H.H. Jigdal Dagchen Sakya
Encyclopedia
Jigchai Dagqên Sa'gya Rinboqê is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher educated in the Sakya sect
. He was educated to be the head of the Sakya
school of Tibetan Buddhism
as well as the successor to the throne of Sakya, the third most important political position in Tibet in early times. Jigchai Rinboqê is in the twenty-sixth generation of the Sakya-Koin lineage descended from Kön Gönqog Gyäbo and is regarded as an emanation
of Manjushri as well as the rebirth
of a Sakya from the Ngor
sub-school, Ewam Luding Khenchen (The Great Abbot from the Luding family)
Gyase Chökyi Nyima.
Jigchai is a title meaning “Lineage Holder.” Among his followers he is known as Jigchai Rinboqê, or simply as Rinboqê
(“Precious One”).His formal title of “His Holiness” indicates the high degree of esteem with which the Tibetan Buddhist community holds him.
He immigrated in 1960 to the United States with his family, one of the first groups Tibetans-in-exile in North
America. He is the first Head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism to live in the United States. From the Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Seattle, Washington, and its precursor (which he co-founded in 1974), he has taught and preserved Tibetan culture and religion. Because he is also a non-sectarian
master within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, he has defined Sakya Monastery as a non-denominational and ecumenical center for teachings about Tibetan Buddhism. His work has also included the foundation of Tibetan Buddhist communities overseas in India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Southeast Asia, and teaching at Buddhist centers around the world.
After having successfully completed this training, Dagqên Rinboqê received from his father
the Sakya-Koin lineage transmission of Vajrakilaya (a meditational deity whose name
means the “Dagger of Indestructible Reality”), and the complete Lamdré Tsokshey (The Path
and Its Fruit in its more esoteric form), which is the main teaching of the Sakya tradition.
Thus, Rinpoche’s primary spiritual teacher was his father, Trichen
Nawang Thutop Wangchuk.
In 1950, at age 21, Dagchen Rinpoche married Sonam Tsezom, who descends from a family
of lamas and doctors of East Tibet (Kham
). She is the niece of His Eminence the late Deshung Rinpoche III. When she married her name became Jamyang and her title Dagmo Kusho or, more formally, Dagmo Kushola, which roughly translates as: "mother of a prince."
Later that year Dagchen Rinpoche’s father died. Rinpoche became the interim Throne-holder. Concurrently, Communist Chinese invaders were
threatening Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism. After a short reign as the head of the Sakya
sect, he
took a leave of absence as ruler of Sakya in order to travel to East Tibet to complete his
religious education.
In East Tibet, Dagchen Rinpoche received teachings from fourteen lamas. Among them
were his root lamas, Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö
and Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche. They were renowned non-sectarian lamas, of the Sakya and
Nyingma
traditions, respectively. From Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö Rinpoche, Dagchen
Rinpoche received initiations and teachings of the Sakya School’s most valued teaching,
the seven-volume Lamdré Lopshey (The Path and Its Fruit in its more esoteric form) and
the fourteen-volume Druptap Kundu (Collection of Methods of Realization). From Dilgo
Khyentse Rinpoche, Dagchen Rinpoche received teachings on the thirteen-volume
Damngak Dzö (Treasury of Esoteric Instructions), a non-sectarian compilation by
Jamgön Kongtrul
, a great non-sectarian master of Tibetan Buddhism from the Kagyu
School. Additionally, twelve other Sakya lamas gave him the teachings from the thirty-one
volume Gyude Kundu.
family (including his younger brother Trinly Rinpoche and his wife’s uncle Deshung Rinpoche
III) fled to Bhutan and then to India. Professor Turrell V. Wylie from the Tibetan Studies
Program at the University of Washington
, the first such program in the country, invited
Dagchen Rinpoche to participate in a research project on Tibet sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation
. This enabled Dagchen Rinpoche to bring his family to Seattle, Washington in
1960. The research project funding lasted for three years. Following that, over the next decade
Rinpoche held several positions at the University of Washington, including working in the
Anthropology Department and at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.
In 1974 Dagchen Rinpoche co-founded, with Deshung Rinpoche III, his wife’s uncle, the
original Sakya Dharma Center in Seattle called Sakya Tegchen Choling. In 1984, the group adopted the name of Sakya Monastery of Tibetan
Buddhism.
