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Tsepak Rigzin received his B.A. and M.A. from Punjab University, B.Ed. from Annamalai University, India, and traditional Buddhist training from the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. He is the author and co-author of numerous books and articles on Tibetan Buddhism and he has extensive experience in written and oral translation.
From 1980 to 1993, Rigzin led the Research and Translation Bureau at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India, producing numerous articles and books, and attending international seminars, workshops and conferences. During the ten year period from 1993 to 2003, he held high ranking positions as Rector, Principal and Education Officer with Central Tibetan Schools. For two consecutive years, he served as translator and spokesperson for Mystical Arts of Tibet, touring with the monks throughout North America and Europe.
Rigzin began teaching Tibetan language courses at Emory in August 2009. In addition to his teaching responsibilities at the university, he served as Scholar in Residence and official translator for Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta, where he dedicated his time to outreach programs and also teaching the Tibetan language. ([http://mesas.emory.edu/home/people/faculty/rigzin.html Source Accessed Feb 14, 2020]) +
Tsering Gyalpo (Tibetan: ཚེ་རིང་རྒྱལ་པོ, Wylie: tshe ring rgyal po, Tsering Gyalpo), born April 12, 1961 in Langchu district, Gar county, Ngari prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region and died on Saturday June 27, 2015 in Berlin, was a Tibetologist. He was director of the religion department of the Tibet Autonomous Region Academy of Social Sciences from 2000 to 2015.
Tsering Gyalpo was born into a nomadic family in western Tibet, the fourth of nine children. His parents sent him to Lhasa for his education. From there he was sent to Beijing, where he studied at the Minority University and the Department of Ethnology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. From 1994, he held a leading position at the Tibet Autonomous Region Academy of Social Sciences (TASS) in Lhasa, where for the last 15 years he was director of the religions section. He strongly influenced the research work of this institute. ([https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsering_Gyalpo Adapted from Source Nov 5, 2025]) +
Born in Lhasa, he fled to India with his family after the Chinese invasion. He then won a scholarship to study in Britain, and was later to graduate from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) with a B.A. Honours in Social Anthropology and South Asian History. He received his M.Phil. in Tibetan Studies in 2000 and Ph.D. June 2004.
Today, Tsering is a world renowned and widely published scholar, on both historic and contemporary Tibet. His most expansive work to date The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947 (Pimlico, London 1999) was acclaimed as “the definitive history of modern Tibet” by The New York Times, and “a prodigious work of scholarship” by the UK’s Sunday Telegraph. The book is the first comprehensive account of Tibet’s recent history.
Tsering Shakya’s published works include Fire Under the Snow, The Testimony of a Tibetan Prisoner (Harvill Press, 1997), which has sold over 400,000 copies in more than 20 languages. He was also co-editor of the first anthology of modern Tibetan short stories and poems, Song of the Snow Lion, New Writings from Tibet (University of Hawaii, 2000). Seeing Lhasa: British Depictions of the Tibetan Capital 1936-1947, edited by Clare Harris and Tsering Shakya, (Serindia Publications, London, 2003) is a study of the relationship between senior British colonial officers and Tibetan elite as depicted in rare, previously unpublished photographs taken by members of the British Mission in Lhasa. Tsering’s feature articles have been published in numerous international journals and magazines, includingTime and New Left Review. He is currently engaged in a major research project on the shift in use of the Tibetan language, and how contemporary literature is used as a voice of resistance in present-day Tibet...([https://asia.ubc.ca/profile/tsering-shakya/ University of British Columbia. Source Accessed February 7, 2022.])
