Lama Tharchin

Lama Tharchin

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche (1936–2013) was a Dzogchen master of Vajrayana Buddhism and the tenth lineage holder of the Repkong Ngakpas, the largest community of non-monastic practitioners in Tibet. He left Tibet on foot with his family in 1960 and traveled to India and Nepal before coming to the United States in 1984 when he founded the Vajrayana Foundation. He was a student of His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Chatral Rinpoche, Lama Sherab Dorje Rinpoche, and Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche.

Lama Tharchin

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche (1936–2013) was a Dzogchen master of Vajrayana Buddhism and the tenth lineage holder of the Repkong Ngakpas, the largest community of non-monastic practitioners in Tibet. He left Tibet on foot with his family in 1960 and traveled to India and Nepal before coming to the United States in 1984 when he founded the Vajrayana Foundation. He was a student of His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Chatral Rinpoche, Lama Sherab Dorje Rinpoche, and Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche.

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GUIDES

The Passing of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche

Photo from BuddhistChannelTV.comWe are deeply saddened when Lama Tharchin Rinpoche passed away  Monday, July 22, 2013.

Lama Tharchin was born in Tibet and was a dzogchen master who received his training at Dudjom Rinpoche's monastery. He fled Tibet in 1959 to live in India and Nepal, before arriving in the United States in 1984. He was the tenth lineage holder of the Repkong Ngakpas, a family lin­eage of yogis. Rinpoche founded the Vajrayana Foundation and established a monastic college and three-year retreat center. He taught throughout the United States, and his gentle presence endeared him to thousands.  Hhe was the driving force for the publication of The Complete Nyingma Tradition, a masterwork from the 19th century.

The following interview was conducted in Boulder, Colorado, and is excerpted from Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition by Andrew Holecek.

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What is the best thing for a practitioner to do before death?

We are now in the bardo of this life, which is from the moment of birth until the moment of a sickness that leads to our death. This is the time that is the best time to prepare. Dharma is how we can come to die professionally. That includes prostrations, circumambulation [around sacred sites and the gathering of merit], mandala offerings, Vajrasattva, taking refuge and generating bodhichitta, ngöndro, and then guru yoga. It is especially helpful to prepare with phowa practice. This is really powerful. We can practice phowa now, then when the time comes to actually do it, our chances for success are much greater. Reading Karma Lingpa's six bardo teachings is also helpful, along with the creation stage practices (of mahayoga). These deity and visualization practices are really wonderful. Then there are the completion stage practices and the Six Yogas of Naropa. This is all really important to do.

The main point is the recognition of your own enlightened buddha nature. When that wakes up in the bardo there is a chance you can be liberated at the level of the dharmakaya. The deity practices prepare you for the sambhogakaya. Any kind of practice is multiplied in the bardo, because consciousness is nine times smarter in the bardo. Therefore if we can practice in the bardo it's easier to attain liberation at that time.

What's the best thing one can do during death?

It is good if someone can read or remind the dying person to practice the teachings on the six bardos. In addition, try to remember these six things: remember the view, remember the deity, remember mantra, remember your samaya, remember your faith and devotion, remember love and compassion. It is also helpful to remember the Nyingma forms of liberation: liberation through taste (and the blessing substances, the relics), liberation through touching, through hearing, through seeing, through remembering, and through wearing. One can also read the Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra, or the Coppered-colored Mountain prayers-that can all be really helpful.

It is also very helpful to give teachings that will help the dying person recognize the bardo of dharmata, and to help them remember phowa. Practitioner or not, remind them to focus at the top of their head. You can also touch up there, or pull a little hair. Remember not to touch any lower parts of their body. Feeling directs consciousness, and it can make the consciousness exit from a lower door and take rebirth in a lower realm. You want consciousness to exit from the crown and merge with luminous emptiness awareness, so that your consciousness becomes vast like the sky. Reminding them of this is very helpful. There's also the recitation of all the Buddha's names, and the Chöying Dzö [Treasury of Dharmadhatu], by Longchenpa (which is what I usually recite). The root text is good to read.

What's the best thing to do after someone dies?

