His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, Ngawang Khyenrab Thubten Lekshay Gyatso, is the head of the Tsharpa school within the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The Sakya school has three principal subschools: the Sakyapa, founded by Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092–1158); the Ngorpa, founded by Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (1382– 1456); and the Tsharpa, founded by Tsarchen Losal Gyatso (1502–66). The principal and most comprehensive teaching of the Sakya school is the Lamdre (pronounced “lamdray”). The term “Lamdre” means “the path (lam) with the result (dre).” Lamdre contains instructions and practices covering the whole range of both the sutra and the tantra teachings transmitted by Buddha Shakyamuni. It originated with Virupa, one of the Indian Buddhist mahasiddhas or “supremely accomplished ones.” The central teachings and practices within the Lamdre are based on the scripture known as theHevajra Tantra, the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition of the tantric deity Hevajra. The Lamdre was brought to Tibet by the Tibetan translator Drogmi Lotsawa in the middle of the tenth century and was later codified in the twelfth century by Sachen Kunga Nyingpo. This teaching has been passed down through an unbroken lineage of masters right to the present day. During the time of the master Muchen Konchok Gyaltsen (1388–1469), the Lamdre was divided into two subtraditions: the un- common Lobshe, or private explanation for close disciples, which emphasizies the oral instructions for meditation practice; and the more commonly given Tsogshe, the explanation for the general assembly. The essence of the Lamdre is known as the view of the “inseparability of samsara and nirvana” (khorde yerme), which refers to the inseparability of worldly existence and enlightenment. There is no abandoning of samsara in order to achieve nirvana, as the mind is the abandoning of samsara in order to achieve nirvana, as the mind is the root of both. Once mind has been understood to be the root of both, it follows that nirvana is just a transformation of samsara. Realizing this inseparability is the key to attaining enlightenment through the Lamdre teachings. The Lamdre (the Path with the Result) is known as a vast, profound, and complete path to enlightenment. It is divided into two sections: the preliminary section and the tantric section. The preliminary section contains instructions and teachings of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and focuses on the “three modes of appearance” or “three modes of perception” (nang sum), sometimes referred to simply as the “three visions”: the impure percept ion, the perception of experience, and pure perception. The tantric section contains the esoteric teachings, especially the teachings on the “three tantras” or “three continuums” (gyu sum). In any generation, there are only a few lineage holders of the Lamdre within the Sakya tradition. The Tsharpa branch of the Sakya school was founded by Tsharchen Losal Gyatso (1502–56), who established the Dar Drangmochen Monas- tery in Tsang Province in Tibet. Tsharchen was a master of extra- ordinary realization and beheld pure visions of Guru Padmasambhava, Vajrayogini, Chakrasamvara, Kalachakra, Yamantaka, and numerous other masters and tantric deities. He met them just as one would meet another person, face to face. The uncommon Path with the Result (Lamdre Lobshe) was transmitted and elaborated on by Tsarchen, as was the uncommon Vajrayogini practice lineage of the Skygoing Goddess of Naropa (Naro Khachoma). The Tsharpa lineage is renowned for maintaining all the highly prized uncommon or most esoteric meditation lineages of the Sakya school, and thus, Tsharpa masters have been traditionally represented as the holders of the practice lineage within the Sakya tradition. The precious practice lineages for which the Tsharpa are known include the uncommon Path with the Result (LamdreLobshe), the uncommon Vajrayogini of Naropa, the greater and lesser Mahakala, the Thirteen Golden Dharmas, the Kalachakra of the Jonangpas, and many others. The lineage holder Chogye Trichen Rinpoche is the twenty-sixth patriarch of Phenpo Nalendra Monastery and is the head lama of the Tsharpa branch of the Sakya school. At present Rinpoche resides in Kathmandu, Nepal. Phenpo Nalendra is one of the main monasteries of the Tsharpa tradition, located in the Phenyul Valley just northeast of Lhasa in central Tibet. It was founded in 1435 by one of the great masters in the history of the Sakya tradition, Rongton Sheja Kunrig (1367–1449). Nalendra is one of the most important Sakya monasteries, with branch monasteries throughout Tibet. Named after that incomparable center of classical Buddhist learning, Nalanda Monastery in Bihar, India, during its first twenty years Nalendra grew to house 3,000monks. Over the course of more than 500years, Phenpo Nalendra generally had between 700 and 1,000 resident monks, as well as being home to thousands of visiting monks studying at the colleges there. There were many branch monasteries in various parts of Tibet, from Tsang to Amdo. Famed as a stronghold of the esoteric practice lineage within the Sakya tradition, Nalendra became the principal monastery of the Tsharpa branch of the Sakya school, due to the extraordinary masters of the practice lineage who were its throne holders. It was also a repository of the teachings of all the eight great practice lineages of Tibet and thus was a center of the broader, nonsectarian approach to Buddhist practice. As just one recent example of this, the previous Chogye Trichen, throne holder of Nalendra, was a close disciple of the Fifteenth Karmapa, Khakyab Dorje, receiving in particular many teachings in the tradition of the Great Perfection (dzogpachenpo), such as the Precious Collection of Revealed Treasures (Rinchen Terdzod). Great meditators from all branches of the Sakya school went to Nalendra Monastery for practice and retreat. In modern times, prior to 1959, they came to train in the practice of retreat at Nalendra as disciples of Dampa Rinpoche, Zhenpen Nyingpo, of Ngor, Zimog Rinpoche of Nalendra, and Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. There were many retreat centers in the surrounding mountains, including two special hermitages where yogis remained in lifetime retreat. Whenever one of these yogis passed away, the event was inevitably accompanied by the appearance of rainbows, miraculous signs, and wonders. A monk who came out of Tibet with Chogye Rinpoche remarked that this was so commonplace that the monks would say, “Well, of course he had signs, he stayed in lifelong retreat!” Nalendra was one of the most renowned centers in all of Tibet for the practice of the female tantric deity Vajrayogini. There were said to be generation after generation of yogis who, through the practice of Vajrayogini in the form of Naro Khachoma, accomplished the fruition of “going to the celestial realms” (khacho). Through Vajrayogini, they were able to transfer to the paradise of Khechara, the Akanishta pure realm of the sambhogakaya buddha-fields. Some dissolved their physical bodies into rainbow light at the time of death. Some left this world with their physical bodies and accompanied Vajrayogini into the sky, disappearing into space as they journeyed to her pure realm. Some met her while moving among people and departed with her to the Khechara pure land; and for some, her coral staircase appeared in their meditation rooms, and they ascended to Vajrayogini’s pure land. Many of the Chogye Trichen Rinpoches displayed the signs of Khechara. The previous Chogye Trichen, Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo (1869–1927), manifested signs of phowa, the transference of consciousness, to Vajrayogini’s paradise at the time of his passing from this world. The founder of Nalendra monastery, Rongton Sheja Kunrig (1367– 1449), also known as Kunkhyen Rongtongpa, was born in eastern Tibet in Gyalmo Rong. Based on prophecies, as well as on his activities, Rongton was regarded as an emanation of Maitreya, the next buddha of our fortunate eon. His earlier incarnations included the Indian acharya Haribhadra and the pandita Kamalashila. He became known as one of the “six gems of the Sakya tradition” in recognition of his unparalleled mastery of the sutra tradition in general and the scriptures of Prajñaparamitaand the teachings of Maitreya in particular. The present Chogye Trichen received Rongton’s teachings on the Prajñaparamita from the great bodhisattva Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, as well as from other masters. Rongton wrote three hundred works, ranging from eulogies to philosophical treatises to commentaries on the tantras. He was known to have realized at the very least the sixth bodhisattva level of spiritual attainment (bhumi), and it is said that he realized the truth of the nature of reality (dharmata). According to his biographies, Rongton could send forth multiple emanations of himself, resurrect deceased beings, and fly in space. As he entered the higher stages of realization, he became more and