He convened the first International Conference on Modern Tibet Studies in 1990 at School of Oriental and African Studies. He taught at the Centre of Refugee Studies at the University of Oxford. From 1999 to 2002 he was a research fellow in Tibetan Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
Tsering Tuladhar (Venerable Tsen-la) is a nun in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Born in Lhasa, she grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal, and was ordained there in 1979 by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. She has acted as translator for many Buddhist lamas, led meditation courses around the world, and was instrumental in the founding of Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery in Kathmandu. (Source: [https://wisdomexperience.org/product/practicing-path/ Wisdom Publications]) +
Tsering Wangmo Dhompa is a Tibetan poet and writer. +
Jigme Rigpai Lodro was one of the great Tibetan polymaths of the twentieth century, writing extensively on Tibetan history, language, astronomy and Buddhism. By dint of his historical life and dedication to Tibetan scholarship, he acted as a conduit between “traditional” and “modern” Tibet. He is most famous for his role as one of the so-called Three Great Scholars after the Cultural Revolution. This epithet is drawn from tenth century Tibetan history when the first Three Great Scholars brought the Dharma to Eastern Tibet due to Langdarma’s persecution of Buddhism in central Tibet. Thus this title indicates how Alak Zhabdrung and the other two Great Scholars, Dungkar Lobzang Trinle and Muge Samten, contributed significantly to the revival of Tibetan scholarship, both at monasteries and secular institutions, following a near twenty-year vacuum due to various political campaigns. Many of today’s great Tibetologists both in the PRC and abroad studied with one of these Three Great Scholars. (Treasury of Lives, Source Accessed January 27, 2022)
The 6th Tseten Zhabdrung was a student of Giteng Lobzang Pelden (sgis steng blo bzang dpal ldan, 1880/1-1944), also known as Yongdzin Paṇḍita (yongs 'dzin paNDi ta) and Jigme Damcho Gyatso ('jigs med dam chos rgya mtsho), a.k.a. Marnang Dorjechang (mar nang rdo rje 'chang, 1898-1946).
Key Works:
*[[སྙན་ངག་སྤྱི་དོན་]] - [[snyan ngag spyi don]] ([[Snyan ngag me long gi spyi don sdeb legs rig paʼi ʼchar sgo]]).
**First Edition: Zi-ling : [[Mtsho-sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang]], 2001.
**Second Edition: Lan-chou : [[Kan-suʼu mi dmangs dpe skrun khang]] : Kan-suʼu Zhing-chen Zhin-hwa dpe khang gis bkram, 2005. - Famous exegesis on the general meaning of the Kāvyadarśa of Daṇḍin, 7th cent. - General Summary of Poetics being translated by [[Nicole Willock]] and [[Gendun Rabsal]].
*[[Mkhas dbang tshe tan zhabs drung 'jigs med rigs pa'i blo gros kyi gsung rtsom]]. Xining: [[Mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang]].
*[[Tshe tan zhabs drung rje btsun 'jigs med rigs pa'i blo gros mchog gi gsung 'bum]]. Beijing: [[Mi rigs dpe skrun khang]], 2007.
[https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Jigme-Rigpai-Lodro/2948 Read the detailed biography at Treasury of Lives...]
Tsoknyi Rinpoche (Wylie: Tshogs gnyis rin po che), or Ngawang Tsoknyi Gyatso (born 13 March 1966), is a Nepalese Tibetan Buddhist teacher and author and the founder of the Pundarika Foundation. He is the third Tsoknyi Rinpoche, having been recognized by the 16th Karmapa as the reincarnation of Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche. He is a tulku of the Drukpa Kagyü and Nyingma traditions and the holder of the Ratna Lingpa and Tsoknyi lineages.
He began his education at Khampagar Monastery at Tashi Jong in Himachal Pradesh, India, at the age of thirteen. His main teachers are Khamtrul Rinpoche Dongyu Nyima, his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and Adeu Rinpoche.
Rinpoche has overseen the Tergar Osel Ling Monastery, founded in Kathmandu, Nepal, by his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. His brothers are Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, and Mingyur Rinpoche, and his nephews are Phakchok Rinpoche and the reincarnation of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, known popularly as Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche. He has overseen the monastery's operations and introduced studies for non-Tibetans. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsoknyi_Rinpoche Source Accessed November 18, 2019]) +
Tsugunari Kubo is associated with the Reiyūkai movement, a Japanese Buddhist new religious movement. He is the son of Kakutarō Kubo, the founder of Reiyūkai, and succeeded Kimi Kotani as the president of Reiyūkai in 1971 after her death.
