|
|
|
|
|
Lineage
|
 |
Lineage & Teachers  Dzogchen's innermost essence is embedded in the terma tradition, a special lineage of treasure teachings concealed by the eighth-century teacher Guru Rinpoche with the intention that they be revealed at specific times in the future. Many of these teachings contain predictions for modern times, including particular spiritual practices beneficial for these times. The terma tradition contains detailed instructions on how to take maximum advantage of our human life, imbuing it with its fullest possible meaning.
Rangjung Yeshe Gomde is linked to the Chokling Tersar lineage, a collection of terma teachings revealed by Chokyur Lingpa (1829-1870), one of the last of Tibet's 108 great tertöns or "treasure revealers". The extraordinarily clear and profound heart practices revealed by Chokyur Lingpa, along with their assocated teachings, are contained in a body of literature filling more than forty large volumes. They are practiced by both the Kagyü and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche Tulku Urgyen was famed for his profound meditative realization and for the concise, lucid and humorous style with which he imparted the essence of the Dzogchen teachings. His method of teaching was 'instruction through one's own experience.' Using few words, this way of teaching points out the nature of mind, revealing a natural simplicity of wakefulness that enables the student to actually touch the heart of the Buddha's Wisdom Mind. Tulku Urgyen's startlingly clear teachings have been captured in several books, including Rainbow Painting, Repeating the Words of the Buddha, Vajra Speech, and As It Is. He had many foreign students, and was keenly interested in the expansion of the Dharma to the West. It was his wish for a North American seat that motivated his eldest son, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, to found Gomde in 1998. Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche The eldest son of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche was born in 1951 in Eastern Tibet. At the age of 18 months, he was recognized as the seventh incarnation of the Drikung Kagyü lama Gar Drubchen, a Tibetan siddha and a spiritual emanation of Nagarjuna, the second-century Indian Buddhist philosopher. Shortly before the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, Rinpoche left with his family for Sikkim. From the ages of 13 to 24, he studied in the Karma Kagyü, Drikung Kagyü, and Nyingma traditions under the guidance of such eminent masters as the 16 th Gyalwa Karmapa, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. He achieved the degree of khenpo at a very early age. In 1974 he left Rumtek to join his family in Boudhanath, Nepal, where, at the command of the 16 th Karmapa, they established Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. Installed as the monastery's abbot in 1975 by the Karmapa, Rinpoche followed the Karmapa's advice to turn his efforts towards instructing Western practitioners. Honing his English language skills, he began to offer weekend teachings to travelers. Over the years this has developed into an annual 10-day autumn seminar. Rinpoche's Saturday morning teachings at the monastery remain a popular event, drawing dozens of visitors each week. He founded the Rangjung Yeshe Institute for Buddhist Studies in 1981. Rinpoche is also the founder of Rangjung Yeshe Publications, with more than 40 Buddhist titles, including his own books: Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, Song of Karmapa, Bardo Guidebook, Indisputable Truth, and Present Fresh Wakefulness. "The real object of devotion is thought-free wakefulness, which is the ultimate guru of our innate nature -- your natural mind, your self-existing wakefulness or natural awareness. This is the true view of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. So first we must recognise, then train in that recognition and attain stability. But remember, this recognition must be genuine and not some kind of personal concept we've made up. If we can train in genuine thought-free wakefulness, then it is possible to awaken to enlightenment fully and completely in this very lifetime. But it doesn't help much just to train in your own intellectualized version of the view, no matter how long you try. That is why it is said that Vajrayana can be very risky, but also has great advantages." -- Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche Click here to read a chapter on "Meditation" from Indisputable Truth. Click here to read a chapter on "Introductory Teachings" from Present Fresh Wakefulness. "Natural Happiness" article by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche (published in the January 2007 issue of Buddhadharma) PDF (218KB) Chokling Rinpoche Tsoknyi Rinpoche Following extensive academic training in India, Tsoknyi Rinpoche returned to Nepal in 1990 and established his seat at Ngedon Osel Ling Monastery, which he planned and built in consultation with with his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Ngedon Osel Ling is the site of ongoing traditional three-year retreats as well as an International Buddhist Meditation Center. It also serves as headquarters for the Pema Karpo Translation Committee and for the Drukpa Kagyü Heritage Foundation, which is working to preserve the written texts of the Drukpa Kagyü lineage. Tsoknyi Rinpoche also has a Western seat, Yeshe Rangsal in Crestone, Colorado. He is abbot of two nunneries in Nepal and the largest nunnery in Tibet. Rinpoche also heads 55 monasteries in the eastern Tibetan region which practice the Tsoknyi and Ratna Lingpa lineages. A lay practitioner with a wife and two children, Tsoknyi Rinpoche is widely recognized as a brilliant meditation master. He is one of the rare teachers whose lighthearted yet illuminating style appeals to both beginners and advanced practitioners. His unique style is reflected in his books, Carefree Dignity and Fearless Simplicity. "Tsoknyi Rinpoche speaks to us with an exhilarating freshness, being fully aware of the complexity of modern life and the needs of men and women today. He is gifted with an ability to unravel the most profound of topics in a way that is clear and easy to understand, and as he maps out the teachings, he draws listeners constantly back to their own experience, allowing them to discover the truth of the Dharma within themselves." -- Sogyal Rinpoche Min Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche possesses a rare ability to