital. Soon his inner qualities drew many students to him, and as the years passed he became the foremost Buddhist teacher in Bhutan, revered by all from the King to the humblest farmer. In Bhutan, Rinpoche gave teachings, performed ceremonies, wrote treaties and texts, and oversaw the preservation and construction of numerous stupas and statues.

Contributions to Buddhist Tradition and Culture Preservation

Rinpoche devoted considerable efforts to founding and sustaining temples, colleges, and monasteries where study and practice of the Buddhist tradition could be undertaken. One of his last activities was the founding of Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery, in Nepal. There he transplanted the rich Shechen tradition to a new home - a magnificent monastery near the great Stupa of Bodhanath. It was his wish that the teachings be continued in their authentic purity, just as they were studied and practiced in Tibet. He appointed his grandson,Rabjam Rinpoche as abbot of the monastery. The monastery now has over 300 monks studying and practicing under its auspices.

In India, he built a stupa at Bodhgaya, and planned to construct seven stupas in pilgrimage places to avert conflict, disease, and famine, and promote world peace. Khyentse Rinpoche was widely regarded as one of the greatest Dzogchen masters of his time and was the teacher of many important lamas including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Sogyal Rinpoche, Dzigar Kontrul Rinpoche, and other teachers from the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Even in his later years, Rinpoche traveled throughout the Himalayas and the West, transmitting and explaining the teachings to his countless students. His books have been translated into many Western languages, and his inspiration is still strongly felt today.
In 1985 Rinpoche made the first of three extended visits to Tibet. He inaugurated the rebuilding of the original Shechen Monastery which had been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. While in Central Tibet, he petitioned the Chinese government for permission to restore Samye Monastery stressing its importance for the world’s cultural heritage. Samye, founded in the eighth century, was the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet and by 1990 its main temple had been restored. Wherever he went, he was greeted with great joy and emotion by people who had waited for years to see him again.
Scholar, sage, and poet, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche never ceased to inspire all who encountered him through his extraordinary presence, simplicity, dignity, and humor. Wherever he was, he would always pray and meditate for several hours before dawn and then embark on an uninterrupted flow of activities and teachings - in gatherings ranging from a few dozen to several thousand people - until late into the night. His immense knowledge, the warmth of his blessings, and the depth of his inner realization gave his teachings a quality quite different from others.

His achievements in different fields each seem more than enough to have filled a whole lifetime. He spent 20 years in retreat, wrote over 25 volumes on Buddhist philosophy and practice, published and saved countless texts, and initiated numerous projects to preserve and disseminate Buddhist thought, tradition and culture. But above all, what he considered most important was that the teachings he had realized and transmitted were put into practice by others.
At the age of 81, after a brief illness, he passed away in Bhutan. His cremation was attended by over fifty thousand people, including teachers and disciples from around the world.

A Message from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's Return to the West

December 21, 2009

Photo courtesy of Lotus Speech

One way or another, the majority of students and practitioners from all the different lineages of Tibetan Buddhism will have a connection with Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Some of us are fortunate enough to consider ourselves as his students. The present Yangsi Rinpoche, without a single doubt, embodies the previous Khyentse Rinpoche's presence, wisdom and compassion. Now, for the first time, Yangsi Rinpoche is traveling to the west. This journey is a rare gift from His Eminence Rabjam Rinpoche and establishes our continuous, uninterrupted connection with Kyabjé Khyentse Rinpoche and the Khyentse lineage. I hope those who have time and space will make a point to participate in this program.

For more information, visit www.dilgokhyentsevancouver.ca andwww.khyentsevisit2010.org

After three years of nothing, let’s party – an excerpt

From Sydney Morning Herald,

Read more at After three years of nothing, let’s party, April 12, 2008

- The Rinpoche, considered the third incarnation of his line, is profound and mischievous.

"Tibetans are famous for being dirty," he declared. "But when I went to Nimbin, it's a little unfair to Tibetans."

- "The only problem of our lives is this habit of getting distracted all the time," the Rinpoche said, blaming praise, criticism, fame and "so-called happiness". "The only thing that we should really do … is develop mindfulness, the opposite of distraction."

He thinks anyone healthy and without family obligations could do a three-year retreat, but warns that rejoining the world is hard. "This modern world is designed [so that] if you stop being part of this machine for even 10 days, you're already disqualified, you will not get the same job," he said.

