Mahasiddha Pabongka Rinpoche has a long history and during his time the Dharma increased greatly in Tibet. He was actually Heruka Demchok.

He was born in North Central Tibet and as a boy entered Gyalrong house of Sera Mey. 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 who was a complete lineage holder, especially of the teachings of Ranchi Lama. One night, he dreamt of a person giving him a pot of milk and requesting him to drink it completely. This symbolized that the complete teachings would be transferred to him.

Later on, a monk came to see him. This monk explained that there were a lot of philosophies in Tibet but not much teaching on Lam Rim. The monk offered to be his patron so that he could go and teach.

At one time while returning from the south of Tibet, Pabongka Rinpoche met many people, requesting Lam Rim teachings. He taught in Lhasa and he went everywhere in Tibet and many people became his students. Of course this caused some jealousy at times. He propagated Je Tsongkapa’s Dharma with much enthusiasm and stated that these teachings were the best.

Finally, the monk who was Pabongka Rinpoche’s patron returned and thanked him. He told him to rest, while he was away at the Five Mountains of Manjushri in China. At this period, no one asked him to teach Lam Rim. Three years later, this monk returned and requested him to teach Tantra. After this many people requested Tantra teachings. Now, Pabongka contemplated these events and realized that this monk was Dorje Shugden.

Pabongka went to see his guru Tapo Dorje Chang. His spiritual master was very special. He was born in Na Sur Tapo where his monastery was located. He had a long line of incarnations numbering four or five. The first Tapo Khacho Uncho, while meditating, saw Tara, Chenrezig and they gave empowerments to him. Tapo Dorje Chang also traveled to the pure lands. Yidams give him initiations such as “Cittamani Tara“. He also held the thirteen deity initiation called “Da-pan Na-ja soon“.

Mahasiddha Pabongka asked Mahasiddha Tapo Dorje Chang, his guru, to go to Tusita. In Tusita, the Mahasiddha Tapo Dorje Chang had met Lama Tsongkapa. At that time, Tapo Dorje Chang had requested teachings from Je Tsongkapa. Lama Tsongkapa lifted the cloth that covered the front of the golden throne he was sitting on. From under the golden throne came the five forms of Dorje Shugden. Dorje Shugden gave to Mahasiddha Tapo Dorje Chang Tenpai Gyaltsen complete instructions and the Mahasiddha returned to Tibet with these texts.

Tapo Dorje Chang gave Pabongka not only the initiation and lineage of Dorje Shugden, but also all his lineages that he held. When Tapo Dorje Chang was young, he had many visions of Lhasa and he went to Drepung Monastery. Later in his life, he became a sage and remained in Tapo meditating. One time, Pabongka was going to Kham and he wanted to visit the guru. Tapo Dorje Chang told him to visit on his return. But he went before so he could visit twice. Tapo Dorje Chang told him

I told you after your trip to Kham. Anyway, now many dakinis are requesting me to come.

Pabongka knew what this meant and requested him to live longer. He asked what he should do. Pabongka said to meditate on the emptiness of the events. So he went to Kham and Tapo Dorje Chang passed away.

Pabongka Rinpoche spread the Dorje Shugden practice and had many famous and wise students beginning in 1920’s. He was particularly famed for his pristine elaboration of the Lam Rim.
~ From Chod in the Ganden Tradition: The Oral Instructions of Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, Snow Lion, 2006.

Zong Rinpoche (1905-1984) was a Gelug Lama and disciple of the third Trijang Rinpoche, junior tutor of the 14th Dalai Lama. Rinpoche was famous as a sharp analyst and master of philosophical debate, as well as a powerful Tantric practitioner. He had impeccable knowledge of all rituals, art and science, and was renowned for his ‘many actions of powerful magic,’ as a result of which ‘the most marvellous, indescribable signs occurred.’

Zong Rinpoche served as the Abbot of Ganden Shartse Monastery for nine years beginning in 1937, during which he brought about new heights of scholarship and monastic discipline among the monks, as well as raising living standards for the poorest of them.

Zong Rinpoche first came to teach in the West in 1978, at the request of Lama Thubten Yeshe. Thousands of Westerners have since received teachings from him, both in the West and in India. He forged strong links with dharma centres in America, Canada, England, France, Italy and Switzerland. (Read more about H.H. Zong Rinpoche here)

[Extracted from: www.dorjeshugden.info and www.fpmt.org]

About 600 Mongolians attended the Dalai Lama’s teachings on Je Tsongkapa’s Lamrim

By Shashi Kei

In early December 2014, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama gave his annual teachings on Lama Tsongkapa’s “Great Stages of The Path To Enlightenment” (the Lamrim) to an international audience in Dharamsala. The Lamrim is irrefutably one of the most important teachings given by Lama Tsongkapa as a detailed guide to all students of dharma on their spiritual path to liberation. Therefore all Lamrim teachings are, by tradition, to be treated with utmost reverence both by the listener and the teacher.

What made this year’s event different was the presence of over 600 Mongolians in the audience. The teachings were held over three days and not long into the first day’s teaching, it became obvious that the Dalai Lama intended to use this religious platform for his political agenda once again.

#1: The Dalai Lama Breaks His Promise

Two years earlier during the Lamrim teachings of 2012, the Dalai Lama gave his word that he would no longer speak publicly against Dorje Shugden. However, he did not stop. At every opportunity since, the Dalai Lama spoke against the Protector and now, two years later, he used another Lamrim teaching to attack Dorje Shugden as well as the present incarnation of his own guru, Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang.

The Dalai Lama began his assault by demonizing Dorje Shugden yet again, first by suggesting that Dorje Shugden was happy when the 13th Dalai Lama passed away and that Shugden is now eagerly waiting for the 14th Dalai Lama to die. Given the people’s reverence of the Dalai Lamas, that was said with only one purpose in mind – to poison the audience’s minds against the deity.

Far from wanting to harm the Dalai Lamas, Dorje Shugden in fact helped the 13th Dalai Lama [as narrated in The Garland of Jewels: Chronicles of The Successive Emanations of Lokesvara - http://bit.ly/1xaaIWb] and saved the life of the 14th Dalai Lama [http://bit.ly/1Be3U9v]. It is not difficult to see that had Dorje Shugden wanted the Dalai Lama harmed, he would not have provided the means for the Dalai Lama to escape Tibet just before the Chinese army began shelling the Potala Palace.

Not only has the present Dalai Lama not acknowledged the roles played by Dorje Shugden and Shugden lamas in his life, he has in fact demeaned the devotion and sacrifices of so many Shugden followers, quite without conscience.

• Was it not Trijang Rinpoche and Ling Rinpoche, both Shugden lamas, who tutored the Dalai Lama and took care of his every need?
• Was it not Zemey Rinpoche, another Shugden lama, who assisted the Dalai Lama in his precarious dealings with the Chinese?
• Was it not Shugden lamas who consulted with the Protector and planned the Dalai Lama’s escape (and with it the survival of the Tibetan culture and religion) after Nechung gave the wrong advice for the Dalai Lama to remain in Tibet?
• Was it not Shugden monks from Sera who escorted the Dalai Lama in his dangerous journey, and Shugden believers who formed the Chushi Gangdruk that protected the Dalai Lama all the way to India and then returned to Tibet to join in the fight to liberate their homeland?
• Was it not Guru Deva Rinpoche, yet another Shugden lama, who was instrumental in the rebuilding of the great Gelugpa universities and the re-establishment of Tibetan Buddhist infrastructure in India?