For the purpose of the preservation of Tibetan culture and religion, Dagchen Rinpoche has
overseen the religious activities and administration of the Monastery since its
inception. His spiritual leadership takes various forms: leading meditations, giving teachings
and empowerments
(spiritual initiations), conducting refuge
ceremonies in which people
formally become Buddhists, and holding special services upon request. Now that the Monastery is completed, Dagchen Rinpoche is placing greater emphasis on
education. The Virupa Educational Institute is devoted to the study of Tibetan Buddhism,
Buddhism in general, religions, cultures, and sciences from around the world. Non-sectarianism
and education are major components to Rinpoche’s teaching, in keeping with the beliefs of his
root lamas. Sakya Monastery in Seattle has hosted visits from leading lamas of the four schools
of Tibetan Buddhism, including H. H. the Dalai Lama.
Dagchen Rinpoche’s interest in ecumenism stems from his training as a non-sectarian master,
and his experience as an immigrant who came to this country seeking religious freedom. Like His Holiness The
Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Rinpoche encourages inter-religious and interdisciplinary meetings
and encounters for Tibetan Buddhists. He regularly travels to teach in Asia, Europe, Canada,
and throughout the United States.
Lineage is important in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and Dagchen Rinpoche’s lineage
is revered. It extends more than thousand years. His father was
Trichen (“Great Throne-holder”) Nawang Tutop Wangchuk, the last great throne-holder of the
Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet, and his mother was Gyalyum (“Mother of the Khön
Children”) Dechen Drolma.
Dagchen Rinpoche’s family lineage is considered divine because family records and Tibetan
histories state that his family is descended from celestial beings from the realm of heavenly clear
light. Five generations of these celestial beings are said to have lived in Tibet. A famous ancestor
of his from the late eighth century was Khön Lu’i Wangpo (Nagendrarakshita), one of the first
seven Tibetans ordained as a Buddhist monk, a noted translator, and a personal disciple of
Padmasambhava
(who erected the very first Tibetan Buddhist monastery called Samye
). Since the
11th century, the Sakya male progenies are also regarded as emanations of Manjushri, the
Bodhisattva of Wisdom; Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva of Compassion; or Vajrapani
, Bodhisattva
of Power.
, the great Indian Buddhist master who helped revive Buddhism in
Tibet, was traveling in Tibet spreading the Buddha’s
teachings. At the side of a mountain
where there was “pale earth,” he foresaw the emanations of three bodhisattva
s whom he
knew would spread the Buddhist doctrine in Tibet: Avalokiteshvara (the embodiment of
compassion), Manjushri (the embodiment of infinite wisdom), and Vajrapani (the
embodiment of infinite power).
It was at the same site of pale earth some thirty years later, in 1073, that Khön Gönchok
Gyalpo (1034–1102), ancestor of Dagchen Rinpoche, built the first Sakya Monastery. The
monastery took its name from the pale earth (in Tibetan “sa-kya”) where the monastery was
founded. Subsequently, the town that arose there, the family of the monastery’s founder (the
Khön lineage), and the school of Tibetan Buddhism took the name of the monastery: Sakya.
The Sakya name is also renowned for having lama
s as rulers of Tibet. The Sakya patriarch,
Chogyal Pakpa (1235–1280) was given temporal authority over Tibet through the patronage of
the Mongol rulers of China. Subsequently, the Sakya lamas governed Tibet for over 90 years.
The Sakya School is one of the four great Schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Sakya
masters developed a tradition that emphasized study and meditation in equal measure.
Sakya
The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...
. He was educated to be the head of the Sakya
Sakya
The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...
school of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
as well as the successor to the throne of Sakya, the third most important political position in Tibet in early times. Jigchai Rinboqê is in the twenty-sixth generation of the Sakya-Koin lineage descended from Kön Gönqog Gyäbo and is regarded as an emanation
Embodiment
Embodied or embodiment may refer to:in psychology and philosophy,*Embodied cognition , a position in cognitive science and the philosophy of mind emphasizing the role that the body plays in shaping the mind...
of Manjushri as well as the rebirth
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...
of a Sakya from the Ngor
Ngor
Ngor or Ngor Êwam Qoidain is the name of a monastery in the Ü-Tsang province of Central Tibet, about one and half hours drive from Shigatse, and is the Sakya school's second most important goinba...
sub-school, Ewam Luding Khenchen (The Great Abbot from the Luding family)
Gyase Chökyi Nyima.
Jigchai is a title meaning “Lineage Holder.” Among his followers he is known as Jigchai Rinboqê, or simply as Rinboqê
Rinpoche
Rinpoche or Rinboqê is an honorific used in Tibetan Buddhism. It literally means "precious one," and is used to address or describe Tibetan lamas and other high-ranking or respected teachers. This honor is generally bestowed on reincarnated lamas, or Tulkus, by default...
(“Precious One”).His formal title of “His Holiness” indicates the high degree of esteem with which the Tibetan Buddhist community holds him.