Kubo is best known for his translation work, particularly his collaboration with Akira Yuyama on the English translation of the ''Lotus Sutra''. This translation, published by the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research in 2007, is highly regarded for its scholarly accuracy and use of common English Buddhist terms. The translation is part of the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series project, which aims to translate the entire Chinese and Japanese Buddhist canon into English.
As the president of Reiyūkai, Kubo played a significant role in the international expansion of the organization. Under his leadership, Reiyūkai established centers in various countries around the world, including the United States, Brazil, Canada, and several others. He also oversaw the organization's Inner Self Development campaign and participated in various international events promoting Buddhism and interfaith dialogue. +
Lama Tsultrim Allione is founder and resident lama of Tara Mandala. She is author of ''Women of Wisdom'', ''Feeding Your Demons'', and ''Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine''. Born in New England to an academic/publishing family, she traveled to India in her late teens and was ordained as a Buddhist nun at the age of 22 by H.H. the 16th Karmapa. She was the first American to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun in the Karma Kagyu lineage. After living in the Himalayan region for several years she returned her vows and became the mother of three, while continuing to study and practice Buddhism, particularly focusing on the lineage of Machig Labdron and Dzogchen teachings. In 1993, Lama Tsultrim founded Tara Mandala, a 700-acre center in southwest Colorado where an extraordinary three-story temple in the form of a mandala, dedicated to the sacred feminine in Buddhism has been constructed and consecrated. In 2007 while traveling in Tibet she was recognized as an emanation of Machig Labdron at the historic seat of Machig Zangri Khangmar by the resident lama. This recognition was confirmed by several other lamas, and in 2012 she was given the Machig Labdron empowerment by HH the 17th Karmapa. ([https://taramandala.secure.retreat.guru/teacher/tsultrim-allione/ Source Accessed July 15, 2020]) +
Also known as kiH lung mkhan, he had a student named Mkhan po ngag dga' and also wrote an explanation of Parinamana. +
Birth and Recognition:
Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok was born in Pemakö, in northeastern India, as the son of Lama Rigdzin Phuntsok. He was recognized at a young age by Dudjom Rinpoche as the reincarnation of Togden Kunzang Longrol, his father’s root guru. Togden Kunzang Longrol was a great Dzogchen yogi from the Powo region who had been a main disciple of Dudjom Rinpoche, and who had been influential in spreading the dharma and the Dudjom Tersar lineage both in Tibet and in upper and lower Pemakö.
Training:
Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok spent his early years in retreat in Pemakö, at his own monastery, under the blessings of his first root teacher, the great master Tulku Dawa Rinpoche. Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok underwent vigorous training in multiple fields of study, including various ritual sadhana performances from different terma lineages, with an emphasis on the Dudjom Tersar lineage, all under the care of his previous incarnation’s disciples, including his father Lama Rigzin Phuntsok.
At the age of 15, Tulku Orgyen commenced advanced studies in southern India at Namdroling Monastery, the largest Nyingma monastery in India, established by Penor Rinpoche. There, Tulku Orgyen completed a nine-year-long program of study, obtaining the degree of Khenpo. While appointed to a teaching position for the duration of his final three years at the monastery, he taught various Buddhist philosophies to monks. Over the course of his nine years of study, he also received empowerments and transmissions from many masters of the Nyingma lineage such as Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche, Lama Rigdzin Phuntsok, Penor Rinpoche, and Tulku Dawa Rinpoche.
Upon completion of his studies at Namdroling monastery, Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok returned to his retreat land in Pemakö, where he engaged in solitary retreat and completed the requisite practices to become a qualified Vajra master in this lineage.
Activity:
Since late 1999, Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok has assisted his uncle and teacher, Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche, by giving teachings, leading practices and retreats, and undertaking various other Dharma activities at Vairotsana Foundation Centers in California and New Mexico and in various cities in North America and Asia. In order to gain a western education and perspective, Tulku Orgyen studied and guest lectured at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Currently, Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok splits his time between North America and Asia, spending winters in Pemakö where he oversees reconstruction of the temple.
