
Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche was born in
eastern Tibet on the tenth day of the fourth Tibetan month in
1920.
He was recognized by H.H. Khakyab Dorje, the
15th Gyalwang Karmapa, as the reincarnation of the Chowang Tulku,
as well as the emanation of Nubchen Sangye Yeshe, one of the chief
disciples of Padmasambhava. Guru Chowang the First (1212-70 AD) was
one of the five Terton Kings, the major revealers of secret texts
hidden by Guru Padmasambhava. Tulku Urgyen's main monastery was
Lachab Gompa in Nangchen, Eastern Tibet. He studied and practiced
the teachings of both the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan
Buddhism. Among the four greater Kagyu Schools, his family line was
the main holder of the Barom Kagyu Lineage.
In the Nyingma tradition, Tulku Urgyen held
the complete teachings of the last century's three great masters:
Terchen Chokgyur Lingpa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Kongtrul Lodro
Thaye. He had an especially close transmission for the New
Treasures, a compilation of all the empowerments, reading
transmissions and instructions of Padmasambhava's teachings, which
were rediscovered by Terchen Chokgyur Lingpa, his
great-grandfather. Rinpoche passed on this tradition to the major
regents of the Karma Kagyu lineage as well as to many other lamas
and tulkus.
The close relationship between the lineage of
the Karmapas and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche came about since the 14th
Gyalwang Karmapa was one of the main recipients of Chokgyur
Lingpa's termas, receiving the empowerments from the terton
himself. Tulku Samten Gyatso, the grandson of Chokgyur Lingpa and
the root guru of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, offered the same
transmission to the 15th Gyalwang Karmapa Khakyab Dorje. The
Gyalwang 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpey Dorje, was offered the major
transmissions of the Chokling Tersar by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. In
addition, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche also felt fortunate to pass on the
transmission for the important Dzogchen Desum, the Three Sections
of the Great Perfection, to both His Holiness Karmapa and Dudjom
Rinpoche, as well as numerous Tulkus and lamas of the Kagyu and
Nyingma lineages. Tulku Urgyen established six monasteries and
retreat centers in the Kathmandu region.
The most important of these are at Boudhanath,
the site of the Great Stupa, and another at the Asura Cave, where
Padmasambhava manifested the Mahamudra Vidyadhara level. He lived
at Nagi Gompa Hermitage above the Kathmandu Valley. Under his
guidance were more than 300 monks and nuns. He stayed in retreat
for more than 20 years, including four three-year retreats.
In 1980 Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, accompanied by his oldest son
Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, went on a world tour through Europe, the
United States and South East Asia, giving teachings on Dzogchen and
Mahamudra to many people. Every year since then a seminar on
Buddhist study and practice has been held at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling
Monastery in essential meditation practice, combining the view and
meditation of Dzogchen, Mahamudra and the Middle Way. Less
concerned with the systematic categories of topics of knowledge or
with the logical steps of philosophy, Tulku Urgyen directly
addressed the listener's present state of mind. His published works
in English include Repeating the Words of the Buddha, As It Is 1
& As It Is 2, Rainbow Painting and the recent Vajra Speech.The
over-all background of the teachings of Dzogchen and Mahamudra,
which are tremendously vast and profound, can be condensed into
simple statements of immediate relevance to our present state of
mind. Tulku Urgyen was famed for his profound meditative
realization and for the concise, lucid and humorous style with
which he imparts the essence of the 84,000 sections of the Buddhist
teachings. His method of teaching is 'instruction through one's own
experience.' Using few words, this way of teaching points out the
nature of mind, revealing a natural simplicity of wakefulness that
enables the student to actually touch the heart of the Buddha's
Wisdom Mind.
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