A traditional depiction of Arya Nagarjuna with a parasol of nagas over his head and a naga below offering the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra

After the Buddha’s passing, Arya Nagarjuna became one of the main pioneers of the Mahayana tradition in India. From Nagarjuna descended the lineage of teachings on wisdom or the profound view of emptiness via his sacred communion with Bodhisattva Manjushri. Before Nagarjuna’s birth, there were numerous predictions of his coming that were recorded in various sutras, such as the Lankavatra Sutra and so forth. Nagarjuna is also traditionally accepted as one of Lama Tsongkhapa’s earlier incarnations.

According to scriptural sources, Nagarjuna was born to a Brahmin family from the ancient kingdom of Vidarbha in the southern part of India. Upon being presented with the newborn baby, the soothsayer observed auspicious signs of a holy being but also made an ominous prediction that the baby would not live past the seventh day. However, he added that the parents could prolong the baby’s life by up to 7 years if they made offerings to a hundred Buddhist monks. Naturally, the parents obliged and the young Nagarjuna lived to seven years of age. During his seventh year, Nagarjuna’s parents feared for his life and they decided to send him to the renowned Nalanda Monastery, where he met the great master Saraha.

Saraha, a great Indian Mahasiddha

Saraha told Nagarjuna that he could extend his life if he was ordained as a monk and engaged in the meditational practice of Amitayus. The boy gladly accepted and was given the Amitayus initiation, which he diligently practiced. He was thus able to survive past his seventh year.

The following year, Nagarjuna received his novice vows and began his life at Nalanda. He turned out to be brilliant in his studies and quickly became an expert in all the major fields of learning at Nalanda. Saraha, his tutor, also initiated him into the Tantric teachings, first with the initiation of Guhyasamaja, and personally taught him the commentary to this Tantra along with other oral teachings, which Nagarjuna gradually mastered.

When he came of age, Nagarjuna returned to his parents and sought their permission to be ordained. Permission was granted and he returned to the monastery where he was ordained according to the Vinaya by the Abbot of Nalanda and given the ordination name of Sriman (Tibetan equivalent, Palden).

Over the years, Manjushri cared for him as he had done in his previous lives. Once, Saraha requested Nagarjuna’s assistance to provide for the monastery during a time of great famine. Nagarjuna traveled to an island by means of his spiritual powers and he learnt the art of alchemy from a hermit there. Upon his return, he was able to provide for the entire monastery with the knowledge he had gained.

As he grew older, Nagarjuna became so highly respected that he was eventually appointed as the Abbot of Nalanda. Fair governance of the monastery characterized his abbotship and he always ensured that monks who upheld the three higher trainings (discipline, meditation and wisdom) were honored and given due recognition. He was also very strict with errant monks and had no qualms expelling monks who had violated their vows.

However, Nagarjuna was not without his detractors. There was a monk by the name of Sankara who composed a text called Ornament of Knowledge, criticizing Nagarjuna’s teachings in twelve thousand stanzas. There was also a text written by a Hinayana monk, Sendah, who refuted the validity of the Mahayana tradition that Nagarjuna upheld. Nagarjuna easily refuted these two texts along with many other texts that spread wrong views.

Once, while Nagarjuna was teaching to a great assembly, two strange men joined the teachings, bringing with them a powerful scent of sandalwood that permeated the hall. The Acharya noticed the two strangers and asked them who they were. The strangers revealed that they were nagas in disguise and that they were sons of the Naga King Taksaka. They added that they had anointed themselves with the essence of sandalwood so that they could enter into the presence of men without being repelled by their smell. Nagarjuna immediately requested for sandalwood to be carved into an image of Tara and for the nagas’ assistance in building a temple.

The Naga Princes said they would first enquire with their father and promised to revert to the Acharya. The next day, the two Naga Princes returned and sought audience with Nagarjuna, telling him that their father had agreed to help the Acharya, but only if he would follow them to the Land of the Nagas. The Acharya pondered and it dawned on him that traveling to the Naga realm would be beneficial for the welfare of all beings. Therefore, he agreed and was brought to the Land of the Nagas by the two Princes, where he was warmly received and accorded the deepest respect.

Nagarjuna discovered that the Naga King and his subjects were all inclined towards virtue. They made many offerings to the Acharya requesting him to turn the wheel of Dharma, to which the Acharya obliged, much to the delight of the Naga Kings and his subjects.

Finally, the Acharya said he needed to return and the Naga King along with subjects begged him to remain. However, Nagarjuna said he could not stay as he came to bring back the sandalwood, the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra and the Nagas’ assistance in building temples and stupas. The Naga King finally consented when the Acharya said that he might return one day.

Nagarjuna returned to the monastery, bringing with him the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in One Hundred Thousand Verses, other abbreviated forms of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, and several other dharanis. The Acharya also brought back sandalwood and naga clay, and built many temples and stupas with these materials.

When the Buddha taught the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, it was believed that the nagas took one version back to their realm for safekeeping, the gods another, and the yakshas who were lords of wealth took yet another. The version of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra that Nagarjuna carried with him were missing the last two chapters, which were withheld by the Nagas in the hopes that he would one day return to teach them further. However, the last two chapters were filled with the last two chapters of The Eight Thousand Verse Prajnaparamita Sutra instead.

With these precious texts, Nagarjuna firmly established the Madhyamaka tradition and spread it all over India. Madhyamaka literally means ‘Middle Way’ and it quickly became the central philosophy of the Mahayana tradition. In order to perpetuate the Mahayana, the Acharya also composed various treatises and commentaries on the Perfection of Wisdom, Buddhist Logic and the Guhyasamaja Tantra.

Once, while Nagarjuna was expounding the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, six nagas came and formed a parasol over his head to shield him from the sun – a scene which has since been immortalized in traditional depictions of him.

The first half of his name – ‘Naga’ – was derived from his close encounters with these serpentine beings. The second half of his name – ‘Arjuna’ – was given to him because of the precise manner in which he delivered his teachings, likened to the famous archer of the same name in the Hindu epic, Bhagavad-Gita. Thus with both names, he became known as Nagarjuna.

In his lifetime, Nagarjuna had many illustrious students but amongst them, there were four primary spiritual sons and three close sons. The Acharya’s four primary sons were Sakyamitra, Nagabodhi, Aryadeva and Matanga while his three close sons were Buddhapalita, Bhavaviveka and Asvagosha. The Acharya also met another of his foremost students, Chandrakirti, when he was older and said to him,

To my last disciple Chandrakirti, I shall show the ultimate Dharma which is not born.