Tulku Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche (o rgyan stobs rgyal rin po che, b. 1951) is the elder son of the 3rd Neten Chokling Rinpoche. He is considered to be an incarnation of Taksham Nuden Dorje. After the death of his father, he took care of Pema Ewam Chogar Gyurme Ling Monastery in Bir, India, for many years before handing it over to the 4th Neten Chokling Rinpoche. He is a disciple of Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Renowned for his vast memory of the lives of past teachers, he recounted The Life of Chokgyur Lingpa to Erik Pema Kunsang. (Source: Enlightened Vagabond) +
Tulku Tenzin Rigsang was born in Golog, eastern Tibet, near the Mardo Tashi Choling monastery. He became a monk at a young age and was recognized by the dzogchen yogi Yeshe Wangpo as the reincarnation of his own brother Sherab Gyaltsen.
Tulku Rigsang studied with many spiritual teachers including Khenpo Jigme P’huntsog. In India he studied within the Nyingma tradition, at Namdroling monastery and within the Gelug tradition, at Drepung monastery. After having completed the entire curriculum, he moved to Dharamsala, where he received many teachings from HH the Dalai Lama, while also studying English and other subjects.
In 2013, he was invited to the United States by Khentrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche to be a full-time resident teacher at Katog Rithrod Mountain Retreat Center. Tulku Rigsang was selected by Rinpoche to help teach the dharma in the United States, both formally and by example, as “he is greatly learned, a pure monk, has few desires, is rich with contentment, and is truly humble.”
In 2014, he visited Katog Choling sanghas throughout the US, beginning in March, with a two week residency with the Katog Vajra Ling sangha in Connecticut.
In December 2015, Tulku Tenzin Rigsang returned to the east to continue his studies. ([https://katogcholing.com/tulkurigsang Source Accessed June 16, 2021]) +
Tulku Thondup Rinpoche was born in Golok in 1936 and trained from childhood at Dodrupchen Monastery, after having been recognized as the reincarnation of Khenpo Konchog Dronme (1859-1936). He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he writes and translates under the auspices of the Buddhayana Foundation. A few of his books in English are ''Masters of Meditation and Miracles''; ''Enlightened Living''; ''The Healing Power of Mind''; ''Peaceful Death'', ''Joyful Rebirth''; and ''The Heart of Unconditional Love''. (Source: Enlightened Vagabond) +
TULKU TSULO aka TSULTRIM ZANGPO (1884-c.1957)*
Tulku Tsulo (སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་ཚུལ་ལོ, sprul sku tshul lo), also known as Tsultrim Zangpo (Tib. ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་བཟང་པོ་, tshul khrims bzang po)**, one of the greatest Tibetan scholars of the last century, was an important student of Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa, as well as the author of his secret biography and a lineage-holder of his terma teachings. He was also a student of the Third Dodrupchen Jikmé Tenpé Nyima and of Amye Khenpo Damchö Özer of Dodrupchen Monastery. Khenpo Damchö said of him on one occasion, “I am just a dog, but I have a lion for a student.” Although it was notoriously difficult to meet Dodrup Jikmé Tenpé Nyima in his later years, Tsulo was able to do so because of his work as a scribe. He copied many texts for Dodrupchen Rinpoche’s personal library and used the work as an opportunity to get access to Rinpoche and to receive clarifications.
Tsultrim Zangpo’s father was Gonpo Wangyal, lineagholder of the khordong tradition of Nuden Dorje) and his mother was Shyiwam Tso, daughter of Khordong Terchen Nuden Dorje. His main residence was at Shukjung (shugs ‘byung) monastery in the Do Valley, which is located about 15 to 20 miles from Dodrupchen Monastery and which belongs to the Northern Treasures (Byang gTer) tradition. He also spent time at Khordong monastery, which was under the care of his younger brother, Gyurme Dorje.
