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Andy was born in England in 1950. Now retired from paid employment, he spent most of his career as a teacher in further education in England. He gained a masters degree in education in 2000 and went on to work for the UK higher and further education funding councils providing support services for the educational use of the Internet. In 1980 he began to practise Buddhism, taking refuge, lay vows and bodhisattva vows with Geshe Jampa Tekchog.
During the eighties, Andy was spiritual programme coordinator at Manjushri London Centre (now Jamyang), taking teachings from Geshe Wangchen, Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and others. He began to teach Buddhism and lead short retreats at the centre in 1982. He took a series of empowerments and undertook some short solitary retreats during that period. After moving to Somerset, England in 1989, Andy continued teaching on ''Bodhicaryavatara'', Gom Rim, Lo Rig, Śamatha, Introduction to Tantra and Discovering Buddhism modules at Jamyang Leeds.
Having first taken the Kalacakra Empowerment in Madison, Wisconsin, USA in 1981, Andy developed an ongoing enthusiasm for study and practice of Kalacakra, with a strong wish to support Kalacakra practitioners with materials, teachings, retreats etc. In 1998 he and David Reigle set up the International Kalacakra Network for that purpose, and the network has become a major source of information, and support for practice by means of the internet.
Since retiring in July 2007, Andy has undertaken a year of retreats in two FPMT retreat centres. Having now emerged from those retreats he plans to dedicate the rest of his life to studying, practising and teaching the Dharma. He is available to teach a wide range of texts and topics from sutra and tantra, as well as to lead retreats. ([https://fpmt.org/wp-content/uploads/teachers/touring/pdf/Andy_Wistreich_bio.pdf Apadted from Source Mar 26, 2025]) +
Angraj Chaudhary was appointed Professor of Pāli at the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University in the Indian State of Bihar in 1980. Besides teaching English and Pāli, the professor carried out research and editing work, and guided MA, PhD, and D. Litt students in their research. Soon after retirement from Bihar Education Service in 1992 the professor joined Vipassana Research Institute at Dhamma Giri, established by our late Vipassana Teacher S.N. Goenka.
Based at Dhamma Giri, the professor has worked on editing Pāli books and translating some of the Pāli atthakathas, or commentaries, (written 1500 year ago but not translated into any other language) into Hindi for the first time. The Professor has also transliterated some of the Pāli atthakathas into Devanagari script and he was one of the editors who edited the Pāli Tipiṭaka with its atthakathas, tikas (sub-commentaries), and anutikas in Devanagari script in 140 volumes for the first time-a Himalayan task never undertaken anywhere in the whole world.
From the various books he published, mostly on different aspects of Buddhist philosophy and Pāli literature, the Pariyatti Edition ''Aspects of Buddha-Dhamma'' is his latest. ([https://store.pariyatti.org/chaudhary-angraj?_gl=1*1d2aaft*_gcl_au*MTM4NDI0NDg2MC4xNzAwMDkzNDE3 Source Accessed Nov 15, 2023]) +
Khenmo Trinlay Chödron is a senior student of Khenchen Rinpoche. She teaches at the Tibetan Meditation Center in Fredrick, Maryland, as well as at affiliated centers in the United States and Sweden. ([https://www.shambhala.com/authors/a-f/khenmo-trinlay-chodron.html Source Accessed Sept 4 2020]) +
Ani Lodrō Palmo was one of the most senior and earliest Tibetan Buddhist nuns from the West. She was born and grew up in Vermont, USA, and went to India in the early 1960’s with a strong calling to serve humanity in the Peace Corps. While there she met one of the greatest lamas of the Kagyu tradition, Kyabje Khamtrul Rinpoche, and took her monastic vows with him. Since then she lived mainly in the East studying and practicing all the major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, particularly under the guidance of Kyabje Khamtrul Rinpoche and Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. She received many empowerments and teachings from other lamas such as the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, Kyabje Dodrupchen Rinpoche, Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche, Kyabje Khunu Rinpoche, Kyabgon Sakya Gongma Rinpoche, along with many of the younger generation of Tibetan teachers. Ani la studied and practiced the Vajrayana dharma for almost sixty years and much of this time she spent in retreat. She possessed immense humility as a practitioner and was incredibility devoted, clear, and dedicated to the path of enlightenment. She also was a fierce advocate for social justice, the environment, and political democracy and equality for all. She held these values dear to her heart and expressed them candidly to us all. ([https://www.facebook.com/dzigarkongtrul/posts/dear-noble-sangha-around-the-worldas-many-of-you-know-ani-lodro-palmo-one-of-the/10156946147553143/ Adapted from Source July 25, 2023]) +
A long–term student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Ann joined the Nalanda Translation Committee in 1986. She studied Tibetan at Naropa University, mainly with Dzigar Kongtrul, and she taught Tibetan and Foundations of Buddhism at Naropa from 1991-2004. After 30 years in Boulder, Ann lived as a retreatant for eight years at Padma Samye Ling, the monastery in upstate New York of Khenchen Palden Sherab and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal. From 1997 to 2014, she translated primarily with Ringu Tulku and for Dharma Samudra, the Khenpo Brothers’ publication group. In 2014 Ann moved to Portland, Oregon, where she continues her Buddhist practice and study under the guidance of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. ([http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Ann_Helm Source Accessed Sept 9, 2020]) +
Anna (a.k.a. Anya) holds a MA degree in Buddhist Studies from the Kathmandu University Centre for Buddhist Studies at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute. Her MA thesis was entitled: “Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and the Nonsectarian Movement: A Critical Look at Representations of 19th Century Tibetan Buddhism”.
