Kyabje Dagom Rimpoche is a Gelug

Gelug

The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...

 incarnate lama (tulku)

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...

 and a direct disciple of Trijang Dorjechang

Trijang Rinpoche

Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche was a Gelug Lama and a direct disciple of Je Pabongka. He was the junior tutor and spiritual guide of the 14th Dalai Lama for forty years. He is also the root lama of many Gelug Lamas who teach in the West including Zong Rinpoche, Geshe Rabten, Lama Yeshe, Lama Gangchen...

, tutor to the 14th Dalai Lama

14th Dalai Lama

The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...

, from whom he received most of his heart instructions. Rimpoche has been the holder the Ganden 'Ear-Whispered' Lineage until his parinirvana

Parinirvana

In Buddhism, parinirvana is the final nirvana, which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained complete awakening...

 in 2007.

Biography

Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche was recognized and confirmed as a Tulku by Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang. As such he became the 12th incarnation of the lineage of Dagom Rinpoches. He took Novice ordination at the age of 9 and full ordination, Bhikshu, at the age of 21 years old.

At the age of 8 and until he was 25, Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche studied all of the major and minor Tibetan sciences in Drepung Gomang Monastery in South 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...

. Right after completing these studies, for many years, he continued to receive further teachings from such masters as H.H. Trijang Rinpoche, H.H. Ling Rinpoche

Ling Rinpoche

Kyabje Ling Rinpoche was a Tibetan buddhist scholar and teacher.Born in Tibet, northwest of Lhasa, he also was the 97th Ganden Tripa and senior tutor to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The Ganden Tripa is the spiritual head of the Gelugpa Sect, the largest sect in Tibetan Buddhism. Kyabje Ling...

, Kyabje Gyara Rinpoche, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, Kyabje Zemey Rinpoche, and Yongzin Kunchok Gyatso. He received all the teachings, empowerments and oral transmissions. In 1983, after completing his studies, he received the degree of Geshe

Geshe

Geshe is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks...

 Lharampa, the highest degree in the Tibetan monastic system. In 1987, Rinpoche passed the tantric

Tantra

Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....

 examinations and served as the Headmaster of Gyume Tantric College in Hunsur, India. Since then, he has given sutra

Sutra

Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...

 and tantra transmissions to over a hundred thousand disciples in Ladakh, India, Nepal, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Germany, Singapore, and Mongolia.

From April 3, 1989, at Samten ling Monastery in Nepal for the commemoration of the passing of H.H. Panchen Lama

Panchen Lama

The Panchen Lama , or Bainqên Erdê'ni , is the highest ranking Lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...

, for twenty-two days, Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche gave instructions on the Stages of the Path [to Enlightenment] (Lam Rim) as the initiation of Vajrabhairava to 260 disciples including Gangchen Chogtrul Rinpoche, Lingka Chogtrul Rinpoche, the abbot of Samten Ling Monastery, the abbot of Shelkar Monastery, the master of Chozang Monastery, and the master of Segyu Monastery. Then, from March 26 until May 3, 1990, for a month and twenty-seven days, Rinpoche gave the profound oral instructions of Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche

Pabongka Rinpoche

Pabongka Rinpoche , Jampa Tenzin Trinlay Gyatso, was one of the great Gelug lamas of the modern era of Tibetan Buddhism. He attained his Geshe degree at Sera Monastic University, Lhasa, and became a highly influential teacher in Tibet, unusual for teaching a great number of lay people...

 to 780 monks, nuns and lay disciples including Ganden Jangtse Serkong Chogtrul Rinpoche, Drepung Loseling Drubtob Rinpoche and the masters of seven different monasteries in Nepal. At Ganden Jamgon Ling Monastery near Swayambu, Nepal, on May fourth and fifth of this year, Rinpoche gave Avalokiteshvara initiation and advice to more than a thousand Tibetans.

In 1991 from March 3 to April 23 at Drepung Gomang Monastery, Kyabje Rinpoche gave oral transmission of ten volumes of the collected works of Je Tsongkhapa

Je Tsongkhapa

Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...

, 13 Deity Yamantaka initiation, as well as the 13 Mahakala

Mahakala

Mahākāla is a Dharmapala in Vajrayana Buddhism, and a deity in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, particularly in the Vajrayana school. He is known as Daheitian in Chinese and Daikokuten in Japanese...

 initiations and transmission of the 5 major fields of studies’ root texts to Kyabje Sharpa Choeje Lobsang Nyima, Kyabje Trijang Chogtrul Rinpoche, Kyabje Gyara Chogtrul Rinpoche, Kyabje Zong Chogtrul Rinpoche, Kyabje Lakha Chogtrul Rinpoche, and Kyabje Yongzin Tulku as well as many Geshes, over three hundred monks and lay people.

