Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Encyclopedia
The 7th Dzogchen Ponlop, Rinpoche (Karma Sungrap Ngedon Tenpa Gyaltsen, b. 1965) is an abbot of Dzogchen Monastery
, president of Nalandabodhi
, the founder of Nitartha Institute
, a leading Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and a meditation master. He is one of the highest tülku
s in the Nyingma
lineage and an accomplished Karma Kagyu
lineage holder.
(Dharma Chakra Center) in Sikkim
, India
. His birth was prophesied by the supreme head of the Kagyu lineage, the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa
, to Ponlop Rinpoche's parents, Dhamchö Yongdu, the General Secretary of the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, and his wife, Lekshey Drolma. Upon his birth, he was recognized by the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa as the seventh in the line of Dzogchen Ponlop incarnations and was formally enthroned as The Seventh Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche at Rumtek Monastery in 1968.
After receiving Buddhist refuge
and bodhisattva vows
from the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche was ordained as a novice monk (Sanskrit: śrāmaṇera; Tib. dge tshul) in 1974. He subsequently received full ordination and became a bhikṣu
(Tib. dge long), although he later returned his vows and is now a lay teacher.
Rinpoche received most of his teachings and empowerments from the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, though his primary teacher has been the yogi
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
. Ponlop Rinpoche began studying Buddhist philosophy at the primary school in Rumtek at age 12. Three years later, in 1980 on his first trip to the West
, he accompanied the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa to Europe
, United States
, Canada
, and Southeast Asia
. While serving as the Karmapa's attendant, he also gave dharma teachings and assisted in ceremonial roles during these travels.
In 1981, he entered the monastic college at Rumtek, Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies where he studied the fields of Buddhist philosophy
, psychology
, logic
, and debate. During his time at Rumtek, the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche worked for the Students' Welfare Union, served as head librarian, and was the chief-editor of the Nalandakirti Journal, an annual publication which brings together Eastern and Western views on Buddhism. Rinpoche graduated in 1990 as Ka-rabjampa from Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies in Rumtek Monastery
. (Ka-rabjampa means "one with unobstructed knowledge of scriptures", the Kagyu equivalent of the Sakya and Gelug's Geshe
degree.) Also, he simultaneously earned the degree of Acharya, or Master of Buddhist Philosophy, from Sampurnanant Sanskrit University. Rinpoche has also completed studies in English
and comparative religion
at Columbia University
in New York City
.
magazine and elsewhere. He has also penned a number of books and articles:
Dzogchen Monastery
Dzogchen Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It is located in Sichuan province, China, and marks part of the Tibetan cultural region of Kham. It was founded by Dzogchen Pema Rigdzin in 1675, 1684 or 1685...
, president of Nalandabodhi
Nalandabodhi
Nalandabodhi is a Tibetan Buddhist organization founded in the United States by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche in 1997 and named after the historic Nalanda university of India. There are now Nalandabodhi centers and study groups in Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia...
, the founder of Nitartha Institute
Nitartha Institute
Nītārtha Institute is a school of advanced Buddhist studies for Western students designed based upon the traditional Tibetan monastic university curriculum. Its teachers include the published translator Karl Brunnholzl, as well as the head of Nalandabodhi, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.-External...
, a leading Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and a meditation master. He is one of the highest tülku
Tulku
In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
s in the Nyingma
Nyingma
The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...
lineage and an accomplished Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
lineage holder.
Biography
The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche was born in 1965 at Rumtek MonasteryRumtek Monastery
Rumtek , also called the Dharmachakra Centre, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located in the Indian state of Sikkim near the capital Gangtok...
(Dharma Chakra Center) in Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. His birth was prophesied by the supreme head of the Kagyu lineage, the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa
Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
The sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje was spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
, to Ponlop Rinpoche's parents, Dhamchö Yongdu, the General Secretary of the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, and his wife, Lekshey Drolma. Upon his birth, he was recognized by the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa as the seventh in the line of Dzogchen Ponlop incarnations and was formally enthroned as The Seventh Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche at Rumtek Monastery in 1968.
After receiving Buddhist refuge
Refuge (Buddhism)
Buddhists "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels . This can be done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.The Three Jewels general signification is: * the Buddha;* the Dharma, the teachings;...
and bodhisattva vows
Bodhisattva vows
The Sanskrit term Bodhisattva is the name given to anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhichitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. What makes someone a Bodhisattva is her or his dedication to the ultimate welfare of...
from the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche was ordained as a novice monk (Sanskrit: śrāmaṇera; Tib. dge tshul) in 1974. He subsequently received full ordination and became a bhikṣu
Bhikkhu
A Bhikkhu or Bhikṣu is an ordained male Buddhist monastic. A female monastic is called a Bhikkhuni Nepali: ). The life of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis is governed by a set of rules called the patimokkha within the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline...
(Tib. dge long), although he later returned his vows and is now a lay teacher.
Rinpoche received most of his teachings and empowerments from the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, though his primary teacher has been the yogi
Yogi
A Yogi is a practitioner of Yoga. The word is also used to refer to ascetic practitioners of meditation in a number of South Asian Religions including Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.-Etymology:...
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche is a prominent scholar yogi in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He teaches widely in the West, often through dohas composed by Milarepa and other masters of the past...
. Ponlop Rinpoche began studying Buddhist philosophy at the primary school in Rumtek at age 12. Three years later, in 1980 on his first trip to the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, he accompanied the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. While serving as the Karmapa's attendant, he also gave dharma teachings and assisted in ceremonial roles during these travels.
In 1981, he entered the monastic college at Rumtek, Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies where he studied the fields of Buddhist philosophy
Buddhist philosophy
Buddhist philosophy deals extensively with problems in metaphysics, phenomenology, ethics, and epistemology.Some scholars assert that early Buddhist philosophy did not engage in ontological or metaphysical speculation, but was based instead on empirical evidence gained by the sense organs...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
, and debate. During his time at Rumtek, the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche worked for the Students' Welfare Union, served as head librarian, and was the chief-editor of the Nalandakirti Journal, an annual publication which brings together Eastern and Western views on Buddhism. Rinpoche graduated in 1990 as Ka-rabjampa from Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies in Rumtek Monastery
Rumtek Monastery
Rumtek , also called the Dharmachakra Centre, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located in the Indian state of Sikkim near the capital Gangtok...
. (Ka-rabjampa means "one with unobstructed knowledge of scriptures", the Kagyu equivalent of the Sakya and Gelug's Geshe
Geshe
Geshe is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks...
degree.) Also, he simultaneously earned the degree of Acharya, or Master of Buddhist Philosophy, from Sampurnanant Sanskrit University. Rinpoche has also completed studies in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and comparative religion
Comparative religion
Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Works
As a witty, humorous and sensitive speaker Rinpoche is warmly greeted worldwide; as a teacher and prolific author the Dzogchen Ponlop, Rinpoche is well known for his teaching contributions to BodhiBodhi Magazine
Bodhi Magazine is a 72-page internationally distributed full-color glossy format Buddhist periodical that is issued on a quarterly basis. First printed in 1997, its content is created by and for Nyingma and Kagyu sanghas...
magazine and elsewhere. He has also penned a number of books and articles:
- 2010: Rebel Buddha: On the Road to Freedom. ISBN 1590308743 (SPShambhala PublicationsShambhala Publications is an independent publishing company based in Boston, Massachusetts. According to the company, it specializes in "books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the society, and the planet". Many of its books deal with Buddhism or related topics...
) - 2007: Mind Beyond Death. ISBN 1559392762 (SLPSnow Lion PublicationsSnow Lion Publications is a book publisher established in 1980 in Ithaca, New York. It is devoted to the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture. It is the largest press devoted to Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, printing over one million copies, and distributing over 650 titles published by other...
) - 2006: Penetrating Wisdom: the Aspiration of Samantabhadra. ISBN 1559392665 (SLPSnow Lion PublicationsSnow Lion Publications is a book publisher established in 1980 in Ithaca, New York. It is devoted to the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture. It is the largest press devoted to Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, printing over one million copies, and distributing over 650 titles published by other...
) - 2003: Wild Awakening: The Heart of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. ISBN 1590300963 (SPShambhala PublicationsShambhala Publications is an independent publishing company based in Boston, Massachusetts. According to the company, it specializes in "books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the society, and the planet". Many of its books deal with Buddhism or related topics...
) - 2003: "Brief Histories of the Sixteen Karmapas". In: Music in the Sky: The Life, Art & Teachings of the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje. Snow Lion Publications, U.S.A. First Indian Reprint: New Age Books, New Delhi. (2004). ISBN 81-7822-193-4.
Mindstream emanation lineage of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
- The First Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche: Namkha Osel
- The Second Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche: Pema Sang-ngak Tenzin
- The Third Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche: Namkha Chokyi Gyatso (1806-1821?)
- The Fourth Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche: Jigme Choying Osel
- The Fifth Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche: Kunchok Tenpe Nyima
- The Sixth Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche : Jigtral Tsewang Dorje
- The Seventh Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche: Karma Sungrap Ngedon Tenpa Gyalts
External links
- Prayer 4 Peace, project created The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche to accumulate one billion VajrasattvaVajrasattvaVajrasattva is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana, Mantrayana and Vajrayana buddhist traditions...
mantra recitations - What the Buddha Taught Shambhala Sun Magazine article by The Dzogchen Ponlop, Rinpoche about the three teachings of the wheel of dharma.
- Audio Interview Series on Buddhist Geeks