more childlike. He had liberated conceptual thinking and so behaved and spoke with the innocence of a child. He was a great bodhisattva and a great tantric master. A contemporary of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug school, Rongton was the first to challenge the Gelug philosophical teachings, and his students Gorampa and Shakya Chogden composed penetrating refutations of Tsongkhapa’s interpretation of Madhyamaka. Nonetheless, Tsongkhapa held Rongton in the highest esteem, revealing to his student Khedrup-je that he regarded Rongton as none other than the bodhisattva Maitreya. At the age of eighty-four, Rongton announced that he was to depart for the Tushita heaven, where the bodhisattva Maitreya dwells. A few days later he passed away, dissolving into Maitreya. Rongton manifested one of the varieties of rainbow body at his passing whereby the physical body dissolves into a body of rainbow light. His body shrank to a very small size and became extremely light in weight, but before it completely disappeared, it suddenly stopped shrinking and turned into a jewel relic, becoming again somewhat heavier. The tradition is that his fruition of a rainbow body was probably a result of the practice of Vajrayogini, even though as a manifestation of bodhisattva Maitreya himself, many means of manifesting the rainbow body were available to him. Following the initial era of its founding, some misfortunes and outbreaks of illness had befallen Nalendra monastery. In response, the twenty-first Sakya throne holder, Dagchen Lodro Gyaltsen (1444–95), determined that the abbot and throne holder of the monastery should not be solely a great tantric adept but should also be one who had attained the level of a bodhisattva in accordance with the Mahayana Buddhist vehicle. Thus, Khyenrab Choje (1436–97) of the Zhalu Kush ang branch of the ancient Che family was installed as the throne holder and eighth abbot of the monastery. Khyenrab Choje has been succeeded by seventeen holders of the Chogye Trichen title, all of whom have come from the Che family, from his “bone lineage” of patrilineal descent. From the time of Khyenrab Choje until the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Nalendra suffered no more obstacles. The Nalendra throne holder’s title, Chogye Trichen, is composed of two terms: chogye, “eighteen”; and trichen, “throne holder.” It is said that the name Chogye is derived from the time of Khyenrab Choje, the first holder of the throne at Nalendra to come from the Zhalu Kushang family. Khyenrab Choje was invited by the Chinese emperor to come to China, but was unable to go, and so he sent his nephew, Jamyang Donyo Gyaltsen, as his representative. Through this nephew, the emperor bestowed the title of Chogye Trichen on the throne holder of Nalendra, lauding eighteen (chogye) exalted spiritual qualities he wished to recognize in Khyenrab Choje. The “eighteen” in this title also alludes to the date in the lunar calendar that celebrates the anniversary of Khyenrab Choje. The Chogye Trichens received many offerings from the Chinese emperors. One unique offering was the ceremonial hat, a copy of which Chogye Rinpoche is often seen wearing in photos. This hat is replete with symbolism of Vajrayana Buddhism in general and of the deity Hevajra in particular. The famous hat was named “only ornament of the world” by the emperor. Subsequent holders of the throne of the Chogye Trichen continued to receive many honors from the Chinese emperors. While in meditation retreat in the Potala in Lhasa, as a result of his spiritual practice, Khyenrab Choje beheld the sustained vision of the female tantric deity Vajrayogini against the backdrop of the cliffs of Drak Yerpa and received extensive teachings and initiations directly from her. Two forms of Vajrayogini appeared out of the face of the rocks at Drak Yerpa, one red in color and the other white, and together they bestowed the Kalachakra initiation on Khyenrab Choje. When asked if there was any proof of this, his attendant showed the kusha grass Khyenrab Choje had brought back with him from the initiation. It was unlike any kusha grass found in this world, with rainbow lights sparkling up and down the length of the dried blades of grass. This direct lineage from Vajrayogini is the shortest, the most recent, and the most direct lineage of Kalachakra that exists in this world. In addition to being known as an emanation of Manjushri, Khyenrab Choje had previously been born as many of the Rigden kings of Shambhala as well as numerous Buddhist masters of India. These are some indications of his unique relationship to the Kalachakra tradition. Since the time of Khyenrab Choje, all the Chogye Trichens have come from the Zhalu Kushang branch of the Che family, so the line age of the Chogye Trichens has been of patrilineal descent, held by descendants of the “bone lineage” of the Kushang family. The ongoing emanation of bodhisattvas through the “bone lineage” is found in some traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, and “bone lineage” emanations are very highly respected for many reasons. This is particularly so when the family is originally descended from the celestial gods. In this regard, the Che family shares a similar history with the Khon family of H. H. Sakya Trizin, as the story of both families begins with the original descent of the gods of clear light (prabhashvara-devas) into our world. The present Chogye Trichen, Ngawang Khyenrab Lekshay Gyatso, is the eighteenth Nalendra throne holder in the lineage beginning with Khyenrab Choje to have come from the Zhalu Kushang family. In her Great Commentary on Chod, the famed female master Machig Lapdron prophesied three future emanations of Maitreya who would appear in Rongton’s lineage, each of whose names would contain the word khyenor “knowledgeable.” These are Khyenrab Choje (1438–97), Khyenrab Jampa (1633–1703), and Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo (1869–1927). All three held the title of Chogye Trichen, throne holder of Nalendra Monastery. Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo, the third Maitreya incarnation prophesied by Machig Lapdron, was the last Chogye Trichen before the present throne holder, Khyenrab Lekshay Gyatso, who is also the nephew of Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo. Chogye Rinpoche has consecrated a twelve-meter statue of Maitreya at his monastery in Bouddhanath, Nepal, maintaining the tradition of the blessings of his lineage that come down through the khyen incarnations of Maitreya. The present Chogye Trichen Rinpoche is the eldest lama of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche was born into the blessed Che clan, a lineage said to have descended from the Clear Light Gods. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche is the scion and venerated elder of the Zhalu Kushang branch of the Che clan. Members of the Che clan entered the Buddhist path even before the time of the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo in the early seventh century and were among the disciples of Guru Padmasambhava. Remarkably, each generation of the Kushang family has produced not less than four sons, the majority of whom took their places as throne holders of many important monasteries, including Nalendra, Zhalu, and Ngor. The name Kushang means “royal maternal uncle,” deriving from the fact that many daughters of the family were married to numerous throne holders of the Sakya Khon family. This intermarriage with the Khon family began in the Sakya or Yuan period (thirteenth to fourteenth century). At this time, one of the daughters of the Kushang family married Drogon Chagna, the brother of Chogyal Phagpa, who ruled Tibet following Chogyal Phagpa. Many herukas, some of whom were manifestations of the tantric deity Hevajra, have been born into the Che family. The masters of the Che family, including the present Chogye Trichen, often have a special birthmark, markings resembling tiger stripes on the thighs, like the tigerskin skirt of herukas such as Hevajra and Kalachakra. Chetsun Senge Wangchuk, the early dzogchenmaster who attained the rainbow body of the great transference, is the patrilineal, or “bone-lineage” ancestor of Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. Since the time of Chetsun Senge Wangchuk in the eleventh to twelfth century, the Che family, as holders of the practice lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, has produced countless siddhas (fully accomplished practitioners) down to the present day. The present Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, Khyenrab Lekshay Gyatso, was born in 1919 near Gyashar Kushang Monastery in Shigatse, in the Tsang Province of central Tibet. His father was Sonam Senge Wang chuk (1873–1928) and his mother was Chime Drolkar (1895– ca.1963), also known as Namdrol Yeshe Sangmo, a daughter of the Shukhupa family of Nar Peling, a monastic estate of the Thartse Labrang of the Ngor school of the Sakya tradition. From the age of four to the age of seven, Rinpoche journeyed on pilgrimage with his parents, reaching as far as Mount Kailash in the west ernm ost part of