As a matter of fact, Dorje Shugden has played crucial roles throughout the Dalai Lama’s life and now here is the Dalai Lama debasing the Protector and those who have helped him. Such shocking ingratitude is unprecedented in the history of Tibetan Buddhism.

#2: The Dalai Lama Maligns His Teacher

For the Dalai Lama to malign Dorje Shugden is disturbing but it is also to be expected of the person who has banned its practice. What is more alarming is how the Dalai Lama used Je Tsongkapa’s Lamrim teachings to attempt to undermine the reputation of his own teacher’s reincarnation, Kyabje Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche.

The countless great deeds the previous Trijang Dorje Chang had performed for Dharma, the lineage and the country had rendered his reputation unassailable thus the Dalai Lama resorted to maligning the reputation of his reincarnation instead. Ironically, Je Tsongkapa said clearly in the Lamrim Chenmo that the proper reliance on the guru is the root of the path. You cannot honor the path if you dishonor the root of the path, but that point seemed to be lost on the Dalai Lama.

Of his relationship with the incarnation of his holy guru, Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama said this to the audience:

Trijang Rinpoche visited Mongolia. When he was there, the Nechung medium was also there and Trijang Rinpoche and the Nechung medium met and explained everything to Trijang, very clear. Regarding Trijang and me… we have a long story and our relationship goes way back.

Previous Trijang Rinpoche was my tutor. Due to the dolgyal issue, when the current Trijang was small he started facing big problems. I tried many ways to help him to get out of the circle of people keeping him under control… and the people surround him created trouble for him.

The Dalai Lama told the audience a story to portray a younger Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche as a recalcitrant boy who was under the control of “the Dolgyal people” – negative elements whom according to the Dalai Lama, caused Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche serious problems. Indeed the young Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche did face tremendous problems, but not because of the people around him but squarely because of the ban on Dorje Shugden that the Dalai Lama had put into effect without reason or cause. To arouse the Tibetan people’s fear and hatred of the Chinese, the Dalai Lama labeled the deity as a Chinese ghost. And to agitate their sentiments for the Dalai Lama who represents their hope of returning to their homeland, he told them that Dorje Shugden’s practice harms his life and will be the downfall of their efforts to regain their country.

In effect, the Dalai Lama had declared all Shugden practitioners including the incarnation of his own teacher, Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche, to be enemies of the Tibetan nation that had to be treated with contempt. As a result, young tulkus of Shugden lamas such as Trijang Rinpoche and Zong Rinpoche received very serious death threats.

Groups began to form to hunt down Shugden practitioners and one organization known as ‘The Secret Society of Eliminators of the External and Internal Enemies of Tibet’ pronounced its death threat against Shugden worshippers, naming in particular Trijang Rinpoche and Zong Rinpoche. Their statement read:

Anyone who goes against the policy of the government must be singled out, opposed and given the death penalty… As for the reincarnations of Trijang and Zong Rinpoche, if they do not stop practising Dolgyal and continue to contradict the words of H. H. the Dalai Lama, not only will we not be able to respect them but their life and activities will suffer destruction. This is our first warning.’ - [http://goo.gl/1ixeO5]

At no time did the Dalai Lama or the CTA step in to object to this behavior and calm the situation. Instead, the Dalai Lama’s government passed parliamentary resolutions that effectively mandated violence against Shugden worshippers. So it was in fact the Dalai Lama who had caused Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche, who was only 13 years old at that time, all those grievous problems. Those around the young Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche, whom the Dalai Lama insinuated to be bad influences, in fact protected Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche around the clock and even stood guard by his bed at night.

A young Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche with the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama gave Trijang Rinpoche an ultimatum to either stop the Shugden practice or end his monastic education

I even told him once secretly to come to Bombay and I will send people to get him back to Dharamsala. Later I met him in America. I talked to him about ways to get out of this problem but he didn’t listen.

And to continue to portray his own teacher negatively, the Dalai Lama gave the impression that he tried patiently and incessantly to help the young Trijang Rinpoche but the latter refused. In fact, what the Dalai Lama did do unrelentingly was to try and force Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche to break his vows and abandon the Shugden practice that the Dalai Lama had resolved to destroy.

From a young age, Trijang Rinpoche had to face the very powerful and oppressive Dalai Lama who did not treat the new incarnation of his guru in a manner that a student should. The previous Trijang Rinpoche gave the Dalai Lama the Dharma, knowledge, protection, love, care and nurtured him like a father would a precious son. And yet, each time the young Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche tried to seek the Dalai Lama’s blessings for him to continue with the Shugden practice which has had profound presence in the line of Trijang Rinpoches – for at least the past three incarnations, he was met with a resounding ‘No’.

Since I have received a lot of teachings from the previous Trijang, I thought they should first be given back to the current incarnation of Trijang Rinpoche… but it has not worked out.

To the audience in the Lamrim teachings, the Dalai Lama gave the impression that he has no relationship today with Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche because Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche rejected him. On the contrary, it is the Dalai Lama who made the rule that the Tibetan people should not have any association whatsoever with Shugden practitioners. In addition, the Dalai Lama has stressed at every occasion including the 2014 Lamrim teachings that Shugden worshippers cannot receive any teachings from the Dalai Lama. So who is rejecting who?

#3: The Dalai Lama Proves There Is A Ban

The last time Trijang Rinpoche met with the Dalai Lama was in Graz, Austria in 2003 and then, as before, the Dalai Lama gave Trijang Rinpoche an ultimatum. On that particular occasion in Graz, the Dalai Lama had said to Trijang Rinpoche:

If you give up this deity, myself and all Tibetan people will appreciate it very much and our protector Nechung will take care of you and make you more successful and famous than ever. If you do not give up this deity, then your monastic career, like receiving the full monk’s ordination and taking Geshe examinations will not be possible. So I leave it to your judgment. Yes or No?
- [http://www.shugdensociety.info/historyEvents1998EN.html]

The ultimatum to Trijang Rinpoche provides a rare insight into the Dalai Lama’s mind that triggered a very destructive religious controversy. It therefore warrants careful attention:

1. It shows that the Dalai Lama never intended for anyone to have a real choice in the Dorje Shugden matter even though both he and the Central Tibetan Administration insist that the Dalai Lama had simply provided “advice” with regards to the Shugden practice. If that was true, the Dalai Lama would not have imposed conditions on Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche. This is after all the Dalai Lama’s holy guru. What kind of student who values the dharma and the source of dharma would treat his guru this way?
2. It shows the heavy hand that the Dalai Lama wields against those who oppose his wish. Dalai Lama the politician was prepared to deny an ordained monk his monastic education. A ‘simple Buddhist monk’ would never do that, especially if he is the custodian of the spiritual well-being of the monastic community
3. It shows the Dalai Lama is disrespectful of the all-important Tibetan Buddhist tradition, which is to regard the guru as the root of all paths, as Je Tsongkapa and many other Buddhist saints taught. And if the guru is not held as sacred in the Dalai Lama’s eyes, and similarly if vows and commitments mean nothing to him, then what is sacred?
4. It shows the Dalai Lama’s hypocrisy. The Dalai Lama regularly accuses Shugden practitioners of worshipping a spirit for the sake of worldly gain, but he is in the meantime depending on Nechung, a worldly spirit for not only the same but also to bribe and corrupt others into breaking their vows.
5. And following from that, it shows that the Dalai Lama placed such importance on worldly gain and fame that he thought it would be enough to entice Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche away from a true spiritual path.
6. It shows the Dalai Lama was prepared to use ultimatums, intimidation and fear to coerce others into submitting to him. These are not characteristics of a ‘simple Buddhist monk’.
7. It shows the Dalai Lama had assumed Nechung to be the protector of the Gelugpa lineage (via his reference to Nechung as ‘our protector) instead of Kalarupa as was practiced by Je Tsongkapa. Conversely, when Pabongka Rinpoche instructed students to take Dorje Shugden as their dharma protector, he was accused of distorting Je Tsongkapa’s teachings. An extremely hypocritical accusation.

