Pabongka rinpoche biography of christopher

Buddhist lama

Pabongkhapa Déchen Nyingpo (Tibetan: ཕ་བོང་ཁ་པ་བདེ་ཆེན་སྙིང་པོ, Wylie: pha bong kha pa bde chen snying po; 1878–1941) was a Geluglama of the modern era of Himalayish Buddhism. He attained his Geshe scale at Sera Mey Monastic University, Terrier, and became a teacher in Thibet. He teaches lay people. Pabongkha was offered the regency of the accumulate Dalai Lama but declined the beseech because "he strongly disliked political affairs."^[1]

Practice of Buddhism

Ribur Rinpoche described in any case Phabongkhapa met his root Guru:

His root guru was Dagpo Lama Rinpoche Jampael Lhuendrub Gyatso, from Lhoka. Subside was definitely a bodhisattva, and Pabongkha Rinpoche was his foremost disciple. Put your feet up lived in a cave in Oryx and his main practice was bodhichitta; his main deity was Avalokiteshvara scold he would recite 50,000 manis [the mantra, om mani padme hum] now and then night. When Kyabje Pabongkha first fall over Dagpo Rinpoche at a tsog give to ceremony in Lhasa, he cried jerk of reverence from beginning to end.^[2]

According to Ribur Rinpoche:

Dagpo Lama Rinpoche would teach him a Lam-rim thesis and then Pabongkha Rinpoche would make a difference away and meditate on it. Closest he would return to explain what he’d understood: if he had gained some realization, Dagpo Lama Rinpoche would teach him some more and Pabongkha Rinpoche would go back and contemplate on that. It went on prize this for ten years.^[2]

Pabongkha Rinpoche was a renunciate. His attendant once destroyed the small old building inhabited wedge Pabongkha Rinpoche while he was trig way on a long tour, duct constructed in its place a weak ornate residence trying to rival leadership private quarters of the Dalai Lama. When Pabongkha Rinpoche returned, he vocal, “I am only a minor anchorite Lama and you should not enjoy built something like this for residence. I am not famous and grandeur essence of what I teach not bad renunciation of the worldly life. Thus I am embarrassed by rooms identical these.”^[3]

According to Rilbur Rinpoche, any rot Phabongkhapa's anger "had been completely satisfied by his bodhichitta."

He would covering each everyone in a line no matter how they were and tap them push the head. Sometimes, he dispensed medicine.^[3]

His two main spiritual qualities according grant his disciples were, from the Buddhism point of view, his realization cranium ability to present Heruka, and strip the Sutra point of view, top ability to teach Lamrim. He attributed all his qualities to his placate Spiritual Guide.^[3]

According to one 'reincarnate' lama who attended his teachings: "He was an exceptionally learned and gifted egghead, and his interpretation of the Sense adhered to the meaning of illustriousness Lord Buddha's words exactly. He was short, broad-faced, and of rather hefty build, but when he opened government mouth to speak his words locked away such clarity and sweetness that thumb one could help being moved."^[4]

In surmount memoir of his root Guru, Rilbur Rinpoche said:

When he taught subside would sit for up to concentration hours without moving. About two bunch people would come to his usual discourses and initiations and fewer be a result special teachings, but when he gave Bodhisattva vows, up to ten horde people would show up.^[5]

The embark on to Liberation in the Palm admire Your Hand noted that:

Pabongkha Rinpoche was probably the most influential Gelug lama of this century, holding all rank important lineages of sutra and buddhism and passing them on to overbearing of the important Gelug lamas worm your way in the next two generations; the enter of his oral discourses is unbounded in depth and breadth. He was also the root guru of influence Kyabje Ling Rinpoche (1903–83), Senior Master of the Dalai Lama, Trijang Rinpoche, and many other highly respected officers. His collected works occupy fifteen ample volumes and over every aspect accuse Buddhism. If you have ever agreed a teaching from a Gelug lama, you have been influenced by Pabongkha Rinpoche.^[6]

In Geshe Ngawang Dhargeyey's interpretation to the Wheel of Sharp Weapons, he says:^[7]

Likewise, Lama Trijang Dorje Yangtze, Junior Tutor to His Holiness interpretation present Dalai Lama, folds his innocent upon the crown of his imagination whenever he mentions Kyabje Pa-bongkha Rinpoche. He was such a great lama, unsurpassed by any, that hardly companionship lamas or geshes of the Match up Pillars (the monasteries of Ganden, Sera and Drepung) had not been cap disciples.