And the Acharya taught the Sutra and Tantra to this promising student. Chandrakirti would later become highly attained and eventually propagated a view of emptiness called the Prasangika tradition based on Nagarjuna’s Madhyamaka teachings.

Nagarjuna later traveled to the Northern Continent to teach. Along the way, he came across some children playing by the wayside. Noticing one with an unusual countenance by the name of Jetaka, Nagarjuna prophesied that he would one day be a king. Then, the Acharya went on his way and did not return for many years.

By the time Nagarjuna returned, the little boy had grown up and had become the king of a large and powerful kingdom in South India. The Acharya was invited by this king to stay with him and be his tutor. This was the same king to whom Nagarjuna wrote ‘A Letter to a Friend’ and he referred to King Udayibhadra of the Shatavahana Dynasty. The Shatavahanas were patrons of the stupa in Amaravati, where Buddha had first taught The Kalachakra Tantra and which was also close to Shri Parvata, the place where Nagarjuna engaged in retreats and composed many of his great treatises.

Shatavahana Dynasty

King Udayibhadra had a son, Kumara Shaktiman, who was power hungry and wanted to become king. However, his mother told him that he could never become king until Nagarjuna died because the Acharya and the King were deeply connected.

His mother then told him to ask the Acharya for his head and since he was a Bodhisattva, he would undoubtedly consent. Nagarjuna did in fact agree, but Kumara could not decapitate him with a sword. Nagarjuna then revealed that in a previous life, he had killed an ant while cutting grass. As a karmic result, his head could only be cut off with a blade of kusha grass.

Kumara went on to procure kusha grass and decapitated Nagarjuna. It is said that the blood from the severed head turned into milk and just before dying, the Acharya said,

Now I will go to Sukhavati Pure Land, but I will enter this body again…

Kumara disposed of Nagarjuna’s head a great distance away from the body, but it is said that the head and the body are coming closer together each year and will eventually rejoin; when this happens, the Acharya will return and teach again. According to traditional accounts, Nagarjuna lived for 600 years.

Much later, when Lama Tsongkapa asked Manjushri if he could rely on Chandrakirti’s text in order to comprehend Nagarjuna’s view, Manjushri replied that Chandrakirti’s purposes in appearing on earth was to clarify Nagarjuna’s excellent view. Manjushri then added that Lama Tsongkapa could have full faith in Chandrakirti because he had clearly understood Nagarjuna’s complete view of emptiness.

Lama Tsongkapa finally gained full direct perception of emptiness through his study and meditation on Buddhapalita’s text, which was praised by Chandrakirti who shared the same view. Then, Lama Tsongkapa infused his own writings and teachings with the same, based on his own exhaustive study and divine teachings from Manjushri.

It is said that those who follow Lama Tsongkapa’s writings and lineage would be blessed by Manjushri to gain quicker realizations of emptiness. Thus, Dorje Shugden arose as a Dharma Protector to assist and protect this special uncommon lineage. That is why Dorje Shugden wears the round yellow hat, which is a physical representation of Nagarjuna’s view that he had sworn to protect.

Arya Chandrakirti, one of Nagarjuna’s foremost students

Thus, Nagarjuna is remembered and revered as the founding father of the Mahayana Tradition. The Prajnaparamita Sutras recovered from the realm of the nagas form the doctrinal basis of Nagarjuna’s Madhyamaka or Middle Way view. Its philosophical view quickly became the basis from which innumerable practitioners, yogis and great masters achieved direct perception of emptiness of inherent existence, which is known as Shunyata in Sanskrit. Realization of emptiness and Bodhichitta are the means from which a practitioner becomes fully enlightened. Therefore, the study of the Perfection of Wisdom texts and Madhyamaka from an integral part of Tibetan monastic curriculum and the doctrinal basis for contemplation and practice.

References:

1. Lobsang N. Tsonawa (1984), Indian Buddhist Pundits
2. New Delhi. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.
3. Berzin Archives

Born Michel Calmanowitz in 1981, Lama Michel has been recognized by Lama Gangchen and many great lamas as a Tulku – the reincarnation of a Tibetan Buddhist Master. He was born to Bel and Daniel Calmanowitz who are both students of His Eminence Lama Gangchen Rinpoche. Just like many other Western Tulkus, Lama Michel chose to reincarnate in Brazil, not only to benefit the whole country and South America, but all of contemporary society.

Lama Gangchen visited Brazil for the first time in 1987, invited by Lama Michel’s parents. From this encounter was born a strong connection between the great healing lama and the Calmanowitz family, who founded the first of many Dharma centres in the West under the guidance of Gangchen Rinpoche: the ‘Shi De Choe Tsog’ Center.

A young Lama Michel with his teacher, H.E. Gangchen Rinpoche in 1988.

At the age of twelve, Lama Michel spontaneously decided to leave the trappings of lay life behind and began his monastic education in southern India, where the great Gelug monasteries are located. Throughout his youth, he repeatedly visited many sacred sites in India, Nepal, Indonesia, Cambodia, Mongolia and Tibet. During these pilgrimages, he had many intuitions, dreams and special visions. Lama Michel’s previous life imprints and altruistic mind had begun to manifest themselves in the traditional Buddhist manner.

Great lamas including Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Dagyab Rinpoche and Gelek Rinpoche have confirmed that Lama Michel is the reincarnation of Drubchok Gyalwa Sandrup, a 15th century yogi and lama from Gangchen Choepel Ling Monastery in Tibet. This monastery was founded by Panchen Zangpo Tashi, one of Lama Gangchen’s previous incarnations. His successor, the second regent of the throne, was none other than Drubchok Gyalwa Sangdrup.

Lama Michel and Gangchen Rinpoche have a very close student – teacher relationship from many lifetimes.

Lama Michel is really a special young tulku, and many people have noticed his pure energy – similar to the energy of Maitreya, the future Buddha of Love. His Tibetan name, Jangchub Choepel Lobsang Nyendrak, means the ‘Wise and famous mind of Enlightenment, who spreads the peace message of Dharma successfully’.

Under the close tutorship of Lama Gangchen Rinpoche, Lama Michel attends Buddhist studies and practice in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lamas, for up to three months each year. It is through Lama Michel’s devotion to his Guru and dedication to his studies that he is able to present the Dharma in English, Italian, and even quote from Tibetan scriptures at the same time.

Lama Michel continues to serve Lama Gangchen Rinpoche by spreading Lama Tsongkapa’s tradition in the ten directions. His young, dynamic and charismatic demeanor has enabled people from all walks of life to connect with the Dharma more effectively.