While that incident exposed the degeneration that had set in the Dalai Lama’s mind, at the same time it revealed the purity of Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche’s practice. Trijang Rinpoche could not be bought or coerced, but neither would he allow himself to dishonor his devotion to the Dalai Lama who was also his student in Trijang Rinpoche’s past life.

In the end, Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche made the difficult decision to disrobe as a monk and to retreat into solitary life as an ordinary practitioner. And till this very day, Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche has not made a single disparaging remark about the Dalai Lama despite all the hardship the Dalai Lama inflicted upon him and other Shugden practitioners.

#4: The Dalai Lama Guards His Power Base

Since Trijang Rinpoche’s re-emergence in 2012, it became obvious that he is still highly revered and regarded as the most important lama in the Gelugpa lineage. It worried the Dalai Lama that Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang, whom many in the lineage consider to have achieved attainments equal to the Dalai Lama, had returned. And this is happening at a time when the Dalai Lama’s popularity as a world figure seems to be on the decline as cracks began to appear in his well-practiced public persona.

The Dalai Lama had an urgent political agenda during the recent Lamrim teachings. The presence of the Mongolians, the special attention the Dalai Lama accorded them, and the negative remarks that the Dalai Lama made during the teachings about Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche and Dorje Shugden were not mere coincidences. The Dalai Lama meant to use the religious platform to curb Trijang Rinpoche’s rising popularity with the Mongolians who have been supportive of Trijang Rinpoche all this while.

Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche arrived in Mongolia in September 2014 to a rousing reception, not long after the Dalai Lama’s own planned visit had been revoked due to Chinese pressure. A true ‘simple Buddhist monk’ would rejoice at Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche’s popularity in Mongolia, and that the Chinese seem not to disapprove of Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche.

Mongolia has historically played a key role in the establishment of Tibetan Buddhist leadership. The rise of the Fifth Dalai Lama was with the support of the Mongolians. In turn, Tibetan Buddhism has shaped the Mongolian way of life in a profound way, sometimes playing a more influential role than politics in shaping policies and decisions. Therefore a prominent Tibetan-Gelugpa lama would be able to command a respectable standing within the Mongolian establishment. Until recently that honor had been the Dalai Lama’s.

Kyabje Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche in Mongolia earlier this year

If the Dalai Lama had the wellbeing of the Tibetan people and the good of Tibetan Buddhism in mind, he would see the benefits in Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche’s relationship with the Mongolians and the potential bridge it could build with China.

In fact, perhaps in Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche lies the Tibetan people’s only remaining ticket to returning to their homeland via negotiations brokered by the Mongolians whose natural resources and strategic location are deemed important to the Chinese.

But then the Dalai Lama has never been a simple Buddhist monk and thus saw Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche to be a threat, one only a politician would perceive. Hence, instead of assisting Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama sought to diffuse the perceived threat. And so, with the 2014 Lamrim teachings, the Dalai Lama began the process of undermining Trijang Rinpoche’s stronghold in the Tibetan and Mongolian communities.

#5: The Dalai Lama Contradicts Himself Yet Again

The world at large sees the Dalai Lama as a Buddha incarnate, a man of peace who is the embodiment of all that is honest and good. And because of the implied currency of trust that comes with the image the Dalai Lama has successfully sold to the public, they have stood idly by as mute witnesses to the Dalai Lama’s persecutions of Dorje Shugden worshippers. However, it is not at all difficult to see though this facade if one was to decide to awake from the hypnosis.

For instance, the Dalai Lama tells the Mongolians and the audience that they should stop their worship of Dorje Shugden. He assured them that nothing bad would happen to them if they stopped their practice by implying a certain spiritual superiority over Shugden:

If Dolgyal wants to harm you, you should tell him to see the Dalai Lama…

The very next day, the same Dalai Lama told the same audience that if those who practice Shugden were to receive teachings from the Dalai Lama, his life would be harmed.

The main point is that the Dalai Lama lineage cannot practice Dorje Shugden and those who come to receive teachings cannot practice. To do so breaks samaya and harms me.

By inference, the Dalai Lama is saying that a student’s broken samaya will harm their teacher and yet for almost 20 years, the Dalai Lama has forced Shugden practitioners, even monks, to disown their gurus and Protector. If broken samaya can harm the Dalai Lama, can it not also harm the gurus of Shugden practitioners who renounce their teachers and the practice given to them? If so, has not the ban caused many gurus and students to be harmed?

Now the dolgyal renegades are calling me a fake Dalai Lama and protesting against me. They have showed me wearing a Muslim cap. I do that because I try to promote interfaith harmony. Some of these people are saying I am Muslim. I can’t please everybody.

The Dalai Lama also said that he has been accused of being a Muslim for wearing a Muslim cap while attending an Islamic event. He explained that he did so with the intention of fostering religious harmony amongst the different religions. That itself does not hold water given the fact that the Dalai Lama is actively discriminating against the belief in a deity (Dorje Shugden) and the practice of worshipping that deity. If the Dalai Lama is sincere about religious harmony, why has he shown such contempt for a religious practice that has been at the heart of the Gelugpa lineage for over 300 years? Again the Dalai Lama’s actions do not match his words.

Perhaps what betrayed the Dalai Lama’s real motive for the Shugden ban was when he told the audience that the ‘Dalai Lama lineage’ cannot practice Dorje Shugden. The simple fact is that there is no Dalai Lama lineage that stands apart from the Gelugpa lineage founded by Je Tsongkapa. And all Gelugpa stalwarts propitiate Dorje Shugden as they have been for some time. Therefore, if the Dalai Lama’s ambition was to redefine the Gelugpa tradition to suit his political ambitions, he has to find a way to shift the power base away from the high Gelugpa lamas to him exclusively. And banning the Shugden practice was the strategy the Dalai Lama deployed to accomplish that objective – divide the lineage and rule. It was never about Dorje Shugden per se.

#6: The Dalai Lama’s Real Strategy

The Dorje Shugden supporters are saying that I was born to intentionally destroy Tsongkapa’s teachings but what I have done all my life is to promote it…

All this political manoeuvring has come at great expense to the pure lineage that Je Tsongkapa founded which the present Dalai Lama seems determined to destroy. It is not so much the deity that stands in the Dalai Lama’s way but the strong devotion the Shugden practitioner gives to his lama. And so, if we were to try and understand the Dorje Shugden controversy from the perspective of the spiritual reasons given to justify the ban, nothing would make any sense. As such, until this day the Dalai Lama has not been able to provide any scriptural evidence or even a logical and rational argument based on principles of Buddhism to support the claims made against Dorje Shugden.

Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche himself is living proof that the Dalai Lama’s reasons are false. How can the previous Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang, undoubtedly one of the most attained Shugden masters in history reincarnate as a high lama to resume his Dharma work, which Kyabje Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche is manifesting today, if Dorje Shugden is truly a dark demonic force? That would defeat the principles of karma itself.

At the same time I practice Nyingma, Sakya and Kagyu teachings… because, Panchen Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen who was the contemporary of the Fifth Dalai Lama, said in a beautiful verse that the essence of all four traditions boils down to the same point… and should understand and practice all four traditions… what I lack from one side I take from another side…

However, if we were to look at the Dalai Lama’s actions in recent history from the perspective of his political ambitions, then the picture falls into place. The Dalai Lama divided the largest Tibetan Buddhist sect, the Gelugpa, with the Dorje Shugden conflict. He similarly divided the second largest Tibetan Buddhist sect, the Karma Kagyu by interfering in the Kagyu’s internal affairs of recognizing and enthroning its head of the lineage. Today we have two Karmapas, one of whom is closely connected with the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama formed an alliance with the Nyingmapa by embracing its core teachings as his own. The Sakyapa have never been politically active in the history of Tibet and so they are spared the Dalai Lama’s political gamesmanship.

In addition the Dalai Lama forged an alliance with the Bon tradition, a form of Tibetan spirit worship, by recognizing it as the official sixth lineage in Tibetan Buddhism and forbade any discrimination against it on the basis that it is undemocratic. [Kværne, Per and Rinzin Thargyal. (1993). Bon, Buddhism and Democracy: The Building of a Tibetan National Identity, pp. 45-46. Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. ISBN 978-87-87062-25-1]. It is noteworthy that the same treatment and respect have not been accorded the Shugden worshippers by the Dalai Lama. This affirms that falsity of an often quoted reason for the Dalai Lama to ban the Shugden practice – that it is spirit worship that causes the Dharma to degenerate.

And finally to complete his plan, the Dalai Lama officially recognized the Jonangpa as the fifth Tibetan Buddhist lineage and went to great lengths to rebuild a very small lineage of only about 40 monasteries with 5000 monks. The Jonang lineage was in fact absorbed into the Gelugpa lineage by the Fifth Dalai Lama but the 14th Dalai Lama reversed that status, removing the Jonang from the Gelugpa lineage and returning it to its own identity as part of the process of shifting the Gelugpa power base. The Jonang tradition is known for its Kalachakra tradition and as we know, the Dalai Lama has given more Kalachakra initiations than any known lamas in modern times, with such initiations being perfect opportunities for the Dalai Lama to swear initiates to oaths of loyalty to him.

Furthermore, with the Mongolian factor playing a crucial role in the Dalai Lama’s power grab, he had to diminish Guru Deva Rinpoche’s influence over the Mongolian people. Thus, to seal the deal, the Dalai Lama assigned Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche of Mongolia, as head of the Jonang lineage. And to the Mongolian audience in the Lamrim teachings, the Dalai Lama expressed his eagerness to find and enthrone the next head of the Jonang, the previous Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche having entered clear light in 2012. A new head of the lineage would at last allow the Dalai Lama to resume his divide and conquer of the Mongolian people.

Dalai Lama’s Great Stages of The Path Teachings – Day 1:

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Dalai Lama’s Great Stages of The Path Teachings – Day 2:

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Dalai Lama’s Great Stages of The Path Teachings – Day 3:

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Without Pabongka Rinpoche passing on the valuable teachings to his heart disciple, Trijang Dorje Chang, none of us would probably be able to even lay our eyes and hands on this immensely blessed text.

Teachings that are passed down from one generation of teachers to the next generation of disciples are highly blessed. They become the treasured “oral transmissions” that is the heart of the Gelugpa tradition. Therefore, the teacher and disciple relationship is of utmost importance. It is what we call the path of Vajrayana.

For instance, the Southern style Lamrim that we all know today as documented in the Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand was actually a priceless teaching given to a great lama named Kelsang Tenzin directly from the Buddha of Wisdom himself, Manjushri.

Pictured here is an image of Dagpo Jampel Lhundrup who was the Guru of Pabongka Dorje Chang.

Then Kelsang Tenzin had passed on these teachings to Dagpo Kelsang Khedrup, who passed it on to Dagpo Jampel Lhundrub. This is how the special teachings came to Pabongka Rinpoche. It was Pabongka Rinpoche who then spread this teaching to the masses throughout Tibet; and from there, it has spread to the world.

Dagpo Kelsang Khedrup was no ordinary Lama. As the Guru of Pabongka Rinpoche’s Guru, Dagpo Jampel Lhudrup, Dagpo Kelsang Khedrup was the conduit of the many precious teachings that survived and were passed onto Pabongka Rinpoche.

Pabongka Dorje Chang also spoke highly of Dagpo Kelsang Khedrup on many occasions, where he declared Dagpo Kelsang Khedrup as one of the most important Lamas in the Gelugpa Lineage. The role of the lineage holders is very important and thus Dagpo Kelsang Khedrup was honoured in the Lamrim, as well as in the lineage prayers of the Gandapa Heruka Body Mandala.

In his lifetime, Pabongka Rinpoche promoted two specific teachings widely and passionately. One was the Southern style Lamrim which makes up the text Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, and the other is the practice of a special powerful Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden.

During the civil unrest in Tibet, Pabongka Rinpoche passed both these practices in their entirety to Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang, as he knew that he was not able to leave Tibet. Pabongka Rinpoche did not want these precious teachings to die with him but for the lineage to continue and spread far and wide. He believed that in the future, many people would need the special Protector practice of Dorje Shugden as it would benefit many people of this time.

Following the wishes of his Guru, Pabongka Rinpoche, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche promoted both practices widely, giving thousands of people the valuable Protector Dorje Shugden Initiation. Trijang Rinpoche also wrote the famous commentary, Music Delighting the Ocean of Protectors. This was a commentary on a praise of Dorje Shugden written by Dagpo Kelsang Khedrup that was called “Infinite Aeons”.

In essence, “Infinite Aeons” was a comprehensive text on the Dharmapala Dorje Shugden Fulfillment Ritual. It was passed down to Pabongka Rinpoche, who then passed it onto his closest disciple, Trijang Rinpoche. This became the vital text that Trijang Dorje Chang based his commentary upon in the Music Delighting the Ocean of Protectors. This text is still being studied and used among Shugden practitioners across the globe today.

In “Infinite Aeons”, the great Dharmapala Dorje Shugden’s previous incarnations are listed to include Sakya Pandita, Birwapa, Panchen Sonam Drakpa and Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen. Within this document, there are stories about the erudite Lama, Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen in this extensive praise to Dorje Shugden. There are details of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s life story, how he was murdered, how he arose as the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden and was enthroned first by the Sakya clan and the Chinese Emperor. It also details how Dorje Shugden was finally confirmed as a Protector by the 5th Dalai Lama himself. Above all, “Infinite Aeons” explains that Dorje Shugden is an enlightened emanation of Manjushri in the wrathful form.