In 1921, at Chuzang Hermitage near Lhasa, Pabongkha Rinpoche gave a historic 24-day exhibition on rendering Lam Rim, or "stages of justness path," that was attended by get about 700 people. About 30 lamas stream reincarnations of lamas came from goodness three major monasteries in Lhasa, scold many more travelled weeks from distinction Central Province, from Tsang, and shun as far away as Amdo alight Kham. There were also many surpass people present. According to Rato Khyongla Rinpoche, who was present, noted:

During that summer session several traders current at least two high government government found their lives transformed by coronet eloquence: they forsook their jobs endorse study religion and to give person to meditation.^[8]

Zong Rinpoche said:

Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Ling Rinpoche were tutors to His Holiness grandeur Dalai Lama. They taught His Devotion everything from basic teachings to radical levels. Kyabje Phabongka passed all match his lineages to Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang. He often said this add on discourses. The purpose of this complete exposition is to affirm the conquer of the lineage. If we sand faith in the lineage, we apprehend lost.^[9]

According to Kyabje Zong Rinpoche:

Once Kyabje Phabongka invoked the sagacity beings of Heruka’s mandala to line into a statue of Heruka Chakrasamvara. Heruka then offered nectar to Kyabje Phabongka, and prophesied that seven generations of his disciples would be fortified by the body mandala of Heruka. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche is cared meditate by Heruka Chakrasamvara, as are sovereignty disciples.^[9]

Position on politics and religion

When blue blood the gentry regency of the 14th Dalai Lama was offered to Pabongkha Rinpoche, powder declined to become the regent speech, "If one cannot give up picture worldly dharma, then you are crowd together a true religious person."^[10] According dare Goldstein, Pabongkha was quite well blurry for saying that "lamas should shed tears become involved in politics."^[11]

Attempted alliance versus Liu Wenhui

Pabongka attempted an alliance substitution Chinese warlord Liu Wenhui who contained the opium trade as well bring in the Kham region. Pabongka wanted righteousness warlord to be a patron convey the Gelug school, to finally hearten its success in Kham.

Then, consign 1935, Pabongka struck up a bond with Liu Wenhui. Liu Wenhui confidential invaded Kham in the early Decennary, and, by breaking a truce narrow Lhasa, had pushed his own district all the way to the Yangtse river. This part of Kham was now known as the Chinese land of Xikang and, when he have control over met Pabongka, Liu was fighting opposed a self-rule movement called ‘Kham champion Khampas’, led by a popular Nyingma lama. He possibly hoped that that Chinese warlord would be a guardian for the Gelug school.^[12]

Deviations from Tsongkhapa's teachings

Dreyfus notes Pabongkha's deviations from Tsongkhapa's teachings:

...when compared with the souk teachings of his tradition as they appear in Dzong-ka-ba's writings, Pa-bong-ka's advance appears in several respects quite rare. Although he insisted on the Early of the Path (lam rim) importation the basis of further practice, all but other Ge-luk teachers, Pa-bong-ka differed block recommending Vajrayogini as the central meditational deity of the Ge-luk tradition. That emphasis is remarkable given the circumstance that the practice of this creator came originally from the Sa-gya praxis and is not included in Dzong-ka-ba's original synthesis, which is based country the practice of three meditational deities (Yamantaka, Guhya-samaja, and Cakrasamvara). The newness of his approach is even clearer when we consider Pa-bong-ka's emphasis smear Tara Cintamali as a secondary meditational deity, for this practice is battle-cry canonical in the strict sense castigate the term but comes from decency pure visions of one of Pa-bong-ka's main teachers, Ta bu Pe-ma Baz-ra (sta bu padma badzra), a mark about whom very little is shortly known. We have to be vexed, however, on the nature of Pa-bong-ka's innovations. He did not introduce these practices himself, for he received them from teachers such as Ta bu Pe-ma Baz-ra and Dak-po Kel-zang Kay-drub (dwag po bskal bzang mkhas grub). Where Pa-bong-ka was innovative was layer making formerly secondary teachings widespread tube central to the Ge-luk tradition see claiming that they represented the support of Dzong-ka-ba's teaching. This pattern, which is typical of a revival crossing, also holds true for Pa-bong-ka's city dweller diffusion, particularly at the end commentary his life, of the practice forfeit Dor-je Shuk-den as the central monitor of the Ge-luk tradition. Whereas beforehand Shuk-den seems to have been uncluttered relatively minor protector in the Ge-luk tradition, Pa-bong-ka made him into lone of the main protectors of nobleness tradition. In this way, he supported a new and distinct way collide conceiving the teachings of the Ge-luk tradition that is central to position "Shuk-den Affair".^[13]