Tulku Tsulo was a monk who upheld the Vinaya, as well as an accomplished tantric adept, and among his writings is a two-volume commentary on Ngari Panchen’s Ascertainment of the Three Types of Vows (sDom gSum rNam Nges), as well as several texts on Dzogchen, including an instruction manual (Khrid Yig) for the Gongpa Zangthal, which has been translated into English by Tulku Thondup#, and a commentary on the famous Prayer of Kuntuzangpo. His other writings include a commentary to Padmasambhava’s Garland of Views+ and many works related to the tantras of the New Translation tradition.
His unpublished commentary on Jikmé Lingpa’s Treasury of Precious Qualities, based on teachings by Dodrupchen Jikmé Tenpé Nyima, was recently discovered in Tibet.
Those who saw him say that he looked statuesque, seated in meditation posture, hardly ever moving, and with an impressive white beard.
He was the root teacher of Khordong Tertrul Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche, popularly known as C.R. Lama (1922-2002), as well as Tulku Gyenlo and Zhichen Öntrul, who passed away recently in Tibet.
He had two main reincarnations, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche of Nango Gonpa Trango and Tulku Longtok or Lungtok.
Zhichen Ontrul Rinpoche recounted to Gyalwang Drukchen Rinpoche[2]:
The day before Tulku Tsultrim Zangpo passed away, there had been a domestic dispute between his niece and his young monks. When he was told of the problem, he felt, “I have been teaching for more than 30 over years and yet my teachings have not helped those people, even my own people are not able to live harmoniously, so there is no point to live on.”
Therefore, Tulku Tsultrim Zangpo ‘caught’ a flu the same evening of the dispute, and he passed away peacefully in meditation posture the following day. After that, he stayed in Tukdam for six weeks, and the wondrous smell of his body permeated equally in about 1 km radius. As soon as he left his meditative state, all the followers requested Zhichen Ontrul Rinpoche to take the responsibility of cremation. On the night of cremation, Zhichen Ontrul Rinpoche dreamt of Tulku Tsultrim Zangpo riding confidently on a white horse in the direction of a high and gigantic spiraling mountain, telling him, “I am leaving for Zangdokpalri to be reunited with Guru Rinpoche. And you will follow my footsteps, but not now.”
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Footnotes:</br>
* The birth year of 1884 is given in Tulku Thondup’s Masters of Meditation and Miracles. According to the Khordong website he died at the age of seventy-three. We know that he wrote the secret biography of Tertön Sogyal in 1942.</br>
** There are several ways to transcribe his names: Tshulthrim Zangpo, Tulku Tsurlo, Tulku Tsollo, Tulku Tsorlo, Tulku Tsullo and others. The Tibetan writing in Wylie is Tshul Khrims bZang Po aka Sprul sKu Tshul Lo.</br>
# This translation of the commentary to the Gongpa Zangthal is partly now available here The Five Nails – A Commentary on the Northern Treasures accumulation praxis.</br>
+ The Garland of Views by Padmasambhava was translated by James Low and is available in his book Simply Being: Texts in the Dzogchen Tradition (Antony Rowe Publishing Services, 2010). Also available in French and German.
(Source: [https://www.wandel-verlag.de/en/tulku-tsulo-tsultrim-zangpo-1884-c-1957/ Wandel Verlag Berlin. Accessed July 1, 2021])
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (Tib. སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་ཨོ་རྒྱན་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་, Wyl. ''sprul sku o rgyan rin po che'') (1920–1996) was one of the greatest teachers of Dzogchen and Mahamudra in recent times, whose lineage is now continued by his sons, including Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche.
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche was born in Nangchen, in the province of Kham, eastern Tibet, in 1920. He began meditation practice at the early age of four, when he attended the teachings his father, Chime Dorje, would give to his many students. Already at four he had what is called a recognition of the nature of mind. Later he studied with his uncle Samten Gyatso, his root master, as well as with many other lamas of both Kagyü and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Among the lineage masters from whom he drew his inspiration were Milarepa and Longchen Rabjam—on merely hearing their names, tears would come to his eyes.
In his youth he practised intensively, and stayed in retreat for a total of twenty years. He had four sons, each of whom is now an important Buddhist master in his own right: Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche.