We at DorjeShugden.com would like to offer our prayers for the manifestation of Lama Michel’s vision in bringing the Dharma to more people so that they can benefit further.

Listen to Lama Michel’s Teachings

• On Soundcloud
• On Spotify

Source : http://www.lgpt.net/bios/lamamichel.htm

Geshe Rabten Rinpoche was born in January 1920 in the district of Kham, Tibet. A true Dorje Shugden Lama showing every sign of being a highly accomplished master in both Sutra and Tantra, his root-master was none other than the great Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche.

An extract from Geshe Rabten’s Biography – “Life of a Tibetan Monk”

“From the time I was a small child, I met monks in their maroon robes returning from the great monastic universities near Lhasa. I admired them very much. I also occasionally visited the large monastery in our region; and when I watched the monks debating, I was again filled with admiration. When I was about fifteen years old I began to notice how simple, pure and efficient their lives were. I also saw how my own home life, in comparison, was so complicated and demanding of tasks that were never finished. In order to be counted as a qualified monk in the nearby Dhargye Monastery, one had to spend at least three to four years studying and training one’s mind in the Buddha Dharma in one of the three monastic universities near Lhasa. With the thought of becoming such a monk in Dhargye Monastery, I decided at the age of seventeen to go to one of these monastic universities, although at that time I had no desire to become greatly learned in the Dharma.”

When he was eighteen Geshe Rabten went on a three month journey from his birthplace in Kham in the Eastern province of Tibet to Lhasa in central Tibet where he became a monk in the monastic university of Sera. Very soon teachers and fellow students became aware of his magnificent character traits.

While studying and meditating he went through unbelievable hardship. Hence teachers and fellow students gave him the name ‘Milarepa’. Due to his clear and precise way of logical debate, people compared him to Dharmakirti, the great Buddhist logical thinker.

After having studied for about twenty years, he passed the Geshe exam in front of monks from the three great monasteries. He was given the title of the highest rank, ‘Geshe Lharampa’. This is the greatest honor, which is given by the examiners and by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He also spent many years in solitary retreat, and wrote the book “Song of the Profound View” about his meditation experiences.

In 1964 Geshe Rabten was chosen to be the philosophical assistant of H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama, whose task is to assist His Holiness when taking teachings from his two tutors as well as to engage in debate with His Holiness on philosophical subjects.

In 1969 the Dalai Lama sent the first Western students to Geshe Rabten and then later, due to the amount of Western students that had accumulated he asked Geshe to move to the Tibetan monastery in Rikon, Switzerland to become the Abbot of that monastery and propagate Dharma.

Geshe Rabten was the first Tibetan Buddhist master to introduce the complete Vinaya-tradition and the study of the five major topics of Buddhism to the West. Hence Geshe became the ‘path breaker’ of the complete and complex teachings of Buddhism in the West. Many masters, who are famous in the West today, were Geshe’s students, namely: Gonsar Rinpoche, Sherpa Rinpoche, Tomthog Rinpoche, Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Yeshe, Geshe Penpa, Geshe Tenzin Gonpo, Geshe Thupten Ngawang, Geshe Thubten Trinley and many more.

Geshe Rinpoche was able to bring the essence of the thoughts of Buddha close to the listeners. No matter if the listener was from the West or the East, whoever followed his words felt all the unclearness disappear and in its place a clearness and calmness started to spread in one’s mind. His examples encouraged people to practise sincerely.

Geshe founded the center for higher Tibetan studies, Rabten Choeling at the lake of Geneva (originally Tharpa Choeling), the Tibetan center in Hamburg, Tashi Rabten at the Letzehof, Puntsog Rabten in Munich and Gephel Ling in Milan.

The Passing of Geshe Rabten Rinpoche

This manifestation of the Buddha has no equal. If you are really determined to tame your mind, he will even give you his heart.
Geshe Rabten on Gyalchen Dorje Shugden

The extraordinary signs that occurred when Geshe Rabten passed away in 1986 made his pupils realise that they were witnessing not only the passing of a great teacher but that of a truly enlightened master. During the months after his death, many students experienced an unusual closeness of Geshe during their meditations.

Rabten Rinpoche, the current incarnation of Geshe Rabten Rinpoche

Three years later, Gonsar Rinpoche, Geshe Rabten’s dearest and closest disciple discovered Geshe’s incarnation, and by a thorough series of consultations with various authorative sources including H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama, Kelsang Tsering, the son of Mr. Tenzin Dargye and Mrs. Pasang Gyalmo, was confirmed as the true incarnation of Geshe Rabten Rinpoche out of 180 potential candidates.

Kelsang Tsering was given the name Ven. Tenzin Rabgyä Rinpoche and now lives at Rabten Choeling under the tutelage and care of H.E. Gonsar Rinpoche.

In spring of 1998 the ten year old Ven. Tenzin Rabten Rinpoche gave his first teaching in front of a group of two hundred people in the monastery Rabten Choeling at the lake of Geneva. Unexpectedly and unprepared, the young Rinpoche gave people advice on taking refuge. He spoke in the clear manner of Geshe Rabten’s own special way. The listeners were deeply moved and many of Geshe Rabten’s former students had tears in their eyes.

The current Rabten Rinpoche

All of us at DorjeShugden.com make this virtual offering of a butterlamp to the incomparable master His Holiness Rabten Rinpoche, requesting him to remain for another 1,000 years to continue turning the wheel of Dharma and benefiting countless beings.

For more information about this great master, check out these links

• Lama Yeshe and Geshe Rabten
• Rabgyä Rinpoche Celebrates His 25th Birthday
• Tenzin Rabgye Rinpoche
• Rabten Choeling (Tibetan Temple in Switzerland)

He was the root Lama of both Kyabje Ling Rinpoche and Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, the two tutors of the present Dalai Lama, and the teacher of most of the other Gelug Lamas who have been bringing the Dharma to the West since they fled Tibet in 1959.^[1] Pabongka was offered the regency of the present Dalai Lama but declined the request because “he strongly disliked political affairs.”^[2]

Content:

1. Early Life and Education
2. His Spiritual Guide and Practice of Buddhism
3. Achievements
   1. As a Buddhist Teacher
   2. As a Buddhist Author
   3. Other Spiritual Activities
      • Holder of the Ganden Oral Lineage
      • Holder of the Heruka Body Mandala Lineage
      • His Work and Retreat Schedule
4. Views
   1. Position on Politics and Religion
   2. Position on Other Tibetan Buddhist Schools
   3. Position on Bon Religion
5. Death
6. Notes
7. Bibliography
8. External Links

Early Life and Education

Pabongka Rinpoche was born in 1878, at a town called Tsawa Li in the Yeru Shang district of the state of Tsang, north of Lhasa in Tibet.