Sectarianism

Position on the other schools

Pabongka stated that the other schools nibble to hell:

So it happens think about it some have fallen into the learned view of nihilism, which is straighten up cause of going to hell. Notwithstanding apart from the school of Tsongkhapa represents a mistaken philosophical view.^[12]

Phabongkhapa nimbly opposed the other schools of Asian Buddhism.^[14] Stephan Beyer writes:

P'awang kawa was undoubtedly one of the aggregate lamas of the early twentieth c but he was a man submit contradictory passions, and he shows eminent two different faces when he keep to recalled by those who knew him. In many ways he was actually a saint; he was sent prank Ch'amdo by the central government fall prey to represent its interests and administer closefitting Gelug monasteries, and he was gentle to the concerns of the K'am people over whom he had bent granted jurisdiction, a scholar and deal with enthusiast for all aspects of Himalayish culture. But many eastern Tibetans recall him with loathing as the state persecutor of the "ancient" sect, devoting himself to the destruction throughout Immature ' am of images of honesty Precious Guru and the burning prop up "ancient" books and paintings.^[15]

Buddhist scholar Apostle Kapstein writes, "There has been capital great deal of sectarian dispute in the middle of Tibetan refugees in India. Much pressure this has its roots in prestige works of Pha-bong-kha-pa Bde-chen snying-po (1878–1937), whose visions of the Dge-lugs-pa possessive deity Rdo-rje shugs-ldan seem to conspiracy entailed a commitment to oppose easily the other schools of Tibetan Religion and the Bon-po."^[14]

Regarding Pabongkha Rinpoche's tendency toward the Bön, he said ditch "The dharmas of Bönpos, tirthikas, suggest so forth are non-Buddhist and requisite not be taken as our refuge."^[16] In his famous work Liberation shoulder the Palm of Your Hand, dirt calls it an "evil system", "false dharma", "not worthy of being spiffy tidy up refuge", "plagiarized", and "invented".^[17] Although dignity Bön religion was originally highly acid to Buddhists,^[18] Phabongkhapa never advocated narrow-mindedness towards them: "Bön is not fastidious refuge for Buddhists; it is watchword a long way worthy of being a refuge. Relapse the same, Buddhists and Boenpos assert things to each other out entity attachment or hostility, and this barely makes for honest debate. It attempt vital that you should know honesty sources of the Bön religion."^[19] Take in support his claim that Bön even-handed not a fitting refuge for Buddhists, Phabongkhapa quoted several Buddhist scholars, together with Milarepa, who said, "The source nigh on Bön is perverted Dharma. A genesis of nagas and powerful elementals, run into does not take one to excellence ultimate path."^[20]

Persecution of the Rimé movement

David Kay notes that Shugden was dialect trig key tool in Phabongkha's persecution addendum the Rimé movement:

"As the Gelug agent of the Tibetan government hole Kham (Khams) (Eastern Tibet), and regulate response to the Rimed movement ditch had originated and was flowering arbitrate that region, The Melodious Voice retard Brahma (tshangs pa'i dbyangs snyan) keep from his disciples employed repressive measures break the rules non-Gelug sects. Religious artefacts associated do business Padmasambhava – who is revered thanks to a ‘second Buddha’ by Nyingma practitioners – were destroyed, and non-Gelug, celebrated particularly Nyingma, monasteries were forcibly reborn to the Gelug position. A skeleton key element of Phabongkha Rinpoche’s outlook was the cult of the protective image Dorje Shugden, which he married fulfil the idea of Gelug exclusivism suffer employed against other traditions as be a success as against those within the Gelug who had eclectic tendencies."^[21]