Anna joined the BA program at RYI in 2007, and the Translator Training Program (TTP) in 2008 and has been teaching in RYI since 2009 as a language instructor in the TTP. She has been the a manager of the TTP since 2010. Anna also interprets for a variety of different teachers from Tibetan into English and Russian. ([https://www.ryi.org/faculty/anna-zilman Source Accessed Sept 30, 2020]) +
Annabella Pitkin is associate professor of Buddhism/East Asian religions and director of the Asian Studies Program at Lehigh University. Pitkin’s wide-ranging research spans classical and contemporary Tibetan Buddhism, East Asian religion and pop culture, and Buddhist social and ecological movements. Her research focuses on Tibetan Buddhist modernity, Buddhist ideals of renunciation, miracle narratives, and Buddhist biographies. She is on the editorial committee of the online database Treasury of Lives: A Biographical Encyclopedia of Tibet, Inner Asia, and the Himalaya. Pitkin is a member of the review committee for the Rubin Institute. ([https://rubinmuseum.org/people/annabella-pitkin/ Source Accessed Dec 21, 2024]) +
[Anne Ansermet] grew up in Geneva, alongside a father [Ernest Ansermet] totally absorbed by music, where she met Ravel, de Falla, Stravinsky, [and] Ramuz. Having become a nurse, she converted to Catholicism, then married and lived in Paris, where she discovered the misery of the suburbs. After a divorce and two remarriages, she lived in Zurich and in the South of France. A few years later, she returned to Rolle with her son and established very close relationships with her father, accompanying him on his concert tours, developing a very rich intellectual exchange with him. Then she left for India, became a Buddhist, and returned to Switzerland to settle at the Buddhist Center of Mont-Pèlerin, before settling in Rolle. ([https://www.plansfixes.ch/films/anne-ansermet/ Adapted from Source Feb 16, 2021])
Anne was instrumental in helping to establish Rabten Choeling (formerly Tharpa Choeling) , one of the first Tibetan Buddhist monasteries to be established in the West after the exodus of Tibetans into India. At the age of 70, Anne was drawn to Buddhism and even traveled to India to be ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It was the hard work of Anne and her group that allowed the ordained and lay people in Tharpa Choeling to live a life of study and contemplation without having to worry about their material needs. ([https://www.dorjeshugden.com/places/rabten-choeling-switzerland/ Adapted from Source Feb 16, 2021]) +
Anne Burchardi took refuge with Ven. Kalu Rinpoche in 1976.
In 1978 she became a student of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and started her education as a Tibetan translator with him.
1978–1980 she was the secretary of Center for Tibetan Buddhism, Karma Drub Djy Ling, Copenhagen, Denmark.
1978-1979 she was secretary at The Ethnographical Department of The National Museum, Copenhagen.
In 1980 she became a member of The Translating Board of Kagyu Tekchen Shedra, International Educational Institute of Higher Learning, Bruxelles, Belgium.