The text states that Dorje Shugden arose as a Protector to guard the precious teachings of the Nagarjuna’s Middle View as taught by the Dharma King, Lord Tsongkhapa.

In this text Dagpo Kelsang Kedrub included the serkym, or golden drink offering ritual, as well as offerings to the three main Yidams – Heruka, Yamantaka and Ghuyasamaja. In addition, we can find complete verses praising each of the five emanations of Dorje Shugden, and the Protector’s entourage – all 32 of them, excluding Kache Marpo.

Dagpo Kelsang Khedrup authored many important texts, such as the biographies of the Lamrim Lamas, generation of Bodhichitta and etc. However, the most crucial text of all would be the “Infinite Aeons”, as it confirms that Dorje Shugden is truly an enlightened being and not an evil spirit. Most importantly, it confirms that Dorje Shugden is none other than Lord Manjushri in a fearsome form.

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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At a young age, he was enrolled into the monastery and was ordained by one of the most influential Gelug masters of his time, Yongzin Yeshe Gyaltsen. It was then that he was given the name, Yeshe Zangpo. Therefore, he studied devotedly under Yongzin Yeshe Gyaltsen and his student Lama Yeshe Tenzin, accomplishing a sound understanding of the Sutras and Tantra, including the three highly revered practices of Guhyasamaja, Heruka and Yamantaka Tantras.

After his studies, Yeshe Zangpo went into a cave and entered into intense meditational retreats and austerities in the same manner as the great yogis and Mahasiddhas of old. However, he was called back to the monastery at the request of his Lama to serve as the Abbot of the monastery. During his tenure, he became famous for giving extensive annual teachings on the Lamrim.

Yeshe Zanpo also left a wealth of written works based upon his wisdom and practice. His collected works is divided into two volumes and is based upon traditional subjects like the Lamrim, Mind-Training and Mahamudra. He became one of the main lineage masters that upheld the torch of the Gelug tradition when many luminaries like Yongzin Yeshe Gyaltsen, Purchog Ngawang Jampa and Longdol Lama were passing away.

Of his many contributions to the cannon of texts in the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, one of his most important writings was a long ritual text written to the Protector Dorje Shugden. In this text, Yeshe Zangpo describes the mandala of Dorje Shugden and its inhabitants in graphic detail.

Then, he gives further clear and vivid descriptions of the environment from which the mandala arises. This is very important for the purposes of visualization for practitioners engaged in the practices. This text is especially significant for it offers evidence that significant texts to the Protector were being composed quite some time before Pabongka Rinpoche. It is evidence too that Pabongka’s writings drew from previous existing texts such as this one.

In the invocation portion of the fulfillment ritual text, Yeshe Zangpo mentions the various holy places from which Dorje Shugden is invoked. These places include Gandhav-yuha paradise, the pond from which the earthly remains of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen is believed to have gathered, a Sakya Temple at Mug Chung, Ngor Monastery that has a Dorje Shugden shrine, the Gelug Riwo Choling Monastery in Yarlung that manages Trode Khangsar in Lhasa, ‘On Valley in Yarlung valley, a monastery near Gaden, the famous Trode Khangsar, which was founded by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama and the ruins of the hermitage of a Sakya Lama at Khau Drakdzong. This list reflects the holy pilgrimage sites that were popular in the 19^th century, many of which had shrines to Dorje Shugden.

In the colophon of this fulfillment text, Yeshe Zangpo wrote that he was requested to compose this text by the Abbot of Tashi Choling monastery in Lhodrag along with the monks of the monastery and various other practitioners of the protector. This means that Dorje Shugden practice had already become deeply entrenched in Southern Tibet and its peripheral regions. This text became widely distributed and found its way to Mongolia where it eventually entered into Lobsang Tamdin’s Bepum collection of Dorje Shugden texts. This is significant because that means that the text was already in wide circulation at that time.

When this text is examined, a new terminology, description of the mandala, epithets and longer Dorje Shugden mantra seemed to have been developed by Yeshe Zangpo. These elements seemed to have been incorporated into later fulfillment texts by Serkong Dorje Chang and Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche.

It seemed from the newer terminology and epithets used, Dorje Shugden had moved up in prominence within the lineage and practices. Serkong Dorje Chang and Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche would later use the titles and epithets developed by Yeshe Zangpo as they wrote about and promote the practice of Shugden. Examples include “Dharma Protector of the Conqueror Tsongkhapa”, “Lord of All Kings of the Powerful War Gods”, “Life Force Owner of All Beings of the Three Worlds” and “The Emanated Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden”.  

An important title, “Five Families of Dorje Shugden” – which is now very much used to describe the arrangement of the four emanations surrounding the principal – is also found throughout Yeshe Zangpo’s text. Later, highly attained Lamas like Rongchen Kirti Lobsang Trinley and Serkong Dorje Chang further endorsed these titles and references to Dorje Shugden when they used it in their own writings.

These use of such epithets revealed the great change that was happening at the time, where Dorje Shugden was beginning to figure more prominently as the main Dharma Protector of the Gelug sect. The very existence of this text shows that this change was taking effect during Yeshe Zangpo’s time – quite some time before Pabongka Rinpoche who people commonly (perhaps mistakenly) believe to be the starting point of the practice.

Certain scholars believed that Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche made up the titles and epithets used on Dorje Shugden. However, in studying the texts composed by Yeshe Zanpo, it becomes clearer that it was actually Yeshe Zangpo’s writings that ushered in a new era of Dorje Shugden as being the Protector of the Gaden tradition.

Later, through the guidance of his guru Tagphu Pemevajra, Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche further emphasized the importance of this newly elevated status of Dorje Shugden, giving it further prominence by writing a most central text, Melodious Drum Victorious in All Directions. The practice then spread like wildfire throughout Central Tibet, Amdo, Kham and Mongolia.

In his writings, Yeshe Zangpo also makes reference to a time when he was said to have witnessed Dorje Shugden taking possession of the oracle at Trode Khangsar. During the trance, he was told by Dorje Shugden to compile a torma offering ritual text in the same style as the wrathful enlightened Dharma Protector Kalarupa and a fulfillment text on the five emanations. It seemed that for Dorje Shugden to be elevated as the main Protector of Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings, such a system of practice was essential.

However, this in no way means that the protectors of old – such as Kalarupa – were being replaced by Shugden. In fact, even Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche maintained Kalarupa propitiation even within the Vajrabhairava cycle of practice and Kalarupa remains a very important and central practice in Gelug institutions around the world.

Yeshe Zangpo’s writing and contributions towards elevating the role of Shugden in the Gelugpa school must be remembered for marking a turning point and important changes in the history of the lineage. They had set the groundwork, so to speak, setting forth practice texts and establishing powerful epithets that would begin to ground the people’s faith in this “newer” Protector. It was by these initial efforts of Lamas like Yeshe Zangpo that Pabongka was later able to easily introduce the practices and popularize it for modern day practitioners.

When I first became involved actively with the study of the Lamrim, and as I did further research on the Internet about the Gelugpa teachings and its lineage, I came across the controversy of Dorje Shugden. At first, I searched more to find out what it was about and quickly realized that I just could not make any sense of it AT ALL!

