Tharig Tulku Rinpoche

Tharig Tulku Rinpoche (1923 - 1998)

Introduction

The late Most Venerable Tharig Tulku Rinpoche, Jigme Ketsun Druppe Wangpo, is the seventh Tharig Tulku Rinpoche of Sakya Tharig Gonpa (Tsechen Shedrupling Monastery). Rinpoche was born in 1923, on the thirteenth day of the eleventh month of the Tibetan calendar, in Kham province. During the birth of the Rinpoche, there were several auspicious signs. When Rinpoche was on the age of 2, Rinpoche was immediately recognized by the great Sakya masters of the day - Jamyang Thubten Zangpo of Sakya Drolma Phodrang and his brother, the 39th Sakya Trizin, Dhagtshul Thrinley Rinchen (1871 - 1936), as the reincarnation of the previous Tharig Tulku Rinpoche, Pema Wangchen Sherba Dorje.

Previous Incarnations

Rinpoche's lineage can be traced back to early propagation of Buddhadharma in Tibet.

Khon Nagarashita (Khon Luyi Wangpo), one of the first seven monks in-trial and a direct disciple of Guru Rinpoche and Santarakshita - abbots of Samye monastery, was one of the previous incarnations of Rinpoche. He was also a great practitioner of Vajrakilaya and this Karma lineage has been passed down from generations to generations within the Khon family.

The next incarnation is a Tibetan yogini by the name of Sengye Labdronma who was one of the four major disciples of Machig Labdronma, the great teacher for Chod practice.

After her death, she came back as Rigpay Tringay, a disciple of Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen (1182 - 1251). Rigpay Tringye, under the guidance of Sapan, became a teacher who was well-versed in both sutric and tantric teachings.

The next incarnation is Pachu Shalupa who was known as a brave warrior and a descendant of King Gesar Ling. In this life, he displayed himself as a protector of his people.

In his next life, he became a king of Shambhala, by the name of Pachide. King Pachide was a protector for 9,600 million cities of Shambhala. Since he was the king of Shambhala, he was pretty well-versed in Kalachakra teachings.

The next incarnation is Chechun Tingmapa (Cisong Jamchen), a disciple of Tsarchen Losal Gyatso (1494 - ?), the founder of Tsar branch of Sakya tradition. In this life, he attained realization through having a pure vision of a Dharmapala.

Tharig Drupchen, Tenpai Gyurme Dorje (1705 - ?), or better known as Palden Lobsang, is the next incarnation. He was a great practitioner of Chod practice and had achieved powers to command and control the worldly deities. Through his practice and realization, Tharig Drupchen was able to revive four corpses into life and brought great happiness to the four families. Tharig Drupchen was also known as a terton who discovered the terma text of 9-faced Guru Drakpo.

The first Tharig Tulku Rinpoche is Jamgon Dagchen. He was a foremost disciple of Tharig Drukchen. This master was a great practitioner of Mahakala and achieved the non-dual state of mind between his teacher and himself through the practice of Guru Yoga. Through this way, Jamgon Dagchen inherented the terton lineage for 9-faced Guru Drakpo practice from Tharig Drupchen and considered a heart emanation of Tharig Drupchen himself.

The second Tharig Tulku Rinpoche is Shegchen Jigme Tudu Namgyal. He was a master of Philosophy and Logic.

The third Tharig Tulku Rinpoche is Palu. In this life, he was recognised as the reincarnation of Khon Luyi Wangpo (Khon Nagarashita). Palu was famous for his samadhi and his fame as a great tantric master spread throughout the Kham province.

The fourth Tharig Tulku Rinpoche is Chezar Palu. Although he was an intelligent scholar, he passed away in a very young age.

The fifth Tharig Tulku Rinpoche is Chenchu Palu. This master was very well versed in sutras and tantras and able to master all kinds of sadhanas for the Four Classes of Tantra (Kriya, Carya, Yoga and Anuttara) within a short period of time.

The sixth Tharig Tulku Rinpoche is Pema Wangchen Sherba Dorje, also known as Palden Lobsang. Most of the people addressed him as Palu Rinpoche. Again, he displayed himself as a master of Philosophy and Logic.

Thus, all the Tharig Tulku Rinpoches are accomplished masters and have played an important role in propagation of Buddhadharma in Tibet.

Auspicious Birth

As mentioned earlier on, there were many auspicious omens just before and during the birth of Tharig Tulku Rinpoche. Some of the special signs worth considering auspicious were:

1. His mother once dreamt about building one statue of a 1,000 armed Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. When she was completely able to build that one, suddenly she was awakened up from sleep. That day without any physical pain, Rinpoche was born.