Each week, on the day that they died, they repeat the death experience, so this is a very special time for them and a time we can really help. You can do tsog (feast) offering on those days. Butter lamp offering is also special for those times, because the lamps represent clear mind-and help them find their way. If a practitioner is available, until the forty-ninth day, every day they could do the né dren ceremony, which is when you bring their consciousness into the support and then give empowerments and teachings and introduce the path that leads them to the pure land. You can also offer food and drink, and perform the sur offering. If you can do this every day until the forty-ninth day that is best (because seven weeks is the longest they can stay in the bardo), but especially in the first week, and then again for the third week. There is a phowa component in the né dren as well, so phowa is being practiced for them with this practice.

You can read also The Tibetan Book of the Dead, because bardo beings come back to hover around their loved ones during the bardo of becoming. This is the time when your prayers can penetrate and reach them directly, helping them. They can truly receive this help.

(from Preparing to Die by Andrew Holecek)

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Lama Sonam Tsering on The Complete Nyingma Tradition

Explore The Complete Nyingma Tradition

Home Page of The Complete Nyingma Tradition
The Books of The Complete Nyingma Tradition
Choying Tobden Dorje and the Story Behind the Complete Nyingma Tradition

In Memorium: Alak Zenkar Rinpoche reflects on Lama Tharchin Rinpoche and the Complete Nyingma Tradition
> Lama Sonam on The Complete Nyingma Tradition
Praise for The Complete Nyingma Tradition

The multi-volume set, The Complete Nyingma Tradition From Sutra to Tantra includes  a moving  foreword from Alak Zenkar Rinpoche.

Today we would like to share with our readers a special introduction from Lama Sonam Tsering in which he examines Lama Tharchin Rinpoche - instrumental in bringing this text to English - and his  relationship with the dharma throughout his life and the structure of The Complete Nyingma Tradition. Although it does not  appear in the book itself, this piece acts as a gateway to the completed work.

Lama Sonam Tsering

The great Dzogchen practitioner Lama Tsedrub Tharchin Rinpoche was born in the ngakpa community of Gökar Sermo Jong in the Repkong area of Amdo. His father was Lama Chime Dorje, a descendent of the supreme Palchen Namkha Jigme, one of the thousand phurbapractitioner ngakpas of Amdo. His mother was the yogini Tsewang Drolma. He was born in the fire-mouse year near the Buchu Golden Temple in Kongpo, Tibet.

He engaged with the Dharma from a very young age due to his faith, compassion, intelligence, and positive past-life habits. He learned from his father Lama Chime Dorje, his uncle Ngakchang Lama Sherab Dorje Rinpoche, Doring Tulku, Kushab Gyurme, and other sublime spiritual teachers. He started with learning to read and write, progressed through the preliminaries, and completely absorbed all the hands-on ritual skills that have been passed down by the awareness holders, such as song and dance and musical instruments.

Due to his pure past-life aspirations he met his root gurus, Guru Rinpoche’s regent Kyabje Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje Drodul Lingpa Tsal, Kyabje Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche, and the supreme Kyabje Jigme Tsewang Thinley Norbu Rinpoche. Under their guidance he did a three-year retreat where he trained in the yogas of the creation and completion stages and practiced mahayoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga.

In 1960 he went to India along with the exodus of Tibetan refugees and eventually settled in Orissa at the Phuntsok Ling camp where he served at Dudul Rabten Ling Nyingma Monastery for many years. Due to his good character he got along well with everyone there, but his loving care for the downtrodden was especially great. I was around twelve years old when I met him for the first time. He was very kind, teaching me hands-on ritual skills, torma making, mudras, and other things. In 1980 he went to Nepal and served the supreme Kyabje Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche by, among other things, helping to edit texts. According to the supreme Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche’s wishes, he also offered his service in editing the Kagye Gudü Drubchen Manual from Dudjom Rinpoche’s collected works.

