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Ngor mkhan chen.</ref>a prominent Sakya scholar and hierarch, he figures into the Khyentse Lineage as the last of the three tulkus of [['jigs med gling pa|Jigme Lingpa]], a.k.a. Khyentse Özer, among whom Khyentse Wangpo was considered the body-emanation (''sku sprul'').<ref>The others two were [[Mdo mkhyen brtse|Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje]] as the mind-emanation (''thugs sprul''), and [[Patrul Rinpoche]], Jigme Chökyi Wangpo, as the speech-emanation (''gsung sprul''). It should be noted that apart from the tulku status, Khyentse Wangpo would also become one of the principal disciples, or heart-sons (''thugs sras'') of Jigme Lingpa's disciple [['jigs med rgyal ba'i myu gu|Jigme Gyalwai Nyugu]], who is credited along with the first [[Dodrupchen, 1st|Dodrupchen]] for introducing the ''Longchen Nyingthig'' to eastern Tibet. Khyentse Wangpo is often paired with another of Jigme Lingpa's tulkus, Patrul Rinpoche, as the disciples of Jigme Gyalwai Nyugu that were like the sun and the moon.</ref> However, for Khyentse Wangpo the list of such recognitions does not end there. [['jam mgon kong sprul|Jamgön Kongtrul]] states that he was  the combined emanation of two of the preeminent group of eight Indian vidyādharas (''rig 'dzin brgyad'') celebrated by the Nyingma, namely [[Mañjuśrīmitra]] and [[Vimalamitra]]. Elsewhere, Kongtrul omits the former and pairs the latter, Vimalamitra, with the Tibetan King [[Khri srong lde'u btsan|Trisong Deutsen]], a claim which is repeated by [[Dudjom Rinpoche]]. Though all the sources seem to include the Dharma King among Khyentse Wangpo's former lives, as well as the King's subsequent birth as his own grandson [[rgyal sras lha rje|Gyalse Lhaje]]. In connection with this, Khyentse Wangpo was considered the thirteenth in the line of successive rebirths of [[rgyal sras lha rje|Gyalse Lhaje]]- a line in which every single member revealed treasure over the course of their lives, beginning from the very first Tibetan tertön, [[sangs rgyas bla ma|Sangye Lama]] and followed by [[Rgya lo tsA ba rdo rje bzang po|Gya Lotsāwa Dorje Zangpo]], [[Nyi ma seng+ge|Nyima Senge]], [[Kun spangs zla 'od|Kunpang Dawö]], [[Do ban rgya mtsho 'od|Doben Gyamtso Ö]] concurrent with [[zur pak+shi shAkya 'od|Zur Pakshi Shākya Ö]], [[Gra sgom chos kyi rdo rje|Dragom Chökyi Dorje]] concurrent with [[Khyung nag shAkya dar|Khyung Nak Shākya Dar]], [[O rgyan gling pa|Orgyen Lingpa]], [[Dol sngags 'chang las 'phro gling pa|Dol Ngakchang Ledro Lingpa]], [['jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang phyug|Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk]] of Nesar concurrent with [[Mnga' ris paN chen pad+ma dbang rgyal|Ngari Paṇchen]], [[Gar dbang las 'phro gling pa|Garwang Ledro Lingpa]], [[Ra zhi pad+ma rig 'dzin|Rashi Pema Rigdzin]], and [[Chos rje gling pa|Chöje Lingpa]].<ref>See [[JKW-KABUM-25-RA-001|''rje btsun bla ma thams cad mkhyen cing gzigs pa 'jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po kun dga' bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan dpal bzang po'i rnam thar mdor bsdus pa ngo mtshar u dum+ba ra'i dga' tshal'']], pp. 14-15.</ref> Khyentse Wangpo, himself, writes in the verses of his ''Essentialized Biography''<ref>See [[JKW-KABAB-01-KA-006|'''jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po'i rnam thar snying por dril ba'']], p. 394.</ref> that he only vaguely remembers some of his former lives in India and Tibet, but nevertheless gives a few examples. Among these he includes his Indian lives as the mahāsiddha [[Vajraghaṇṭa]] and the paṇḍitas [[Pratihārānandamati]] and [[Vanaratna]], while, regarding his Tibetan lives, he mentions the King [[Khri srong lde'u btsan|Trisong Deutsen]] and Chokdrup Gyalpo, i.e. [[rgyal sras lha rje|Gyalse Lhaje]], along with [[Gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug|Guru Chökyi Wangchuk]], [[Mnga' ris paN chen pad+ma dbang rgyal|Ngari Paṇchen Pema Wangyal]], [[Thang stong rgyal po|Thangtong Gyalpo]] and the great [[Lha btsun nam mkha' 'jigs med|Lhatsun Namkha Jigme]]. Kongtrul amends this list, adding the early Kagyu master [[Ras chung pa|Rechungpa]] and the Sakya forefather [[Rje btsun grags pa rgyal mtshan|Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen]]. Furthermore, Khyentse Wangpo revealed cycles of teachings that he claimed were based on the clear recollections (''rjes dran'') of his former lives as [[Lang gro dkon mchog 'byung gnas|Langdro Könchok Jungne]], who is traditionally counted among the twenty-five disciples of [[Pad+ma 'byung gnas|Guru Rinpoche]], and [[lce btsun seng+ge dbang phyug|Chetsun Senge Wangchuk]], the circa 11th to 12th century Dzogchen master who figures prominently in the early lineage of the ''Heart of Essence of Vimalamitra'' (''bi ma snying thig'').  
Ngor mkhan chen.</ref>a prominent Sakya scholar and hierarch, he figures into the Khyentse Lineage as the last of the three tulkus of [['jigs med gling pa|Jigme Lingpa]], a.k.a. Khyentse Özer, among whom Khyentse Wangpo was considered the body-emanation (''sku sprul'').<ref>The others two were [[Mdo mkhyen brtse|Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje]] as the mind-emanation (''thugs sprul''), and [[Patrul Rinpoche]], Jigme Chökyi Wangpo, as the speech-emanation (''gsung sprul''). It should be noted that apart from the tulku status, Khyentse Wangpo would also become one of the principal disciples, or heart-sons (''thugs sras'') of Jigme Lingpa's disciple [['jigs med rgyal ba'i myu gu|Jigme Gyalwai Nyugu]], who is credited along with the first [[Dodrupchen, 1st|Dodrupchen]] for introducing the ''Longchen Nyingthig'' to eastern Tibet. Khyentse Wangpo is often paired with another of Jigme Lingpa's tulkus, Patrul Rinpoche, as the disciples of Jigme Gyalwai Nyugu that were like the sun and the moon.</ref> However, for Khyentse Wangpo the list of such recognitions does not end there. [['jam mgon kong sprul|Jamgön Kongtrul]] states that he was  the combined emanation of two of the preeminent group of eight Indian vidyādharas (''rig 'dzin brgyad'') celebrated by the Nyingma, namely [[Mañjuśrīmitra]] and [[Vimalamitra]]. Elsewhere, Kongtrul omits the former and pairs the latter, Vimalamitra, with the Tibetan King [[Khri srong lde'u btsan|Trisong Deutsen]], a claim which is repeated by [[Dudjom Rinpoche]]. Though all the sources seem to include the Dharma King among Khyentse Wangpo's former lives, as well as the King's subsequent birth as his own grandson [[rgyal sras lha rje|Gyalse Lhaje]]. In connection with this, Khyentse Wangpo was considered the thirteenth in the line of successive rebirths of [[rgyal sras lha rje|Gyalse Lhaje]]- a line in which every single member revealed treasure over the course of their lives, beginning from the very first Tibetan tertön, [[sangs rgyas bla ma|Sangye Lama]] and followed by [[Rgya lo tsA ba rdo rje bzang po|Gya Lotsāwa Dorje Zangpo]], [[Nyi ma seng+ge|Nyima Senge]], [[Kun spangs zla 'od|Kunpang Dawö]], [[Do ban rgya mtsho 'od|Doben Gyamtso Ö]] concurrent with [[zur pak+shi shAkya 'od|Zur Pakshi Shākya Ö]], [[Gra sgom chos kyi rdo rje|Dragom Chökyi Dorje]] concurrent with [[Khyung nag shAkya dar|Khyung Nak Shākya Dar]], [[O rgyan gling pa|Orgyen Lingpa]], [[Dol sngags 'chang las 'phro gling pa|Dol Ngakchang Ledro Lingpa]], [['jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang phyug|Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk]] of Nesar concurrent with [[Mnga' ris paN chen pad+ma dbang rgyal|Ngari Paṇchen]], [[Gar dbang las 'phro gling pa|Garwang Ledro Lingpa]], [[Ra zhi pad+ma rig 'dzin|Rashi Pema Rigdzin]], and [[Chos rje gling pa|Chöje Lingpa]].<ref>See [[JKW-KABUM-25-RA-001|''rje btsun bla ma thams cad mkhyen cing gzigs pa 'jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po kun dga' bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan dpal bzang po'i rnam thar mdor bsdus pa ngo mtshar u dum+ba ra'i dga' tshal'']], pp. 14-15.</ref> Khyentse Wangpo, himself, writes in the verses of his ''Essentialized Biography''<ref>See [[JKW-KABAB-01-KA-006|'''jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po'i rnam thar snying por dril ba'']], p. 394.</ref> that he only vaguely remembers some of his former lives in India and Tibet, but nevertheless gives a few examples. Among these he includes his Indian lives as the mahāsiddha [[Vajraghaṇṭa]] and the paṇḍitas [[Pratihārānandamati]] and [[Vanaratna]], while, regarding his Tibetan lives, he mentions the King [[Khri srong lde'u btsan|Trisong Deutsen]] and Chokdrup Gyalpo, i.e. [[rgyal sras lha rje|Gyalse Lhaje]], along with [[Gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug|Guru Chökyi Wangchuk]], [[Mnga' ris paN chen pad+ma dbang rgyal|Ngari Paṇchen Pema Wangyal]], [[Thang stong rgyal po|Thangtong Gyalpo]] and the great [[Lha btsun nam mkha' 'jigs med|Lhatsun Namkha Jigme]]. Kongtrul amends this list, adding the early Kagyu master [[Ras chung pa|Rechungpa]] and the Sakya forefather [[Rje btsun grags pa rgyal mtshan|Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen]]. Furthermore, Khyentse Wangpo revealed cycles of teachings that he claimed were based on the clear recollections (''rjes dran'') of his former lives as [[Lang gro dkon mchog 'byung gnas|Langdro Könchok Jungne]], who is traditionally counted among the twenty-five disciples of [[Pad+ma 'byung gnas|Guru Rinpoche]], and [[lce btsun seng+ge dbang phyug|Chetsun Senge Wangchuk]], the circa 11th to 12th century Dzogchen master who figures prominently in the early lineage of the ''Heart of Essence of Vimalamitra'' (''bi ma snying thig'').  


{{6nbsp}}However impressive a list that may be, Khyentse Wangpo was perhaps even more so in his own right. As a scholar, he was considered to be Mañjuśrī in human form. He is reported to have studied with over one hundred and fifty teachers from all schools of Buddhism. Together with his cohorts Kongtrul and [[mchog gyur gling pa|Chogyur Lingpa]], he is credited with instituting the nonsectarian revivalist movement known as ''ris med''. In the treasure milieu, he is eulogized as the Fifth Tertön King. Kongtrul, describing his prowess as revealer, stated "...''Pema Ösel Dongak Lingpa, the sole chariot of the ocean of profound treasures, whom had been authorized as the steward of the seven authoritative transmissions and thus all of the profound treasures of the hundred treasure revealers fell into his hands, in actuality or through their lineages''."<ref>''zab gter rgya mtsho'i shing rta gcig pu pad+ma 'od gsal mdo sngags gling pa la bka' babs bdun gyi bdag por dbugs dbyung zhing gter ston brgya rtsa'i zab gter mtha' dag dngos dang brgyud pa'i sgo nas phyag tu babs pa''.</ref> The figure of Khyentse Wangpo looms so large in the Tibetan annals of the 19th century that it is, in fact, difficult to imagine what Tibetan Buddhism might look like today without him. In an era that witnessed a remarkable period of renewal and creativity, replete with the emergence of towering figures, Khyentse Wangpo can still be described as incomparable. Under his auspices, [['jam mgon kong sprul|Jamgön Kongtrul]] and [['jam dbyangs blo gter dbang po|Loter Wangpo]] produced literary collections that virtually ensured the survival of more than a thousand years of Buddhist scriptural output. Yet without the complete transmissions of the works contained within the hundreds of collective volumes of the ''Rinchen Terdzö'', the ''Damngak Dzö'', the ''Kagyu Ngak Dzö'', ''Gyude Kuntu'' and the ''Drupthab Kuntu'', which were painstakingly gathered and embodied by Khyentse Wangpo, those collections might have amounted to little more than dry ink on paper, rather than the life force of a living tradition. Furthermore, his seal of approval brought recognition to figures that would come to shape the tradition we see today. The names [[Mi pham rgya mtsho|Mipham]] and [[mchog gyur gling pa|Chogyur Lingpa]] might have meant little to us had Khyentse Wangpo not recognized and nurtured their potential early on, thus catapulting them into the spotlight and imbuing their activities with an unassailable authority and stature.
{{6nbsp}}However impressive a list that may be, Khyentse Wangpo was perhaps even more so in his own right. As a scholar, he was considered to be Mañjuśrī in human form. He is reported to have studied with over one hundred and fifty teachers from all schools of Buddhism. Together with his cohorts Kongtrul and [[mchog gyur gling pa|Chogyur Lingpa]], he is credited with instituting the nonsectarian revivalist movement known as ''ris med''. In the treasure milieu, he is eulogized as the Fifth Tertön King. Kongtrul, describing his prowess as revealer, stated "...''Pema Ösel Dongak Lingpa, the sole chariot of the ocean of profound treasures, whom had been authorized as the steward of the seven authoritative transmissions and thus all of the profound treasures of the hundreds of treasure revealers fell into his hands, in actuality or through their lineages''."<ref>''zab gter rgya mtsho'i shing rta gcig pu pad+ma 'od gsal mdo sngags gling pa la bka' babs bdun gyi bdag por dbugs dbyung zhing gter ston brgya rtsa'i zab gter mtha' dag dngos dang brgyud pa'i sgo nas phyag tu babs pa''.</ref> The figure of Khyentse Wangpo looms so large in the Tibetan annals of the 19th century that it is, in fact, difficult to imagine what Tibetan Buddhism might look like today without him. In an era that witnessed a remarkable period of renewal and creativity, replete with the emergence of towering figures, Khyentse Wangpo can still be described as incomparable. Under his auspices, [['jam mgon kong sprul|Jamgön Kongtrul]] and [['jam dbyangs blo gter dbang po|Loter Wangpo]] produced literary collections that virtually ensured the survival of more than a thousand years of Buddhist scriptural output. Yet without the complete transmissions of the works contained within the hundreds of collective volumes of the ''Rinchen Terdzö'', the ''Damngak Dzö'', the ''Kagyu Ngak Dzö'', ''Gyude Kuntu'' and the ''Drupthab Kuntu'', which were painstakingly gathered and embodied by Khyentse Wangpo, those collections might have amounted to little more than dry ink on paper, rather than the life force of a living tradition. Furthermore, his seal of approval brought recognition to figures that would come to shape the tradition we see today. The names [[Mi pham rgya mtsho|Mipham]] and [[mchog gyur gling pa|Chogyur Lingpa]] might have meant little to us had Khyentse Wangpo not recognized and nurtured their potential early on, thus catapulting them into the spotlight and imbuing their activities with an unassailable authority and stature.
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Revision as of 08:41, 25 August 2021

Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the famed 19th century Tibetan polymath and mystic, was arguably the most prolific member of the Khyentse Lineage. Not only in terms of his own writings and revelations, which are presented here in collections that amount to forty-seven Tibetan volumes, but also in terms of the influence he exerted on the religious culture of Tibet and the Himalayan region. The endless list of grand achievements he was able to accomplish for the benefit of the Dharma, are even more astonishing in light of the fact that he reportedly spent the better part of the last three decades of his life cloistered away in retreat at his private residence at Dzongsar Monastery in eastern Tibet.

      Though officially recognized and enthroned as the rebirth of Thartse Jampa Namkha Chime,[1]a prominent Sakya scholar and hierarch, he figures into the Khyentse Lineage as the last of the three tulkus of Jigme Lingpa, a.k.a. Khyentse Özer, among whom Khyentse Wangpo was considered the body-emanation (sku sprul).[2] However, for Khyentse Wangpo the list of such recognitions does not end there. Jamgön Kongtrul states that he was the combined emanation of two of the preeminent group of eight Indian vidyādharas (rig 'dzin brgyad) celebrated by the Nyingma, namely Mañjuśrīmitra and Vimalamitra. Elsewhere, Kongtrul omits the former and pairs the latter, Vimalamitra, with the Tibetan King Trisong Deutsen, a claim which is repeated by Dudjom Rinpoche. Though all the sources seem to include the Dharma King among Khyentse Wangpo's former lives, as well as the King's subsequent birth as his own grandson Gyalse Lhaje. In connection with this, Khyentse Wangpo was considered the thirteenth in the line of successive rebirths of Gyalse Lhaje- a line in which every single member revealed treasure over the course of their lives, beginning from the very first Tibetan tertön, Sangye Lama and followed by Gya Lotsāwa Dorje Zangpo, Nyima Senge, Kunpang Dawö, Doben Gyamtso Ö concurrent with Zur Pakshi Shākya Ö, Dragom Chökyi Dorje concurrent with Khyung Nak Shākya Dar, Orgyen Lingpa, Dol Ngakchang Ledro Lingpa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk of Nesar concurrent with Ngari Paṇchen, Garwang Ledro Lingpa, Rashi Pema Rigdzin, and Chöje Lingpa.[3] Khyentse Wangpo, himself, writes in the verses of his Essentialized Biography[4] that he only vaguely remembers some of his former lives in India and Tibet, but nevertheless gives a few examples. Among these he includes his Indian lives as the mahāsiddha Vajraghaṇṭa and the paṇḍitas Pratihārānandamati and Vanaratna, while, regarding his Tibetan lives, he mentions the King Trisong Deutsen and Chokdrup Gyalpo, i.e. Gyalse Lhaje, along with Guru Chökyi Wangchuk, Ngari Paṇchen Pema Wangyal, Thangtong Gyalpo and the great Lhatsun Namkha Jigme. Kongtrul amends this list, adding the early Kagyu master Rechungpa and the Sakya forefather Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen. Furthermore, Khyentse Wangpo revealed cycles of teachings that he claimed were based on the clear recollections (rjes dran) of his former lives as Langdro Könchok Jungne, who is traditionally counted among the twenty-five disciples of Guru Rinpoche, and Chetsun Senge Wangchuk, the circa 11th to 12th century Dzogchen master who figures prominently in the early lineage of the Heart of Essence of Vimalamitra (bi ma snying thig).

      However impressive a list that may be, Khyentse Wangpo was perhaps even more so in his own right. As a scholar, he was considered to be Mañjuśrī in human form. He is reported to have studied with over one hundred and fifty teachers from all schools of Buddhism. Together with his cohorts Kongtrul and Chogyur Lingpa, he is credited with instituting the nonsectarian revivalist movement known as ris med. In the treasure milieu, he is eulogized as the Fifth Tertön King. Kongtrul, describing his prowess as revealer, stated "...Pema Ösel Dongak Lingpa, the sole chariot of the ocean of profound treasures, whom had been authorized as the steward of the seven authoritative transmissions and thus all of the profound treasures of the hundreds of treasure revealers fell into his hands, in actuality or through their lineages."[5] The figure of Khyentse Wangpo looms so large in the Tibetan annals of the 19th century that it is, in fact, difficult to imagine what Tibetan Buddhism might look like today without him. In an era that witnessed a remarkable period of renewal and creativity, replete with the emergence of towering figures, Khyentse Wangpo can still be described as incomparable. Under his auspices, Jamgön Kongtrul and Loter Wangpo produced literary collections that virtually ensured the survival of more than a thousand years of Buddhist scriptural output. Yet without the complete transmissions of the works contained within the hundreds of collective volumes of the Rinchen Terdzö, the Damngak Dzö, the Kagyu Ngak Dzö, Gyude Kuntu and the Drupthab Kuntu, which were painstakingly gathered and embodied by Khyentse Wangpo, those collections might have amounted to little more than dry ink on paper, rather than the life force of a living tradition. Furthermore, his seal of approval brought recognition to figures that would come to shape the tradition we see today. The names Mipham and Chogyur Lingpa might have meant little to us had Khyentse Wangpo not recognized and nurtured their potential early on, thus catapulting them into the spotlight and imbuing their activities with an unassailable authority and stature.

Further Reading

  • Dorje, Gyurme, and Matthew Kapstein, trans. and ed. The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History. By Dudjom Rinpoche, Jikdrel Yeshe Dorje (bdud 'joms 'jigs bral ye shes rdo rje). Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1991: 849-858.
  • Nyoshul Khenpo. A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems: Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage. Translated by Richard Barron. Junction City, CA: Padma Publishing, 2005: 270-290.
  • Akester, Matthew and Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thayé. The Life of Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo by Jamgön Kongtrul. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2012.


Notes

  1. Thar rtse byams pa nam mkha' 'chi med (1765-1820), the 44th Ngor mkhan chen.
  2. The others two were Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje as the mind-emanation (thugs sprul), and Patrul Rinpoche, Jigme Chökyi Wangpo, as the speech-emanation (gsung sprul). It should be noted that apart from the tulku status, Khyentse Wangpo would also become one of the principal disciples, or heart-sons (thugs sras) of Jigme Lingpa's disciple Jigme Gyalwai Nyugu, who is credited along with the first Dodrupchen for introducing the Longchen Nyingthig to eastern Tibet. Khyentse Wangpo is often paired with another of Jigme Lingpa's tulkus, Patrul Rinpoche, as the disciples of Jigme Gyalwai Nyugu that were like the sun and the moon.
  3. See rje btsun bla ma thams cad mkhyen cing gzigs pa 'jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po kun dga' bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan dpal bzang po'i rnam thar mdor bsdus pa ngo mtshar u dum+ba ra'i dga' tshal, pp. 14-15.
  4. See 'jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po'i rnam thar snying por dril ba, p. 394.
  5. zab gter rgya mtsho'i shing rta gcig pu pad+ma 'od gsal mdo sngags gling pa la bka' babs bdun gyi bdag por dbugs dbyung zhing gter ston brgya rtsa'i zab gter mtha' dag dngos dang brgyud pa'i sgo nas phyag tu babs pa.