Namgyal Rinpoche
Encyclopedia
Namgyal Rinpoche, Karma Tenzin Dorje (1931-2003), born Leslie George Dawson in Toronto, Canada, was a Tibetan Buddhist lama in the Karma Kagyu
tradition.
minister, before going on to the University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor, USA, where he studied philosophy and psychology and became active in Socialist politics. After visiting Moscow
to address an international youth conference, he became disillusioned with politics, and moved to London
in 1954.
and met the Sayadaw U Thila Wunta, a Burmese forest-monk who accepted Leslie Dawson as a student. In 1956, he traveled to Bodh Gaya, India
to rejoin the Sayadaw and received ordination as a samanera
(novice monk). After two years of training in Bihar he continued on to Burma where he received higher ordination as Anandabodhi bhikkhu
at the Shwedagon temple, Rangoon. He then began more intensive training and meditation practice under the guidance of U Thila Wunta and Mahasi Sayadaw
, and in Thailand
with Chao Khun Phra Rajasiddhimuni. In Sri Lanka
he studied the Pali
Suttas, the Visuddhimagga
, and other classical texts before receiving the title Acharya
(teacher of Dhamma).
, Anna Freud
and R.D. Laing, among others. In 1965 he founded the Johnstone House Contemplative Community, a retreat center in Scotland
. A year earlier he had met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Akong Tulku, Tibetan lamas at Oxford sent by His Holiness the 16th Karmapa to study and live in the West. Anandabodhi provided the lamas with assistance and saw to the transfer of ownership of Johnstone House to the Tibetan Karma Kargyu Order which transformed the old hunting lodge into Samye Ling, the first Tibetan Buddhist centre in the West, outside Russia.
In 1965 Anandabodhi returned to Canada with two of his senior students, Tony Olbrecht and Barry Goulden, where he established a new community, The Dharma Centre of Canada (1966, incorporated as a charity 1973), and founded the Centennial Lodge of the Theosophical Society (1967). Over the years that followed, he began to stress the study of Western psychology and philosophy, exercise, diet, and the appreciation of fine art and music as a supplement to traditional Buddhist training, and began taking students with him on voyages to various countries around the world, often on cargo ships.
, the supreme head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, as an accomplished master and received Vajrayana robes. Three years later, accompanied by many students, Anandabodhi met with His Holiness Sakya Trizin
of the Sakya Order in Dehra Dun, and with the Dalai Lama
in Dharamsala
before proceeding to Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim where he received from the Karmapa his Tibetan name. On his return to Canada he was enthroned (October 1971) with due ceremony as Karma Tenzin Dorje Namgyal Rinpoche at Green River, Ontario, by Karma Thinley Rinpoche
, as instructed by His Holiness the Karmapa.
Thereafter, Namgyal Rinpoche practised and taught in the Vajrayana
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism as well as Theravadin and Mahayana schools. He was empowered and recognised by many teachers such as His Holiness Sakya Trizin
and His Eminence Chogye Rinpoche of the Sakyas, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche
of the Nyingma sect, as well various Kagyu lamas, such as Kalu Rinpoche
, one of the Karmapa's main teachers. And in subsequent years he inspired the establishment of dharma centers around the world.
At times, Rinpoche would revert to his given name, George Dawson, and abolish the exotic trappings and mystique of Tibetan Buddhism, seeing these as distractions to students, and teaching directly from the heart of reality, then re-establish the outer form and reveal its deeper meaning. He continued to teach until his death in Switzerland on October 22, 2003, having empowered a number of senior students to continue his work.
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...
tradition.
Early life
Namgyal Rinpoche was born in 1931, October 11, and raised in Toronto, Canada by parents of Irish and Scottish descent and attended Jarvis Baptist Seminary, studying to become a ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
minister, before going on to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in Ann Arbor, USA, where he studied philosophy and psychology and became active in Socialist politics. After visiting Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to address an international youth conference, he became disillusioned with politics, and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1954.
Theravada Studies in Asia
While in London he studied BuddhismBuddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and met the Sayadaw U Thila Wunta, a Burmese forest-monk who accepted Leslie Dawson as a student. In 1956, he traveled to Bodh Gaya, 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...
to rejoin the Sayadaw and received ordination as a samanera
Samanera
A samanera ) may be translated as novice monk in a Buddhist context. The literal meaning is 'small samana', that is, small renunciate where 'small' has the meaning of boy or girl. In the Vinaya monastic discipline, a man under the age of 20 cannot ordain as a bhikkhu, but can ordain as a samanera...
(novice monk). After two years of training in Bihar he continued on to Burma where he received higher ordination as Anandabodhi bhikkhu
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...
at the Shwedagon temple, Rangoon. He then began more intensive training and meditation practice under the guidance of U Thila Wunta and Mahasi Sayadaw
Mahasi Sayadaw
The Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana was a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk and meditation master who had a significant impact on the teaching of Vipassana meditation in the West and throughout Asia...