She lived in Kathmandu from 1984–1992 and in 1986 she became Teacher at Marpa Institute for Translation, Kathmandu, Nepal. 1988–1991 she was secretary and course coordinator at Marpa Institute for Translation. From 1986 to 2015 she was interpreter for various Tibetan Lamas of the Kagyu, Nyingma, and Gelukpa lineages teaching Buddhism mainly in Europe and Asia, and occasionally in the USA and Canada.
1997–2002 she was Teaching Assistant in Tibetan Language Studies, at The Asian Insitute, University of Copenhagen.
1999–2015 she was Associate Professor in Tibetology, Department of Asian Studies, Institute of Cross Cultural & Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen.
1999-2007 she was Research Librarian and Curator, Tibetan Section, Department of Orientalia & Judaica, The Royal Library of Denmark, Copenhagen.
2000 She was Consultant for Tibet, International Development Partners, DANIDA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Lhasa and Denmark.
2001-2015 she was Lecturer on Buddhism and Tibetan Culture at The Public University, Copenhagen & Aarhus.
2002–2010 she was Researcher and Consultant at The Twinning Library Project, between The National Library of Bhutan, Thimphu and The Royal Library of Denmark, Copenhagen.
2004–2005 she was Visiting Professor at Deparmnet of Religion, Naropa University, Boulder, CO.
2005–2015 she was Lecturer on Buddhism at Pende Ling, Center for Tibetan Buddhism, Copenhagen.
2007–2015 she was Lecturer on Buddhist Studies, The Buddhist University, Pende Ling, Copenhagen.
2010 She was for Consultant for Liason Office of Denmark, Thimphu, Bhutan, DANIDA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Copenhagen.
2011-2013 She was a Culture Guide in Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet for Cramon Travels and for Kipling Travels.
2012–2020 She was a translator for the 84000 project.
(Source: Anne Burchardi Email, Jan 18, 2021.)
Dr. MacDonald is a researcher at the Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, Austria. Her primary focus is the development of Madhyamaka thought in India and Tibet. Her research on Chandrakirti's ''Prasannapada'' and ''Madhyamakavatarabhaṣya'' is based on newly available manuscripts of these works. ([https://khyentsefoundation.org/anne-macdonald-winner-2016-kf-prize-outstanding-translation/ Source Accessed Apr 7, 2021]) +
Anne Warren is affiliated with the Cleveland chapter of Jewel Heart Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center. She serves on the Executive Committee as Dharma Coordinator. In addition, she is an editor of several works by Gelek Rimpoche. +
Anne-Marie Blondeau is directeur détudes emeritus at the École pratique des Hautes Etudes (Sciences religieuses), Paris. +
Anthony Abraham Jack (Ph.D., Harvard University, 2016) is a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and an assistant professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He holds the Shutzer Assistant Professorship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
His research documents the overlooked diversity among lower-income undergraduates: the ''Doubly Disadvantaged'' — those who enter college from local, typically distressed public high schools — and ''Privileged Poor'' — those who do so from boarding, day, and preparatory high schools. His scholarship appears in the ''Common Reader'', ''Du Bois Review'', ''Sociological Forum'', and ''Sociology of Education'' and has earned awards from the American Educational Studies Association, American Sociological Association, Association for the Study of Higher Education, Eastern Sociological Society, and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Jack held fellowships from the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation and was a National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellow. The National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan named him an Emerging Diversity Scholar. In May 2020, Muhlenberg College will award him an honorary doctorate for his work in transforming higher education.
The ''New York Times'', ''Boston Globe'', ''The Atlantic'', ''The New Yorker'', ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', ''The Huffington Post'', ''The Nation'', ''American Conservative Magazine'', ''The National Review'', ''Commentary Magazine'', ''The Washington Post'', ''Financial Times'', ''Times Higher Education'', ''Vice'', ''Vox'', and ''NPR'' have featured his research and writing as well as biographical profiles of his experiences as a first-generation college student. ''The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students'' is his first book. ([https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/anthony-jack Source Accessed Mar 22, 2021]) +
Anthony Kennedy Warder (8 September 1924 – 8 January 2013) was a British Indologist. His best-known works are Introduction to Pali (1963), ''Indian Buddhism'' (1970), and the eight-volume ''Indian Kāvya Literature'' (1972–2011).
He studied Sanskrit and Pali at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and received his doctorate from there in 1954. His thesis, supervised by John Brough, was entitled ''Pali Metre: A Study of the Evolution of Early Middle Indian Metre Based on the Verse Preserved in the Pali Canon''. (When it was published in 1967, the title was changed to ''Pali Metre: A Contribution to the History of Indian Literature''.)