"That computer - you need to constantly update yourself, otherwise you don't have a licence to even be a human being."

-  There is no reason for it to last three years, three months and three days, other than symbolic tradition. "Nine years is fine,

12 years is fine, 25 years is fine, but there has been a tradition in Tibet especially of three years," the Rinpoche said. "I guess human beings like numbers. It sets some kind of goal."

Although retreatants don't really have a goal. "This is a journey without a goal; that's the biggest goal," he said. "This is very difficult for human beings. When you are asked to come here, to spend all your money and a good chunk of your life to do nothing and gain nothing, it's difficult."

Rinpoche’s address to Khyentse Foundation board

Source: Khyentse Foundation

December 03, 2009
What Our Founder Has To Say

Excerpt of  Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche’s address to the Khyentse Foundation board of directors and advisors  in California.

...
I have had the opportunity to meet many masters, and some of them have had a very strong influence in my life. I was thinking about it the other day. I think two who had the most influence are those lamas who really have this concern for the dharma like Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Deshung Rinpoche. I think I wouldn’t be lying if I said that these people used to lose sleep because they were so concerned and worried basically, almost to the extent of paranoia, about one word, one page. Sometimes of course I’m still very lazy and very much distracted here and there. But what really makes me feel guilty, scared, or uneasy is when I remember these lamas, like Deshung Rinpoche and Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, when I remember the accounts of the moments when they expressed their concerns about the lineage, the teachings of Buddha. So it’s almost as if there’s no choice—we also have to be concerned, because of them. And also, I think it is really important to be concerned with each different aspect of the teachings and the traditions.

For example, when we talk about the environment, of course, it’s good to protect your own trees in your own backyard. But as a citizen of this world, one can’t really forget the Amazon. So not to be concerned, as a Tibetan Buddhist myself, not to be concerned with the decline or degeneration of let’s say Theravadin Buddhism in Burma, is not wise. If we lose one tradition such as Theravada, everything will collapse: Mahayana will collapse, Vajrayana will collapse. It’s so interdependent.

We human beings, we have this habit of being concerned with things that are immediate, things that are connected with us personally, and we tend to forget the general, the big picture. I think this also happens within dharma circles. Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö used to say that there are a few lamas who are concerned with their lineage, but nobody seems to really worry about Shakyamuni. This is so true.

Some lamas feel that this is the age of degeneration, so in fact, the effect of the dharma is no more, so to speak; so there is almost no point, it’s like the show is over. This is how I think some traditional lamas think. But I personally think that’s not true. Because still we have people who really are interested in concepts such as emptiness, bodhicitta, compassion, interdependent arising; not only just curiosity—we still do have people who actually put some effort in it, at least intellectually, and a few even try to put it into practice. So I don’t really believe that the Buddhadharma has completely come to a stop.

Definitely, from the dharma point of view, you can say that we are experiencing a degenerated time. But the fact that it is a degenerated time is actually one of the reasons why we should work even harder.

If you read sutras such as the Fortunate Eon Sutra, the life accounts of the thousand Buddhas, their previous lives, and you read these beautiful stories about the bodhisattvas, around the dark age when there was no Buddha, no dharma, and very few living masters, what they did was they offered a bell to a stupa. The bell would ring, the sound of the bell would be heard by people walking by, and then people would notice the stupa and through that create some kind of a karmic connection to the dharma. And because of having done such a virtuous deed, these bodhisattva later achieved enlightenment and became one of the thousand Buddhas. We hear many of these accounts, so actually it tells us that as the degenerated time becomes deeper, I think we have even more reason to really gather all our courage and put this into practice.

If we, as followers of the Buddha, cannot put the dharma into practice, at least we can protect the dharma, maintain it, preserve it, multiply it, and make it available so that other people who have time and energy and wish to practice the dharma, so that they can have it. I don’t think there is anything that is less important, anything that we can disregard. Everything, every lineage, every activity that is related to preserving the dharma is so important.

Click here for full transcript

Do nothing

A guided meditation by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Source: Tricycle

Photo: Wikimedia

I’m going to talk a little about shamatha meditation, and I thought it would be good to try and actually do the meditation as we go along. The actual technique is very simple. All the great meditators of the past advised us to sit up straight when we meditate. When we sit up straight, there is a sense of alertness, a sense of importance—it produces the right atmosphere. In this particular instruction, I’m going to suggest we don’t use an external object, such as a flower, but instead follow the standard Theravada tradition of using our breath as the object. So we concentrate on our breathing: we simply follow our breath in and out. That’s it. Our mind is focused on the breathing, our posture is straight, our eyes are open. That’s the essential technique: basically doing nothing.
Let’s do that for a while.