According to Ribur Rinpoche, one of Je Pabongkapa’s main disciples: “Lord Pabongka Vajradhara Dechen Nyingpo Pal Zangpo was born north of Lhasa in 1878. His father was a minor official but the family was not wealthy. Although the night was dark, a light shone in the room, and people outside the house had a vision of a protector on the roof.”^[3]

As a child he was alleged to exhibit unusual qualities and in his seventh year was taken before Sharpa Chuje Lobsang Dargye, one of the leading religious figures of the day, who “felt sure that the boy must be a reincarnated saint” and foretold that if the child were placed in the Gyalrong House of Sera Mey Monastery, something “wonderful would happen with him in the future.”

Later on, he was found to be a reincarnation of the Changkya line, which included the well-known scholar Changkya Rolpay Dorje (1717-1786 AD). The Lamas of this line had done much teaching in the regions of Mongolia and China, including in the court of the Chinese emperor himself, and so the name “Changkya” had strong Chinese connotations. As the Tibetan government and people were already sensitive to the pressures put on them from China, the name “Changkya” was ruled out and the boy declared to be “Pabongka” instead.^[4]
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His Spiritual Guide and Practice of Buddhism

Pabongka received his formal spiritual education at Sera Mey Monastery. At first he was very poor and not famous. He studied hard to be a Geshe, meditated and gave empowerments. Pabongka studied with Jaba Sonpo Rinpoche; however his root Guru or Spiritual Guide was Dagpo Lama Rinpoche (sometimes spelt Tagpo or Thagpo).

Ribur Rinpoche described how Je Pabongkapa met his root Guru: “His root guru was Dagpo Lama Rinpoche Jampael Lhuendrub Gyatso, from Lhoka. He was definitely a bodhisattva, and Pabongka Rinpoche was his foremost disciple. He lived in a cave in Pasang and his main practice was bodhichitta; his main deity was Avalokiteshvara and he would recite 50,000 manis [the mantra, om mani padme hum] every night. When Kyabje Pabongka first met Dagpo Rinpoche at a tsog offering ceremony in Lhasa, he cried out of reverence from beginning to end.”^[3]

Je Phabongkhapa was a keen meditator and emphasized Lamrim, Lojong and Mahamudra. When he had finished his studies at Sera Monastery, he visited Dagpo Lama Rinpoche in his cave and was sent into a Lamrim retreat nearby. According to Ribur Rinpoche: “Dagpo Lama Rinpoche would teach him a Lam-rim topic and then Pabongka Rinpoche would go away and meditate on it. Later he would return to explain what he’d understood: if he had gained some realization, Dagpo Lama Rinpoche would teach him some more and Pabongka Rinpoche would go back and meditate on that. It went on like this for ten years.”^[3]

Pabongka Rinpoche was a renunciate and eschewed worldly attainments and politics. His faithful attendant once demolished the small old building inhabited by Pabongka Rinpoche while he was a way on a long tour, and constructed in its place a large ornate residence rivaling the private quarters of the Dalai Lama. When Pabongka Rinpoche returned he was not pleased and said, “I am only a minor hermit Lama and you should not have built something like this for me. I am not famous and the essence of what I teach is renunciation of the worldly life. Therefore I am embarrassed by rooms like these.”^[5]

According to Rilbur Rinpoche, Je Phabongkhapa was always gentle and never got angry: “Any anger had been completely pacified by his bodhichitta.” Even when long lines of people were waiting for blessings, he would ask each one individually how they were and tap them on the head. Sometimes he dispensed medicine.^[5]

His two main spiritual qualities according to his disciples were, from the Tantric point of view, his realization and ability to present Heruka, and from the Sutra point of view, his ability to teach Lamrim. He attributed all his qualities to his own Spiritual Guide, showing him deference throughout his life. Whenever he visited his Spiritual Guide’s monastery, he would dismount as soon as it appeared in view and prostrate all the way to the door and when he left he would walk backwards until it was out of sight.^[5]

Pabongka Rinpoche’s full name was Kyabje Pabongkapa Jetsun Jampa Tenzin Trinley Gyatso Pel Sangpo, which translates as the “Lord Protector, the one from Pabongka, the venerable and glorious Master whose name is the Loving One, Keeper of the Buddha’s Teachings, Ocean of the Mighty Deeds of the Buddha.” He is also popularly known as “Dechen Nyingpo,” which means “Essence of Great Bliss” and refers to his mastery of the secret teachings of Buddhism.^[6]
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Achievements

As a Buddhist Teacher

After his graduation from Sera Mey with the attainment of a Geshe degree, Pabongka Rinpoche had great success in his teaching tours through the countryside outside the capital Lhasa, and his fame started to spread. With his great skill as a public teacher, he gradually began to build up a large following, his teachings bringing as many as 10,000 students. These included lay people from all over Tibet, which broke with the long-held tradition of only teaching to those ordained as monks.^[4]

According to one reincarnate Lama who attended his teachings: “He was an exceptionally learned and gifted scholar, and his interpretation of the Doctrine adhered to the meaning of the Lord Buddha’s words exactly. He was short, broad-faced, and of rather heavy build, but when he opened his mouth to speak his words had such clarity and sweetness that no one could help being moved.” .^[7]

Pabongka Rinpoche was the first Gelug teacher who taught lay persons outside the monasteries and became very influential. In his memoir of his root Guru, Rilbur Rinpoche said:

When he taught he would sit for up to eight hours without moving. About two thousand people would come to his general discourses and initiations and fewer to special teachings, but when he gave Bodhisattva vows, up to ten thousand people would show up.^[8]

Kyongla Rinpoche described his teachings:

The Rinpoche was accustomed to illustrate his teaching by means of concrete examples and personal stories, with abundant references to the teaching of the Lord Buddha and to the commentaries of ancient scholars and saints. Whenever he noticed that his audience was becoming tired or restless, he would tell a comical story to rouse them and get a laugh.

The Lharampa Geshe Khen Rinpoche described attending Pabongka Rinpoche’s teachings thus:

His voice was incredibly powerful. On many occasions he would address gatherings of many thousands of people, yet everyone could hear him clearly (in those days in Tibet we had never heard of microphones or loudspeakers)… Pabongka Rinpoche had an uncanny ability to relate to his audience, and for this reason he became a teacher for the common man as well as for us monks.