, and in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
with Chao Khun Phra Rajasiddhimuni. In Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
he studied the Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
Suttas, the Visuddhimagga
Visuddhimagga
The Visuddhimagga , is the 'great treatise' on Theravada Buddhist doctrine written by Buddhaghosa approximately in 430 CE in Sri Lanka. A comprehensive manual condensing the theoretical and practical teaching of the Buddha, it is considered the most important Theravada text outside of the Tipitaka...
, and other classical texts before receiving the title Acharya
Acharya
In Indian religions and society, an acharya is a guide or instructor in religious matters; founder, or leader of a sect; or a highly learned man or a title affixed to the names of learned men...
(teacher of Dhamma).
Return to the United Kingdom and Canada
In 1962 Anandabodhi returned to England at the invitation of the English Sangha Trust. He was a special guest speaker at the Fifth International Congress of Psychotherapists in London where he met Julian HuxleyJulian Huxley
Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS was an English evolutionary biologist, humanist and internationalist. He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentieth century evolutionary synthesis...
, Anna Freud
Anna Freud
Anna Freud was the sixth and last child of Sigmund and Martha Freud. Born in Vienna, she followed the path of her father and contributed to the newly born field of psychoanalysis...
and R.D. Laing, among others. In 1965 he founded the Johnstone House Contemplative Community, a retreat center in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. A year earlier he had met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Akong Tulku, Tibetan lamas at Oxford sent by His Holiness the 16th Karmapa to study and live in the West. Anandabodhi provided the lamas with assistance and saw to the transfer of ownership of Johnstone House to the Tibetan Karma Kargyu Order which transformed the old hunting lodge into Samye Ling, the first Tibetan Buddhist centre in the West, outside Russia.
In 1965 Anandabodhi returned to Canada with two of his senior students, Tony Olbrecht and Barry Goulden, where he established a new community, The Dharma Centre of Canada (1966, incorporated as a charity 1973), and founded the Centennial Lodge of the Theosophical Society (1967). Over the years that followed, he began to stress the study of Western psychology and philosophy, exercise, diet, and the appreciation of fine art and music as a supplement to traditional Buddhist training, and began taking students with him on voyages to various countries around the world, often on cargo ships.
As Namgyal Rinpoche
During a pilgrimage with students to India and Sikkim in 1968, Anandabodhi was recognized by the 16th KarmapaRangjung Rigpe Dorje
The sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje was spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
, the supreme head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, as an accomplished master and received Vajrayana robes. Three years later, accompanied by many students, Anandabodhi met with His Holiness Sakya Trizin
Sakya Trizin
Sakya Trizin or Sa'gya Gongma Rinboqê is the traditional title of the head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism.The Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism was founded in 1073, when Khon Konchog Gyalpo , a member of Tibet’s noble Khön family, established a monastery in the region of Sakya, Tibet,...
of the Sakya Order in Dehra Dun, and with the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
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....
before proceeding to Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim where he received from the Karmapa his Tibetan name. On his return to Canada he was enthroned (October 1971) with due ceremony as Karma Tenzin Dorje Namgyal Rinpoche at Green River, Ontario, by Karma Thinley Rinpoche
Karma Thinley Rinpoche
Karma Thinley Rinpoche, is an important master of the Kagyu Mahamudra, Sakya Lamdré and Chod traditions of Tibetan Buddhism active in the west. He is also well regarded by Tibetans as a scholar, poet and artist.-Life:...
, as instructed by His Holiness the Karmapa.
Thereafter, Namgyal Rinpoche practised and taught in the Vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism as well as Theravadin and Mahayana schools. He was empowered and recognised by many teachers such as His Holiness Sakya Trizin
Sakya Trizin
Sakya Trizin or Sa'gya Gongma Rinboqê is the traditional title of the head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism.The Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism was founded in 1073, when Khon Konchog Gyalpo , a member of Tibet’s noble Khön family, established a monastery in the region of Sakya, Tibet,...
and His Eminence Chogye Rinpoche of the Sakyas, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom Rinpoche is the title of a prominent line of tulkus of the Nyingmapa order of Tibetan Buddhism. Dudjom Rinpoche was born in 1904 on the tenth day of the sixth month in the year of the wood dragon in Southern Tibet in a region called the "hidden land" of Pema Ko. He died on January 17, 1987...
of the Nyingma sect, as well various Kagyu lamas, such as Kalu Rinpoche
Kalu Rinpoche
Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche was a Buddhist meditation master, scholar and teacher. He was one of the first Tibetan masters to teach in the West.-Early life and teachers:...
, one of the Karmapa's main teachers. And in subsequent years he inspired the establishment of dharma centers around the world.
At times, Rinpoche would revert to his given name, George Dawson, and abolish the exotic trappings and mystique of Tibetan Buddhism, seeing these as distractions to students, and teaching directly from the heart of reality, then re-establish the outer form and reveal its deeper meaning. He continued to teach until his death in Switzerland on October 22, 2003, having empowered a number of senior students to continue his work.
External links
- Biography
- Namgyal Rinpoche in New Zealand A short history of the contributions of Namgyal Rinpoche and his students to bringing the Buddha Dharma to New Zealand, by Tarchin Hearn.