For a number of years, he was an active member of the Pali Text Society, which published his first book, ''Introduction to Pali'', in 1963. He based his popular primer on extracts from the Dīgha Nikāya, and took the then revolutionary step of treating Pali as an independent language, not just a derivative of Sanskrit.
His began his academic career at the University of Edinburgh in 1955, but in 1963 moved to the University of Toronto. There, as Chairman of the Department of East Asian Studies, he built up a strong programme in Sanskrit and South Asian studies. He retired in 1990.
''Studies on Buddhism in Honour of Professor A. K. Warder'' was published in 1993, edited by Narendra K. Wagle and Fumimaro Watanabe.
He and his wife, Nargez, died of natural causes almost simultaneously on 8 January 2013. He was eighty-eight, and she was ninety. They had no children. They were buried together following a Buddhist service. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._K._Warder Source Accessed Feb 10, 2021]) +
I do research on philosophy of education and ethics, drawing from and comparing Japanese philosophy (the Kyoto School of Philosophy), American philosophy (contemplative pedagogy, care ethics, Deweyan philosophy), and continental philosophy (existential education, post-structuralism). I am particularly interested in the ethical, existential, and spiritual aspects of education, and the kind of human relationships involved therein. My Ph.D. research was on Watsuji Tetsurô and the ethics of emptiness, which I completed under Buddhist philosopher Sueki Fumihiko (at the Graduate University of Advanced Studies, based in Nichibunken, Kyoto). I came to Kyushu University just this year (2015), but prior to this I taught in the Department of Philosophy of the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines for five years. ([http://asianstudies-kyushu.com/staff/dr-anton-luis-sevilla/ Source Accessed Aug 6, 2020]) +
Franz Anton (von) Schiefner (Russian Антон Антонович Шифнер, Anton Antonovič Šifner) was a Baltic German linguist and ethnologist. He is considered one of the founders of Uralistics, Tibetology, Mongolian Studies and Caucasian Studies.
Anton Schiefner was born into a Baltic German merchant family in Reval. The family had immigrated to Estonia from Bohemia . After graduating from the Knights and Cathedral School in Reval (Tallinn), he studied law at the University of St. Petersburg from 1836 to 1840 and Oriental Studies at the University of Berlin from 1840 to 1842.
From 1843 Schiefner was a teacher of Latin and ancient Greek at a grammar school in Saint Petersburg, from 1863 librarian and later library director at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. From 1852 he represented the subject of Tibetology at the Academy, of which he was an associate member from 1854 until his death. From 1860 to 1873 he simultaneously held a professorship in Latin and Greek at the Roman Catholic Seminary. In the years 1863, 1865 and 1878 he stayed in England for research purposes. In 1866 he was appointed Real Councilor of State. Schiefner was a corresponding member of the Finnish Literary Society.
With numerous publications, Schiefner has made a significant contribution to research into Tibetan and Mongolian. Milestones were his editing of the New Testament in Mongolian and the translation of Buddha texts from Tibetan. In addition, Schiefner was one of the best experts on Finno-Ugric languages of his time. He is famous for his translation of the Finnish national epic ''Kalevala'' under the title ''Kalevala, the national epic of the Finns'', the first translation into the German language (1852). Between 1853 and 1862 he published the work of the young man in twelve volumes Matthias Alexander Castrén, who laid the foundation for academic study of the Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic languages of Russia. In addition, Schiefner devoted himself to the languages of the Caucasus and topics of Indology. ([https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Schiefner Source Accessed Aug 25, 2023])
Antonetta L. Bruno's research explores linguistic anthropology, religions and popular culture. Among her publications there are studies on shamanic language, language strategies, the switching levels of the speech and the emotional transformation in religious contexts within Korean culture, food, film, and popular culture. ([https://www.ucm.es/siim/antonetta-bruno Source Accessed Aug 11, 2023]) +
Anyen Rinpoche is a recognized tulku of the Longchen Nyingthig lineage within the Nyingma tradition. Born and raised in Amdo, Tibet, he trained extensively in Dzogchen meditation and Buddhist scholarship under his root teacher Kyabje Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche. Founder of the Orgyen Khamdroling Dharma Center in Denver, Colorado, Anyen Rinpoche is known for his deep spiritual insight and accessible teaching style. He is the author of many books, often in collaboration with his wife and translator, Allison Choying Zangmo, including Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta, Stop Biting the Tail You’re Chasing, and The Tibetan Yoga of Breath. He is also founder of the Phowa Foundation, which focuses on helping people prepare for a peaceful and conscious death. ([https://www.shambhala.com/union-of-dzogchen-and-bodhichitta-2437.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqTTg31y7KvxSrGgI0DcB72m3sIoVK9LsUivwv86LaEw5Indg6u Source Accessed Jan 24, 2025]) +
'''Apang Terchen Orgyen Trinlé Lingpa (1895-1945)'''
Choktrul Lozang Tendzin of Trehor studied with the lord Kunga Palden and the Chö
master Dharma Seng-gé, and Apang Terchen in turn studied with Lozang Tendzin.