We simply sit straight and we watch our breathing. We are not concerned with distractions, with all the thoughts that occupy our mind. We just sit—alone, by ourselves, no reference at all. Us, the breathing, and the concentration. That’s all we have.

So we sit, we concentrate on the breathing, nothing else. Then some thoughts may come, and any number of distractions: things you talked about yesterday, movies you watched last week, a conversation you just had, things you need to do tomorrow, a sudden panic—did I switch off the gas in the kitchen this morning? All of this will come, and when it does, go back to the breathing. This is the slogan of shamatha instruction: just come back. Every time we notice that we’ve gotten distracted, we remember the instruction and we come back to the breath. Let’s do this for a while.

If we have ambitions—even if our aim is enlightenment— then there is no meditation, because we are thinking about it, craving it, fantasizing, imagining things. That is not meditation. This is why an important characteristic of shamatha meditation is to let go of any goal and simply sit for the sake of sitting. We breathe in and out, and we just watch that. Nothing else. It doesn’t matter if we get enlightenment or not. It doesn’t matter if our friends get enlightened faster. Who cares? We are just breathing. We just sit straight and watch the breath in and out. Nothing else. We let go of our ambitions. This includes trying to do a perfect shamatha meditation. We should get rid of even that. Just sit.

The beautiful thing about having less obsessions and ambitions—and just sitting straight and watching the breathing—is that nothing will disturb us. Things only disturb us when we have an aim. When we have an aim, we become obsessed. Say our aim is to go somewhere, but somebody parks right in front of our car, blocking us. If something gets in the way of our aim, it becomes a terrible thing. If we don’t have an aim, though, it doesn’t matter.

Meditators often have a strong ambition to achieve something with their meditation. But when meditators get distracted, they go through all kinds of hell: they lose their confidence, they get frustrated, they condemn themselves, they condemn the technique. This is why, at least during the first few moments of meditation, it doesn’t matter whether we are getting enlightened or not, it doesn’t matter whether the hot water is boiling in the kettle, it doesn’t matter whether the telephone is ringing, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s one of our friends. For a few moments, things don’t matter.

You don’t have to meditate for the sake of attaining enlightenment. If you are not interested in enlightenment, you can practice shamatha to be natural—to not be so swayed by circumstances. Most of the time we are not in control of ourselves; our mind is always attracted to, or distracted by, something—our enemies, our lovers, our friends, hope, fear, jealousy, pride, attachment, aggression. In other words, all these objects and these phenomena control our mind. Maybe we can control it for a split second, but when we are in an extreme emotional state, we lose it.

Letting go of ambition is a bit like the renunciation that Buddhists talk about. The Buddha renounced his palace, his queen, his son, and his parents, and went out in search of enlightenment. You can say that the Buddha was trying to diminish his ambition. At least, he was trying to see the futility of it, and he was letting go. Letting go is quite important if you want to become a shamatha practitioner. We do shamatha meditation so we can achieve this power to let go.
Meditation is one of the rare occasions when we’re not doing anything. Otherwise, we’re always doing something, we’re always thinking something, we’re always occupied. We get lost in millions of obsessions or fixations. But by meditating—by not doing anything—all these fixations are revealed. Beginners might find this a little frightening, but slowly they will gain inner confidence, and these fixations will automatically lessen. The classical meditationinstruction texts say our obsessions will undo themselves like a snake uncoiling itself.

Thoughts are coming and I’m telling you to go back to the breathing. You automatically interpret this as “We should stop the thoughts.” This is not what I mean. I’m not saying you should stop thinking. All I’m saying is, concentrate on the breathing. When thoughts come, don’t stop them, don’t increase them, don’t encourage them, don’t discourage them. Your job is to concentrate on the breathing. That’s it. Stopping the thoughts is not your job. It’s important to understand the difference: thoughts are going to come; all you do is just concentrate on the breathing. That’s it.

Lord Maitreya has some really good advice for shamatha practice: When we are doing shamatha and the mind gets distracted, it is important that we remember the antidote. The antidote here is very simply to go back to the breath. We call this “Applying the antidote.” But sometimes we apply the antidote too much, which can cause both dullness and agitation. You got that? If you keep applying the antidote—antidote, antidote, antidote—it’s like applying the antidote when there’s no poison. That becomes a problem.