The Rinpoche’s great accomplishment was that he found a way to attract and lead listeners of every level. His most famous weapon was his humor. Public discourses in Tibet could sometimes go on for ten hours or more without a break, and only a great saint could keep his attention up so long. Inevitably part of the audience would start to nod, or fall into some reverie.

Then Pabongka Rinpoche would suddenly relate an amusing story or joke with a useful moral, and send his listeners into peals of laughter. This would startle the day-dreamers, who were always looking around and asking their neighbors to repeat the joke to them.”^[9]

In Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, Trijang Rinpoche says he attempted to convey the “extraordinary” qualities of Je Phabongkhapa’s teachings, which he described:

Each part of the teaching was enriched by instructions taken from the confidential oral lineages. Each section was illustrated by analogies, conclusive formal logic, amazing stories, and trustworthy quotations. The teaching could easily be understood by beginners, and yet was tailored for all levels of intelligence. It was beneficial for the mind because it was so inspiring.

Sometimes we were moved to laughter, becoming wide awake and alive. Sometimes we were reduced to tears and cried helplessly. At other times we became afraid or were moved to feel, ‘I would gladly give up this life and devote myself solely to my practice.’ This feeling of renunciation was overwhelming. These are some of the ways in which all of his discourses were so extraordinary.^[10]

Je Pabongka apparently had an ability to reach even those of the higher echelons of society who were not much interested in Dharma. For example, Dapon Tsago, a member of the nobility who held a powerful position equivalent to Minister of Defense, once attended a public teaching “not to hear the Dharma but rather to put in an appearance” as Jetsun Khen Rinpoche describes it:

So one day this great general marches in to the hall, decked out in silk, his long hair flowing in carefully tailored locks (this was considered manly and high fashion in old Tibet)… A great ceremonial sword hung from his belt, clanging importantly as he swaggered in. By the end of the first section of the teaching he was seen leaving the hall quietly, deep in thought—he had wrapped his weapon of war in a cloth to hide it, and was taking it home.

Later on we could see he had actually trimmed off his warrior’s locks, and finally one day he threw himself before the Rinpoche and asked to be granted the special lifetime religious vows for laymen. Thereafter he always followed Pabongka Rinpoche around, to every public teaching he gave.^[11]

According to the Western monk Helmut Gassner, the Dalai Lama’s translator for 17 years:

It is said that when Pabongka Rinpoche gave Dharma discourses many in the audience gained profound insights into the failings of our worldly concerns to develop the lasting determination to exchange the constant quest for honor, praise, well-being and gain with sincere aspiration, kindness and concern for others.

This unusual ability to teach is not an integral part of Tibetan culture. It is rather at the heart of the living transmission of the teachings of the historical Buddha from one great master to the next. It is, first and foremost, an oral transmission: the master teaches his gifted disciple continuously until the transmitted knowledge becomes the student’s second nature.^[12]

Due to his skill as a Buddhist master, the thirteenth Dalai Lama requested Kyabje Pabongka to give the yearly Lamrim teachings in 1925, instead of asking the Ganden throneholder (Ganden Tripa) as was customary. Usually these teachings lasted seven days, but these lasted for eleven days.^[13]

Je Pabongka had a profound and far-reaching influence on the Gelug tradition:

Pabongka Rinpoche was probably the most influential Gelug lama of this century, holding all the important lineages of sutra and tantra and passing them on to most of the important Gelug lamas of the next two generations; the list of his oral discourses is vast in depth and breadth.

He was also the root guru of the Kyabje Ling Rinpoche (1903-83), Senior Tutor of the Dalai Lama, Trijang Rinpoche, and many other highly respected teachers. His collected works occupy fifteen large volumes and over every aspect of Buddhism. If you have ever received a teaching from a Gelug lama, you have been influenced by Pabongka Rinpoche.^[14]

His foremost disciple, Trijang Rinpoche, praises his teacher highly in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, including:

Our childish minds were unfit vessels for so vast an ocean of teachings, so precious a source of qualities. How sad if these teachings were forgotten!^[15]

In Geshe Ngawang Dhargeyey’s commentary to the Wheel of Sharp Weapons, he says^[16]:

Likewise, Lama Trijang Dorje Chang, Junior Tutor to His Holiness the present Dalai Lama, folds his hands upon the crown of his head whenever he mentions Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche. He was such a great lama, unsurpassed by any, that hardly any lamas or geshes of the Three Pillars (the monasteries of Ganden, Sera and Drepung) had not been his disciples.

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As a Buddhist Author

In 1921 at Chuzang Hermitage near Lhasa, Pabongka Rinpoche gave a historic 24-day exposition on the Lam Rim, or “stages of the path,” that was attended by some seven hundred people. Many monks came from the three major monasteries in Lhasa, and many more travelled weeks from the Central Province, from Tsang, and from as far away as Amdo and Kham. This included about 30 lamas and reincarnations of lamas. There were also many lay people present.

According to Rato Khyongla Rinpoche, who was present: “During that summer session several traders and at least two high government officials found their lives transformed by his eloquence: they forsook their jobs to study religion and to give themselves to meditation.” ^[17]

The teachings covered every topic in the progressive stages to attain enlightenment. These teachings were transcribed and edited by one of his main students, Trijang Rinpoche, who later became the Junior Tutor of the 14th Dalai Lama. Trijang Rinpoche explains the good qualities of the Lamrim teachings given by his root Guru and then explains how the idea of the book came to him:

How could I possibly convey all this on paper! Yet what a pity if all the key points contained in these inspiring instructions were lost. This thought gave me the courage to write this book. As my precious guru later advised me, ‘Some of the people present could not follow the teaching. I’m afraid I do not trust all the notes people took during the classes. I therefore ask you to publish a book. Put in it anything you feel sure of.’ In this book I have accurately recorded my lama’s teachings in the hope that this substitute for his speech will be beneficial to my friends who wish to succeed in their practice.^[10]

Published in Tibetan in 1958, these teachings were eventually translated into English and published as Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand (Tib. rNam grol lag bcangs) in 1991. This book forms the basis of most Gelug teachers’ Lam Rim presentations, including those of the FPMT^[18] and of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s acclaimed Lam Rim text Joyful Path of Good Fortune.^[19]