Lama Tarchin Rinpoche

Following the wishes of the Dudjom Father and Son, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche established Pema Ösel Ling in the Santa Cruz mountains of California, a place of study, practice, and retreat complete with the physical supports of statues, stupas, and canonical texts. He also established Orgyen Dechen Chödzong in Hawaii. He sponsored the supreme Kyabje Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche’s transmission of the empowerments, reading transmissions, and explanations of the entire Dudjom Tersar in the West. He was the one who requested many of the texts in Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche’s collected works, including A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar and A Ruby Necklace That Delights the Awareness-holder Dakinis, the commentary on The Pearl Necklace, Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche’s supplication to his history of incarnations. He served the Early Translation Nyingma School, and especially the Dudjom Tersar teachings, with incomparable kindness that was like waves upon waves of light-rays. On the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the water-snake year he performed the dissolution of his physical mandala into dharmata.

Gyalwa Longchenpa was the great scholar-practitioner from the Land of Snows who eld the space treasury of the mind, space, and pith instruction classes of Dzogchen teachings. Is magical wisdom body appeared to the second omniscient one, the awareness holder Jigme Lingpa. Chief among Jigme Lingpa’s heart sons was Jigme Thinley Özer. Jigme Thinley Özer’s direct disciple was the supreme Longchen Choying Tobden Dorje, a holder of one of the four vajra lineages and leader of the thousand phurba-practitioner ngakpas in Repkong, Amdo. He composed The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra. Its thirteen volumes are made up of sections on the general sutras, the special tantras, general knowledge, root verses, a summary, an outline, and a word-by-word commentary on the root verses including illustrations. It is the refined essence of the expansive Kangyur and Tengyur and the profound tantras. It contains the key points of sutra and tantra. It is the essence of the intention of the four great rivers of transmissions. It is well-written and the meaning is both clear and good. It contains pith instructions and is deeply profound, expansive, and easy to elaborate upon. It is the essence of all Dharma, a beautiful ornament of the scholars and a treasure for practitioners. It is a wealth of good fortune for the Buddhist doctrine. It is accessible to sublime beings who have confidence in the enlightened view and to scholars of the five fields of knowledge. Based on the previous aspirations and karmic connection of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, the translators, and their sponsors, all the circumstances came together at the right time for them to altruistically accomplish this project. It is a treasure of merit for the whole world, and especially for Westerners who are interested in Buddhism. It is also an offering dedicated to Lama Tharchin Rinpoche’s own root teacher, Lama Sherab Dorje Rinpoche. I rejoice wholeheartedly in the publication of the original Tibetan and the English and Chinese translations. I lack knowledge of my own Tibetan traditions, not to mention English, but I wrote this according to the publisher’s wishes. I, Lama Sonam Tsering, offer this letter with faith, reverence, and joy.

Continue to the next page: Praise for The Complete Nyingma Tradition

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SNOW LION NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

An Interview with Lama Tharchin Rinpoche

The following is from the Snow Lion Newsletter, Winter Supplement 1995

ltr_smiling_fireplace

 

Snow Lion: Rinpoche, can you tell us something about your activities here in the West?

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche: Last time I saw my root teacher, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, his final instructions were for me to take care of the doctrine by teaching and establishing the Dharma. He told me that since I have been educated in Dharma and have gained experience in retreat, it was now time to share what I have learned with others. His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche's son, Dorje Chang Kyabje Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, advised me to stay and teach in America where the doctrine has not been previously established.

tibetan buddhism, Dudjom Rinpoche

Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche

When I reflect on my teacher's request and what I want to do with the rest of my life, and I think about what I can give to America and the West, I feel the most profound gift I could possibly give would be the gift of inner peace. We are so wealthy materially, yet we lack the ability to find true and lasting happiness. Each of us has an inherent enlightened Buddha-nature and the ability to find inner peace and contentment. The way to find and reveal the inconceivable qualities within each of us is through the path and techniques of Dharma.

This is the way we can remove the mental suffering and delusion that exists within the samsaric cycling of existence. The unbroken lineage of the Vajrayana teachings can only be held and continued for future generations through education and practice. Education requires the establishment of a college. Practice requires people to do retreat in all forms, including the traditional three-year retreat. Due to my teacher's encouragement, my life goal is to establish these two vehicles for rooting the essence of the Vajrayana teachings in the West.