In that same year from May 28 for about one month at the Ladakh Zanskar Duzing Podrang, Dagom Rinpoche gave instructions on the 8 great commentaries on the Stages of the Path [to Enlightenment] to more than three hundred disciples. On June 30 he also gave teachings on generating bodhicitta

Bodhicitta

In Buddhism, bodhicitta jang chub sem, Mongolian бодь сэтгэл) is the intention to achieve omniscient Buddhahood as fast as possible, so that one may benefit infinite sentient beings...

 and the White Umbrella initiation to more than 4000 people of Zanskar

Zanskar

Zanskar is a subdistrict or tehsil of the Kargil district, which lies in the eastern half of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The administrative centre is Padum...

 in India. Rinpoche has a very close relation with the people of Zanskar and, at people’s requests, has traveled to sixty-eight different regions there again and again, undergoing great hardship of jorneying on foot and horseback over rivers and through dangerous passes in order to kindly give Dharma advice for the alleviation of suffering.

In the year 1992, Kyabje Rinpoche established the Ganden Monlam Chenmo Dharma Center and Dagom Migtsema Dharma Center in Nepal. On that same occasion Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche presided as throne holder of Nepal Ganden Monlam Chenmo for five days over the gathering of more than 800 Sangha members from Nyanang Phegya Ling Monastery, Samten Ling Monastery, Gaden Jamgon Ling Monastery, Shelkar Monastery, Segyu Monastery, Drupthok Monastery, Thukjechoe Ling Nunnery and Kopan Nunnery. Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche also gave teachings on Legends of Buddha’s Birth and performed prayers for all deceased and living beings. From that time on, the Ganden Monlam Chenmo Festival has been held every year.

In India Dagom Rinpoche established Jangchub Tensung Dorje Center in Lingshed Monastery

Lingshed Monastery

Lingshed Monastery or Lingshed Gompa is a Gelugpa Buddhist monastery in the Zanskar region in the state of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir in northern India...

 and the Lhasa Monlam Festival in Zanskar. In 1996, Rinpoche established Dagom Gaden Tensung Ling in Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 and Dagom Tsongkhapa Dharma Center in Massachusetts (USA).

In the year 1997 Rinpoche toured Mongolia

Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

 for six months, giving teachings and tantric initiations to thousands of monks and lay people. During the month of May in Hentic Almic, Mongolia, the local practitioners requested Rinpoche to bring rain and, when it rained, they were filled with joy, faith and devotion.

In the year 1999 Rinpoche founded Dagom Choeling Dharma Center in Minneapolis, USA.

After being a fully ordained monk for ten years, Rinpoche started to give ordination to other people according to the rules of the Vinaya

Vinaya

The Vinaya is the regulatory framework for the Buddhist monastic community, or sangha, based in the canonical texts called Vinaya Pitaka. The teachings of the Buddha, or Buddhadharma can be divided into two broad categories: 'Dharma' or doctrine, and 'Vinaya', or discipline...

, which is an important basis of Buddha

Buddha

In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...

 Dharma

Dharma

Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...

. From then on, Rinpoche

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...

 has bestowed Novice ordination on more than five hundred people and Bhikshu ordination on several dozen people.

And so for a long time Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche has been teaching Buddha Dharma and giving spiritual advice to thousands of students throughout the world, always with love and compassion. Rinpoche does not at all like to deal with politics. He only gives spiritual and truthful advice. It is because of this that his blissful Dharma activities have been flourishing purely year after year. Yet Rinpoche’s faith and respect in the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden

Dorje Shugden

Dorje Shugden , "Vajra Possessing Strength", or Dolgyal Shugden , "Shugden, King of Dhol" is a deity in Tibetan Buddhism, especially its Gelug school, who is regarded as a Dharma Protector or "guardian angel." The practice of Dharma Protectors is central to most religious Tibetans and...

 has remained firm and unchanging from early childhood up to the present time. Because of this, some Tibetan political officials in Dharamsala

Dharamsala

Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....

 have, since 1996, made intense effort to split Rinpoche’s many faithful disciples away from him. Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche does not care for any mixture of religion and politics and, on the contrary, is one who, in every country where he travels, puts forth great effort in solely spiritual means, for the happiness and peace of everyone. If anyone wishes to know more about Rinpoche’s extensive activities, they are described in the Tibetan volume called The Jewel Garland of Precious Activities. In 2007, he performed the deed of parinirvana

Parinirvana

In Buddhism, parinirvana is the final nirvana, which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained complete awakening...

. All his life, he blessed countless number of beings with Buddhadharma teachings and living life according to the true teachings of Buddha.