Always do short but frequent shamatha sessions. I’m talking especially to beginners. If you’re going to meditate for fifteen minutes, start fresh at least thirty times. Over time we can start doing longer sessions—in a fifteen-minute session, we can do it fifteen times with a break in between. And when you take a break, take a real break— walk, stand up, do something else. Don’t just linger there half meditating, half not meditating. After a while, you can practice seven times within fifteen minutes.

Keeping it short is important because if you do too much at the beginning, you’ll get fed up with the technique. We are human beings—we don’t like to get bored. We like to change what we eat, we like changing our clothes. We like change.

Likewise, the spiritual path is a long process, and we need a lot of patience. We need to like the path, so keep the meditation short and precise and frequent. That way we develop strong habits. Later on, it becomes part of us. It’s like drinking alcohol: when we first start drinking, we drink a little; we don’t drink two or three bottles at one time. If we did, we’d get so sick we’d never touch it again. So practice shamatha for a short time but many times. That way you’ll get habituated. This is necessary. Shamatha should become part of your life.

And during the off sessions, also, if it’s possible, remember you are breathing. We always forget that we are breathing.

Also, you should not limit your meditation to only in the morning or only in the evening: you should do it any time, all the time. Practice time is always now—it’s never in the future. Don’t ever leave your shamatha thinking, “I’m going to do it next weekend, next month, or next year.” Do it now. Anyway, you’re only doing it for about forty-five seconds, if you’re a beginner. It’s easy. You can do it anywhere. It only requires this: to sit straight.

As we meditate, we simply sit straight and watch the breath. So what does that do? It creates space. In fact, the technique itself is just a trick. The main point is to recognize all these thoughts and distractions that are constantly bombarding us. We still get angry, but we know that we are angry—this kind of anger has so much humor. We can actually drive it in certain directions—we have more control.

The frustrating thing about our life is that there is no control over these emotions. That’s why there’s no fun. The whole purpose of Buddhism is to have fun, isn’t it? And in order to have fun you have to have control. If someone else has control over you, that’s it: there’s no fun.

Shamatha involves a lot of discipline. Lamas often advise us to do meditation in a group, because when we are doing meditation in a group, we want to be the best, the fastest; we have so much pride and ego, and we’re so competitive—why not use this competitiveness as a tool on the path? It’s like working out—if you buy the machines and bring them home, you do three or four days and the machines end up in the garage. But if you go to a gym, you see the other people who are diligently doing it, and all the other beautiful bodies, and it gives you inspiration. What a wrong motivation! But at least it will lead you somewhere.
Keep it simple, don’t make it complicated. Concentrate on the breathing, sit straight—that’s all. Every day, do a few minutes, and, on top of that, do it spontaneously in different places—not just in front of the shrine, but everywhere. There’s so much merit in just sitting there.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche was born in Bhutan in 1961 and is recognized as the main incarnation of Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1894-1959). From early childhood, he has studied with some of the greatest contemporary masters, including His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He has established dharma centers in Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe.

Online Art Auction to Benefit Lotus Outreach

Borrowed from: Siddhartha's Intent

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has created seven original works of art for an exclusive auction to benefit Lotus Outreach. 100% of proceeds from this virtual auction will go toward supporting charitable initiatives for women and children in Asia. This is your chance to own the original artwork before print versions are even released!

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Projecting the Dharma

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche: Projecting the Dharma from Siddhartha's Intent on Vimeo.

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, Dzòngsar Kyēndze Chȫgyi Lōtrö
Tibetan: རྫོང་གསར་མཁྱེན་བརྩ་ཆོས་ཀྱི་བློ་གྲོས་
Wylie: Rdzong-gsar Mkhyen-brtse Chos-kyi Blo-gros

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö, c.1893-1959) was a Tibetan lama, a master of many lineages, and a teacher of many of the major figures in 20th century Tibetan Buddhism. Though he died in 1959 in Sikkim, and is not so well known in the West, he was a major proponent of the Rime movement within Tibetan Buddhism, and had a profound influence on many of the Tibetan lamas teaching today.

He was born in 1893 at Rekhe Ajam near Kathok Monastery in eastern Tibet, south of Derge. His father was Gyurme Tsewang Gyatso of Amdo and was considered to be a tantric master. His mother was Tsultrim Tso.