Two and a half years ago we established the three-year retreat. There are currently eleven people in retreat. We are also in the process of translating a complete treasury of sutra and tantra, a thirteen volume text called the Do Gyud Dzod. [Note: First volume published in 2015 as The Complete Nyingma Tradition Books 1-10] Only one copy of these volumes exists in Tibet, and we have now made a copy and brought it here. When this translation project is complete and if impermanence doesn't come too soon, I would like to establish a college under the direction of Lama Gyaltsen Rinpoche from Vajrayana East in Nepal and Tulku Thubten Rinpoche [Anam Thubten], who is a resident lama at Pema Osel Ling. Since 1986 I have been living in the Santa Cruz area where I have been directing Vajrayana Foundation and Pema Osel Ling retreat and conference center. I feel very pleased that so much progress has been made since I came to the West.

GR

Guru Rinpoche at Pema Osel Ling

In addition to establishing the three-year retreat and beginning a college, we have also created the Institute for the Preservation of Tibetan Sacred Art. Our plan is to create symbolic supports for bringing enlightened energy to the earth in the form of stupas, statues, libraries and temples, which increase the wisdom and compassion of all sentient beings. So far at Pema Osel Ling, we have finished sculpting a large statue of Guru Rinpoche, which is now being painted and gilded, and an elaborate and permanent sand mandala of Guru Rinpoche's pure' land.

My overall goal is to continue to establish the pure and unbroken Dudjom Tersar lineage in the West. Wherever one can establish a pure lineage, then whoever has the desire to hold that lineage will be able to. This preserves that lineage for the benefit of all beings, now and in the future. Today Tibetan culture and doctrine is very fragile. Some of the lineages of Vajrayana Buddhism have become very thin and are in danger of being lost. My intention is to train Westerners to become lamas who are both educated and experienced practitioners. In this way, the Dudjom Tersar lineage will be strengthened. As Westerners begin to teach, the Dharma can become integrated into this culture without losing the purity of the lineage. Even though I cannot accomplish all of these goals in my lifetime, I hope that others will complete what I have begun.

Due to his great compassion and wisdom, and our extremely good fortune, Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche has granted our request and has agreed to give next summer the entire cycle of Dudjom Lingpa and His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche's empowerments, transmissions and teachings, which is the Dudjom Tersar lineage. Good fortune of this kind is almost impossible to find, especially for a humble Dharma center like ours. This will be a major event for the Nyingma lineage and Vajrayana tradition.

SL: Please tell us about your experiences with Dudjom Rinpoche.

ltr_young_bw

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche in the early 1960s

LTR: Actually, my father sent me to study and train with His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche in 1943 when I was eight years old. I moved to his monastery, Lama Ling, in Gongpo. My whole childhood was devoted to education, then later I went into retreat.

SL: How long did you stay in retreat with His Holiness?

LTR: First, I spent five years by myself in retreat, then I did a three-year retreat with a group at His Holiness's place. I practiced and received teachings from Dudjom Rinpoche until I escaped to India in 1960. I then traveled with him until 1964 when he established a center in Orissa where I stayed until 1975. My whole life was devoted to serving him and his centers.

SL: Can you tell us something about your relationship with his son Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche?

Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and Lama Tharchin Rinpoche

Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and Lama Tharchin

LTR: We grew up together in Tibet. Later, as I became educated and finished retreat, my understanding improved and I realized how truly amazing he is. I thought that no one in the world could write like Dudjom Rinpoche, and then I read Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche's books. I couldn't believe how sublime his work is, just like his father's. I feel that their qualities are inseparable, and that he is exactly the same as his father.

I received Dzogchen teachings and empowerments from him and became his student Along with His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Lama Sherab Rinpoche and Chatral Rinpoche, I consider Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche to be my root guru.

Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche is an emanation of the great Mahasiddha Longchenpa, whose later emanation was Jigme Lingpa. In his previous lifetime, he was the son of Dudjom Lingpa. Now I can see that Longchenpa, Guru Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, and Dungse Rinpoche are exactly the same.

 

SL: Do you think it is important for people to attend the Dudjom Tersar transmissions in July?