The statements of the Dalai Lama seemed contradictory and it didn’t make much sense at all to me. Then I saw the images of monks demonstrating with banners asking the Dalai Lama to stop…. lying???? Some were even describing him as a… dictator??? Then, he also said that his own teachers were… wrong??

I had been through some parts of the Lamrim by then, and had the determination to study it more as it was answering all of my questions. So I decide to COMPLETELY ignore the topic of Dorje Shugden. Every time I came across it on the Internet, I just did not look at it, did not read anything about it and kept it at the back of my mind, to be explored later when I would have sufficient knowledge and be able to understand the dynamics at play.

I did this because there was one answer from the Dalai Lama to a formal request for clarifications sent by Western Gelugpa monks: “Your main concern should be the study and realization of the 18 volumes of Lama Tsongkhapa”. And so, following the Dalai Lama’s advice, I too set myself to study the Lamrim before entertaining a polemic in my mind.

It was only months later that, through the kindness of my teacher, I was given more detailed explanations and gained more understanding as to why the whole thing seemed to make no sense at all: The very fact that it made no sense indicated that sense is to be found at another level, at a larger scale. Then, instead of undermining my determination to learn and practice, the controversy made it stronger. I realized that His Holiness was acting out of great compassion and with a pure and sincere motivation. His actions are truly remarkable! The controversy is helping many and will continue to help many more!

I run my own business, and very, very soon after having connected with the Dharma and with Dorje Shugden, my business collapsed and all my ventures got suspended or cancelled. ALL! And all within only four weeks. I had 18 employees in October 2008; by the beginning of 2009, I only had two left and we were working only four-day weeks with salary cuts.

Until then, I lived out of a suitcase, travelling 20 days a month, from the States to the Maldives, Dubai, Singapore, China… As such, I would not have been able to study the Lamrim, as I was away most of the time. So, by losing all my jobs, I suddenly had lots more free time at hand. I must say here that I never panicked in this situation. Instead, I took the opportunity at hand to study the Lamrim; I knew that it was a unique opportunity.

My business never collapsed completely and it survived. As a matter of fact, we are now busy working on projects that are spreading the Dharma, and now, even my working hours have been made meaningful!

This is a story I do not talk about openly to just anyone because in the mind of new practitioners, Dorje Shugden is supposed to “protect” us, so how could he have created conditions such that my business collapsed? If some people heard this story, they may not even want to make prayers to Dorje Shugden or do his practice.

Dorje Shugden is a Dharma Protector and his “role” is to create conducive conditions for people to practice the Dharma. In my case, the loss of business created the conditions for me to practice Dharma and as a result, my life is now meaningful, I am happier and, looking at the bigger picture, I have received tremendous help from him. I feel very fortunate.

I wish for my mind to be completely free of any confusion, and may such achievement come to be helpful to others.

~ Eva ~

At one point, I wanted to do some business as I had some spare cash from the contract work that I was doing then. At the same time, it was a difficult time for my Lama as he also had financial difficulties. We decided to do a business venture together so that proceeds could also go towards supporting my Lama’s Dharma work.

At around that time, the Protector took trance through my Lama and advised me to study the Lamrim. I complied to the request as I liked to read anyway.

Six months into the business, things started to not work out: I didn’t listen to advice, wanted to do things my way and a host of other things came about to upset things. Sleeping was getting more and more difficult.

Then, somehow, I remembered the stuff I had learnt about karma from reading the Lamrim and Shantideva’s quote also came into mind: ‘If you can do something about it, why worry? If you can’t do something about it, why worry?’ From then, I relied on the Dharma to pull me through difficult times, thanks to the Protector’s advice.

On another occasion, I was once at my Lama’s residence, trying to do some work. I remember I was suffering from a fever at the time and was literally shivering from chills and sickness. Just then, I thought of my Lama and Protector as one, chanted a few mantras and almost immediately, the fever subsided. I know my body very well – when I start to get flu-like symptoms, it doesn’t go away just like that. The symptoms always turn into a full-blown flu before I can recover!

Just recently, I was feeling really exhausted and felt like I was falling ill again. I needed to do something which my Lama had asked me to do and, not wanting to disappoint him, really did not wish to get ill at this crucial moment! So, I thought of my Lama and Protector as one again and the illness did not manifest into a flu as it normally does. I managed to complete what I needed to do!

~ Anonymous ~

The Compassionate Martyr

During the era of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, Dorje Shugden took rebirth in the form of a very special incarnate lama. This would be Dorje Shugden’s “last” incarnation before he arose as a Dharma Protector. From childhood, this incarnation exhibited many signs of a superior being. For example, at the age of 2 or 3, he was already speaking and playing with ritual instruments. When he was only 5 or 6 years old, he had clear visions of yidams (meditational deities) and enlightened beings.

Even at a very young age, the boy could recall his past lives, remember his past teachers and recite prayers from memory. Amidst such extraordinary signs, at the age of 6, His Holiness the 4^th Panchen Lama Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen (Panchen Chogyen) recognized the young boy as the unmistaken 4^th incarnation of the Zimkhang Gongma line of incarnations. The line had been established by Panchen Sonam Drakpa, an exceptional lama who, amongst his many great achievements, had been a tutor to the 3^rd Dalai Lama.

The Panchen Chogyen installed the boy upon his former throne, giving him the name ‘Drakpa Gyaltsen’. When he was just 7, the young tulku (incarnate lama), ‘out of his own volition’, took novice vows from the Panchen Chogyen and received from him Yamantaka (Vajrabhairava) empowerment, long life initiation and initiations of Dharma protectors such as Mahakala and Kalarupa. He also received transmission of Lord Atisha’s texts on the Path to Enlightenment. By the time Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen was 9 years old, he was already giving teachings and writing profound commentaries.

First ever Dorje Shugden graphic novel in the world! Click to enlarge and click here to find out more.

By the time he was 13 years old, Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen had already studied and mastered the Lamrim. Among other teachings, he also received extremely vast and profound instructions on the Path of Bliss commentary to the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim), as well as transmission and commentary for Guru Yoga of the Segyu Tradition, Ganden Lha Gyama, and many others.

Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen was 20 years old when he received his full ordination vows. From that time onward, like all of his previous incarnations, he upheld his monastic vows perfectly and purely, without transgressing even the slightest foundation of the precepts. In the following years, until he was 28, this young erudite lama continued to request for and receive countless teachings, transmissions and initiations of the highest practices from his lama the Panchen Chogyen. It seemed his capacity and thirst for learning was without limit. The relationship between Guru and disciple was very close and governed with great mutual respect. It is said that the Panchen Chogyen was at one time very busy but when Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen requested for profound teachings, the Panchen Lama took a break from his schedule to give him the entire Kadam Volume with many other various essential and important teachings such as Lamrim Chenmo and Ngagrim Chenmo, combining instructions of Je Tsongkhapa and Khedrub Rinpoche. After receiving these teachings, Master and student then entered isolated retreat together, where Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen received the rest of the profound teachings of the uncommon ear-whispered Ganden lineage.

The Great 5th Dalai Lama

Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen was one of the two main disciples of the 4^th Panchen Lama, Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen, the other being the Great 5^th Dalai Lama himself. Contrary to what is often mistakenly recounted, Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen and the 5^th Dalai Lama shared a very respectful and close relationship. Both Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen and the 5^th Dalai Lama studied together, debated together and spent a lot of time with each other. Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen also received many direct teachings from the Dalai Lama. On several occasions, Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen made offerings and served the Dalai Lama directly, coming out personally to receive or escort him on his travels. He even invited the Dalai Lama to his own residence and received from him a hundred long-life initiations.

Throughout his life, from his childhood, Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen was highly recognized for his vast study and incomparable ability to easily absorb and understand even the most subtle and profound points of the teachings. His skill in teaching, speaking, debate, composition were unrivaled and known to have conveyed the Buddha’s original teachings perfectly, without the slightest deviation or error. By this alone, we can see that he did not just study and know the teachings, but had full realization of them. Further, in his lifetime, he also engaged in many isolated retreats, and in purification practices and the accumulation of merit based upon the Guru Yoga. He also accomplished full retreats that focused upon many yidams, thus achieving all the highest realizations described in sutric and tantric texts. In his biographical account of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen, His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche writes in Music Delighting an Ocean of Protectors that,

“He reached the state of a supreme mahasiddha and the infinite pure simultaneous appearance of the entire ocean of mandalas, and it is with reverent regard for this that he is praised.”

H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche

Apparently, he had also received many direct visions of deities and exalted Gurus from a very young age but in following the Kadam tradition of humility and keeping such attainments secret, there are only very few and scattered accounts of these visions. (One rare and very precious example of such secret writings of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen can be read in Music Delighting an Ocean of Protectors). Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen became one of the most highly-respected and sought-after lamas of the land who was known to have the complete qualifications for teaching. His body was pure as he held ethical discipline throughout his life and firmly upheld every one of his commitments and vows. He was deeply learned and extremely well-versed in scripture, reasoning and the Buddhadharma. Lastly, because of his pure altruism he was very beneficial to others in all his actions throughout his life. As described by His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche,

“He had all of the realized qualities for teaching without exception, making his teachings so exalted that it was as if Arya Nagarjuna, one of his disciples, or the great master Haribadra was actually present.”

Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen was also well-known for his humility. He was not interested in fame nor did he seek the admiration and veneration of people but due to his reputation as an esteemed scholar and an extraordinary lama, he was very highly sought-after. At that time, Tibet was undergoing a period of political instability and even after the Great 5^th Dalai Lama was enthroned and his rule was consolidated, his ministers remained concerned that Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s enormous popularity would eclipse the 5^th Dalai Lama’s hold on the Tibetan people. And yet Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s acclaim continued drawing devotion from the royalty of Tibet, Mongolia and China. This in turn created a lot of fear and resentment amongst officials of the 5^th Dalai Lama.

The Murder of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen

As Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen came of age, his fame and popularity consolidated. He was a pure monk, an erudite scholar and had a great following of students, especially amongst Mongol royalty. As a high lama, he was expected to attend the Monlam Chenmo festivities in Lhasa. It was at this time that he met with the Oracle of Nechung who took possession of the protector deity and greeted the high lamas and the public. Nechung asked Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen if he remembered the promise he had made in his previous incarnation as Duldzin Drakpa Gyaltsen who was Lama Tsongkhapa’s preeminent disciple and one of his eight main students. At that time, Nechung had approached Duldzin Drakpa Gyaltsen and asked him to promise to arise as a protector of Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching of Nagajurna’s Middle Way, and Duldzin Drakpa Gyaltsen had agreed. But Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen replied that he did not remember the promise.

Duldzin Drakpa Gyaltsen

Nechung then gave Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen some blessed rice to partake along with some practices to do. Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen ate the rice and followed the prescribed practices. Soon he remembered the promise he made as Duldzin Drakpa Gyaltsen and he returned to have audience with Nechung through the Oracle. The lama told Nechung he remembered his promise but that he did not have it in him to generate anger, which was necessary to become a Dharma protector. Nechung reassured Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen that he would create the necessary conditions.

By then, there was already ongoing rivalry between followers of the 5^th Dalai Lama and the household of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen. The Potala Palace was not yet built and both the 5^th Dalai Lama and Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen resided in Drepung Monastery, with the Dalai Lama occupying the “Lower House” and Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen living in the “Upper House”. Visitors going to Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s residence would pass by the 5^th Dalai Lama’s house and witnessing Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s popularity, and fearful that he would overshadow their lama, the Great 5^th Dalai Lama’s ministers felt that drastic actions had to be taken. It would appear that Nechung was accomplishing his work to fan the rivalry between both factions to a feverish pitch.

Finally, the brother of Desi Sonam Chopel (the 5^th Dalai Lama’s regent) decided to eliminate Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen and get rid of the threat once and for all. The would-be murderer’s name was Depa Norbu (also known as Nangso Norbu). Meanwhile, Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen clairvoyantly knew that his time was up and thus he began making preparations. He informed his closest attendants and entered into retreat, and said that he did not want to meet anybody. People were informed that he was ill and it was said that the Dalai Lama himself wanted to go and visit but was prevented from doing so by his attendants. The attendants told the Dalai Lama that Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen was suffering from an infectious disease and that it was not a good idea for him to travel there. They offered to represent him instead and unbeknownst to the Dalai Lama, this was all part of a sinister plot to kill Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen.

An audience was therefore arranged with Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen, and Depa Norbu and his people came bearing offerings and khatas for the lama. During the audience, these representatives of the 5^th Dalai Lama tried to poison and stab Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen. Neither method however, had an effect; an accomplished tantric practitioner, Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s body expelled the poison and it is said that the stab wounds took on the appearance of eyes, leaving the lama miraculously unharmed.

Lama Tsongkhapa and two sons

Finally, Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen himself revealed that he could only be killed by strangulation. Immediately, one of the 5^th Dalai Lama’s attendants grabbed a khata while the others held the lama down and they forced the khata down the throat of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen. As that was happening, the lama generated the mind of enlightenment and as he thought of Lama Tsongkhapa, the lineage and the practitioners of the lineage, Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen willingly offered up his life. He would take the responsibility to assist, protect, nurture and to clear their obstacles. Thus, he generated that supreme aspiration to safeguard the lineage and anyone who needed help, and Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen entered clear light.

The Funeral of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen

When Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen passed away, the monastery and his ladrang (a lama’s household) were in turmoil because such an important high lama had been murdered. In accordance with tradition, they placed his remains on a huge funeral pyre in Lhasa with thousands of disciples, Mongolian royalty and all the high lamas in attendance. They came to pay their last respects to the great lama Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen. Some lamas came to perform various rituals, self-initiations and so forth. Strangely however, the funeral pyre would not catch fire and could not be set ablaze despite everyone’s best efforts.

A statue of the Great 5th Dalai Lama

Meanwhile, the 5^th Dalai Lama was very disturbed by the whole matter as he had come to learn of the role his own people had played in Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s assassination. In shock and with great sadness, the Dalai Lama composed a letter of apology to the lama. An attendant brought the letter to where Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s funeral pyre had been assembled and it was read aloud to the assembly. The moment the letter was read, the wood on the pyre suddenly caught fire. This aggravated his attendants and made them even more upset. In utter frustration, one attendant took his zen (part of a monk’s maroon robes) and he hit the pyre, exclaiming, “Some kind of lama you are! You were supposed to be a high lama and you can’t even exact revenge on them and you don’t show any signs… They just simply kill you and that’s it!”

