Pema Lingpa or
Padma Lingpa (1450–1521) was a famous
saintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
and
siddhaA Siddha सिद्ध in Sanskrit means "one who is accomplished" and refers to perfected masters who, according to Hindu belief, have transcended the ahamkara , have subdued their minds to be subservient to their Awareness, and have transformed their bodies into a different kind of body dominated by...
of the
NyingmaThe 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...
school of
Tibetan BuddhismTibetan 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...
. He was a preeminent
tertonA tertön is a discoverer of ancient texts or "terma". Many tertöns are considered incarnations of the 25 main disciples of Padmasambhava. A vast system of transmission lineages developed...
(discoverer of ancient texts), and is considered to be foremost of the Five Terton Kings. In the history of the Nyingma school in
BhutanBhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, Pema Lingpa is second only in importance to
PadmasambhavaPadmasambhava ; 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...
himself.
Biography
Pema Lingpa was born in Chel, part of the central Bhutanese region of
BumthangThe Kingdom of Bumthang was one of several small kingdoms within the territory of modern Bhutan before the first consolidation under Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1616. After initial consolidation, the Bumthang Kingdom became Bumthang Province, one of the nine Provinces of Bhutan. The region was...
known as the “Wheel of Dharma.” His father was Lama Döndrup Zangpo of the Nyö clan, and his mother, Drogmo Pema Drolma, was bestowed with all the signs of a
dakiniA dakini is a tantric deity described as a female embodiment of enlightened energy. In the Tibetan language, dakini is rendered khandroma which means 'she who traverses the sky' or 'she who moves in space'. Sometimes the term is translated poetically as 'sky dancer' or 'sky walker'. The dakini, in...
. Their son was born among many miraculous signs. As an incarnation of the Omniscient One Drimé Ozer (Longchenpa), Pema Lingpa was extraordinary even as a child. He learned everything from reading and writing to ironwork and carpentry without receiving any instruction.
On the tenth day of the first month of autumn in a Monkey Year, Guru Rinpoche appeared before Pema Lingpa at the holy site of Yigé Drukma, blessed him, and placed in his hands an inventory of one hundred and eight major
termaTerma are key Tibetan Buddhist and Bön teachings, which the tradition holds were originally esoterically hidden by various adepts such as Padmasambhava and his consorts in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times by other adepts, known as tertöns. As such, they represent a...
s to be revealed. However, due to the karmic disposition of beings at that time, Pema Lingpa revealed only about half of the prophesied treasures. Nevertheless, the revealed treasures of Pema Lingpa contain the essence of all 108 treasures, which are summarized in the cycles of the three heart practices transmitted to Princess Pemasel by Guru Rinpoche:
The Lama Jewel Ocean, The Union of Samantabhadra's Intentions, and
The Great Compassionate One: The Lamp That Illuminates Darkness.
The most famous story of Pema Lingpa tells of his diving with a burning
butter lampButter lamps are a conspicuous feature of Tibetan Buddhist temples and monasteries throughout the Himalayas. The lamps traditionally burn clarified yak butter, but now often use vegetable oil or vanaspati ghee....
into Membartso, the so-called flaming lake in the
Bumthang districtBumthang District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan. It is the most historic dzongkhag if the number of ancient temples and sacred sites is counted...
of
BhutanBhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
(actually a deep pool in a river). He told onlookers that if he was a false spirit his lamp would be extinguished. Disappearing into the bottom of the gorge and feared drowned, he emerged from the water with a statue the size of a fist and a treasure casket tucked under one arm, and the butter lamp still burning in the other.
The extraordinary enlightened activities of Pema Lingpa magnetized a following of ordinary people as well as many significant political and spiritual figures of his time. He was highly regarded by all four of the principal schools of Vajrayana Buddhism. Pema Lingpa spent his life revealing the precious treasures of Guru Rinpoche, giving empowerments and teachings, meditating in isolated locations, building and restoring monasteries, and establishing a tradition that endures to this day. Moreover, Pema Lingpa prophesied that in the future he would return as the Buddha Dorjé Nyingpo in the pure land of Pemakö, and that those connected with him would be reborn in Pemakö as Buddha Dorjé Nyingpo’s students.
Notable descendants of Pema Lingpa include the Bhutanese royal family and the sixth Dalai Lama. The entire stream of the Pema Lingpa lineage of empowerments, transmissions and guidance continues today without decline. It is carried on through the three lines of the Body, Speech, and Mind emanations of Pema Lingpa: the Gangteng, Sungtrul, and Tukse Rinpoches, all of who traditionally reside in Bhutan.
Emanation Lineages
Traditionally, there are three main emanation lineages of Padma Lingpa recognized:
- the Peling Sungtrul incarnations who are considered to be the speech emanations;
- the Peling Tukse incarnations, the mind incarnations; and
- the Gangteng Tulku or Peling Gyalse incarnations who are considered to be the combined body and activity incarnations.
Peling Sungtrul incarnations:
- Tenzin Drakpa (1536–1597)
- Kunkhyen Tsultim Dorje (1680–1723)
- Dorje Mikyō-tsal aka Ngawang Kunzang Rolpai Dorje (1725–1762)
- Kunzang Tsewang aka Tenzin Drubchog Dorje (1763–1817)
- Kunzang Tenpai Gyaltsen (1819–1842)
- Pema Tenzin aka Kunzang Ngawang Chokyi Lodro
- Kunzang Dechen Dorje
- Tenzin Chōki Gyaltsen (1843–1891)
- Pema Ōsal Gyurme Dorje (1930–1955)
- Kunzang Pema Rinchen Namgyal (b. 1965) ~ the present Peling Sungtrul Rinpoche, Lhalung Sungtrul Rinpoche
Peling Tukse incarnations
- Tukse Dawa Gyaltsen (b. 1499) - son of Pema Lingpa
- Nyida Gyaltsen
- Nyida Longyang
- Tenzin Gyurme Dorje (1641-ca.1702)
- Gyurme Chogdrub Palzang (ca. 1708-1750)
- Tenzin Chokyi Nyima (ca. 1752-1775)
- Kunzang Gyurme Dorje Lungrig Chokyi Gocha (ca.1780-ca.1825)
- Kunzang Zilnon Zhadpa-tsal
- Thubten Palwar (1906–1939)
- Tegchog Tenpa'i Gyaltsen (1951–2010)
Peling Gyalse (Gangteng Tulku) incarnations
- Gyalse Pema Tinley (1564–1642)
- Tenzin Lekpai Dondrup (1645–1726)
- Tinley Namgyal aka Kunzang Pema Namgyal (d. ca. 1750)
- Tenzin Sizhi Namgyal (1761?-1796)
- Orgyen Geleg Namgyal (d. 1842 ?)
- Orgyen Tenpai Nyima (1873-1900?)
- Orgyen Tenpai Nyinjed
- Orgyen Thinley Dorje
- Rigdzing Kunzang Padma Namgyal (b. 1955) ~ present Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche
External links
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