Lama Sherab Rinpoche, Lama Tharchin's uncle

LTR: Yes, absolutely. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche never gives this type of advanced teaching and empowerments to the public. He is a totally hidden and secret Lama. Due to his incredible compassion and kindness he is willing to pass this lineage to us.

I was recently in Nepal, and when I told people of his intentions, they couldn't believe it. They said that they normally never even get a chance to see him. They were so shocked to hear that he would transmit the whole cycle of empowerments and teachings. This is our incredible good fortune. Since this is such a rare opportunity, I want to let everyone know about this extremely auspicious occasion. Since His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche passed away, this lineage has already grown weaker. Now we have a wonderful opportunity to make it strong again.

SL: Many people here have very busy lives and will not be able to attend the entire four weeks. Would it be acceptable to attend part of the time?

LTR: Yes, of course, whatever you can do is wonderful. I hope that many of our Dharma friends will be able to come.

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For further information on the Dudjom Tersar empowerments, write to Dudjom Empowerments, 2013 Eureka Canyon Road, Corralitos, CA 95076, or call 408-724- 2752. The Venerabla Dzogchen master of Vajrayana Buddhism. He is the tenth lineage holder of the Repkong Ngakpas or yogis, which was the largest community of non-monastic practitioners in Tibet. He is loved not onlyfor his inspiring teachings of Buddhist philosophy and meditation, but also for his accomplishments as a master artist. *

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche (1936–2013) was a Dzogchen master of Vajrayana Buddhism and the tenth lineage holder of the Repkong Ngakpas, the largest community of non-monastic practitioners in Tibet. He left Tibet on foot with his family in 1960 and traveled to India and Nepal before coming to the United States in 1984 when he founded the Vajrayana Foundation. He was a student of His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Chatral Rinpoche, Lama Sherab Dorje Rinpoche, and Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche.

Wisdom Nectar

$39.95 - Hardcover

By: Dudjom Rinpoche & Ron Garry

This includes a foreword by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche

Books Related to the Dudjom Tersar

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The Practice of Tibetan Treasure Vases

The following article is from the Autumn, 2003 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

 

Note: The Treasure Vase project created by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche as envisioned in the article below is now available on the Treasure of Abundance site.

Incurable diseases, inescapable weapons of mass destruction, and a weakening of the earth's elements due to pollutants and poisons in the environment. Sound familiar? Padmasambhava, the 9th century founder of Tibetan Buddhism, prophesied what sounds a lot like our world.

Through his wisdom and compassion, Padmasambava gave specific instructions for the creation of treasure vases to assist with the healing of the environment and the restoration of vital energy during these degenerate times. The treasure vase is an ancient remedy that can replenish the essence of the elementsearth, air, fire, water, and space. When the outer environment is purified, beings are released from suffering caused by pollution and are therefore rejuvenated. This restores the energy to all realms.

For the human realm, the treasure vase has the power to magnetize wealth and abundance, improve health, and remove obstacles to long life. Its effects help pacify anger and warfare and increase wisdom and compassion for all.

Padmasambava prescribed the sacred objects that fill the treasure vase. The conch shell supports the life essence of the god realm of joy. Turquoise supports the life essence of the human realm of intelligence. Crystal supports the life essence of the naga realm of wealth. The cowrie shell supports the life essence of the dakinis, and iron pyrite supports the life essence of the local protectors of the environment and the practitioners within it.

The vases are filled to the brim with medicine balls whose most important ingredient is "mother pills." The main substances in mother pills are called yang-dzay rilbu (essential wealth substance pills.) Padmasambava originally hid these substances for future generations of beings. Many treasure revealers discovered these hidden substances. His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche collected the substances from the ten-gam (treasure collections) of Mipham Rinpoche, Mindroling Terchen, and Khyentse Rinpoche, and many other precious substances created by sublime beings. From these substances Dudjom Rinpoche made the original "mother pill."