Kyabje Pabongka also wrote many other books. His collected works occupy fifteen large volumes and cover every aspect of Buddhism.^[20] These texts provide explanations on sadhanas, chanting, how to make tormas and myriad other subjects. Among these texts, is a Dorje Shugden practice which includes the empowerment^[21] and the sadhana of the female Buddha Vajrayogini, based on the Heruka Root Tantra. Both of these texts are widely used in the Gelugpa tradition today.^[22]
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Other Spiritual Activities

Also known as Trinlay Gyatso, Je Pabongka held the lineage of the Tantric Deity Heruka. According to Geshe Kelsang Gyatso: “This great Lama was like the sun of Dharma, illuminating the hidden meaning of both Sutra and Secret Mantra (Tantra). He passed the Mahamudra lineage to his heart Son, Yongdzin Trijang Dorjechang.”^[23]

Lama Zopa of the FPMT praised the enlightened qualities of Je Pabongka (Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo):

My root guru, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche; Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s guru’s root guru; His Holiness Zong Rinpoche, from whom many of the older students received the initiation of Shugden; and the previous incarnation of Gomo Rinpoche, who has a strong connection with Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, here in Italy, all promoted the practice of Shugden. They were all aspects of the Dharmakaya.^[24]

Je Pabongka had many disciples, including the most famous Gelugpa Lamas of the twentieth century, who consider him to be a source of uncommon inspiration. Rilbur Rinpoche, for example, was held and tortured by the Chinese for two decades and famously said “If I told you what happened on a regular basis, you would find it hard to believe.” By all accounts he emerged from his trials with a heart full of love and forgiveness and, when asked how, he replied that it was due to the blessings and teachings of his root Lama Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche.

According to Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, a highly regarded Lharampa Geshe, Je Pabongka was considered an emanation of the Highest Yoga Tantra Deity, Buddha Heruka. He explains how 32 reincarnate Lamas, including his own teacher Tapu Dorjechang, attended his Lamrim teachings in Lhasa:

Tapu Dorje Chang could hear statues of Avalokiteshvara and Tara speak, and saw visions of multi-armed Yidams (Deities). Once Kyabje Phabongka invoked the wisdom beings of Heruka’s mandala to enter into a statue of Heruka Chakrasambara. Heruka then offered nectar to Kyabje Phabongka, and prophesied that seven generations of his disciples would be protected by the body mandala of Heruka. Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang is cared for by Heruka Chakrasambara, as are his disciples.^[25]

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso also describes Je Pabongka as an emanation of Buddha Heruka.^[26] Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey gives an account of his mastery of the practice in his commentary to Wheel of Sharp Weapons^[27]:

Once, in the cave-under-water, he experienced a manifestation of Yamantaka for nine days, while he himself was essentially Heruka Chakrasambhava. Further, he experienced a manifestation of Vajra Yogini who told him of the benefits to be derived from merging the Vajra Yogini teachings of the Sakya and Gelug traditions into one meditational practice. When he once made a great (tsog) offering beside a Heruka statue in Lhasa, the wisdom body actually entered into the statue. The statue danced and told him that whoever received Heruka initiation from him up to the seventh generator would be taken to the dakini realms.

Je Phabongkhapa’s most famous disciples were Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Ling Rinpoche because they were the main teachers of the 14th Dalai Lama, who considered Trijang Rinpoche to be his root Guru.^[28] Kyabje Zong Rinpoche explains:

Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Ling Rinpoche were tutors to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They taught His Holiness everything from basic teachings to advanced levels. Kyabje Pabongka passed all of his lineages to Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang. He often said this in discourses. The purpose of this detailed exposition is to affirm the power of the lineage. If we lose faith in the lineage, we are lost.^[29]

In addition to Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, Je Pabongka had two other main disciples. They were Khangsar Rinpoche and Tathag Rinpoche. Tathag Rinpoche was the main teacher of the 14th Dalai Lama when he was a child and gave him his novice ordination. Khangsar Rinpoche’s Chinese disciple, Master Nan Hai, started a Buddhist movement in China that survived till the present day despite political changes in Communist China, with tens of thousands of spiritual descendants and over a hundred monasteries and nunneries throughout China.^[30]
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Holder of the Ganden Oral Lineage

Pabongka Rinpoche was the holder of the Geden, or Ganden, Oral Lineage. As Geshe Helmut Gassner explains:

The great master Pabongka was in the first half of the twentieth century the pivotal or key lineage holder of the Oral Geden Tradition. Many other teachers before him mastered certain aspects of the tradition’s teachings, but it was Pabongka Rinpoche’s particular merit to locate and find all these partial transmissions, to learn and realize them, and bring them together once again to pass them on through a single person.

In his lifetime there was hardly a significant figure of the Geden tradition who had not been Pabongka Rinpoche’s disciple. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche was the one capable of receiving and passing on the entirety of the Oral Geden Tradition once again. The Dorje Shugden practice is an integral part of that tradition.^[12]

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Holder of the Heruka Body Mandala Lineage

According to Kyabje Zong Rinpoche:

Once Kyabje Pabongka invoked the wisdom beings of Heruka’s mandala to enter into a statue of Heruka Chakrasamvara. Heruka then offered nectar to Kyabje Pabongka, and prophesied that seven generations of his disciples would be protected by the body mandala of Heruka. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche is cared for by Heruka Chakrasamvara, as are his disciples.^[31]

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His work and retreat schedule

Je Pabongka’s primary residence was first the small monastery atop the Pabongka rock (see picture), called Dakpo Gompa, where he allegedly attained enlightenment. When his fame grew, Ngakpa College of Sera Monastery offered him a large retreat complex on the hillside above Pabongka, called Tashi Chuling, or “Auspicious Spiritual Isle.” There were about sixty Buddhist monks in residence there, and about sixteen personal attendants who helped him with his busy schedule. Je Phabongkhapa divided his time between Tashi Chuling and a small meditation cell built around the mouth of a cave, further up the side of the mountain, known as Takden. Pabongka Rinpoche would go to Takden for long periods to do private meditations.^[32]
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Views

Position on Politics and Religion

When the regency of the 14th Dalai Lama was offered to Pabongka Rinpoche, he declined become the regent saying, “If one cannot give up the worldly dharma, then you are not a true religious person.”^[33] According to Goldstein, Pabongka was quite well known for saying that “lamas should not become involved in politics.”^[34]
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Position on other Tibetan Buddhist schools

Although he was a Gelugpa Lama, Je Pabongka respected the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and discouraged sectarianism. In Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, he said:

Abandoning Dharma is, in the final analysis, disparaging the Hinayana because of the Mahayana; favoring the Hinayana on account of the Mahayana; playing off sutra against tantra; playing off the four classes of the tantras against each other; favoring one of the Tibetan schools—the Sakya, Gelug, Kagyu, or Nyingma—and disparaging the rest; and so on. In other words, we abandon Dharma any time we favor our own tenets and disparage the rest.^[35]

Je Pabongka also said that Padmasambhava (the founder of the Nyingma school), Je Tsongkhapa, Atisha, and Buddha Shakyamuni were all one holy being, not four separate mental continuum.^[36]

Pabongka Rinpoche was at times at odds with the 13th Dalai Lama over Pabongka’s supposed antagonism toward the Nyingma lineage. His advocacy of the Dorje Shugden Protector practice is also now criticized by some in the Tibetan Buddhist world. Von Bruck, however, says that Pabongka’s Shugden text “does not say that only Gelugpa teaching leads to liberation, but calls Tsongkhapa’s teaching the highest and the essence of all teachings. But this is traditional parlance and not an exaggerated exclusivity.”^[37]

According to academic David Kay, in an account that has been much disputed by Gelugpa scholars: “As the Gelug agent of the Tibetan government in Kham (Khams) (Eastern Tibet), and in response to the Rimed movement that had originated and was flowering in that region, Pabongka Rinpoche and his disciples employed repressive measures against non-Gelug sects.

Religious artifacts associated with Padmasambhava – who is revered as a “second Buddha” by Nyingma practitioners – were destroyed, and non-Gelug, and particularly Nyingma, monasteries were forcibly converted to the Gelug position. A key element of Pabongka Rinpoche’s outlook was the cult of the protective deity Dorje Shugden, which he married to the idea of Gelug exclusivism and employed against other traditions as well as against those within the Gelug who had eclectic tendencies.”^[38]

According to Kay, “His teaching tour of Kham in 1938 was a seminal phase, leading to a hardening of his exclusivism and the adoption of a militantly sectarian stance. In reaction to the flourishing Rimed movement and the perceived decline of Gelug monasteries in that region, Phabongkha and his disciples spearheaded a revival movement, promoting the supremacy of the Gelug as the only pure tradition.”^[39]

Buddhist scholar Matthew Kapstein echoes these remarks, writing, “There has been a great deal of sectarian dispute among Tibetan refugees in India. Much of this has its roots in the works of Pha-bong-kha-pa Bde-chen snying-po (1878-1937), whose visions of the Dge-lugs-pa protective deity Rdo-rje shugs-ldan seem to have entailed a commitment to oppose actively the other schools of Tibetan Buddhism and the Bon-po.”^[40]

However, most Gelug Lamas strongly dispute allegations against Pabongka’s supposed wrongdoing. Some say that Je Pabongka’s popularity made others jealous, serving as the basis of many rumors of sectarianism on his part against other Tibetan Buddhist schools. Responding to this allegation, Lama Zopa of the FPMT has said that criticism of Pabongka “because he practiced Shugden, making him out to be some kind of demon” is misplaced because he:

“wrote incredible teachings on sutra and tantra; on Heruka, Tara Cittamani and many other topics. All these amazing teachings were written purely from his experience. So it’s impossible that he can really be some kind of evil being, as those extremists accuse him of being. There’s no way he could have done the negative things they say he did.”^[41]

Regarding Kopan Monastery giving up Dorje Shugden practice, Lama Zopa also pointed out:

This was done for His Holiness (The Dalai Lama). This does not mean that Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, and His Holiness Song Rinpoche have made mistakes. It does not mean they are wrong. Nor does one have to look at the protector as evil. For us ordinary people it is difficult to judge, because we cannot see these lamas ’ minds. Another side of the teaching is that it is mentioned that the protector (Dorje Shugden) is an Arya Bodhisattva, a manifestation of Manjushri. So, then, there is also the risk of our creating very heavy karma in that context (by criticizing or abandoning this practice).^[42]

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso also rejected the rumors that Je Pabongka was averse to the Nyingma tradition, saying:

“Je Phabongkhapa had great devotion for Je Tsongkhapa. Je Tsongkhapa praised Padmasambhava, so it is impossible for Je Phabongkhapa to show disrespect for Padmasambhava, impossible.”

Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, a high ranking Lharampa Geshe and Abbot of Ganden Shartse,^[43] said in his teachings:

Kyabje Pabongka was also an emanation of Heruka Chakrasamvara, but degeneration of the times and jealousy of ordinary beings have made it difficult to become aware of his tremendous qualities. There are many biographies of Kyabje Pabongka that make his realized qualities very clear.^[44]

Kyabje Zong Rinpoche also explained the importance for Gelugpas of developing faith in the Gelugpa lineage passed down through Je Pabongka and his principal disciple Trijang Rinpoche:

Kyabje Pabongka passed all of his lineages to Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang. He often said this in discourses. The purpose of this detailed exposition is to affirm the power of the lineage. If we lose faith in the lineage, we are lost. We should remember the biographies of past and present teachers. We should never develop negative thoughts towards our root and lineage gurus. If we do not keep the commitments after having received teachings, this is a great downfall.”^[45]

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Position on Bon religion

Regarding Pabongka Rinpoche’s attitude toward the non-Buddhist Bön religion, he said that “The Dharmas of Boenpos, tirthikas, and so forth are non-Buddhist and should not be taken as our refuge.”^[46] In his famous work Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, he calls it an “evil system”, “false dharma”, “not worthy of being a refuge”, “plagiarized”, and “invented”.^[47]

Although the Bon religion was originally highly hostile to Buddhists,^[48] Je Pabongka never advocated intolerance towards them: “Boen is not a refuge for Buddhists; it is not worthy of being a refuge. All the same, Buddhists and Boenpos say things to each other out of attachment or hostility, and this hardly makes for honest debate. It is vital that you should know the sources of the Boen religion.”^[49]

To support his claim that Bon is not a fitting refuge for Buddhists, Je Pabongka quoted several Buddhist scholars, including Milarepa who said, “The source of Boen is perverted Dharma. A creation of nagas and powerful elementals, it does not take one to the ultimate path.”^[50]
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Death

When Je Pabongka died, an elaborate reliquary was constructed but the Chinese demolished it. Rilbur Rinpoche managed to retrieve some of his cremation relics (“ring sel”) from it, which are usually kept at Sera Me Monastery. They are presently on the relics tour of saints and enlightened masters organized by Lama Zopa.^[51]
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Notes

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Bibliography

Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, Wisdom Publications.
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External links

1. Lama Zasep Tulku Rinpoche discusses Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand
2. Photographs of the three incarnations of Kyabje Pabongka Dorje Chang taken from DorjeShugden.com
3. Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand (at Google Books)
4. Heart Spoon a teaching on impermanence by Kyabje Pabongka Dorje Chang
5. Pabongkha Rinpoche by Buddhist International Alliance.