He immigrated in 1960 to the United States with his family, one of the first groups Tibetans-in-exile in North
America. He is the first Head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism to live in the United States. From the Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Seattle, Washington, and its precursor (which he co-founded in 1974), he has taught and preserved Tibetan culture and religion. Because he is also a non-sectarian
Rime movement
Rimé is a Tibetan word which means "no sides", "non-partisan" or "non-sectarian". In a religious context, the word ri-mé is usually used to refer to the "Eclectic Movement" between the Buddhist Nyingma, Sakya, and Kagyu traditions, along with the non-Buddhist Bön religion, wherein practitioners...
master within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, he has defined Sakya Monastery as a non-denominational and ecumenical center for teachings about Tibetan Buddhism. His work has also included the foundation of Tibetan Buddhist communities overseas in India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Southeast Asia, and teaching at Buddhist centers around the world.
Education and Early Adulthood
Dagqên Rinboqê was tutored by the abbot of the South Monastery of Sakya and by the Secretary of the Sakya Government. With these two teachers, Rinpoche studied the Tibetan alphabet, composition, classical literature, philosophy, and the Four Classes of Tantra (esoteric Buddhism). He also received teachings on the Sakya meditation deities. From Pönlop Sakya of the North Monastery, Dagqên Rinboqê learned the fundamental esoteric religious rites of the Sakya tradition: religious music, mandala offering, dancing, and ritual hand gestures.After having successfully completed this training, Dagqên Rinboqê received from his father
the Sakya-Koin lineage transmission of Vajrakilaya (a meditational deity whose name
means the “Dagger of Indestructible Reality”), and the complete Lamdré Tsokshey (The Path
and Its Fruit in its more esoteric form), which is the main teaching of the Sakya tradition.
Thus, Rinpoche’s primary spiritual teacher was his father, Trichen
Nawang Thutop Wangchuk.
In 1950, at age 21, Dagchen Rinpoche married Sonam Tsezom, who descends from a family
of lamas and doctors of East Tibet (Kham
Kham
Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
). She is the niece of His Eminence the late Deshung Rinpoche III. When she married her name became Jamyang and her title Dagmo Kusho or, more formally, Dagmo Kushola, which roughly translates as: "mother of a prince."
Later that year Dagchen Rinpoche’s father died. Rinpoche became the interim Throne-holder. Concurrently, Communist Chinese invaders were
threatening Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism. After a short reign as the head of the Sakya
sect, he
took a leave of absence as ruler of Sakya in order to travel to East Tibet to complete his
religious education.
In East Tibet, Dagchen Rinpoche received teachings from fourteen lamas. Among them
were his root lamas, Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö
Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro
Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö was a Tibetan lama, a master of many lineages, and a teacher of many of the major figures in 20th century Tibetan Buddhism...
and Dilgo Khyentse
Dilgo Khyentse
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was a Vajrayana master, scholar, poet, teacher, and head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism from 1987 to 1991.-Biography:...
Rinpoche. They were renowned non-sectarian lamas, of the Sakya and
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...
traditions, respectively. From Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö Rinpoche, Dagchen
Rinpoche received initiations and teachings of the Sakya School’s most valued teaching,
the seven-volume Lamdré Lopshey (The Path and Its Fruit in its more esoteric form) and
the fourteen-volume Druptap Kundu (Collection of Methods of Realization). From Dilgo
Khyentse Rinpoche, Dagchen Rinpoche received teachings on the thirteen-volume
Damngak Dzö (Treasury of Esoteric Instructions), a non-sectarian compilation by
Jamgön Kongtrul
Jamgon Kongtrul
Jamgön Kongtrül is a name of a prominent line of Tibetan Buddhist teachers , primarily identified with the first Jamgon Kongtrul, but also the name shared by members of a lineage held by tradition to be his subsequent reincarnations , to date....
, a great non-sectarian master of Tibetan Buddhism from the Kagyu
Kagyu
The Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today regarded as one of six main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other five being the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, Bon and Gelug...
School. Additionally, twelve other Sakya lamas gave him the teachings from the thirty-one
volume Gyude Kundu.
Emigration to the United States
In 1959, due to the Communist Chinese invasion of Tibet, Dagchen Rinpoche and hisfamily (including his younger brother Trinly Rinpoche and his wife’s uncle Deshung Rinpoche
III) fled to Bhutan and then to India. Professor Turrell V. Wylie from the Tibetan Studies
Program at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, the first such program in the country, invited
Dagchen Rinpoche to participate in a research project on Tibet sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
. This enabled Dagchen Rinpoche to bring his family to Seattle, Washington in
1960. The research project funding lasted for three years. Following that, over the next decade
Rinpoche held several positions at the University of Washington, including working in the
Anthropology Department and at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.