When he left Tibet he went to Sikkim and then settled in Nepal at Nagi Gompa Hermitage, in the mountains above the Kathmandu valley. He was the first lama to spread the Tibetan Buddhist teachings to Malaysia. In 1980 Tulku Urgyen went on a world tour encompassing Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Holland, Great Britain, the USA, Hong Kong and Singapore. In his later years, however, he did not travel much and his many students, both Eastern and Western, would go to Nepal to visit him.
Tulku Urgyen accomplished a great deal in his life. He constructed and restored many temples, and established six monasteries and retreat centres in the Kathmandu region. He had over three hundred monks and nuns under his guidance. In particular he built a monastery and three-year retreat centre at the site of the sacred cave of Asura, the site of Padmasambhava’s famous retreat. He also re-established some traditional annual prayer gatherings in exile.
In his childhood he had been recognized by the Fifteenth Karmapa Khakhyap Dorje, as the reincarnation of the master Chöwang Tulku, and he was also an emanation of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe, one of the twenty-five main disciples of Padmasambhava. He was the lineage holder of many teaching transmissions, especially that of the terma teachings of his great grandfather Chokgyur Lingpa. He transmitted the Dzogchen Desum teachings to such masters as Sixteenth Karmapa, Dudjom Rinpoche, and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as well as thousands of other disciples. Tulku Urgyen was especially close to the Karmapa—one of his root teachers—and to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, with both of whom there was a powerful bond of mutual respect.
Tulku Urgyen is the author of several books in English, including ''Repeating the Words of the Buddha'' and ''Rainbow Painting''. He also supervised many English translations of Tibetan texts and teachings carried out by his Western students, and gave the name Rangjung Yeshe to the publishing imprint established to make these and other Dharma works available in the West.
He was famed for his profound meditative realization and for the concise, lucid and humorous style with which he imparted the essence of the teachings. Using few words, he would point out the nature of mind, revealing a natural simplicity and wakefulness that enables the student to actually touch the heart of the Buddha’s wisdom mind. In this method of instruction, he was unmatched.
Tulku Urgyen passed away peacefully on 13th February 1996 (the 24th day of the 12th month of the Wood Pig year), at Nagi Gompa. At that time the sky overhead was clear and completely cloudless for two days, which is traditionally seen as a sign that a highly realized master is passing on.
The ''yangsi'' of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, named Urgyen Jigme Rabsel Dawa, was born in 2001. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Tulku_Urgyen_Rinpoche Rigpa Wiki])
Tulku Urgyen Chemchog (1915?-2003?) was one of the closest disciples of Khenpo Ngawang Palzang and a disciple of Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje. He was able to teach quite a few disciples in secret while spending twenty years in Chinese labor camps in Tibet. After being freed, he lived and taught in Konjo province. After his passing away, his body shrank to the size of an arm's length, a phenomenon considered to be similar, though not identical, to the achievement of
the rainbow body. (Source: Enlightened Vagabond). See also his biography on [http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Gojo_Orgyen_Chemchok Rigpa Wiki]. +
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche passed away on the 13th of February at his hermitage Nagi Gompa on the southern slope of the Shivapuri mountain. He was born in eastern Tibet on the tenth day of the fourth Tibetan month in 1920. He was recognized by H.H. Khakyab Dorje, the 15th Gyalwang Karmapa, as the reincarnation of the Chowang Tulku, as well as the emanation of Nubchen Sangye Yeshe, one of the chief disciples of Padmasambhava. Guru Chowang the First (1212-70 AD) was one of the five Terton Kings, the major revealers of secret texts hidden by Guru Padmasambhava.
Tulku Urgyen’s main monastery was Lachab Gompa in Nangchen, Eastern Tibet. He studied and practiced the teachings of both the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Among the four greater Kagyu Schools, his family line was the main holder of the Barom Kagyu Lineage.
In the Nyingma tradition, Tulku Urgyen held the complete teachings of the last century’s three great masters: Terchen Chokgyur Lingpa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Kongtrul Lodro Thaye. He had an especially close transmission for the New Treasures, a compilation of all the empowerments, reading transmissions and instructions of Padmasambhava’s teachings, which were rediscovered by Terchen Chokgyur Lingpa, his great-grandfather. Rinpoche passed on this tradition to the major regents of the Karma Kagyu lineage as well as to many other lamas and tulkus.