Tibet. Rinpoche’s parents were accomplished practitioners of the teachings of the Great Perfection (dzogpa chenpo). Their principal root guru was De Gya Rinpoche, a close disciple of the celebrated Nyingma master Dudjom Lingpa. At the time that Chogye Rinpoche was on pilgrimage with his parents, De Gya Rinpoche was dwelling in western Tibet. He bestowed many teachings and blessings on Chogye Rinpoche and his parents and made predictions regarding them. De Gya Rinpoche offered Rinpoche and his parents a letter containing verses of blessing, which said, “May Sonam Senge Wangchuk realize the view of Dzogpa Chenpo. May Namdrol Yeshe Sangmo perfect the four visions. May the activities of Tsering Namgyal Dorje [Chogye Rinpoche] be equal to the sky.” Chogye Rinpoche explains that this letter is a blessing and a prediction that his father would attain realization through the dzogchen practice of the view of “cutting through” (trekchod), that his mother would attain realization through the dzogchenpractice of perfecting the four visions of the “direct crossing” (thogal), and that Rinpoche himself would perform activities that would spread far and wide. Chogye Rinpoche’s parents were surprised by the declarations of De Gya Rinpoche’s letter of blessing, since their young son had not been recognized as a tulkuor chosen as a lama. When they returned to central Tibet, and their son was subsequently selected as the Chogye Trichen, their faith in De Gya Rinpoche greatly increased. Chogye Rinpoche also has great faith in De Gya Rinpoche. It seems that each of his blessings has come true. Chogye Rinpoche’s father, Sonam Senge Wangchuk, was a great yogi who practiced meditation day and night. Before he passed away, he sat upright in meditation posture for two weeks in a kind of meditation state (tukdam) entered by yogis prior to physical death. During this two-week period it sometimes seemed that he might have already passed away, but then he would speak again. When finally he passed, his body was taken to the top of the family residence, and many rainbows appeared as it was burned. These signs were witnessed by many people, including Chogye Rinpoche’s brother and uncle. Rinpoche has said that while his father must have been a great practitioner, his mother was greater. Whereas Rinpoche’s father mainly practiced Dzogchen trek chod, the wisdom practice of primordial purity, his mother persevered in Dzogchen thogal, the visionary practice of spontaneous presence, the fruition of which is said to be superior to that of trek chod. Chogye Rinpoche speaks of his mother with the deepest respect, admiration, love, and affection. Rinpoche feels that she must have been a bodhisattva. She would never speak ill of anyone, and whenever someone was criticized, she would rush to their defense, insisting that they could never do or say whatever they were accused of. She was a great yogini, a twenty-four-hour-a-day practitioner of meditation. Chogye Rinpoche’s sister, Kunzang Tendrol, mentions that their mother would remain sitting upright in meditation throughout the night, and that she never dozed off for more than five or ten minutes at a time, all the while sitting upright. The family appreciated this, as no one had to worry about getting up at night to stir the fire ashes so that they would be ready for preparation of morning tea! The day she passed away, she was lying with her head in Chogye Rinpoche’s lap. She said to Rinpoche that she was so happy and at peace that day, resting there in her son’s lap. Then she closed her eyes and passed away. Between the ages of seven and eight, Chogye Rinpoche lived at Shangpo Hermitage, where his father and elder brother taught him reading and writing. At that time, Rinpoche also memorized the text Reciting the Names of Manjushri (Manjushri-namasamgiti), an essential work of tantric Buddhism. As a young person, Rinpoche wished to devote his time to study, contemplation, and meditation. In 1928, at the age of nine, Chogye Trichen Rinpoche received a letter from the Thirteenth Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso (1876–1933), recognizing him as the Eighteenth Chogye Trichen of the Phenpo Nalendra Monastery in central Tibet. In a subsequent letter, as well as in conversation when Chogye Rinpoche received novice monastic ordination from the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lama referred to Rinpoche as the “Chogye Incarnate Lama.” The disciples of the previous Chogye Trichen, Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo (ca.1869–1927) understood this to mean that Rinpoche was both the reincarnation of the previous Chogye Trichen and the holder of the previous Chogye Trichen’s “bone lineage.” This would be quite unusual, since the present Chogye Trichen was already eight years old when Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo passed away. However, such circumstances are occasionally found in the biographies of great masters. The previous Chogye Trichen, Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo, was similarly mentioned in a letter from the Twelfth Dalai Lama to be both the reincarnation and the bone lineage emanation of Khyenrab Choje and other great holders of the Nalendra throne. In 1929, at the age of ten, Chogye Rinpoche received the vows of a novice monk and was officially enthroned at the Nalendra Monastery. His tutor was Champa Kunga Chophel. During his first few years at Nalendra, Rinpoche completed retreats of Vajrapani, Hayagriva, and Manjushri. In his mid-teenage years, Chogye Rinpoche invited Lama Ngawang Lodro Rinchen (ca.1892–1959), also known as Lama Ngaglo Rinpoche, to stay in the room beside his, where he remained for the next eight or ten years. Ngalo Rinpoche was the disciple of the previous Chogye Trichen, Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo, as well as the disciple of Zimog Rinpoche. Ngaglo Rinpoche was also a non-sectarian (rime) master who studied extensively with many masters of other schools and passed these traditions on to Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. During this period, the highly accomplished scholar and yogi Lama Ngaglo transmitted all the traditions of classical Buddhist scholarship to Chogye Rinpoche. He also transmitted and trained Rinpoche in all the practices of Vajrayana Buddhist meditation. For two or three years, when Chogye Rinpoche was ages fifteen to eighteen, Lama Ngaglo trained him in the tantric yogas of the subtle channels (nadi) and vital winds (prana) as well as the yogic physical exercises (trulkor). From his enthronement until the age of thirty-nine, Chogye Rinpoche remained at Nalendra Monastery, where he mastered the monastic scriptural rituals, the rituals of mandala, the ritual musical accompaniment, as well as the major meditation practice lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. To this day, Rinpoche maintains full monastic (bhikshu) ordination, and he is renowned for the purity with which he upholds the pratimoksha vows of the Buddhist monastic code (Vinaya). In addition, Rinpoche fully maintains all the bodhisattva precepts and the tantric commitments (samaya). Thus, he is distinguished as one of those rare masters who flawlessly upholds all three sets of vows of the three Buddhist vehicles: the pratimokshavows of the vehicle of individual liberation (Hinayana), the bodhisattva vows of the great vehicle (Mahayana), and the tantric commitments of the diamond vehicle (Vajrayana). Chogye Rinpoche has completed meditation retreats of all the major deities of the four classes of Buddhist tantra. During his late teens he carried out retreats of the tantric deities Guhyasamaja, Mahakala, Singhamukha, White Manjushri, and White Tara. Rinpoche pursued extensive studies of all major fields of knowledge taught in the Buddhist tradition. He is a scholar of literature, poetry, history, and Buddhist metaphysics and an accomplished master of traditional Tibetan poetry. He studied various branches of the literary arts under several distinguished experts. Very fond of poetry, Rinpoche wrote a detailed commentary on the Tibetan translation of Dandin’s Sanskrit manual of classical poetics. Chogye Rinpoche’s principal root gurus are the Fifth Zimog Tulku, Ngawang Tenzin Thrinley (1884–1963), and Dampa Rinpoche, Zhenpen Nyingpo (1876–1952), abbot of Ngor Evam Monastery, who is also the principal root guru of H. H. Sakya Trizin. Dampa Rinpoche is from the ancient Nub family and is a descendant of Namkhai Nyingpo, the famed disciple of Guru Padmasambhava. The Zimog Rinpoches are the other throne holders at Nalendra Monastery, in addition to the Chogye Trichens. From his two principal root teachers, Chogye Rinpoche received innumerable initiations, transmissions, oral instructions, and ritual traditions of all classes of Buddhist tantra. In 1937, at the age of eighteen, Chogye Rinpoche went on pilgrimage with his mother for two years. During this time, he received from Dampa Rinpoche, at the monastery of Tanak Thubten in Tsang, the Collection of Tantras (Gyude Kuntu), which includes initiations and teachings from the Lamdre. In addition to Chogye Rinpoche’s main gurus, there were eight accomplished