present the ancient wisdom of Tibet in a fresh, engaging manner. His profound yet accessible teachings and playful sense of humor have endeared him to students around the world. Most uniquely, Rinpoche’s teachings weave together his own personal experiences with modern scientific research, relating both to the practice of meditation. Born in 1975 in the Himalayan border regions between Tibet and Nepal, Mingyur Rinpoche is the youngest son of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and a rising star among the new generation of Tibetan Buddhist masters. From a young age, Rinpoche was drawn to a life of contemplation. He spent many years of his childhood in strict retreat. At the age of seventeen, he was invited to be a teacher at his monastery’s three-year retreat center, a position rarely held by such a young lama. He also completed the traditional Buddhist training in philosophy and psychology before founding a monastic college at his home monastery in north India. In addition to extensive training in the meditative and philosophical traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, Mingyur Rinpoche has also had a lifelong interest in Western science and psychology. At an early age, he began a series of informal discussions with the famed neuroscientist Francisco Varela, who came to Nepal to learn meditation from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Many years later, in 2002, Mingyur Rinpoche and a handful of other long-term meditators were invited to the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior at the University of Wisconsin, where Richard Davidson, Antoine Lutz, and other scientists examined the effects of meditation on the brains of advanced meditators. The results of this groundbreaking research were reported in many of the world’s most widely read publications, including National Geographic and Time. Currently, Mingyur Rinpoche teaches throughout the world, with centers on four continents. His candid, often humorous accounts of his own personal difficulties have endeared him to thousands of students around the world. His best-selling book, The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into over twenty languages. Rinpoche’s most recent book is Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom. "The Buddha said that all sentient beings possess Buddha Nature. Because of that we have this natural purity, peacefulness and power. We can rest the mind naturally because we already possess these qualities. If one can rest the mind naturally, that's the best meditation. Non-meditation is the supreme meditation." -- Mingyur Rinpoche Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche In 1989 Rinpoche moved to the United States with his family, and in 1990 began a five-year tenure as a professor of Buddhist philosophy at the Naropa Institute. Rinpoche also founded Mangala Shri Bhuti, an organization established to furthering the wisdom and practice of the Longchen Nyingtik lineage More recently, Rinpoche moved to southern Colorado and established the mountain retreat center of Longchen Jigme Samten Ling. He currently spends much of his time there in retreat and guides students in long-term retreat practice. When not in retreat, Rinpoche travels widely throughout the world teaching and furthering his own education. "This environment itself brings a great deal of peace and blessings to those who meditate here. There are incredible dharma blessings in every particle of Gomde . . . Rangjung Yeshe Gomde plays a special role, because it is a place where sentient beings can connect with their own inner spiritual path and evolve to enlightenment. How truly wonderful!" -- Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche From a young age he has actively worked to preserve the Buddhist teaching, establishing centers of learning, supporting practitioners and publishing books and teaching all over the world. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche supervises his traditional seat of Dzongsar Monastery and its retreat centers in Eastern Tibet, as well as his new colleges in India and Bhutan and centers in Australia, North America and Europe. Under the film name Khyentse Norbu, Rinpoche directed the critically acclaimed feature film The Cup and the more recent Travellers & Magicians. Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche Phakchok Rinpoche Recognized by the Kagyü regents and ordained by the Dalai Lama, he has studied with a number of great lamas, including Khyentse Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Penor Rinpoche, Trulshik Rinpoche and Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche. An enthusiastic and vibrant young lama, his teachings are direct, accessible, and always fresh, opening up our minds in a playful and inspiring way. Phakchok Rinpoche is the abbot of a monastery in Chapagaon in the southern Kathmandu Valley, as well as head of Riwoche Monastery in Tibet's Dokham region. Khandro Rinpoche Khandro Rinpoche is a lineage holder and teacher in both the Kagyü and Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. She speaks fluent English, Tibetan, and Hindi, and has completed a Western education from St. Joseph's Convent, Wynberg Allen, and St. Mary's Convent, all in India. Rinpoche has been teaching in Europe, North American and Southeast Asia since 1987. She has also established and heads the Samten Tse Retreat Centre in India for nuns as well as Western practitioners. Rinpoche's efforts at Samten Tse are directed towards fulfilling her vision of providing a place of study and retreat for both nuns and lay practitioners, as well as establishing a spiritual community of both monastics and lay practitioners with students from both East and West. Rinpoche also heads various charitable projects bringing health care and education to remote areas in India, and is very actively involved with Mindroling Monastery in India. "Enlightenment is not about becoming something or someone else. It is the recognition of our intrinsic human nature, which is absolute truth. This absolute true nature is called "Buddha nature." The term Buddha, from the Sanskrit tatha, or tathagata, means "gone beyond," going beyond an ignorant state to become completely inseparable from absolute truth, which is our genuine ground. This is the essence of Buddhism and the main focus of our understanding and practice." -- Khandro Rinpoche |
|
|
Home | About Us | Programs | Lineage | Ratna Shop | Contact Us
Participant FAQ | Shedra Program | Links
