Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche
Encyclopedia
Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche (born October 15, 1982) is considered the current reincarnation of the Trijang Rinpoche
, who was the junior tutor and spiritual guide of the 14th Dalai Lama.
, where he founded the Trijang Buddhist Institute, to promote the spread of Tibetan Buddhism
. Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche's "foremost desire is to continue the legacy of his revered predecessor, Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang" (Trijang Rinpoche).
, in 2003, the Dalai Lama
told him:
Lama Zopa of the FPMT has expressed great sadness that the Guru of both the Dalai Lama and Lama Yeshe (the founder of the FPMT) felt it necessary to take this step:
in 2007 when they promoted an alliance: H.H. the 14º Dalai Lama granted a permission to H.H. the 18º Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche that he would practice Dorje Shugden, in exchange for the great and loving friendship that always existed between them in previous lives.
Chocktrul Rinpoche now concentrates on his own Dharma
studies and practices as a private citizen in the USA where he is free to continue his practice of Dorje Shugden as in his previous lives. In his Trijang Buddhist Institute’s web site, Chocktrul lovingly shows a photo of H.H. Dalai Lama with a dedication that reads:
His Holiness Dalai Lama's Dedication
This object of veneration is offered to Trijang Buddhist Institute with the prayer that the Buddha’s teaching flourish, that all sentient beings may obtain the treasure of the Dharma, and that they may live in happiness and virtue.
Signed,
Dalai Lama, Buddhist Monk - May 9, 2007
His Holiness Ganden Tripa Lungri Namgyel's Dedication
April 23, 2009
I, the undersigned, Lungri Namgyel, the official head of the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism (Ganden Tripa) and successor to the said order’s founder, Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), whose headquarters are Ganden Monastery in Karnataka state, south India, hereby confirm that:
• His Eminence Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche, having been educated in the teachings of the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism, and officially recognized by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as being the incarnation of the late Trijang Dorje Chang, Tutor to the 14th Dalai Lama and one of the greatest twentieth-century Buddhist masters of this order, is fully qualified to act in the capacity of director of Trijang Buddhist Institute in the state of Vermont, United States of America, where he is currently residing at 210 Morning Star Lane, Northfield, Vermont 05663 USA.
• I confer upon Trijang Buddhist Institute the authority to represent and transmit the teachings of the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism in the United States.
• Thus authorized, Trijang Buddhist Institute is dedicated to preserving, representing, and transmitting the Buddhist teachings of the Gelug tradition.
Signed,
Ganden Tripa Lungri Namgyel
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...
, who was the junior tutor and spiritual guide of the 14th Dalai Lama.
Continue the legacy
Trijang Chocktrul spent much of his early life at Rabten Choeling in Switzerland, and has spent most of his adult life in Northfield, VermontNorthfield, Vermont
Northfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. It lies in a valley within the Green Mountains, and has been the home of Norwich University since 1866. The town contains the village of Northfield, where over half of its population lives. The population was 6,207 at the 2010...
, where he founded the Trijang Buddhist Institute, to promote the spread 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...
. Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche's "foremost desire is to continue the legacy of his revered predecessor, Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang" (Trijang Rinpoche).
Dorje Shugden
When he was a youth, he received death threats from the ‘Secret Society of External and Internal Enemy Eliminators’ for his practice of Dorje Shugden, which forced him to stop his traditional studies in India and go to Western Europe. In their meeting in Graz, AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, in 2003, 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"...
told him:
If you give up this deity [Dorje Shugden], myself and all Tibetan people will appreciate it very much and our protector NechungNechungNaiqung Monastery, Naiqung Jog , or Naiqung Goinba , is the seat of the State Oracle of Tibet.It is also referred to as Sungi Gyelpoi Tsenkar, the "Demon Fortress of the Oracle King."...
will take care of you and make you more successful and famous than ever. If you do not give up this deity, then your monastic career, like receiving the full monk’s ordination and taking GesheGesheGeshe is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks...
examinations will not be possible. So I leave it to your judgement. "
Lama Zopa of the FPMT has expressed great sadness that the Guru of both the Dalai Lama and Lama Yeshe (the founder of the FPMT) felt it necessary to take this step:
The incarnation of Kyabje Dorje Chang, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, is His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s guru and the lama of all the Tibetan people, so it’s terrible if he’s hidden away in some corner as if there’s something wrong with him. That’s absolutely shameful. Therefore, the people around him have to think very extensively. In his previous life he performed incredibly holy actions; therefore, his present incarnation has the potential to spread Dharma in both the East and the West like the rising sun spreads light.
Alliance in United Estates of America
The Dalai Lama and Chocktrul Rinpoche have met at least once since then, in Northampton, MassachusettsNorthampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
in 2007 when they promoted an alliance: H.H. the 14º Dalai Lama granted a permission to H.H. the 18º Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche that he would practice Dorje Shugden, in exchange for the great and loving friendship that always existed between them in previous lives.
Chocktrul Rinpoche now concentrates on his own 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...
studies and practices as a private citizen in the USA where he is free to continue his practice of Dorje Shugden as in his previous lives. In his Trijang Buddhist Institute’s web site, Chocktrul lovingly shows a photo of H.H. Dalai Lama with a dedication that reads:
His Holiness Dalai Lama's Dedication
This object of veneration is offered to Trijang Buddhist Institute with the prayer that the Buddha’s teaching flourish, that all sentient beings may obtain the treasure of the Dharma, and that they may live in happiness and virtue.
Signed,
Dalai Lama, Buddhist Monk - May 9, 2007
Ganden Tripa qualification
In early 2009, the Ganden Tripa, the head of the Gelug tradition, after having meditated and pondered over the position Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche was in, decided to pronounce himself by a Reference Letter recognizing him as – Qualified – and goes further by questioning the Dalai Lama, "If Trijang Rinpoche was wrong, wouldn’t be His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrong too?" Then the Ganden Tripa announced in an open letter at the same time that sends to His Holiness Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche his reasons:His Holiness Ganden Tripa Lungri Namgyel's Dedication
April 23, 2009
I, the undersigned, Lungri Namgyel, the official head of the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism (Ganden Tripa) and successor to the said order’s founder, Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), whose headquarters are Ganden Monastery in Karnataka state, south India, hereby confirm that:
• His Eminence Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche, having been educated in the teachings of the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism, and officially recognized by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as being the incarnation of the late Trijang Dorje Chang, Tutor to the 14th Dalai Lama and one of the greatest twentieth-century Buddhist masters of this order, is fully qualified to act in the capacity of director of Trijang Buddhist Institute in the state of Vermont, United States of America, where he is currently residing at 210 Morning Star Lane, Northfield, Vermont 05663 USA.
• I confer upon Trijang Buddhist Institute the authority to represent and transmit the teachings of the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism in the United States.
• Thus authorized, Trijang Buddhist Institute is dedicated to preserving, representing, and transmitting the Buddhist teachings of the Gelug tradition.
Signed,
Ganden Tripa Lungri Namgyel