Apang Terchen, also known as Orgyen Trinlé Lingpa, was renowned as the rebirth of
Rigdzin Gödem. He was reputed to have been conceived in the following way: Traktung
Dudjom Lingpa focused his enlightened intent while resting in the basic space
of timeless awareness, whereupon Apang Terchen's mother experienced an intense
surge of delight. This caused all ordinary concepts based on confusion to be arrested
in her mind for a short time, and it was then that Apang Terchen was conceived in her
womb.2 From that moment on, his mother constantly had dreams that were amazing
omens. For example, she found herself among groups of dakinis enjoying the splendor
of ganachakras, or being bathed by many dakas and dakinis, or dwelling in pavilions
of light, illuminating the entire world with her radiance.
The child was born one morning at dawn, in the area of Serta in eastern Tibet, his
mother having experienced no discomfort. Her dwelling was filled with [2.188a] and
surrounded by light, as though the sun were shining brightly. There were also pavilions
of light, and a fragrance pervaded the entire area, although no one could tell
where it came from. Everyone saw numerous amazing signs on the child's body, such
as a tuft of vulture feathers adorning the crown of his head.3 The mother's brother,
Sönam Dorjé, asked, "What will become of this boy who has no father? How shameful
it would be if people saw these feathers!"4 But although he cut the feather tuft
off the child's head several times, it grew back on its own, just as before. This upset
Sönam Dorjé even more, and he berated his sister angrily, saying on numerous occasions,
"How could your child have no father? You must tell me who he is!" His
sister retorted, "With the truth of karma as my witness, I swear I have never lain with
a flesh-and-blood man of this world. This pregnancy might be a result of my own
karma." She became so extremely depressed that her fellow villagers couldn't bear it
and used various means to bring a halt to her brother's inappropriate behavior.
From an early age, this great master, Apang Terchen, felt an innate and unshakable
faith in Guru Rinpoché and had a clear and natural knowledge [2.188b] of the ''vajra guru''
mantra and the Seven-Line Supplication. He learned how to read and write
simply upon being shown the letters and exhibited incredible signs of his spiritual potential
awakening. For example, his intelligence, which had been developed through
training in former lifetimes, was such that no one could compete with him. As he
grew up, he turned his attention toward seeking the quintessential meaning of life.
He studied at the feet of many teachers and mentors, including the Nyingtik master
Gyatsok Lama Damlo and Terchen Sogyal, studying many of the mainstream traditions
of the sutras and tantras, especially those of the kama and terma.
The most extraordinary lord of his spiritual family was Trehor Drakar Tulku,5
with whom he studied for a long time, receiving the complete range of empowerments,
oral transmissions, and pith instructions of the secret Nyingtik cycles of utter lucidity.
He went to solitary ravines throughout the region, making caves and overhangs
on cliffs his dwelling places, taking birds and wild animals as his companions, and
relying on the most ragged clothing and meager diet. He planted the victory banner
of spiritual practice, meditating for a long period of time. He was graced by visions of
an enormous array of his personal meditation deities, [2.189a] including Tara, Avalokiteshvara,
Mañjushri, Sarasvati, and Amitayus. He was not content to leave the
true nature of phenomena an object of intellectual speculation, and his realization
progressed in leaps and bounds.
Apang Terchen bound the eight classes of gods and demons — including such spirits
as Nyenchen Tanglha, Ma Pomra, and Sergyi Drong-ri Mukpo6 — to his service.