The close relationship between the lineage of the Karmapas and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche came about since the 14th Gyalwang Karmapa was one of the main recipients of Chokgyur Lingpa’s termas, receiving the empowerments from the terton himself. Tulku Samten Gyatso, the grandson of Chokgyur Lingpa and the root guru of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, offered the same transmission to the 15th Gyalwang Karmapa Khakyab Dorje. The Gyalwang 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpey Dorje, was offered the major transmissions of the Chokling Tersar by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. In addition, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche also felt fortunate to pass on the transmission for the important Dzogchen Desum, the Three Sections of the Great Perfection, to both His Holiness Karmapa and Dudjom Rinpoche, as well as numerous Tulkus and lamas of the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages.
Tulku Urgyen established six monasteries and retreat centers in the Kathmandu region. The most important of these are at Boudhanath, the site of the Great Stupa, and another at the Asura Cave, where Padmasambhava manifested the Mahamudra Vidyadhara level. He lived at Nagi Gompa Hermitage above the Kathmandu Valley. Under his guidance were more than 300 monks and nuns. He stayed in retreat for more than 20 years, including four three-year retreats.
In 1980 Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, accompanied by his oldest son Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, went on a world tour through Europe, the United States and South East Asia, giving teachings on Dzogchen and Mahamudra to many people. Every year since then a seminar on Buddhist study and practice has been held at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in essential meditation practice, combining the view and meditation of Dzogchen, Mahamudra and the Middle Way. Less concerned with the systematic categories of topics of knowledge or with the logical steps of philosophy, Tulku Urgyen directly addressed the listener’s present state of mind. His published works in English include ''Repeating the Words of the Buddha'', ''As It Is 1'' & ''As It Is 2'', ''Rainbow Painting'' and ''Vajra Speech''.
The over-all background of the teachings of Dzogchen and Mahamudra, which are tremendously vast and profound, can be condensed into simple statements of immediate relevance to our present state of mind. Tulku Urgyen was famed for his profound meditative realization and for the concise, lucid and humorous style with which he imparts the essence of the 84,000 sections of the Buddhist teachings. His method of teaching is ‘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.
—written by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and Erik Pema Kunsang, New York, 1981. ([http://www.rangjung.com/book_author/tulku-urgyen-rinpoche/ Source Accessed Feb 6, 2019])
Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche is a Dzogchen master and the reincarnation of Dzogchen Gyaltsab Thodo Rinpoche. He was recognized by Kyabje Trulshig Rinpoche. He has received teachings from over forty masters representing all five schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Gelug and Shiji (or Chod). Tulku Yeshi has authored fifteen books on subjects of Tibetan Buddhism and culture. He also writes novels, poetry for mind training and how to enjoy life.
Currently he lives at Sakya Monastery and works on Dharma activities both here in Seattle and across the US. He has dedicated himself in service of H.H. Dagchen Rinpoche, Sakya Monastery and Phuntsok Phodrang. (Source: [https://84000.co/about-translators-html/ 84000]) +
Born 1937, Dr. T. R. Sharma retired as a Reader in Sanskrit from SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, after teaching for 41 years. He was actively associated with PG teaching as well as research activities of the Department of Sanskrit and Buddhist Studies. More than a dozen scholars have obtained [their] Ph.D. under his supervision. He has visited a number of countries to present research papers in international conferences. He was a visiting professor in National Taiwan University, Taipei, in 1993-94, teaching Indian culture and civilization, Upanishads and Buddhist philosophy. He has ten books concerning Buddhism and Indology in general to his credit, two of which have been awarded by the Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan and Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan. He has also been honoured by the Sanskrit Academy, Delhi, for his contribution to Sanskrit studies. ([https://www.amazon.in/Some-Facets-Buddhism-T-Sharma/dp/8178541157 Source Accessed Apr 6, 2021]) +