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As far as prolific biographies go, no one has need of a more extensive biography than His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who has thirteen previous lives to include. The man who has devoted his life to this sacred task is Glenn H. Mullin, the most prominent biographer of all fourteen Dalai Lamas.

Having dedicated his time and energy to the compilation of the Dalai Lamas’ background and history, it therefore comes as no surprise that the Dalai Lama and Glenn Mullin regard one another as good friends. In fact, in a testament to the closeness of their relationship, the Dalai Lama once commented that Glenn knows more about his predecessors than he himself.

Knowing their friendship is crucial in understanding the significance of this next revelation – that Mullin has written in contradiction of His Holiness’ stance on Dorje Shugden and that despite this, His Holiness continues to write forwards for Mullin’s books, including those with information that contradicts his own stance on Dorje Shugden.

So what is it? That the Dalai Lama and his people did not have a chance to read the book before its publication? Or that they just turned a blind eye? Or perhaps His Holiness did so knowingly, to cast doubt on the conviction of his stance on Dorje Shugden?

Because the contradictions in the publication are hardly minor – in the book, Mullin notes that Dorje Shugden was the most popular Dharma Protector within the Gelug sect, when His Holiness has always maintained that Dorje Shugden was practised by a small minority within the Tibetan population.

Read on, and decide for yourself…you may find that in the face of His Holiness’ continuing inconsistencies regarding Dorje Shugden, that your opinion of this Protector just might change.

Thank you
DorjeShugden.com

The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation by Glenn H. Mullin

Extract from Pg 208

Another controversy surrounding the Great Fifth concerns the details of the death of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen, a famous Gelugpa lama of the period. He was one of the most prominent lamas of his day, and in fact in some circles was held in even higher regard than was the Great Fifth, for the Fifth at the time was still in his youth.

One day Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen was mysteriously murdered. His followers claimed that the culprits were followers of the Fifth Dalai Lama, although there was no suggestion that the Great Fifth was personally even aware of the plan.

The theory was that the Great Fifth was being eclipsed by the towering stature of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen, and thus would greatly benefit from the death. As long as Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen was alive the Fifth Dalai Lama would be number two in the Gelugpa School; his death allowed the Great Fifth to rise to the position of number one.

Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen

Whether or not the followers of the Great Fifth were involved in Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s murder was never proved, but the rumours persisted.

The tale, already somewhat bizarre, now takes an even more exotic twist. It is said that the soul of the murdered monk wandered in the hereafter for some time as a disturbed spirit, creating havoc for the people of Lhasa. Eventually the Great Fifth contracted a group of Nyingmapa shamans to exorcise and pacify it, but they failed. He then contracted a group of Gelugpa shaman monks.

As a result of the rituals of this second group the spirit of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen was eventually pacified and transformed into the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden.

This spirit was later adopted as a guardian angel by numerous Gelugpa monks who disapproved of the Fifth Dalai Lama’s manner of combining the Gelugpa and Nyingmapa doctrines.

Fifth Dalai Lama with the Chinese Emperor

Although the Great Fifth tried to discourage the practice of worshipping this deity, it caught on with many monasteries. The practice continued over the generations to follow, and eventually became one of the most popular Protector Deity practices within the Gelugpa School.

In particular, during the late 1800s, when four Dalai Lamas died young, it became an all-pervasive monthly practice within almost all provincial Gelugpa monasteries, and was especially popular with Gelugpa aristocratic families.

The controversy surrounding the murder of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen and the deity that emerged from his disturbed spirit has shadowed the Dalai Lama office until the present day. By the time the Tibetans came into exile in 1959, worshipping Dorje Shugden was still a common monthly practice of most Gelugpas.

In recent decades the present Dalai Lama has attempted to discourage the practice, but with little success. It is as strong today as ever, if not stronger; for with the Dalai Lama discouraging it in India, the Chinese are fully promoting it in Tibet.

Tibet watchers will be aware of this bizarre controversy, as it has even found its way onto the pages of Times and Newsweek, and has dozens of web pages dedicated to it.

The 11th Panchen Lama, or Panchen Erdeni (secular name: Gyaincain Norbu), has been recognized as the reincarnated child of the 10th Panchen Lama on November 29, 1995 after the “lot-drawing from the golden urn” in front of Buddha Shakyamuni Statue in Jokhang Monastery and the approval of the State Council.

Gyaincain Norbu was born on February 13, 1990 in an ordinary family in Lhari County in northern Tibet Autonomous Region. His father Soinam Chaghba and mother Sanggyai Zhoima have both completed their primary school education.

They gave birth to a beautiful boy with fair skin, bright shiny eyes with a mole on his right face. His face resembled a Buddha, thus Sanggyai Zhoima’s father named his grandson “Gyaincain Norbu”, which means “The holy victory banner”.

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The Life of Gyaincain Norbu at Shigatse

On the morning of 30th Nov 1995, The 11th Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu arrived at Shigatse, accompanied by leader of Tibet Autonomous Region and high lamas from inside and outside Tibet. This episode tells you life of Gyaincain Norbu at Shitgatse.

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Visiting Reting Monastery

The 11th Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu with a group of people went to Reting Monastery at Lhasa for pilgrimage. This was the first time the 11th Panchen Lama doing pilgrimage at this monastery after his enthronement in year 1995.

Visiting Reting Monastery is one of the Dharma activities the 11th Panchen Lama planned to do in his trip to Lhasa. According history, every incarnation of Panchen lama would pay pilgrimage to Reting Monastery including the 10th Panchen Lama when he was young.

When the 11th Panchen lama and the group of people reached Reting Monastery at 9.30am, more than one hundred monks from the monastery and over 100 local people, all lined up at both sides of the road to welcome the arrival of His Holiness the 11th Panchen Lama.

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My root guru, His Eminence Tulku Khejok Rinpoche demonstrates how to offer a Mandala. Although I am not able to include Rinpoche’s detailed explanation (it is entirely my inability), I still want to share this very precious recording.

I am lucky to receive this practice first hand from Rinpoche. By actually seeing him offer the Mandala, he has cleared my misunderstanding and wrong views. It benefits me a lot, I hope it will benefit others too.

Many thanks to my guru!!!!

Do read about His Eminence Khejok Rinpoche’s biography here
dorjeshugden.com/?p=1732