He communicated directly with Tsiu Marpo, the white form of Mahakala, Ganapati,
and other protective deities, like one person conversing with another, and enjoined
them to carry out his enlightened activities. So great was his might that he also bound
these protective deities to his service, causing lightning to strike and so forth, so that
those who had become his enemies were checked by very direct means, before years,
months, or even days had passed.
Notably, he beheld the great master of Orgyen in a vision and was blessed as the
regent of Guru Padmakara's three secret aspects. On the basis of a prophecy he received
at that time, Apang Terchen journeyed to amazing holy sites, such as Draklha
Gönpo in Gyalrong, Khandro Bumdzong in the lowlands of eastern Tibet, and Dorjé
Treldzong in Drakar, where he revealed countless terma caches consisting of teachings,
objects of wealth, and sacred substances. He revealed some of them in secret,
others in the presence of large crowds. In these ways, he revealed a huge trove of profound
termas. [2.189b] Those revealed publicly were brought forth in the presence of
many fortunate people and in conjunction with truly incredible omens, which freed
all present from the bonds of doubt and inspired unshakable faith in them. Apang
Terchen's fame as an undisputed siddha and tertön resounded throughout the land, as
though powerful enough to cause the earth to quake. His terma teachings are found
in the numerous volumes of his collected works and include ''The Hidden Treasure of Enlightened Mind: The Thirteen Red Deities'',
practices focusing on the Three Roots, cycles concerning guardian deities and the
principle of enlightened activity, and his large instruction manual on Dzogchen teachings.
Apang Terchen's students, from Dartsedo in the east, to Repkong in Amdo to the
north, to the three regions of Golok and other areas, included mentors who nurtured
the teachings and beings, masters such as those known as the "four great illuminators
of the teachings," the "four vajra ridgepoles,11 the "four named Gyatso," the "great
masters, the paired sun and moon," and Jangchub Dorjé (the custodian of Apang
Terchen's termas).7 He also taught important political figures who exerted great
influence over the people of their areas, including the "four great chieftains of the
region of Dza in the north," [2.190a] that is, Getsé Tsering Dorjé of Dza in the northern
reaches of eastern Tibet, Gönlha of Akyong in Golok, Mewa Namlo of the Mé
region of Golok, and the chieftain of Serta in Washul. Apang Terchen's students also
included countless monks, nuns, villagers, and lay tantric practitioners. He transmitted
his own termas and the great Nyingtik cycles of the Dzogchen teachings, and so
numerous were those he guided that he truly embodied the enlightened activity of
one who held sway over the three realms. In these times of spiritual degeneration, he
alleviated problems caused by disease, famine, border wars, and civil unrest. In such
ways, Apang Terchen rendered great service to the land of Tibet. His kindness to the
Tibetan people as a whole was truly extraordinary, for he worked to ensure a glorious
state of peace and well-being.
During a pilgrimage to Jowo Yizhin Norbu, the statue of the lord Shakyamuni in
Lhasa, Apang Terchen paid respect to many tens of thousands of ordained members
of the sangha, sponsoring ganachakras, making offerings, and offering meals, tea,
and donations at such monastic centers as Sera, Drepung, and Ganden. He sponsored
the gilding of statues in these centers and in such ways strove to reinforce his positive
qualities. Everyone could see that no matter how many avenues he found to extend
generosity, his resources of gold, silver, and other valuables [2.190b] continued to
increase, as though he had access to a treasure mine.
Among his heart children and intimate students were his sons, Gyurmé Dorjé,
Wangchen Nyima, and Dotrul Rinpoché; his daughter, Tare Lhamo; and the custodian
of his termas, Jangchub Dorjé. Until recently, Tare Lhamo lived in eastern Tibet,
maintaining the teachings.8
Thus did Apang Terchen benefit beings with his incredible compassion and activities.
As his life was nearing an end, he remarked, "For the sake of the teachings and
of beings, I must enter the bloodline of the glorious Sakya school." This fearless lion's
roar proved to be his last testament, spoken with an unobscured awareness of past,
present, and future. He then manifested incredible miracles and departed for the
great palace of Pema Ö.
Source: Richard Barron translation of Nyoshul Khenpo, A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems: Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage, Padma Publications, 2005, pages 488-491.
Vaman Shivram Apte was an Indian lexicographer and a professor of Sanskrit at Pune's Fergusson College.
He is best known for his compilation of a dictionary, The Student's English-Sanskrit Dictionary. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaman_Shivram_Apte Wikipedia]) +