In 1900 at age seven, he was brought to Kathok Monastery, and Kathok Situ Gyatso recognized him ceremonially as the action emanation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the great Rime master of 19th century Tibet. In the following years of his youth he was tutored by Khenpo Thupten in grammar, astrology, Sanskrit, and in Buddhist scripture. By the time he was thirteen he had received the transmission of the Longchen Nyingthig- the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse, the Nyingthig Yabzhi - Four Branches of Heart Essence, and an introduction to Dzogchen meditation.

When he was fifteen he moved to Dzongsar Monastery, the seat of the previous Khyenste Wangpo. He studied Abhidharma andMadhyamaka philosophy, and soon began teaching Buddhist canonical texts to several students there. From the time he was seventeen, he received Sakya school transmissions such as Lamdre Lopshe and the Hevajra tantra, and many Nyingma termateachings.

In 1919, when he was twenty six, he went to Dzogchen Monastery and received ordination as a monk. Later in the same year he established a shedra at Dzongsar Monastery. At Shechen monastery, he received a number of transmissions from Shechen Gyaltsap, who became one of his principal masters. The next few years of his life he visited many monasteries of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and received transmissions and lineage teachings from various teachers.

Then in 1926 he went on a pilgrimage to Central Tibet, and at the main Nyingma monastery of Mindroling took ordination as a monk for a second time. Just before he returned to his home region in Eastern Tibet, Kathok Situ Gyatso of Kathok Monastery died. After this, for the next fifteen years Chokyi Lodro took part in the administration of Kathok Monastery, which is home of the Kathok lineage teachings of the Nyingma. He continued to perfect, and accomplish the meditations and the sadhanas of all the Tibetan traditions, becoming a true Rime master, who was able to teach both analytical philosophy and the performance of practices leading to realization from the various lineages. During this time-period he also completed a five hundred thousand accumulation of his ngondro.

In the 1940s he studied with the leading Vajrayana masters from all over Tibet, and continued receiving transmissions from the Gelugpa, Nyingma, Sakya and Kagyu schools. He developed a reputation during that era as being a Rime master par excellence, and many of the new generation of Lamas who would bring Tibetan Buddhism to the West began to see him as their master. Thus he became a teacher and guide for Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche and Sogyal Rinpoche. He was a major influence on a very young Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, who first met him in 1945, and he is also mentioned with awe by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche in his biography.

Later Life and Death

He became seriously ill in 1949, when he was fifty six years old. According to the prophecies of Khyentse Wangpo, of Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye and from his own prophecies, in order to remove obstacles to his longevity, and so he could continue to teach Dharma, it was necessary for him to drop his monastic vows and marry. For a Nyingma Lama, this was not an unusual circumstance. He married Khandro Tsering Chödrön (b. 1929)  that same year, and rapidly recovered his health.

In 1955 as the situation for monasteries continued to worsen in Eastern Tibet, he traveled to Lhasa. While there, he was invited to Tsurphu Monastery to give teachings and empowerments to the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. In turn the Karmapa gave him an empowerment in the red form of Avalokiteshvara, a historic, personal yidam of the Karmapas.

He then commenced a pilgrimage to India. He visited sites sacred to Buddhism in Nepal and India, and then at the invitation of the King of Sikkim, took up residence in Gangtok, Sikkim. In the final four years of his life, the Palace Temple where he resided became a spiritual center. By this time he was known as a Master of masters, and his presence attracted many lamas from Tibet, who came to receive transmissions from him. According to Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche one could ask him for clarification about some point, in any of the termas from any of the numerous lineages, and he always had an answer.

At the age of sixty-seven, in early 1959 with the Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet underway, he again became seriously ill. Prayers and rituals for his long life were performed day and night, by all the lineages in Sikkim. Despite these devoted spiritual efforts, he died. According to Sogyal Rinpoche he died in the 'sleeping lion's posture', a yogic posture, and remained in a subtle meditative state for three days. His body was kept in state for six months, as disciples throughout the Himalayas came to pay their respects. According to legend, his body did not display the usual signs of decomposition during this time. This phenomenon has been known to occur at the death of several other Tulkus. His cremation was performed at a stupa at Tashiding, Sikkim, and his remains are kept in the Royal Chapel of Sikkim.

In 1961 Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche was born in Bhutan, and was immediately recognized as the incarnation of Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.

Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo

Source Rangjung Yeshe Publications

Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892)

From Masters of Meditation and Miracles by Tulku Thondup

According to the Nyingma tradition, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo is the body incarnation of Jigme Lingpa. He became one of the greatest masters, in whom the lineages of all of Tibetan Buddhism find their confluence. He became a prominent propagator of Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and other teaching lineages. He was recognized as the rebirth of Jigme Lingpa (1730-1798) by the Nyingmapas and the Nesar Khyentse (1524-?) and Thartse Champa Namkha Chi-me by the Sakyapas. As Jigme Lingpa, he was also the manifestation of King Trisong Detsen, Vimalamitra, and many other masters. He was the master of thirteen lineal orders and was regarded as one of the five kings among the hundred major tertons of the Nyingma tradition.

He was also known as Dorje Ziji, Pema Do-ngak Lingpa, Jigpa Mepe De, Tsokye Lama Gyepe Bang, Kunkhyen Lama Gyepe Bang, Jigme Khyentse Dokar, Mañjughosha, and Kun-ga Tenpe Gyaltsen.

He was born near Khyungchen Trak in a family of the Nyo clan from the village of Dilgo in the Terlung Valley of Dege amid wondrous signs on the fifth day of the sixth month of the Iron Dragon year of the fourteenth Rabjung (1820). His father was Rinchen Wangyal, an administrator of the Dege Palace, and his mother was Sonamtso, from a Mongol background.

Once his father asked the first Dodrupchen whether he should become a monk. Dodrupchen replied, "Do not become a monk. If you don't become a monk and get married, a great tulku will be born among your offspring. He will become a great source of benefits for the Dharma and beings."

From childhood he could recall his previous lives, and Ekajati and Mahakala were visible in forms and in energies around him to offer their protection.

At the age of eight he started to study Tibetan, astrology, medicine, and other disciplines with his father and Lamen Chotrak Gyatso. He was very intelligent, and he perfected his recitation and writing studies without the slightest difficulty. He also understood the meanings of the profound texts merely by reading them.

One day when he was seriously sick, in a vision he was given Vajrakila empowerment by Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal, and the obstructions of his life were pacified.

At about age eleven, he went to Kathok Monastery, and his uncle Mokton named him Jigme Khyentse Dokar, which indicated that he was the tulku of Jigme Lingpa.

At twelve, Thartse Khenpo Kun-ga Tenzin (1776-?) recognized him as the tulku of his teacher and uncle, Ngor Thartse Khenchen Champa Namkha Chi-me, who was a great Khenpo of Ngor Monastery in Central Tibet and who then taught and died at Lhundrup Teng in Dege. Kun-ga Tenzin named him Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Kun-ga Tenpe Gyaltsen.

At fifteen, in a pure vision he went to Bodhgaya and was entrusted with the treasures of the Prajnaparamita and Anuttaratantra teachings by Manjushrimitra. In front of the Bodhgaya temple, he purified the defilements of gross body by burning it and transforming it into a pure body like that of Vimalamitra.

At sixteen, in a pure vision, he went to Zangdok Palri, and from Guru Rinpoche, with hosts of dakinis, he received the introduction to the three Buddha bodies and the prophecy that he would become the "receiver of seven orders" (bKa' Babs bDun). Then Guru Rinpoche and the dakinis merged into Khyentse, saying:

Maintaining the emptiness intrinsic awareness nakedly,

Unstained by the grasped objects or

Unpolluted by the grasper thoughts

Is the vision of the Buddhas.

At eighteen he went to the hermitage of Zhechen Monastery and studied Sanskrit, poetry, and other subjects with Gyurme Thutop of Zhechen.

At nineteen, from Jigme Gyalwe Nyuku he received the transmissions of the Longchen Nyingthig cycle with miraculous signs. Then Lama Norbu, a disciple of the first Dodrupchen, gave him the introduction to the nature of the mind while transmitting the teachings of Amitabha discovered by Dodrupchen. Even in the latter part of his life, Khyentse Wangpo would say, "There is no more to progress [in the realization of the nature of the mind] than he realized then."

At twenty, at the request of Thartse Khenpo, he went to Ngor Monastery in Central Tibet. There he discovered many teachings and objects as earth ter. They included Thugje Chenpo Semnyi Ngalso, discovered at Tragmar Drinzang; Lama Kuzhi Drupthap at Damsho Nyingtrung; Tsasum Gyutrul Trawa at Singu Yutso; and Tsasum Chidu at Yarlung Sheltrak.

