Gelek, Drakpa
| English Phonetics | Geshe Drakpa Gelek |
|---|---|
| Sort Name | Gelek, Drakpa |
| Birth: | 1955 |
|---|---|
| Death: | 2018 |
Tibetan calendar dates
Biographical Information
Geshe Drakpa Gelek (1955–2018) was born Lhakpa Tsering to parents in the Keydong, Zongka region in Central Tibet. He sought political asylum in India in the wake of Communist China's invasion and subsequent occupation of Tibet, which until then, preserved one of humankind's most ancient civilizations and traditions. He began his monastic education in one of Tibet's largest center of learning, Drepung Losel-Ling Monastic University, which is now re-established in India. (Founded in 1416 in Tibet, Drepung was the home of the early Dalai Lamas.)
He was formally ordained as a novice monk by His Eminence Drepung Khenchen Pema Gyaltsen and was given the religious name Drakpa Gelek. In 1991, Geshe Drakpa Gelek successfully completed the intensive spiritual studies and training in the five sciences, and graduated with a Master of Metaphysics degree, called Geshe, from Drepung Loseling Monastic University. Following completion of the Geshe degree, he enrolled himself at the re-established Lower Tantric University in Hunsur, India, in 1992. For his skilled communication and originality, he was unanimously appointed as Disciplinarian of the Tantric University. Geshe Drakpa taught Buddhist philosophy and practice at Drepung University from 1991 to 1997, and is well-known for his spiritual insights, knowledge, and debating skills.
He received profound and vast Buddhist teachings from distinguished and accomplished spiritual teachers including His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lama's tutors His Eminence Kyabje Ling Rinpoche and His Eminence Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, as well as other realized Buddhist saint-scholars. He received spiritual education in the five major Buddhist philosophy and tenets (such as the Buddhist Science of Debate, the perfection of wisdom, the theory of the Middle Way View, ethical discipline, and the Buddhist science of Cosmology by several of Tibet's renowned saint-scholars and accomplished spiritual masters such as His Eminence Drepung Khenchen Pema Gyaltsen, and His Eminence Shakor Khen Nyima Gyaltsen.
Geshe Drakpa received rare oral transmissions of the entire texts of the Buddha's actual teaching, the Kangyur in 1999 and 2000, and the complete works of the founder of the Gelukpa sect, Je Tsongkhapa Rinpoche, and his two heart-disciples saint-scholar Gyaltsab Je and Khedrup Je. He also received explanatory transmission of "The Great Commentary of the Kalachakra Tantra" from His Eminence Kyabje Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, and the complete oral transmission of the 225 voluminous Buddhist spiritual commentaries, the Tengyur, written by the great masters from India and Tibet, from the accomplished hermit His Eminence Paknang Rinpoche.
Geshe-la spend many years living in solitude in spiritual retreat in the high mountains in Dharamsala where the headquarters of the Tibetan Government in-exile is based. He received empowerments and experiential teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and occasionally from other spiritual teachers. He has taught general Tantra and Kalachakra Tantra grounds and paths to the monks of Namgyal Monastery, the personal monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, during their regular annual summer retreat. In recent years he traveled to the United States, South Korea, Spain, Belgium, and France to give teachings.
Geshe-la passed away in India in December, 2018. (Source Accessed Dec 1, 2023)
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