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche received original "mother pills" from Dudjom Rinpoche and expanded them. He added the twenty-five precious substances: the five precious jewels, the five precious essences, the five precious medicines, the five precious scents, and the five precious grains; plus tsa-sum (three roots), tsi-zhi (four flower essences), nyingpo-nga (five essences) and zangpo-druk (six excellences). He also added a very rich collection of jewels and minerals: opals, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, turquoise, coral, pearl, dzi stone, chong stone, gold silver, copper, and so on: and additional precious substances such as soil, stone, and water collected from many of the world's holy and famous places.

Also inside the vases are dutsi (a holy substance that transforms all negativity into wisdom), ten-du rilbu (a collection of relics from countless Buddhas), pictures of the wealth deity Khandro Norlha, wealth mantras, and khorlos (written diagrams expressing wealth potential), which increase merit, prosperity, and abundance with the intention to benefit all beings.

Upon completion, the treasure vases are consecrated in a seven day ceremony.

For centuries, Tibetans have kept treasure vases in their homes, buried them in the earth, or placed them in bodies of water. The Venerable Lama Tharchin Rinpoche created and oversees the Vajrayana Foundation Treasure Vases. Rinpoche trained throughout his life in ritual art and ceremonies with His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche and other great masters such as Lama Sherab Rinpoche. Snow Lion is honored to be able to offer these wonderful vases.

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The Teacher-Student Relationship: Jamgon Kongtrul

The Teacher-Student Relationship: Jamgon Kongtrul

The following article is from the Spring, 1998 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

By Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye
Foreword by Lama Tharchin
Introduction by Gyatrul Rinpoche
Translated by Ron Garry

In the Tantric Buddhism of Tibet, it is an abiding principle that the root of all good qualities is devotion to a fully qualified spiritual friend (a teacher or gum). Nonetheless, in the few decades that Tibetan Buddhism has begun to blossom in the West, numerous problems have arisen between students and their teachers that seem to call into question what should be a relationship of mutual devotion, honesty, and respect.

The formidable challenge of finding the right teacher, and for teachers to find the right students, has actually been of major concern to Buddhists for many centuries, and the topic was never more thoroughly explored, and the answers more clearly delineated, than they were by the unsurpassed Tibetan teacher, Jamgon Kongtrul, in a chapter of his monumental Buddhist encyclopedia, The Treasury of Knowledge.

Translated by Dr. Ron Garry, this essential text lays out in clear terms the credentials and qualities that every student should look for in their teacher, why a teacher is necessary, and how the relationship between guru and disciple is to develop once it is established. With chapters such as How to Seek the Spiritual Friend, Why is a Teacher Necessary, Categories and Qualifications of Ihe Master, and How the Student. Should Choose a Teacher, the translation of this authoritative work puts into the hands of every student all they need to know to undertake the most fundamental and important step on the path: finding a qualified spiritual teacher.

Dr. Garry's introductory commentary unpacks Kongtrul's text and elaborates many essential points, drawing especially on Gampopa's Jewel Ornament of Liberation and Buton's Jewelry of Scripture. This important volume is introduced by two of the most respected lamas teaching in America today, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche and Gyatrul Rinpoche.

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Tayí© (1813-1899), a pivotal figure in eastern Tibet's nonsectarian movement, was one of the most outstanding writers and teachers of his time. In his' monumental Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Treasury of Knowledge) he presents a complete account of the major lines of thought and practice that comprise Tibetan Buddhism.

Other books by Jamgon Kongtrul: Enthronement: The Recognition of the Reincarnate Masters of Tibet and the Himalayas; Jamgon Kongtrul's Retreat Manual] Myriad Worlds: Buddhist Cosmology in Abhidharma, Kalachakra and Dzogchen; Buddhist. Ethics.

Following is an excerpt from The Student-Teacher Relationship entitled How to Properly Follow the Teacher.

Kongtrul states that the teacher-student relationship is created and nurtured in two steps. First there should be a careful, mutual examination by the teacher and the student, then they should enter into a relationship. Through it, the student attains enlightenment and the teacher fulfills his commitment to guide sentient beings to enlightenment; thus it is very important for the relationship to be pure, uncontaminated with negativity, and unbroken.