At twenty-one, he took full monastic ordination from Khenpo Rigdzin Wangpo at Mindroling Monastery in Central Tibet. He received bodhichitta vows from Sangye Kun-ga, the seventh Throne-holder of Mindroling.

Before the Jowo image at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the rice he threw as offering instantly turned into white flowers, and a hundred butter lamps burned without needing to be lit. While he was saying prayers for the benefit of others, someone requested him to make an aspiration for himself. He said:

Without having any leader here [in me] or any servant over there,

Without having enemies to subdue or friends to protect,

In a solitary place, by taming my own mind,

May I accomplish the vast deeds of the bodhisattvas.

At twenty-four, at Oyuk, his memory of having been Chetsun Senge Wangchuk and his subsequent attainment of the light body of great transformation was awakened, and he discovered the profound Chetsun Nyingthig teachings. He made an extensive pilgrimage as an ascetic in Tsang, Ngari, and Central Tibet. At many places he perceived the images as the real Buddhas or the masters, and he beheld pure visions and had realizations. By the end of his twenty-fourth year, he returned to Kham and studied the teachings of the Ngor tradition at Dzongsar Tashi Lhatse.

At twenty-nine, he went to Central Tibet again for three years. At Gegye in Changdrok, as he was receiving the blessings from Guru Rinpoche in a pure vision, he discovered Sangdrup Tsokye Nyingthig as mind ter. At Samye, he saw the Tsokye Dorje image transform itself as the actual Guru Rinpoche and merge into him. As a result, he discovered Tsokye Nyingthig . At thirty-five, while he was meditating on white Tara, he had the vision of the Tara. As the result, he discovered Phagme Nyingthig.

At forty, as a result of pure vision, he received blessings from Guru Rinpoche, which enabled him to see all the tertons and all the ter teachings that had appeared in the past, were appearing then, or would appear in the future in Tibet. Since that time he became the master of all of the ters.

From Khenpo Pema Dorje he received many transmissions including Longchen Nyingthig, Gyutrul Zhitro, Dupa Do, and the seventeen tantras. Also, from the fourth Dzogchen Rinpoche he received the common and uncommon ngondro teachings of Longchen Nyingthig. He also received Longchen Nyingthig transmissions from Jigme Gyalwe Nyuku and Jetsun Sonam Chokden.

Then he received the teachings of all the lineages that exist in Tibet from about one hundred and fifty lamas over a period of some thirteen years. He studied or received the transmissions of more than seven hundred volumes. They included the traditions of Nyingma, Kadam, Sakya, Drikung, Taklung, Kamtsang, Drukpa, and others.

His main teachers were Trichen Tashi Rinchen of Sakya, Thartse Kun-ga Tendzin (1776-?), Champa Naljor, and Ngawang Lektrup of Ngor in Tsang Province in the west, Trichen Gyurme Sangye and Jetsun Thrinle Chodron of Mindroling, and Lhatsun Rinpoche of Drepung Monastery in Ü Province, and Zhechen Gyurme Thutop, Jigme Gyalwe Nyuku, Migyur Namkhe Dorje, Khenpo Pema Dorje, and Kongtrul Lodro Thaye of Kham Province in the east.

He accomplished everything that he studied. However, according to Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse, Khyentse Wangpo's "main practice was the guru yoga of Longchen Nyingthig."

He made Dzongsar Tashi Lhatse Monastery of the Sakya tradition in Dege his main seat and rebuilt it after the destruction caused by Nyakrong forces.

According to the Nyingma tradition, he received the transmissions or became the receiver of the seven orders (bKa' Babs bDun) of teachings:

1. He received the transmissions of both the Old Tantras and New Tantras.

2. He discovered many earth treasures (Sa gTer).

3. He rediscovered many earth treasures that had been discovered by earlier tertons.

4. He discovered many mind treasures (dGongs gTer).

5. He rediscovered or reawakened many mind treasures that had been discovered by earlier tertons.

6. He discovered many Pure Vision teachings (Dag sNang).

7. He received oral-transmission teachings (sNyan brGyud) in pure vision from many divinities.

The third Dodrupchen, who studied with him, describes his personal experiences of Khyentse Wangpo:

Wherever he lived, a very strong sweet scent always filled the surroundings, which was believed to be the sign of his strict monastic discipline. Even a movement of his fingers was inspiring and meaningful, and people became powerless not to appreciate every gesture he made. Wherever he lived, you would always feel a pleasant heat, as if from a fire in the cold. Numerous people saw him in different forms of Buddhas or early masters. Whatever the season, people in his presence always had the feeling of being in the joy and prosperity of summer. He was exceptionally caring of poor people and spoke to them very gently. Arrogant and cruel people who were known as brave men would run from him without looking back, like escapees, or would submit as if their heads were falling off. Before him, every great master or powerful person became insignificant and humble. He was humble, honest, and kind. He was skilled in both Dharmic and secular ethical values. Before him, no one dared to express flattering or deceptive words. He taught all kinds of assemblies with great confidence, like a lion among other animals. In the midst of hosts of disciples, he was simple, and harmonious with all, and he spoke at the right moment and for the right length of time. His reasoning mind was swift like a river coursing down a steep mountain. His voice would fill the atmosphere as if it were the waves of the ocean. Sometimes he taught without caring to eat his meal. Because of the rush of disciples and the load of teachings, visitors sometimes had to wait weeks or even months to see him, but everyone felt joy in waiting for him.

Khyentse Wangpo constructed many temples and libraries, and inspired thousands of people to undertake activities on behalf of Dharma. He commissioned the building of about two thousand statues, the copying of about two thousand volumes of scripture, the carving of wooden blocks for about forty volumes, the making of more than a hundred copper statues gilded with gold, and the repair of many historical temples and monasteries.

For many decades he gave teachings and transmissions to disciples of different traditions. For example, he gave the empowerments of Vajrasattva discovered by Minling Terchen about fifty times and the empowerment and instruction of Longchen Nyingthig about twenty times.

At seventy-three, at the beginning of the first month of the Water Dragon year (1892), he said that he kept seeing Amitabha Buddha in the midst of an ocean of disciples. After the completion of an elaborate ceremony on the twenty-fifth day of the first month, he said to his offering master (mCh'od dPon), "From now on you don't have to do anything." The next day he started to show ill health. His disciples asked, "What prayers should we do for your longevity?" He replied, "None. Around the twentieth of next month, I will have recovered." When they insisted, he said, "It will be good if you say as many hundred-syllable mantras of Vajrasattva as you can."

Then in the morning of the twenty-first of the second month, he washed his hands and said, "Now take everything away [from my table]. All my work is completed." Then, uttering lots of prayers of auspiciousness, he threw grain flowers, which is a sign of completion. Later that day, he was withdrawn into the expanse of the enlightened mind of Vimalamitra. In the surrounding land there were gentle earthquakes. Even after death, his face looked radiant like the face of the moon. His body became as light as if it were made of cotton.

His main Nyingma disciples are listed in the lineage tree (page 340). Among Sakyapas, they are Sakya Dakchen, three Jetsunmas of Sakya, Kun-ga Tenzin of Ngor, Thartse Zhaptrung, Zhalu Losal Tenkyong, and Ngor Thartse Ponlop Loter Wangpo (1847-1914). Among Kagyupas, they are the fourteenth and fifteenth Karmapas, Taklung Ma Rinpoche, Situ Pema Nyinche (1774-1853), Dazang Tulku, Dokhampa, Pandita Karma Ngedon, Kongtrul Yonten Gyatso (1813-1899), and Samding Dorje Phagmo. Among Gelukpas, they are Konchok Tenpa Rabgye of Tashi Khyil, Lhatsun Tondrup Gyaltsen, Hor Khangsar Kyabgon, and Lithang Champa Phuntsok.

Khyentse Wangpo manifested many incarnations simultaneously. They include Chokyi Wangpo (1894-1909) of Dzongsar, Chokyi Lodro (1893-1959) of Kathok, Karma Khyentse Özer (1896-1945) of Palpung (Beri), Guru Tsewang (1897-?) of Dzogchen, Kunzang Drodul Dechen Dorje (1897-1946) of Dza Palme, and Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor (1910-1991) of Zhechen. Among them, Kathok Khyentse Chokyi Lodro was the most outstanding teacher. After the death of Dzongsar Khyentse, Kathok Khyentse moved to Dzongsar Monastery, the seat of the previous Khyentse Wangpo, and since then Kathok Khyentse became known as the Dzongsar Khyentse. Since the early 1960s, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, single-handedly upholding the unique tradition of Khyentse incarnations, propagated Dharma tirelessly in India, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, and the West.