At that moment, it is said that a powerful swirling black smoke arose from the fire. A very strong tumultuous wind blew and an earthquake shook all of Lhasa. It was sign that the mind of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen left his body in this smoke that formed the rough outline of a hand that extended and eventually covered the skyline of the entire city. Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen had thus fulfilled the promise he had made many lifetimes ago as Duldzin Drakpa Gyaltsen, arising in the wrathful form of the Dharma protector Dorje Shugden, sworn to safeguard and protect Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching of the Middle Way.

Incarnation

Emperor Kangxi

According to historical records, after Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s passing, his estate and ladrang were dismantled, and the search for his reincarnation was banned. Thus, the illustrious Drepung Zimkhang Gongma line came to an end and the estate founded by Panchen Sonam Drakpa in 1554 ceased to exist in 1656. Records of his life in Tibet were destroyed and the Tibetan leadership did their utmost best to stamp out all memory and mention of him.

Hence, what we know about Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen today comes from Mongolian records, preserved due to his faithful Mongol students, especially the great Mongol scholar Jaya Pandita (1642-1708). According to Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s own writings, he had a dream of his own tutor, Panchen Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen, giving a prediction that he would take rebirth in China and Mongolia.

Thus, according to scholars and lamas, it is believed that Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen did not only arise as Dorje Shugden but that he also took rebirth as the Qing Emperor Kangxi. The mind of an enlightened being is not limited to just one vessel; it is well-known that enlightened beings of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen’s attainments and qualities can emanate in multiple forms simultaneously in order to benefit to sentient beings. However, since the recognition of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen as the Emperor Kangxi was never verified, he was therefore never enthroned as a reincarnation of the Zimkhang Gongma line.

Nevertheless, Kangxi became independently renowned for his benevolence and immense patronage of arts, culture, learning and religion throughout China. Many of the monasteries and works that he sponsored during his lifetime continue to exist to this day, a testament to the enduring legacy and benefit associated with the Zimkhang Gongma line of incarnations.

Dorje Shugden’s practice remained relatively obscure until the time of Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche. This Lama was an heir to the Changkya line of incarnations but was banned due to political affiliations that the previous incarnations had with the Chinese court.

In this incarnation, the high Lamas decided to enthrone him as a Tulku of an obscure little monastery on a small hill named Pabong. He then enrolled into Sera Monastery.

In the monastery, Pabongka Rinpoche appeared to be a very average student but things changed when he graduated. He left the monastery to study under a famous Lamrim master, Dagpo Rinpoche, who rigorously trained him in the contemplation of the Lamrim and the generation of Bodhichitta. He meditated deeply and often, based on the instructions of his Lama and thus, gained full awakening.

When he started teaching, he quickly gained a large following of Sangha from various monasteries and many lay people. Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche was renowned throughout the land as being an emanation of Heruka and won the hearts of many disciples with his masterful way of teaching which combined practicality, wisdom and humor.

Je Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden

We are the holders of the tradition of Je Tsongkhapa. The principle defining characteristic of this tradition is the union of Sutra and Tantra. One of the most important things for us to do as Kadampas is to realize this union.

I have worked extensively in the past on the union of the Lamrim and the generation stage of Tantra. But just as important, we need to realize the union of the Lamrim and our reliance upon Dorje Shugden. Ultimately, it is the power of our Lamrim that gives our reliance upon any deity its meaning and power, therefore it is very important to practice meditating on this union.

What follows is not the definitive union, but simply the union as how I currently understand it. As practitioners, our job is to contemplate the relationships between the different aspects of our practice so as to unite them.

When we realize their relationship as perfectly harmonious, mutually reinforcing and non-contradictory, and when we get a special insight or wisdom, then we know we are on the right track. We can work with this over the course of our whole lifetime, gradually deepening our understanding and realization of these connections.

To gain an understanding of the connection, you just make an internal request that it will be revealed to you the connection or relationship between a particular Lamrim meditation topic and an aspect of your practice, like reliance upon Dorje Shugden. Then, just observe what follows.

Briefly, here is a start of my understanding:

1. The real nature of Dorje Shugden is the same aspect as the spiritual guide. He is my spiritual guide in the aspect of Dorje Shugden. The spiritual guide manifests himself as Dorje Shugden in order to provide us with protection. Frankly, I think this is my favorite aspect of the Spiritual Guide as he is helping us to solve our daily problems. I need to surrender myself completely to my Spiritual Guide in the aspect of Dorje Shugden and request him to take over completely the ripening of the karma for myself and all beings I come across.
2. I have a precious human life in which I can create very powerful karmic connections with the great protector Dorje Shugden. With these connections, he can care for me and protect me in this and all of my future lives, creating the perfect outer and inner conditions for my training leading to my eventual enlightenment.If I can make my reliance upon Dorje Shugden irreversible, my attainment of enlightenment is guaranteed. He will remove all obstacles that prevent me from attaining enlightenment! Hence, I have placed myself on an uninterrupted fast track plane-ride towards enlightenment.
3. I can die at any moment, which means I must use every moment of my life to develop deeper and closer karmic connections with Dorje Shugden. I don’t know how long my opportunity to become closer to this holy being will last, and I cannot afford to waste a minute of it. The biggest risk of death is to lose the chance to practice.If we lose our chance to practice then we have to wait for countless lifetimes before we start practicing again, and as a result we will have to suffer from delusion and karma for a very long time. Dorje Shugden is our best protection against this risk. His job is to arrange and maintain the outer and inner conditions for our practice.

   In other words, he can protect and guide us through the process of death, the bardo and rebirth so that we can continue with our practice in our next life. Our death is actually our must crucial moment, where our reliance upon him can make the most profound difference. Who else would I trust for this most crucial moment of my life? He can maintain the continuum of my practice beyond this life into my next life, until I attain enlightenment. He is my insurance policy against losing my practice.

4. If I do not have strong reliance and protection from Dorje Shugden, not only will I likely to succumb to delusion, but more dangerously I will fall into the lower realms at the time of my death. I currently respond with delusion when extreme hardship arrives. There is no more extreme hardship than death.If I respond to death with delusion, I will fall into the lower realms – at which point I will lose everything. I have completely neglected purifying my negative karma; therefore I have no doubt that I have a mountain of it. What hope do I have of not falling?

   It is only through my reliance upon Dorje Shugden that I can avoid this fate. One of the ways he helps is by controlling the karma that ripens. He arranges conditions for us by ripening certain karma in special ways and sequences to create the experience of ‘perfect conditions.’

   Just as he does this in life, he can assists us during our death and rebirth process, protecting us against lower rebirth and propelling us to another life in which we can practice. Without his help, my mind alone is not sufficiently trained to ensure that I do not fall. I am not trying to go all fire and brimstone here, but this is the reality of the situation.

I will continue with the rest of the explanations on the relationships between the different Lamrim meditations and our reliance upon Dorje Shugden in future posts. For now, these are the ones that move me the most and that are the foundation for all the other meditations.

Source : http://kadampaworkingdad.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/the-lamrim-of-dorje-shugden/