siddha monks at Nalendra Monastery with whom Rinpoche studied. There were never less than twenty monks in strict Vajrayana meditation retreat at Nalendra at any given time over the centuries. There were four great tantric temples dedicated to the four great tantric deities practiced at Nalendra. Only those monks who had fulfilled all the retreat commitments of a specific deity were allowed to participate in the rituals at the particular temple devoted to that deity. Through many such means, the practitioners at Nalendra were able to maintain an extraordinary level of spiritual commitment (samaya) and accomplishment over the course of many centuries. Dampa Rinpoche, Zhenpen Nyingpo, was a rare and extraordinary master, one of the central masters of his time. Chogye Rinpoche has said that he considers Dampa Rinpoche to have the same qualities as the greatest lamas of the previous generation, such as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul, and Jamyang Loter Wangpo. Rinpoche describes the blessing power of Dampa Rinpoche as being unique among the many lamas from whom he received initiation. When Dampa Rinpoche would give Vajrayana initiations, wonderful signs would arise at the time of the descent of the blessings of primordial wisdom (yeshe bab). Some disciples would shake, cry, or display various affects. Then Dampa Rinpoche would give the pointing-out instruction, admonishing them to recognize the nature of their minds. When Chogye Rinpoche was receiving the Gyude Kuntu from Dampa Rinpoche, these kinds of signs of blessing occurred consistently. For example, there was one monk, a student of Dampa Rinpoche, who had one bad eye. He would sit very upright, maintaining the proper posture of meditation. During initiations, during the descent of blessings, he would often levitate off the ground, all the while maintaining his meditation posture. Those sitting around him would wait for this to occur, and sometimes they would slide his meditation cushion out from under him, then push it back again, to the awe and amusement of everyone present! Chogye Rinpoche recounts a story told by Dampa Rinpoche about one of his retreats. One time, while he was doing the retreat of the meditation deity Vajrabhairava, Dampa Rinpoche visualized himself in the form of Vajrabhairava, enormous in size, his head reaching all the way up to the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods that rule our universe. From there he looked down at the worlds of samsara below, and in the western direction he beheld the realms of the hells. In his form as Vajrabhairava, Dampa Rinpoche gave a kick at the hell realms, and instantly all the beings he had seen there just a moment before disappeared! This story may be understood as an example of the ability of bodhisattvas to liberate sentient beings through the power of the meditation deities. Chogye Rinpoche’s other root guru is Zimog Tulku Ngawang Tenzin Thrinley, who passed away in 1963. Zimog Rinpoche was quite jovial and lighthearted. He used to joke with his attendants with such informality that they felt comfortable joking with Rinpoche in return. He always appeared to be very happy. This joyous and humorous attitude is said to give a long life, and Chogye Rinpoche feels this is why Zimog Rinpoche lived to the age of eighty. Rinpoche also mentions that Dampa Rinpoche, on the other hand, did not joke around and appeared quite powerful and dignified. Zimog Rinpoche spent a great deal of time in meditation retreat. Zimog Rinpoche’s principal root master from the Sakya tradition was the previous Chogye Trichen, Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo. In addition to being the lineage holder of all the precious Sakya teachings, Zimog Rinpoche was a great non-sectarian (rime) lama who was diligent in seeking out gurus from the other schools of Tibetan Buddhism and receiving all of their teachings. From the Nyingma tradition, his main guru was Chusang Rinpoche, one of the two throne holders of the monastery of Dorje Drak in central Tibet. He received and studied all the traditions of the Kagyu tradition from the previous Dabsang Rinpoche, including the Hundred Teachings of the Jonangpas. He also received many teachings from Gelug masters. In 1939, at the age of twenty, Chogye Rinpoche returned from pilgrimage and entered a nine-month retreat on the meditation deity Hevajra at Nalendra Monastery. Two years later, in 1941, Rinpoche bestowed the Hevajra teachings, the uncommon Path with the Result (Lamdre Lobshe), which he had received from his guru, Zimog Rinpoche. Only twenty-two years old at the time, Rinpoche imparted the teachings to 150monks and others who had gathered at Nalendra. The following year Rinpoche gave the common Path with the Result (Lamdre Tsogshe) to 100 monks and additional disciples. Following this, Chogye Rinpoche went into meditation retreat on the female tantric deity Vajrayogini in the form known as Naro Khachoma. Over the next few years, he intensively studied classical Buddhist texts, such as those of the Abhidharma, under his teacher, the Nalendra khenpo (abbot) Lama Ngaglo Rinpoche. Following this, Chogye Rinpoche wished to enter a longer period of meditation training, and he performed retreats of the meditation deities Maha Vairochana, White Tara, and the special Tsharpa tradition of Yamantaka. During this period, Chogye Rinpoche received further detailed teachings on the Lamdre Lobshe from Zimog Rinpoche. Then he entered retreat on the deity Vajrakilaya. Soon after, Rinpoche completed another retreat, this time of the great tantric deity Kalachakra, following which he bestowed the Kalachakra initiation on 6,000 disciples at Nalendra Monastery. This was followed by retreats on Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara, and Vajrapani in one mandala, and on the protector Chaturmukha. Chogye Rinpoche has received rare and precious teachings and “whispered instructions” from some of the great masters of modern times, such as Dzongsar Khyentse Jamyang Chokyi Lodro (1893–1959). He received teachings from Khyentse Chokyi Lodro during two or three of his visits to Lhasa and central Tibet. From Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, Chogye Rinpoche received the Nyingthig Yabzhi and many other teachings of the Dzogchen Nyingthig, such as the “mind treasures” (gong ter) of the great leader of the non-sectarian (rime) movement, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–92). Rinpoche also received “whispered instructions” of the Sakya practice lineages such as the Path with the Result from Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. One of these visits took place in 1956, when Chogye Rinpoche was thirty-seven. In the autumn of that year Rinpoche again bestowed the Lamdre Lobshe and then entered a retreat of Chakrasamvara. In the face of the Communist invasion of Tibet in 1959, Chogye Rinpoche, together with a party of thirty-two that included his guru, Zimog Rinpoche, his mother, and the elderly Tsetrul Rinpoche of Nalendra, made his way to the safe haven of Lo Monthang, in Mustang in northwestern Nepal. They traveled slowly, taking three months to finally reach Mustang. Chogye Rinpoche’s family maintains important ties with Mustang, which lies in the border region between Tibet and Nepal and is politically part of Nepal. Rinpoche’s older sister was married to the previous king of Mustang, Jamphel Tenzin Dadul, who offered support and protection when Rinpoche and his party escaped Tibet. The present Mustang king, Jigme Palbar, is Chogye Rinpoche’s nephew, and the present Mustang queen is also a niece of Rinpoche. After leaving Tibet, Chogye Trichen Rinpoche remained for some time in Mustang, giving teachings and performing ritual prayers. The majority of the monasteries in Mustang are of the Ngor branch of the Sakya school, and the main monastery there was founded in the fifteenth century by Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo. Chogye Rinpoche has often said that the architectural design of the palace of the Mustang kings was created by Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo. Ngorchen spent time in Mustang in the fifteenth century and was tremendously influential, so most of the monasteries in Mustang belong to the Ngor branch of the Sakya school. For over forty years, Chogye Trichen Rinpoche has worked tirelessly to restore and revive the practice of Buddhism in Mustang. He has firmly established in present-day Mustang the tradition of the Vinaya monastic vows, as well as the study and practice lineages of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. For seven years, beginning from 1962, Chogye Rinpoche accepted the request of H. H. the Dalai Lama to serve as secretary general of the Council for Religious and Cultural Affairs of the Tibetan governmentin-exile in Dharamsala, India. In this capacity he attended the World Sangha Conference held in Sri Lanka in 1965. Rinpoche took a leading role in preparing the manuscript of H. H. the Dalai Lama’s book My Land and My Peopleand wrote textbooks for schools set up for central Tibetans. It was in Dharamsala in November 1968 that Chogye Rinpoche met the