2. His family used to live in a tent in an urban area. During winter, the land was extremely cold. It was freezing all that time, day and night in winter. At the time of Tharig Tulku Rinpoche's birth, inside the house grew one flower with the color of orange, which is, called 'Jame'. Therefore Rinpoche's childhood name was also called 'Jame'.

Education

At about the age of 4 years old, Tharig Tulku Rinpoche's family teacher, Lama Kunga Yonten Gyatso, who had been staying in retreat almost all his lifetime, became Rinpoche's first teacher. He gave Rinpoche his refuge vow, and the name 'Jigme Ketsun Druppe Wangpo'. It is an usual practice in Tibetan Buddhism to find a reincarnate Lama, and they examine several different sources. The head of the school will normally propose the name and place to be born and the child must be someone extraordinary. When the people came to search for the reincarnation of the previous Tharig Tulku Rinpoche, they came to test if Rinpoche was the real incarnation. For the test, they brought two hats and one of which was given to the previous Tharig Tulku Rinpoche by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and the other one is the identical but slightly smaller than the actual one. They showed these two hats to the little boy. He was barely able to speak but he took the real one.

When Tharig Tulku Rinpoche was 5 years old, he was ordained as a novice monk at Sakya Tharig Gonpa by Lama Kunga Yonten Gyatso, and received a 3 robes (of a monk). Later, he was officially enthroned in Tharig Sangak Choezong (The Castle of mysticism Dharma). During the enthronement ceremony, many people observed rainbows of curious descriptions in the sky. Some were like traditional rainbows, some were described as "circles", and some were like "banners hanging in the sky". Some people also saw the eight auspicious symbols inside the rainbows.

Close to the Tharig Sangak Choezong, there is a hill called Burmo Takning. There is a lake, which is believed to be the symbol of high lamas of Tharig monastery. When the previous Tharig Tulku Rinpoche passed away, the lake dried up. And the day when the new Rinpoche was enthroned, that very same day, many people heard some kind of sound of spring water running in that area. They were appeared as some springs and then slowly filled up the dry land until the lake was full again within three years.

All these occurrences are of no exaggeration or overstatement, because they were reported by honest and trustworthy persons such as his parents and the people within the same area.

Until the age of 20 years old, Rinpoche went through fundamental education under the guidance of his tutor Kunga Nyima from whom he learned the basic education as reading, writing, grammar, performing rituals, recitation and memorization of texts. Kunga Nyima was from Sakya Tharig Gonpa, and Rinpoche went back and forth between his monastery and his home. Classical text as well as philosophical training were taught in the monastery by other teachers as well. At the age of 9 years old, he began to live permanently in the monastery to concentrate on his studies. He also learnt more philosophically advanced texts under the tutor Jamyang Tenzin who was very educated and of sharp mind. Tharig Tulku Rinpoche learnt from him most of the Mahayana philosophy such as the Prajna Paramita and the Madhyamika, Abhidharma and Vinaya as well as Nagtsi astrology, medicine and completed up to the doctorate of philosophy, the diagnosis of illness and also treatments of the sick. He also learnt the first tantric teachings and another part of the astrology-Kartsi from Lama Kunga Yonten Gyatso.

When he was 20 years old, he received complete Vinaya vows from Luding Khen Rinpoche Jamyang Thupten Lungtok Gyaltsen, the great abbot of Ngor E-wan Choden. He also received the Lam Dre Tshod Shey (the Common Lam Dre Teachings) from him. Thus, Rinpoche considered him as his Root Guru. During this time, his Dharma name was 'Jamyang Damcho Nyima'. After receiving the full ordination from his Root Guru, Tharig Tulku Rinpoche was at a stage where he had learnt most of the philosophical texts but he still continued his studies. Rinpoche also sat for three years retreat. Within these three years, Rinpoche did the retreat of Vajrapani-Bhutadramala, Hevajra, Mahavairocana, Vajrayogini, Mahakala and Vajrakilaya. From that time onwards, almost every year, sometimes two, three or six months he sat on retreat. Whenever Rinpoche got some opportunity, he would stay on retreat.

Under the direction of learned and sublime lamas and scholars of the time, Rinpoche had learnt all the principals and transmissions of sutras and tantras. Of the teachings, Rinpoche had received from the prominent teachers, Lam Dre Lob Shed (the Uncommon Lam Dre Teachings) and Ngagzod Chenmo (Great Treasury Tantra) were most remarkable ones which he received from His Holiness Sakya Trizin and His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa. In this way, Rinpoche was able to uphold uninterrupted stream of lineage and has contributed much towards the dissemination of Buddha's teaching in general and the tradition of Sakya, Ngor and Tsar in particular without sectarian bias.

Escape from Tibet

After the Lhasa uprising in the face of the Chinese invasion in 1959, Rinpoche and other 6 monks left the monastery and they brought along with a few possessions. They had travelled from Kham to Kathmandhu. This was a long and dangerous journey. One of the most important posesssions was the terma text of the 9-faced Guru Drakpo (a wrathful emanation of Guru Padmasambhava) practice which was discovered by the terton Tharig Drupchen. This is an unique Guru Drakpo practice. Although there are several terma practices based on Guru Drakpo, such as one-faced two-armed Guru Drakpo, Father-Mother deity Guru Drakpo, and different terton lineages on Guru Drakpo, none of them holds the lineage of the 9-faced Guru Drakpo. Even though Rinpoche and 6 monks had brought along the important possessions to escape from the Chinese, there were several priceless teachings and ritual objects being left behind in the monastery and had been destroyed by the Chinese. Such items are priceless religious texts from the monastic library and the full skull of the previous Tharig Tulku Rinpoche, Pema Wangchen Sherba Dorje, which was left undamaged after the cremation. Rinpoche once said, "If I didn't bring along this terma text during my journey, the terton lineage for this teaching will be extinct once this terma text is destroyed. In other words, not only the terton lineage will be destroyed, it will be a great blow to both human civilization and culture too."

Living-in-exile in Nepal

Since 1959, Rinpoche has been living-in-exile in Nepal. At first, Rinpoche and monks were settled down themselves in an ancient city near Kathmandhu and Boudha Nath. At one stage, Rinpoche and his monks were camping under a tree at Boudha Nath, it was during this time, Rinpoche had the inspiration to rebuilt Sakya Tharig Gonpa in order to propagate Buddhadharma again, and it will also serve as a place for them to settle down permanently. At that time, various amazing events were accounted, such as glass of water turned into milk. However, the total savings of Rinpoche and monks were only about 5000 Nepali Rupees. Since then, Rinpoche and monks had tried to raise funds for their new monastery. It is said that Rinpoche had performed the several hundreds sets of kangso prayers to request the blessings of Mahakala, the great protector of Tibetan Buddhism, so that the monastery was to be completed without any obstacle.

In 1968, on the thirteenth day of the first month of Tibetan calendar, Rinpoche and monks performed the ground breaking ceremony for the new monastery in Boudha Nath. During the ceremony, it was full of pilgrims. Lamas and monks from the four major traditions were invited and came in great numbers. Coincidentally, this was also the day when Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (1382 - 1456) built the Ngor E-wan Choden on 1429. Thus, this was a very auspicious day. This new monastery is said to be the most earliest Tibetan monastery to be built in Nepal to be fully equipped for Tibetan monastic education. Later, another retreat centre is built in Parping, Nepal. Currently, the Sakya Tharig Gonpa housed about more than 150 monks. The main hall has a large gold-gilded statue of Shakymuni Buddha and it is considered one of the most beautiful shrines in Nepal. Rinpoche also had another Buddhist stupa project for his monastery and it is still carried on by the lamas and monks from the monastery.

Return to Tibet

After more than 20 years, the political situation in Tibet is somehow stable, Rinpoche decided to return to his homeland in Kham, presently the Qing Hai province of China, in 1980. Since then, Rinpoche began to raise funds to rebuilt the original Sakya Tharig Gonpa, built by first Tharig Tulku Rinpoche, Jamgon Dagchen, out of ruins. More than seven years were spent to complete the present Sakya Tharig Gonpa in Kham. It was constructed by the Rinpoche, himself, his monks, and local villagers. Since there was a deserted area, transportation and materials were not easily available, this monastery was taken great pain to be rebuilt. Rinpoche who was also being reputed as a good artist, wrote several auspicious verses in the monastery. The original copy for terma text of 9-faced Guru Drakpo practice has returned to the original Sakya Tharig Gonpa to be preserved and Rinpoche had made several copies of this text to be preserved in Sakya Tharig Gonpa, Nepal.

Dharma activities

Rinpoche had spent many years to propagate Buddhadharma in Nepal, India, Taiwan and South East Asian countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, since 1970s, and had travelled to these countries every year to monitor the growth of Buddhist communities in these countries.

Resting in Dharmadhatu

When Rinpoche was staying at the Sakya Tenphel Ling, Singapore, he passed away peacefully on 15th May, 1998, the nineteenth day of the fourth month of Tibetan calendar, in the early morning. This was the holiest month in Buddhism because the Buddhists around the world would celebrate the birth of Prince Siddhartha, the Nirvana of Buddha Shakyamuni and the Parinirvana of Buddha Shakyamuni for the period of a month.

Jeff Watt once commented, "Since fleeing Kham, Tibet, in the late 1950s Rinpoche has tirelessly strived to meticulously preserve the Sakya teachings and traditions according to the Ngorpa custom. He was exceptionally generous to everybody be it Dharma teachings or material goods. He was a master of the concept of 'auspicious occurrence' (tendrel yagpo du) and performed all actions in a humble manner free of haughtiness. Rinpoche was not only a great Buddhist practitioner and Dharma Teacher, but exemplified on a day to day level how to properly care for those under his protection, family and neighbours, how to support the Dharma practice of others and be a sponsor for the propagation of the Dharma as a whole. All Sakya students owe a debt of kindness to this humble lama who blessed the lives of all of those he came in contact with. May his Dharma activities live on through his example and the inspiration that he engendered in us all." Thus, we can see that Rinpoche was indeed a very humble person and had been tirelessly to propagate Buddhadharma so that the seed of Buddhahood is planted to every mother sentient beings.

For three days, Rinpoche remained in in the perfect meditation posture. Immediately, Lama Jamyang Khedrup, Rinpoche's attendant telephoned to His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche, the Head of Ngor branch of Sakya tradition, who was having a series of teachings programme in Taiwan. Immediately upon hearing this news, His Eminence left for Singapore. Then for four days since 17th May, His Eminence performed the Green Tara and Vajrayogini rituals with four of his monks and five of Tharig Tulku Rinpoche's monks in Sakya Tenphel Ling, Singapore. There were several other monks attending. This ritual was completed very auspiciously. Rainbow appears from the clear sky. Besides these ritual, the members of Sakya Tenphel Ling recited the Samantabhadra prayers in English, Tibetan and Mandarin as an offering to the late Rinpoche. Many visitors and guests came from Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia to pay their last respect to Rinpoche. It was heavily packed with more than hundreds of members, visitors and guests. Tents were set up for the crowds in the monastery.

On the 21st May, Rinpoche's holy body was returned to Kathmandu from Singapore by air. Accompanying his body were His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche, nine monks, and several Sakya Tenphel Ling members. At the airport they were received by Tibetan Government officials and monks of approximately 18 Tibetan monasteries. At that time they beautifully offered incense, khatags, flowers etc. They were also wonderfully welcomed by many Nepalese, Tibetan, Chinese, and Western followers. During the 49 day period thereafter, the rituals of Hevajra, Mahavairocana Sarvavid, and Vajrayogini were performed at Sakya Tharig Gompa, Nepal, in the presence of His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche, Tharse Shapdrung Rinpoche, and 150 monks. Then, Tulku Tsewang Dechen, Tharig Tulku Rinpoche's nephew, performed the Amitabha and Avalokiteshvara pujas during that same 49 day period. In Singapore, the members of Sakya Tenphel Ling performed Guru Yoga and tsog offering for Rinpoche on every Sunday for the period of two months.

On the 29th June, Rinpoche's holy body was cremated in the presence of His Holiness Sakya Trizin's youngest son His Eminence Gyana Vajra Rinpoche, His Eminence Luding Khenpo, and His Eminence Chogyay Trichen Rinpoche, the Head of Tsar branch of Sakya tradition, as well as other Sakya lamas, khenpos, tulkus and monks from Sakya Tharig Gonpa. His Holiness Sakya Trizin and his elder son, His Eminence Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, were giving a series of teachings in Europe and could not attend the ceremony. At that time Hevajra and Mahavairocana Sarvavid fire puja ceremonies were performed, lamas and monks from the Nyingma, Gelug and Kagyu traditions were invited and came in great numbers. They offered many prayers and many ingredients to be added to the fire puja ceremony. All in all there were more than 600 monks. On that day the fire offering ritual and prayers were carried out in a very successful manner. On the morning of the fire puja, a very light rain was falling which quickly stopped to give place to a bright clear sky.

This is a most auspicious sign to begin fire puja ceremonies. Being Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro's death ceremony, this was a particularly auspicious day.

The death of Most Venerable Tharig Tulku Rinpoche was a great blow to the Sakya tradition. Rinpoche's reincarnation has come back among us.

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