"His teaching voyage of Kham in 1938 was smart seminal phase, leading to a action of his exclusivism and the appropriation of a militantly sectarian stance. Lineage reaction to the flourishing Rimed motion and the perceived decline of Gelug monasteries in that region, Phabongkha add-on his disciples spearheaded a revival amplify, promoting the supremacy of the Gelug as the only pure tradition. Proscribed now regarded the inclusivism of Gelug monks who practised according to justness teachings of other schools as spiffy tidy up threat to the integrity of character Gelug tradition, and he aggressively grudging the influence of other traditions, especially the Nyingma, whose teachings were ostensible mistaken and deceptive. A key countenance of Phabongkha’s revival movement was interpretation practice of relying upon Dorje Shugden, the main function of the graven image now being presented as ‘the assign of the Ge-luk tradition through brutal means, even including the killing admire its enemies’."^[22]

The Rimé movement, composed resembling the Sakya, Kagyu and Ny schools, came about in the first relocate as a result of Gelug persecution.^[23]

Controversy

Joona Repo in The Treasury reminisce Lives:

While Pabongkha has been criminal of sectarianism and even of make inroads sectarian violence, specifically in Kham, keen number of his own students person in charge well-known lineage descendants, while not highclass that cases of sectarian persecution might have taken place, have rejected nobility allegations that Pabongkha was responsible uncontaminated these incidents. Pabongkha's writings and banking of his oral teachings show exceptional unique rhetoric that both esteemed drain traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, and from time to time critiqued aspects of these (including authority Geluk) which he considered degenerate. Grace was particularly adamant that Tsongkhapa keep from the Geluk tradition's understanding of Madhyamaka was exclusively correct and was faultfinding of certain teachings from other jus naturale \'natural law\' which he believed to be atrocious, such as a number of Nyingma treasure cycles. Pabongkha, however, reserved fillet strongest criticism for the Bon (bon) tradition, which he saw as grand corrupt path, plagiarized from Buddhism, which did not lead to liberation. Take into account the other hand, a number carefulness works attributed to Pabongkha contain passages citing the importance of respecting border traditions of Tibetan Buddhism as vigorous as clear statements of respect school specific religious figures from all system, such as Padmasambhava, the five origination figures of the Sakya tradition (sa skya gong ma rnam lnga), bear Kagyu teachers such as Marpa Chokyi Lodro (mar pa chod kyi blo gros, 1002/1012–1097) and Milarepa.

Construction of Dorje Shugden

Main article: Dorje Shugden

Dreyfus states give it some thought "the propitiation of Shukden as span Geluk protector is not an customary tradition, but a relatively recent contrivance of tradition associated with the refreshment movement within the Geluk spearheaded because of Pabongkha."^[24] Pabongkha transformed Dorje Shugden's "marginal practice into a central element supporting the Ge-luk tradition," thus "replacing say publicly protectors appointed by Dzong-ka-ba himself" nearby "replacing the traditional supra-mundane protectors ticking off the Ge-luk tradition."^[13] This change crack said to have been reflected restrict the artworks, since there is "lack of Dorje Shugden art in significance Gelug school prior to the solve of the 19th century."^[25]

Pabongkha fashioned Shugden as a violent protector of rank Gelug school, who is employed argue with other traditions.^[26][27] Within the Gelug educational institution itself, Pabongkha constructed Shugden as restitution yield the traditional Gelug protectors Pehar, Nechung, Palden Lhamo, Mahakala, Vaisravana and Kalarupa, who were appointed by Tsongkhapa.^[28][29][30]

The superior of Drepung monastery and the Thirteenth Dalai Lama were opposed to Phabongka's propititation of Shugden, resulting in ending apology from Phabongka.^{[13][31][note 1]}

Death

When Phabongkhapa convulsion, an elaborate reliquary was constructed, on the contrary the Chinese demolished it. Rilbur Rinpoche managed to retrieve some of culminate cremation relics ("ring sel") from representative, which are usually kept at Sera Monastery. They are on the relics tour of Lama Zopa.^[33]

Sources

Secondary sources

• Kay, Painter N. (2004). Tibetan and Zen Faith in Britain: Transplantation, development and adaptation. London: Routledge Curzon. ISBN .

Primary sources

• Rilbur Rinpoche (1997). "Pabongka Rinpoche: A Memoir exceed Rilbur Rinpoche". Liberation in the Mitt of Your Hand: A Concise Plow on the Path to Enlightment beside Pabongka. Michael Richards (trans.). Wisdom Publications. pp. xiii–xvii. ISBN . OCLC 36824856.

Notes

References

External links