great Christian contemplative Thomas Merton, as documented in Merton’s AsianJournal, which includes a poem written by Rinpoche for the author. In 1963Chogye Rinpoche went on pilgrimage, visiting the Buddha’s birthplace at Lumbini in southwestern Nepal. From early childhood, Rinpoche felt great devotion toward the place of Buddha’s birth, and together with the Mustang king he resolved to build a monastery there. In 1967, Rinpoche and the king of Mustang appealed to His Majesty King Mahendra of Nepal, and in 1968 they were granted ten katha measures of land, under the supervision of the Department of Archaeology of the government of Nepal. In 1969Chogye Rinpoche took leave of the Tibetan government and returned to Nepal to re-create Nalendra Monastery and the seat of the Tsharpa school in exile. Rinpoche founded two monasteries in Nepal: the Tashi Rabten Ling Monastery in Lumbini, Nepal, and the Jamchen Lhakang Monastery beside the Bouddhanath stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Tashi Rabten Ling Monastery in Lumbini was completed and dedicated in 1975. Chogye Rinpoche designed the Lumbini temple building and supervised the construction himself. He sold many precious things he had brought from Tibet to finance the monastery, which was additionally supported by the Mustang king and by the lay community. Chogye Rinpoche’s younger sister, Jetsun Kusho Kunzang Tendrol, is a fully ordained nun and resides in the Lumbini monastery, where she has practiced meditation and offered prayers day and night for more than twenty-five years. In addition to the Lumbini and Bouddhanath monasteries, a smaller retreat facility has been established by Rinpoche at Bagdora, near Shivapuri in the hills above Kathmandu. Bagdora is a sacred site blessed by Buddha Krakucchandra and other previous buddhas of our present “fortunate eon.” Chogye Rinpoche has also founded a Tsharpa retreat center at Lo Gekar in Mustang, a place where Guru Padmasambhava concealed treasure teachings and established a monastery prior to his founding the Samye Monastery in Tibet. Lo Gekar is a very sacred place; it was there that the terton Sangye Lama discovered the first “hidden treasure” (terma) teachings of Guru Padmasambhava. Sangye Lama was the first of the 108 tertons, revealers of treasure teachings, of the Nyingma tradition. There are many stories about Lo Gekar in the biographies of Guru Padmasambhava, such as the Padma Kathang. In accord with the viewpoint of the Mahayoga tantras, the tantric histories tell us that the initial attempts to establish Samye Monastery in Tibet failed due to the power of the hostile ogress (srin mo) who controlled the land of Tibet. When Guru Padmasambhava located the head of the goddess at Lo Gekar, he concealed terma and established a monastery there. This was his first step toward taming the antagonistic forces and counteracting the inauspicious geomancy of the land of Tibet. Lo Gekar Monastery was offered to Chogye Rinpoche by the king of Mustang,and Rinpoche has spent a great deal of time in retreat there. In keeping with the traditions of the Tsharpa lineage and Nalendra Monastery, Chogye Rinpoche has trained three groups of monks in the three-and-a-half-year meditation retreat of the tantric deity Hevajra. The first of these took place in Lumbini, Nepal, and was sponsored by H. H. the Dalai Lama; the second and third retreats took place at Bouddhanath in Kathmandu, Nepal. Through these retreats, Rinpoche has trained qualified retreat masters from all branches of the Sakya tradition who are capable of maintaining these practice lineages by supervising others in the practice of retreat. Chogye Rinpoche has requested that the Sakya and Ngor branches of the Sakya school now continue this tradition of the three-year retreat initiated by him. As mentioned, since childhood Chogye Trichen Rinpoche has had strong faith toward Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. Rinpoche has said that he first heard the life story of Buddha at the age of four or five, and when the name of Lumbini was mentioned, he was filled with such devotion that tears came to his eyes and a chill went through him such that the hairs of his body stood on end. The monastery at Lumbini has hosted H. H. the Dalai Lama, H. H. the Sixteenth Karmapa, H. H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, H. H. Sakya Trizin, Khunu Lama, and many other important lamas of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. At present Chogye Rinpoche is completing a second, much larger monastery in Lumbini, which will be the official seat and chief monastery of the Tsharpa branch of the Sakya school outside of Tibet. Every year, just before Tibetan New Year (Losar), Rinpoche and his monks conduct a ten- to fifteen-day ceremony of the tantric deities Mahakala and Mahakali. Rinpoche has also given there the entire Collection of Sadhanas (Drubthab Kuntu), a vast set of teachings requiring three months to transmit. In addition to this, each year Chogye Rinpoche has upheld and supported the continuation of the annual Sakya Great Prayer (Monlam) festival for world peace in Lumbini. The Monlam festival is attended by H. H. Sakya Trizin and his two sons, as well as many other high lamas and tulkus of the Sakya school. The festival lasts for ten days and each year attracts over 3,000 monastic participants, in addition to thousands of lay devotees. The new monastery in Lumbini is being constructed to house the assembly that gathers for the annual Monlam prayer festival, which is held right at the birth site of Shakyamuni Buddha. Chogye Rinpoche was requested by the king and queen of Nepal to improve conditions at the Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini. Visitors to Lumbini used to remark that in the stories of the Buddha’s life, it was a splendid garden, one that was subsequently counted among the most famous in history, yet no flowers could be found there in the present time. In response to this situation and out of his devotion for the holy place, Chogye Rinpoche has established a large nursery at the new Lumbini monastery. The nursery now supplies several other nurseries and many gardens there, as part of Rinpoche’s ongoing project to plant and maintain many gardens full of flowering trees and shrubs around Lumbini. These are well on their way to offering millions of flowers annually, honoring the birthplace of Buddha Shakyamuni. King Birendra, the recently deceased king of Nepal, bestowed an asupicious title on Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. The name, Gorkha Dakshin Bau, means “Master of Western Nepal.” It is the only time a Tibetan lama has been honored in this way by the king of Nepal. This honor was conferred by King Birendra in recognition of Rinpoche’s Dharma activities, particularly his tireless work for the revival and renovation of Lumbini in western Nepal. These efforts include a book composed by Rinpoche, Fortunate to Behold, containing scriptural accounts of Lumbini found in the Tibetan Kangyur collection of the Buddhist canon. FortunatetoBeholdhas now been translated into English, Chinese, and Nepali. As so many Tibetan Buddhist lineage holders have received teachings from Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, he is regarded as a supreme and holy master. Among his disciples are H. H. the Dalai Lama, to whom Rinpoche has offered many rare and precious instructions such as the Lamdre Lobshe; and H. H. Sakya Trizin, the head of the Sakya school. Rinpoche has transmitted his lineages to all the masters of the Sakya school, as well as to lamas of the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug traditions, names too numerous to list in their entirety. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche has been a teacher of H. H. the Dalai Lama since 1971. Rinpoche has the greatest devotion and respect for His Holiness as a refuge for sentient beings. His Holiness has said that he regards Chogye Rinpoche as one of his root gurus. Chogye Rinpoche has praised His Holiness for his understanding of the Lamdre, saying that this comes especially from his lifetime as the Fifth Dalai Lama, a great master of Lamdre. There are texts written by the Fifth Dalai Lama in the thirty-two-volume Lamdre canon. The Fifth Dalai Lama’s main guru from the Sakya tradition was Gonpo Sonam Chogden, a master of the Tsharpa school who transmitted the uncommon Hevajra teachings, the Lamdre Lobshe, to the Fifth Dalai Lama. His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama received the Lamdre Lobshe from Chogye Trichen Rinpoche with great faith and confidence. One interesting factor that explains the excellent synchronicity between Chogye Trichen Rinpoche and the Dalai Lama is the story of why His Holiness is known as the incarnation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. According to Chogye Rinpoche, the main reason the Dalai Lamas are known as incarnations of Avalokiteshvara is found in the story of the disciple of the Indian master Atisha, who was a Tibetan known as Dromtonpa Gyalwai Jungney. Atisha was a great Indian Buddhist pandita who founded the Kadam school of Buddhism and taught extensively in