A Non-Sectarian Seattle Lama
original Sakya Dharma Center in Seattle called Sakya Tegchen Choling. In 1984, the group adopted the name of Sakya Monastery of Tibetan
Buddhism.
For the purpose of the preservation of Tibetan culture and religion, Dagchen Rinpoche has
overseen the religious activities and administration of the Monastery since its
inception. His spiritual leadership takes various forms: leading meditations, giving teachings
and empowerments
Empowerment (Tibetan Buddhism)
An empowerment is a ritual in Tibetan Buddhism which initiates a student into a particular tantric deity practice. The Tibetan word for this is wang , which literally translates to power. The Sanskrit term for this is abhiseka which literally translates to sprinkling or bathing or anointing...
(spiritual initiations), conducting 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;...
ceremonies in which people
formally become Buddhists, and holding special services upon request. Now that the Monastery is completed, Dagchen Rinpoche is placing greater emphasis on
education. The Virupa Educational Institute is devoted to the study of Tibetan Buddhism,
Buddhism in general, religions, cultures, and sciences from around the world. Non-sectarianism
and education are major components to Rinpoche’s teaching, in keeping with the beliefs of his
root lamas. Sakya Monastery in Seattle has hosted visits from leading lamas of the four schools
of Tibetan Buddhism, including H. H. the Dalai Lama.
Dagchen Rinpoche’s interest in ecumenism stems from his training as a non-sectarian master,
and his experience as an immigrant who came to this country seeking religious freedom. Like His Holiness The
Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Rinpoche encourages inter-religious and interdisciplinary meetings
and encounters for Tibetan Buddhists. He regularly travels to teach in Asia, Europe, Canada,
and throughout the United States.
Ancestors
is revered. It extends more than thousand years. His father was
Trichen (“Great Throne-holder”) Nawang Tutop Wangchuk, the last great throne-holder of the
Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet, and his mother was Gyalyum (“Mother of the Khön
Children”) Dechen Drolma.
Dagchen Rinpoche’s family lineage is considered divine because family records and Tibetan
histories state that his family is descended from celestial beings from the realm of heavenly clear
light. Five generations of these celestial beings are said to have lived in Tibet. A famous ancestor
of his from the late eighth century was Khön Lu’i Wangpo (Nagendrarakshita), one of the first
seven Tibetans ordained as a Buddhist monk, a noted translator, and a personal disciple of
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
(who erected the very first Tibetan Buddhist monastery called Samye
Samye
The Samye Monastery or Samye Gompa is the first Buddhist monastery built in Tibet, was most probably first constructed between 775 and 779 CE under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet who sought to revitalize Buddhism, which had declined since its introduction by King Songtsen Gampo in...
). Since the
11th century, the Sakya male progenies are also regarded as emanations of Manjushri, the
Bodhisattva of Wisdom; Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva of Compassion; or Vajrapani
Vajrapani
' is one of the earliest bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of the Buddha, and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapani was used extensively in Buddhist iconography as one of the three protective deities surrounding the Buddha...
, Bodhisattva
of Power.
The Sakya Name
In 1042, AtishaAtisha
Atiśa Dipankara Shrijnana was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, was one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King Langdarma .- Birth :Atisha is most commonly said to have been...
, the great Indian Buddhist master who helped revive Buddhism in
Tibet, was traveling in Tibet spreading the Buddha’s
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
teachings. At the side of a mountain
where there was “pale earth,” he foresaw the emanations of three bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
s whom he
knew would spread the Buddhist doctrine in Tibet: Avalokiteshvara (the embodiment of
compassion), Manjushri (the embodiment of infinite wisdom), and Vajrapani (the
embodiment of infinite power).
It was at the same site of pale earth some thirty years later, in 1073, that Khön Gönchok
Gyalpo (1034–1102), ancestor of Dagchen Rinpoche, built the first Sakya Monastery. The
monastery took its name from the pale earth (in Tibetan “sa-kya”) where the monastery was
founded. Subsequently, the town that arose there, the family of the monastery’s founder (the
Khön lineage), and the school of Tibetan Buddhism took the name of the monastery: Sakya.
The Sakya name is also renowned for having lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
s as rulers of Tibet. The Sakya patriarch,
Chogyal Pakpa (1235–1280) was given temporal authority over Tibet through the patronage of
the Mongol rulers of China. Subsequently, the Sakya lamas governed Tibet for over 90 years.
The Sakya School is one of the four great Schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Sakya
masters developed a tradition that emphasized study and meditation in equal measure.