He explains that examining the relationship is important, because if a relationship is begun with an unqualified teacher or student, both will break their samaya and they will have many problems. Kongtrul quotes from the Fifty Stanzas on Guru Devotion to emphasize the importance of a good relationship between the teacher and the student:

Because the lama and his students will fail together in the samaya, in the beginning, the warrior should examine the relationship of the master and the student.

Kongtrul writes that if a lama gives empowerments to a student who can not keep the tantric commitments (samaya) the lama will experience problems such as taking progressively worse rebirths; the attainment of siddhis will be postponed for a long time; and numerous problems and obstacles occur.

He also enumerates the many problems the student will encounter if he receives empowerments from an unqualified lama: the student will be led down the wrong path; he will not be able keep his samaya; he will not be able to attain the siddhis; his precious human rebirth will be squandered.

Thus, Kongtrul emphasizes that it is necessary for both the teacher and the student to examine each other before committing to a relationship. Many of us in the West, practicing on various spiritual paths, leap into the teacher-student relationship, then begin examining our teacher and find faults. Often the student becomes angry and leaves the relationship, feeling hurt and speaking negatively about the teacher. Had the student examined the teacher initially, this problematic situation might not have arisen. This tendency is not confined to Western students. In fourteenth century Tibet Kun Khyen Longchenpa wrote:

First, when the relationship is new, they recklessly get involved without examination. They speak of each of the lama's noble qualities, but later on there is only recrimination. For some, whatever they do is mixed with deception and backbiting, and they dishearten the close circle [of disciples) around the lama; for them the result is the lowest hell itself.60

Thus, it is necessary for a Buddhist student in the Tibetan tradition to be familiar with the traditional lists given by Kongtrul of the qualities which characterize the qualified teacher.

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Although it is important to be generous with offerings and to pay respect to the spiritual friend, the best offering is to put his teachings into practice and thereby attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

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After examining a teacher, the student may choose not to enter into a relationship for two primary reasons: the teacher is unqualified, as Kongtrul previously described; or, although he is qualified, his style or personality may not be suitable for that particular student. To determine whether or not the teacher is qualified, the student should refer to chapters three and four, above, in which Kongtrul describes the authentic teacher.

On the second point, although, in the present work, Kongtrul does not refer to the style or personality of the lama, it is frequently mentioned in the oral instructions given by lamas. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche illustrated this point with an example of an unharmonious match between a teacher who likes to focus upon logic and philosophy, and a student who prefers meditation practice.

Kongtrul states that after the student has examined the teacher and has decided he is both qualified and suitable, he should then fully rely upon that teacher as the necessary condition (rkyeri) for attaining enlightenment. Gampopa, in An Ornament to Precious Liberation, writes:

although you may possess the most perfect support [rten, the precious human body], but are not urged on by spiritual friends as a condition (for attaining enlightenment], it is difficult to set out on the path towards enlightenment, because of the power of habitual tendencies (bagchags) due to bad deeds committed repeatedly in former times.

In order to correctly rely upon the teacher, the student must have the proper attitude and then apply herself toward following the teacher. Kongtrul states that the proper attitude is to rely upon the spiritual friend in order to attain complete enlightenment. It is important that the student is not motivated to enter a relationship with a lama by the desire for personal gain; for example, the desire to gain respect by being associated with a great teacher.

Kongtrul writes that after having established the proper attitude, the student then follows the lama through action. He enumerates three principle methods for following the lama: giving material things and honor; paying respect; and following the lama by means of practicing his teachings. He explains that the student should be willing to offer the lama all his material possessions. The traditional texts state that an advanced disciple, such as Naropa, Marpa, or Milarepa, would offer everything to his lama, including his wife, children, or his own body, speech, and mind. For most students today however, these types of offerings are not only not expected, but strongly discouraged.

Honoring the lama means that the disciple is respectful. When the lama enters the room the student stands until the lama sits down, and then the student offers three prostrations. Also, upon entering a room where the lama is present the student should prostrate three times. Because the student treats his teacher as if he is the Buddha himself, he will not use the teacher's utensils, clothing, or sit on his teacher's cushion. In the teacher's presence, it is considered disrespectful for the student to lie down, yawn without covering his mouth, or to sit on the floor with his feet pointing towards the teacher.

Paying respect includes the various things a student can do for the teacher. In Tibet, for example, a student might have the opportunity of bathing or massaging the teacher. In the West, paying respect may include running errands, doing chores, helping carry things for the teacher, and so forth.

Traditionally, the most important way of following the teacher is to carry out all his instructions and advice concerning dharma practice. To this effect Kongtrul states:

Cheerfully practicing all the commands (bsgo-ba) given by the lama, and assiduously practicing whatever possible in the way of listening (thos), contemplating (bsam), and meditating (sgom) upon all the dhamia teachings, is better worship (bsnyen-bkur) than the ways previously mentioned, because the true spiritual friend is to be pleased by the offering of practice, and not by goods and so forth.

Patrul Rinpoche, in The Oral Instructions of My Excellent Lama, reiterates that the best offering is one of practice:

Although the lama is pleased by three types of service, it is said that the supreme type is the offering of practice. This means persevering in the practice of all the teachings taught by the lama and enduring all hardships. The intermediate way of rendering service is serving your lama by doing whatever he wants you to do with your body, speech, and mind. The lowest way to please your lama is by making generous offerings of material things such as food and wealth.71

Therefore, we are shown that although it is important to be generous with offerings and to pay respect to the spiritual friend, the best offering is to put his teachings into practice and thereby attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro TayeJamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye (1813–1900) was a versatile and prolific scholar and one of the most outstanding writers and teachers of his time in Tibet. He was a pivotal figure in eastern Tibet’s nonsectarian movement and made major contributions to education, politics, and medicine.

Related Books by Jamgon Kongtrul

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Lama Tharchin Rinpoche Establishes Traditional Dharma College in America

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche Establishes Traditional Dharma College in America

The following article is from the Summer, 1997 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

Angyur, Anam Thubten, Lama Tharchin, Orgyen Chowang, Lama Tsering Gyaltsen

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, a Dzogchen master of Vajrayana Buddhism, is the tenth lineage holder of the Repkong Ngakpasthe largest non-monastic communtiy of practitioners in Tibet. His inspiring teachings of Buddhist philosophy and meditation are complemented by his artistry and knowledge of Tibetan monastic arts.

In 1987, at the suggestion of His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche founded the Vajrayana Foundation to promote the tradition and practice of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The Foundation has centers in Nepal, Europe and the USA, including Hawaii, Los Angeles and its main retreat center, Pema Osel Ling, in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. This center is the site of the Vajrayana Foundation College of Buddhist Studies which recently completed its first session. The faculty includes Tulku Thubten Rinpoche, Orgyen Thinley Rinpoche, and Lama Ngawang in addition to Lama Tharchin Rinpoche.

Lama Tharchin would like to establish the dharma here in three ways corresponding to the outer, inner and secret levels needed for forming a complete foundation to support, the entire tradition of the dharma. The outer level is established through the creation of ritual art and architecture such as monasteries, statues, and stupas, and corresponds to the body, speech and mind of the Buddha. These symbolic objects are a support to all those who come into contact with them. Shedra is the inner level and is the vehicle for the transmission of knowledge and the understanding of dharma. The secret level is the actual practice of dharma from the preliminary to the most advanced practices.

Shedra is a way to preserve the teachings and traditions of this lineage and to provide an opportunity for students to learn the entire Buddhist doctrine. The first three month-session in March on the Ngondro Commentary by Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and the Do Gyud Zod (Jewel Treasury of Sutra & Tantra) has just been finished.

There are two paths necessary to preserve the Buddhist doctrine. With the shedra and drupta (three-year retreat) well established, both of these paths are now available to students who wish to accomplish the entire range of Buddhist study and practice. These complementary paths, taken together, can lead us quickly to realization.

The next session of shedra at Pema Osel Ling will run from September 23 to November 23, 1997. Future curriculum will include: Tibetan language, astrology, medicine, art, Marjushri practice and more. Enrollment can be for the entire session or by the day. For further information, please contact Pema Osel Ling, 408-761-6266, or fax 408-761-6284, or email: [email protected]

The Do Gyud Dzog or Complete Nyingma Tradition

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