Tibet. His chief Tibetan disciple was Dromtonpa. Dromtonpa was a true emanation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, or Chenrezig. In his famous work on the Kadam tradition, he confirms that first he was the bodhisattva Manjushri, then he was Buddha’s disciple Shariputra, and then he was Dromtonpa. In the same work, he also confirms that he is the emanation of Avalokiteshvara. Also in the same work, it is mentioned that first there is Dromtonpa, then there is Gendun Drub, and similarly, that first there is Dromtonpa, then there is Khyenrab Choje. The reader will remember that Khyenrab Choje was the first in the succession of Chogye Trichens to come from the Zhalu Kushang family. References and predictions from works of great teachers are relied upon to shed light on the origins of Dharma masters and their lineages. From these statements in the Kadam histories, it is understood that the First Dalai Lama, Gendun Drub, was known as the reincarnation of Dromtonpa and that this is the main reason the Dalai Lamas are known as emanations of Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri. The same text tells us that Khyenrab Choje was also the emanation of Dromtonpa, so he, too, is considered to be an emanation of Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri. As mentioned above, from the time Khyenrab Choje held the title of Chogye Trichen, the Chogye Trichens have always been his descendants through the “bone lineage” of patrilineal heritage; hence, they are known as “bone lineage” tulkus or emanations. The Dalai Lamas have traditionally advised Nalendra Monastery to maintain their precious bone lineage in the selection of throne holders. It is said that the spiritual qualities of the previous masters can be transmitted to later masters through the bone lineage. This is why the stories of Khyenrab Choje and the subsequent Chogye Trichens are relevant to understanding the present Chogye Trichen. It is thus understood that Dromtonpa has two lines of emanation that began with Gendun Drub and Khyenrab Choje, who were contemporaries: One line produced the Dalai Lamas through a lineage of reincarnations, and the other line produced the Chogye Trichens through the bone lineage of patrilineal descent. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the fourteenth such incarnation in his line, and the present Chogye Trichen is the eighteenth in his line of succession since Khyenrab Choje. When asked about being the emanation of various bodhisattvas and masters, Chogye Trichen likes to joke that he does not really know about all that but feels certain that he is the reincarnation of his grandmother. When he was young, Rinpoche once dreamed that he broke his jaw. When he mentioned the dream to a relative, the relative remarked that Rinpoche’s grandmother had broken her jaw in the same way. Rinpoche says that due to this, he must be her reincarnation! Chogye Rinpoche has offered most of the major traditions he holds to H. H. Sakya Trizin, including: the uncommon Lamdre from the Tsharpa tradition; the Collection of Tantras (Gyude Kuntu), a compendium of teachings from all the major practice lineages of Tibetan Buddhism; the similar Collection of Sadhanas (Drubthab Kuntu); the Collected Works of Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo; the Hundred Teachings of the Jonang Tradition; six different Kalachakra initiations, four of which — the Bulug, Jonang, Maitri Gyatsha, and Domjung — are contained within the Gyude Kuntu; and many others. H. H. Sakya Trizin is the principal lineage holder of Chogye Trichen Rinpoche’s Dharma lineages. The Collection of Tantras is a vast repository of all the great practice traditions of Buddhism. It contains teachings and lineages of all Tibetan Buddhist schools and practice lineages, including the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, Gelug, Bodong, Jonang, Zhije, Urgyen Nyengyu, and Kalachakra. There are 315 great initiations and 25 great commentaries, and it generally requires nearly two years to transmit in its entirety. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche was the only holder of the Collection of Tantras until he passed it to H. H. Sakya Trizin. This took place during several lengthy visits to the Sakya center in Dehra Dun, India, in the early 1970s. This lineage came to Chogye Rinpoche from Jamyang Loter Wangpo through Dampa Rinpoche, Zhenpen Nyingpo. The great Sakya disciple of the incomparable Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo whose name was Jamyang Loter Wangpo compiled the Gyude Kuntu and Drubthab Kuntu under the instructions of his guru. When Jamyang Loter Wangpo transmitted these teachings in Kham, Dampa Rinpoche, Zhenpen Nyingpo, and the yogini Jetsun Pema were among his disciples. The famed yogini Jetsun Pema passed on this lineage of Drubthab Kuntu at Nalendra Monastery, with the previous Chogye Trichen and Zimog Rinpoche, guru of the present Chogye Trichen, as the main recipients. This is the tradition of Drubthab Kuntu that Chogye Rinpoche received from this teacher Zimog Rinpoche. Jetsun Pema was a realized siddha yogini, having attained accomplishment in the practices of Hevajra and Vajrayogini. She was known to display many miraculous signs of accomplishment. When Jetsun Pema was teaching at Nalendra Monastery, she used to carry with her a coral mala. One day when answering the call of nature, she hung her mala on sunbeams, and many people witnessed it suspended there in the space. On another occasion, Jetsun Pema visited northern Tibet to give a long life initiation. Some nuns were present, and they chided her, asking “Who are you, a woman, to give us initiation?” In response she removed her earrings and “hung” them in space, on the sunbeams coming in through a hole in the roof of the tent. Jetsun Pema was one of the real dakinis, female practitioners of great realization who displayed the genuine signs of accomplishment. This is one of the main reasons Chogye Rinpoche regards his particular lineage of Drubthab Kuntu as extremely precious. In recent years, Rinpoche has given extensive teachings around the world. In 1988 he traveled to the United States and Canada, giving transmissions that included the initiation and complete instructions in the practice of the six-branch Vajrayoga of Kalachakra according to the Jonang tradition. Rinpoche has given the Kalachakra initiation in Tibet, Mustang, Kathmandu, Malaysia, the United States, Taiwan, and Spain, and is regarded by many as a definitive authority on Kalachakra. Chogye Rinpoche has completed extensive retreat in the practice of Kalachakra, particularly of the six-branch yoga (sadangayoga) in the tradition of the Jonang school according to Jetsun Jonang Taranatha. In this way, Chogye Rinpoche has carried on the tradition of his predecessor, Khyenrab Choje, the incarnation of the Shambhala kings, who received the Kalachakra initiation from Vajrayogini herself. When Chogye Rinpoche was young, one of his teachers dreamed that Rinpoche was the son of the king of Shambhala, the pure land that upholds the tradition of Kalachakra.
In 1994 Rinpoche taught in Japan, granting such initiations as the great initiations of Buddha Maha Vairochana, whose practice has historically been widespread in Japan. In 1996, he made his first teaching visit to Australia. In 1998, Rinpoche made one of several tours to Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia, giving many initiations and teachings. In the same year, Rinpoche bestowed the Kalachakra initiation and other teachings in Taipei, Taiwan, to an assembly of 6,000disciples that included the mayor of Taipei and several ministers of the government of Taiwan. In 2000, Chogye Rinpoche visited France, where he bestowed initiations from the Collection of Sadhanas (DrubthabKuntu). In the same year, Rinpoche gave the Kalachakra initiation and public teachings in Barcelona, Spain. Most recently, in 2001, Rinpoche completed a twomonth teaching tour to Hong Kong and Taiwan, to five cities in Australia, and to New Zealand, Singapore, and Kuching in Malaysia. Outside of Tibet and Nepal, Chogye Rinpoche has centers in Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as a large property currently under construction as a retreat center at Vista Bella in Spain. Rinpoche is also the spiritual patron of centers in Australia and New Zealand. He gave teachings including the initiations of Hevajra and Chakrasamvara, as well as the uncommon instructions on the practice of Vajrayogini, at the Australian centers during the 1996 and 2001 visits. Those who have received an audience or teachings from Chogye Rinpoche will no doubt agree that he is an avid storyteller. Almost every teaching or initiation given by Rinpoche is accompanied by wonderful stories about the particular bodhisattvas or teachers of that lineage, as well as stories that illustrate the main teachings of the Buddha, such as renunciation, compassion, bodhichitta, and devotion. Chogye Rinpoche exchanged many teachings with H. H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, former head of the Nyingma school. Dilgo Khyen tse Rinpoche said that he regarded Chogye Trichen as the emanation (tulku) of Chetsun Senge Wangchuk, the renowned dzogchen master of eleventh- to twelfth-century Tibet who attained the great transformation rainbow body (jalus phowa chenpo). An example of the auspicious connections between Chogye Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche is that Khyentse Rinpoche was known as the incarnation of Vimalamitra, the Indian master who was one of the founders of Tibetan Buddhism. Several hundred years after his departure from Tibet, Vimalamitra reappeared in the rainbow light body and imparted his teachings to Chetsun Senge Wangchuk. In addition, Chogye Rinpoche regarded Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as the incarnation of Rabsel, a future buddha of our fortunate eon. This is significant in view of the relation of the Chogye Trichens with the future buddha Maitreya. The sublime master Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche has stated that Chogye Trichen Rinpoche is a siddha, an accomplished practitioner of the Vajrayana Buddhist path. In this regard, we can mention a few examples that may be seen to illustrate this. In Vajrayana Buddhism, the teachings speak of the three roots: the guru, or lama; the meditation deity, or yidam; and the dakinis and Dharma protectors. Concerning the first, the accomplishment of the guru or lama, there is a story recounted by Chogye Rinpoche’s attendant Wangdu-la. Chogye Rinpoche was staying in Lumbini in the 1970s, residing in his room upstairs in the monastery. Wangdu-la was resting in the next room when he heard Chogye Rinpoche speaking in a full voice as though he were giving teachings. In the morning Rinpoche asked him, “Did you hear anything last night? Last night, I was very fortunate. I had a pure vision of Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo.” Rinpoche confided that Ngorchen appeared above and in front of him and reached down his hand to him. Rinpoche indicated that he took hold of Ngorchen’s hand and held it to the crown of his head with deep devotion. Continuing to hold Ngorchen’s hand, Chogye Rinpoche gave a complete commentary on the famous praise to Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo known as Rab kar ma, as an offering to Ngorchen. Rinpoche commented to Wangdu-la that Ngorchen was a great master, who had carefully observed the monastic vows of the Vinaya, just as Rinpoche himself did; and further, that they both held and practiced the lineage of Hevajra and the Lamdre Lobshe. For these reasons, Ngorchen was pleased with Chogye Rinpoche and granted him the pure vision of his wisdom body. Along these lines, as signs of the yidam meditation deity, a few stories may be mentioned. During his early life in Tibet, Chogye Rinpoche gave a great many Vajrayana initiations and teachings and performed meditation retreats every year. To signify his accomplishments, many auspicious signs have accompanied his Dharma activities. One of Chogye Rinpoche’s close disciples reported that once when Rinpoche bestowed the thirteen-day initiation of Maha Vairochana, on the concluding day he gave an initiation of White Mahakala. On that occasion, a hundred butter lamps were lit on the shrine as offerings. At one point, the flames from all the lamps were seen to join together into a single large flame, which rose up higher and higher, rotating clockwise, and then disappeared into the sky. This was witnessed by all those present. Another story that recounts how the signs of the meditation deity were displayed relates to the time when Chogye Rinpoche gave the Lamdre in Mustang in 1977at the Tsarang Monastery, which was established by Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (1382–1456). The throne in Tsarang Monastery is the throne of Ngorchen. During the 1977visit to Mustang, Rinpoche gave the Lamdre for a period of one and a half months and also conducted the traditional three-month monsoon retreat for monks there. To reach Mustang, one must travel from Pokhara to Jomsom in northern Nepal by horse. There are several rivers that must be crossed on horseback during the journey. When Chogye Rinpoche was crossing a broad river there, a very large rainbow appeared continuously around Rinpoche and his horse, all the way across the river. There were fifteen or twenty people all around Rinpoche, and some thought that the rainbow might have been caused by the sun’s reflection on the spray thrown up by Rinpoche’s horse. Yet there was no rainbow surrounding any of the other riders, and the rainbow seemed spherical in shape and followed Rinpoche all the way across the river, as witnessed by everyone in the party. When they reached Tsarang Monastery and Chogye Rinpoche began giving the Lamdre, he announced that he would not eat after twelve o’clock noon and would not meet anyone outside of the teachings but should be left alone during those times. As the Lamdre progressed into the section on the “three tantras” or “three continuums” (gyu sum), Rinpoche seemed to give no thought to time and would often remain on the throne until midnight, without breaking for tea or meals. The following morning Rinpoche would always appear on time and seem quite normal but again remain on the throne without breaking for meals or tea, as the day before. Sometimes, after midnight, Rinpoche would have to be carried off the throne, all the while continuing his teaching as if nothing had happened, immersed in the pure vision of the mandala of Hevajra. This continued for fifteen days. During this time, Rinpoche’s face often seemed transfigured, and his gaze at times reminded those present of the faces of tantric deities such as Hevajra. As the summer monastic retreat was being conducted during the same period, each evening during those months, at five or six o’clock, the monks would recite prayers and circumambulate the monastery. During the time when the Lamdre was being given, a rainbow appeared almost every evening at the time the monks would make their rounds. Often the rainbow would appear to descend from the sky and touch down on the monastery. Also during these days, a circular rainbow would be seen around the sun. At the end of the summer retreat, the monks celebrate with a picnic, and they went to a garden meadow near Tsarang Monastery. On that day, a rainbow could be seen stretching from the monastery all the way to the garden park. Some disciples feared that all of this might portend that the lama would soon pass away, and many ceremonies dedicated to the long life of Rinpoche were offered by the Mustang royal family and others. When the Lamdre had been given and the summer retreat concluded, Chogye Rinpoche mentioned to his attendant, who was named Guru, that people seemed to think that all of these rainbow signs meant he was going to pass away but that this was not the case. Rinpoche confided that these rainbows were, instead, an auspicious indication that Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo was happy with him for following and maintaining his teachings, for sitting on his throne, and for carrying out his wishes. The rainbow signs were indications of Ngorchen’s blessings, due to his being pleased with Chogye Rinpoche’s extensive Dharma activities in Mustang. From this story we can see evidence of the blessings of the meditation deity Hevajra and of the blessings of the lama, Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo. Another incident in Chogye Rinpoche’s life that might also be mentioned in regard to the meditation deity (yidam), concerns Rinpoche’s trip to Kuching, Malaysia, in 1989. Rinpoche was invited to give the great initiation of Kalachakra according to the Jonang tradition, as well as the complete instructions on the six-branch yoga (sadangayoga) of
the Kalachakra of the Jonangpas, according to the practice manual of Jonang Taranatha. It is customary that in preparation for an initiation, the chopon, or ritual attendant, must set out and array the physical representation of the mandala for consecration in the ritual. Generally, Chogye Rinpoche would allow the choponto simply follow the textual instructions and prepare the mandala as he had been taught, without adding many instructions. However, on this occasion, Rinpoche instructed the chopon, his attendant named Guru, to make the mandala very properly. Rinpoche sat with him and guided him in detail how to prepare it. A metal plate was brought and coated with a thin layer of butter to make it slightly sticky, and on it were arrayed pieces of corn to represent all the deities of the mandala. Then, as Rinpoche was doing his preparations for the initiation, his appearance became quite powerful. During the initiation of Kalachakra, at the time of the consecration of the physical representation of the mandala by the deities of the wisdom mandala, Rinpoche explained that the deities of the mandala of Kalachakra were now actually present above the physical mandala on the shrine. One of those present remarked that when Rinpoche said this, his words had unusual weight, as though he were clearly seeing this for himself. Following the initiation, as the chopon was clearing the shrine, he noticed clear markings on the mandala plate. The markings were not below the film of butter nor were they on top of it, but they appeared within the film of butter. There were eight clear flower shapes at eight points around the edge of the plate, and two in the center of the plate, making a total of ten flower patterns or “lotuses.” This was seen by everyone and was photographed. In the mandala of Kalachakra, there are the two central deities of Buddha Kalachakra and his consort, Vishvamata, surrounded by the eight dakinis, or shaktis as they are called in Kalachakra, just as one finds in the mandalas of other tantric buddhas such as Hevajra or Chakra samvara. Thus, the flower markings are understood as signs of the actual presence of the deities. In the biographies of the lineage masters, one of the signs of accomplishment is “flowers” in the mandala. These are described in the texts in two ways, either as naturally appearing on or within the mandala, as was the case in this instance, or else as de scending or falling onto the mandala. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche is respected as one of the true masters of ritual prayer and initiation. In this regard, one final story demonstrating the blessings of the tantric deities (yidam) is worth repeating. Chogye Rinpoche has frequently been requested by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile to perform various rituals. Once, when Rinpoche performed the fire puja of the female tantric deity Kurukulla, the Dalai Lama remarked, “The teachings and rituals of the Sakyapas are very profound and always bring good results.” Shortly thereafter, the Dalai Lama left the room where the prayers were taking place, and just then a mild earthquake occurred. Returning immediately, the Dalai Lama commented, “You see, I told you the Sakya teachings are very profound. Here is a sign to prove it!” The earth shook five more times during the course of that ritual, and some of those present noted that auspicious events in the life of the Buddha had been accompanied by earth tremors. Since that time, there has been a special shrine to Kurukulla in the Dalai Lama’s palace in honor of that auspicious consecration. Having mentioned signs of the blessings of the guru (lama) and of the meditation deities (yidam), there are also incidents that demonstrate the blessings of the female deities (dakinis) and Dharma protectors. In 1959, after the Lhasa uprising in the face of the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Chogye Rinpoche dreamed of a man riding a black horse, enormous in size. The man said to him, “I will give you the passport to leave here.” Then a woman, white in color and dressed as a Buddhist nun, appeared to him in the dream, and said, “Here is your passport.” With this, she handed him a document. Rinpoche has confided that these two are Dugyal and Karmo, two protectors associated with the deity Vajrakilaya and with Guru Padmasambhava. These are the same protectors associated with the life of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo who appeared at Sakya to warn that Sachen had fallen ill at the seminary where he was studying. It was due to these events that Chogye Rinpoche built a shrine to Dugyal once he had safely reached Mustang. Chogye Rinpoche made the decision to leave Tibet two days after the Chinese occupied Lhasa. Rinpoche consulted a holy female protector deity, and she instructed him to leave but to go to the north; Rinpoche had earlier thought to escape together with His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the south. Rinpoche followed the guidance of his protector and was successful, in spite of Chinese planes flying overhead and bombs exploding around them. Chogye Rinpoche made his way to the safe haven of Lo Monthang in Mustang, just within Nepal on the Tibetan border. There is one last story that might be mentioned here in relation to the Dharma protectors, an unusual event that took place during one of Rinpoche’s trips to Mustang. Chogye Rinpoche went to Mustang a great many times, and every village would invite him to perform ceremonial prayers and give teachings. There was just one particular village in northeastern Mustang, called Samdzong, that for many years had never invited Rinpoche to visit. This village depended on a spring some way up the valley to supply a river that watered their crops. One year, this spring dried up, and the river did not begin until some way down the valley, below the fields of that village. The villagers feared they would have no crops, and invited Rinpoche to come to their aid. Chogye Rinpoche went to the village and performed three days of prayer ceremonies; he also made some divinations. Then Rinpoche said, “Now I must go to where the source of the stream used to be.” Everyone in Rinpoche’s party, including the king of Mustang, traveled the four kilometers upstream on horseback. Carpets were placed on the ground next to where the spring had been, together with a small throne; a stone was placed as a table for Rinpoche. Then Rinpoche began his prayers, making the torma offering and incense offering to the nagas. Shortly after beginning these prayers, the carpets and throne had to be quickly moved, as the spring suddenly began to overflow, gushing water and flooding the area where they had been sitting. Everyone had to move quite far back from the spring due to the force of the water. From that time to the present day, the spring has flowed abundantly, and the farmers of that village have never wanted for water for their crops. This incident brings to mind stories found in the biographies of the great masters that speak of their bringing forth water in places where there was none. Chogye Rinpoche is very famous among the Dharma community in Nepal for his “mantra water.” Over the years, people have regularly brought bottles of mineral water, into which Rinpoche has placed sacred blessing medicine. Then Rinpoche has blown mantras over and into the tops of the bottles. Even a small amount of this water is highly prized by those who know of its effects, and a great many people have avoided operations and serious diseases after faithfully ingesting it. This is widely known around Bouddhanath, in Nepal where Rinpoche resides. Many Tibetan Buddhist lamas confirm what stories such as these suggest. Karma Thinley Rinpoche mentions that Chogye Rinpoche has realized the vajra body, the fruit of tantric accomplishment. Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche has confided that Chogye Rinpoche has completely exhausted all kleshas, or afflictive emotions, all karma, and all concepts into the nature of reality (dharmata); and that Rinpoche is one of those most rare living Buddhist masters who dwell always in that realized state. Since his early youth, Chogye Rinpoche has remained in meditation daily in four sessions of four to five hours each, a discipline he has upheld down to the present day. At times, Rinpoche may complete the full sadhanas of Hevajra or other deities two or three times in a session. Rinpoche is assisted by the fact that he has for his whole life slept only an hour or an hour and a half per night. It is this ability to practice constantly without the need for sleep that has allowed Rinpoche to maintain the daily recitation commitments for many precious Sakya practice lineages, unbroken lineages of daily recitation that might otherwise have been interrupted at the time the lamas fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet. It is due to his devotion to spiritual practice that Chogye Rinpoche has come to be regarded by many as a uniquely accomplished meditation master, the heart of the practice lineage of the Sakya school. Chogye Rinpoche spent the better part of the decade, from when he turned seventy until he was eighty, accumulating the retreat commitments of the deity Mahakala. Rinpoche’s retreat practice of this tradition of Mahakala actually began in 1978with a six-month retreat at the royal palace in Mustang. It is thought that by now Rinpoche has performed the equivalent of at least two three-year retreats on the tantric deity Mahakala. It is often said that Chogye Rinpoche maintains the style of a hidden yogi. It is because Rinpoche spends so much time in meditation retreat that he is regarded as a hidden master. He has completed the equivalent of several three-year meditation retreats. To this day he remains about twenty hours a day in meditation and prayer, following the example of past Buddhist siddhas such as Virupa in India and Milarepa in Tibet. In 2002, Rinpoche turned eighty-three, maintaining still this extraordinary level of practice and Dharma activity. His Holiness Sakya Trizin has spoken of Chogye Trichen Rinpoche thus: “There are many who have attained the wisdom arising from the study of the scriptures. There are some who have attained the wisdom arising from the contemplation of the Dharma. There are few who have gained wisdom arising from meditation. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche is one who has attained all three wisdoms. One should consider oneself fortunate just to meet him, which is in itself a great blessing.”
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário