Property:Bio
From Damngak Dzö
This is a property of type Text.
'
Jamyang Loter Wangpo was an important Rime Sakya master of Ngor Thartse Monastery who played a key role in the Rimé movement. He was a disciple of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and a teacher of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. He is well known for compiling the Compendium of Tantras under the inspiration of his guru, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo as well as publishing the very first printed edition of the Explanation for Private Disciples of the Lamdre system of the Sakya School, which before that had been transmitted only orally and was tenuously preserved in manuscript form. Jamyang Loter Wangpo also received Dzogchen instructions from Nyoshul Lungtok. The collection of 139 painted mandala thangkas for the Compendium of Tantras was saved in 1958 by Sonam Gyatso Thartse Khen Rinpoche, and later published in more than one edition. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Jamyang_Loter_Wangpo Rigpa Wiki]) +
A disciple of Lorepa, Jamyang Gonpo was the main transmitter of the Lower Drukpa school. He was also an important teacher of the Chod tradition. +
A
Abhayadatta Sri (also known as Abhayadattaśrī or Abhayadāna) was a 12th-century Indian Buddhist monk notable for composing the ''Caturaśītisiddhapravrtti'' (''The Lives of the Eighty-Four Mahāsiddhas'') which detailed the backgrounds of the mahāsiddhas who were tantric masters. His work was later translated into Tibetan. His story on the lives of the mahāsiddhas was influential in showing their highly unconventional paths to achieving realization.
He was a native of Campara which has been identified with modern day Champaran district in Bihar, India. He was also a disciple of Vajrasana who was one of the last great siddhas of the eleventh century. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhayadatta_Sri Source Accessed Oct 17, 2024]) +
Atiśa, also known as Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna (982-1054), is famous for being a master from the ancient Indian Buddhist land of Bengal and for his journeys in Indonesia and Nepal. He is most well known for the last thirteen years of his life in Tibet. Atiśa was one of the most influential Indian Buddhist masters ever to set foot in Tibet. (James Apple, ''Atiśa Dīpaṃkara'', page 1).
In Tibet, Atiśa is known as Jowo Jé or Jowo Jé Palden Atisha (ཇོ་བོ་རྗེ་དཔལ་ལྡན་ཨ་ཏི་ཤ་) or Pandita Dipamkara (པཎྜིཏ་དཱི་པཾ་ཀ་ར་), where he is considered the founding father of the Kadam tradition. Born in Sāhor (modern-day Bangladesh), he became a scholar of the famous Indian university of Vikramaśila before coming to Tibet in 1042, where he taught and authored works that are still studied today. [https://bca.tsadra.org/index.php/Articles/Ati%C5%9Ba_D%C4%ABpa%E1%B9%83kara_%C5%9Ar%C4%ABj%C3%B1%C4%81na%27s_Teaching_on_the_Bodhisattvacary%C4%81vat%C4%81ra:_One_Text_to_Rule_Them_All_(Forgues_2024) Learn more about him and his teachings on The Way of the Bodhisattva here].<br>
'''Princeton Dictionary Entry:''' Indian Buddhist monk and scholar revered by Tibetan Buddhists as a leading teacher in the later dissemination (''phyi dar'') of Buddhism in Tibet. His name, also written as Atisha, is an Apabhraṃśa form of the Sanskrit term atiśaya, meaning “surpassing kindness.” Born into a royal family in what is today Bangladesh, Atiśa studied Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy and tantra as a married layman prior to being ordained at the age of twenty-nine, receiving the ordination name of Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna. After studying at the great monasteries of northern India, including Nālandā, Odantapurī, Vikramaśīla, and Somapura, he is said to have journeyed to the island of Sumatra, where he studied under the Cittamātra teacher Dharmakīrtiśrī (also known as guru Sauvarṇadvīpa) for twelve years; he would later praise Dharmakīrtiśrī as a great teacher of bodhicitta. Returning to India, he taught at the Indian monastic university of Vikramaśīla. Atiśa was invited to Tibet by the king of western Tibet Ye shes 'od and his grandnephew Byang chub 'od, who were seeking to remove perceived corruption in the practice of Buddhism in Tibet. Atiśa reached Tibet in 1042, where he initially worked together with the renowned translator Rin chen bzang po at Tho ling monastery in the translation of prajñāpāramitā texts. There, he composed his famous work, the ''Bodhipathapradīpa'', or “''Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment'',” an overview of the Mahāyāna Buddhist path that served as a basis for the genre of literature known as lam rim (“stages of the path”). (Source: "Atiśa Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 77. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)
B
He was born in the upper Nyang region of Tsang. His mother died early and he was brought up by a nun who was a student of one of the great masters of this time, Tshechogling Yeshe Gyaltsen. Losal Tenkyong was then eventually recognized as the incarnation of Drubwang Losal Tsengyen (1727-1802). His education was rather eclectic and he studied with the great Gelugpa masters of his day, such as Ngulchu Dharmabhadra (1772-1851) and the masters of his own Zhalu monastery (zhwa lu) as well masters of Ngor and Sakya. He became a noted ritual expert and especially excelled in his practice of the Kalacakra. Several of his works are included in such collections as the "rgyud sde kun btus" and "sgrub thabs kun btus". In his personal practice he also emphasized the Shangpa Kagyu teachings very much. Even though he is not mentioned in any Shangpa lineage supplication, he was of instrumental importance for the survival of the Shangpa Kagyu tradition and even authored some important empowerment and instruction manuals which are still in use today. As the abbot of the famous Kadampa monastery of Zhalu in western Tibet, originally founded by the fourteenth century scholar and historian Buton Rinchen Drub (1290-1364), he eventually managed to achieve the unsealing of the printing blocks of Taranatha's works at Jonang monastery, which contain so many Shangpa materials of crucial importance. He was a close friend and associate of both Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, and passed on a large number of transmissions to them, especially to Jamyang Khyentse, who received the full Shangpa Kagyu transmissions from him. (Source: [http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Shalu_Ribug_Tulku_Losal_Tenkyong RYwiki]) +
D
Dharmarakṣita is a c. 9th century Indian Buddhist credited with composing an important Mahayana text called the ''Wheel of Sharp Weapons'' (Tib. ''blo-sbyong mtshon-cha 'khor-lo''). He was the teacher of Atiśa, who was instrumental in establishing a second wave of Buddhism in Tibet.
''Wheel of Sharp Weapons'' is an abbreviated title for ''The Wheel of Sharp Weapons Effectively Striking the Heart of the Foe''. This text is often referenced as a detailed source for how the laws of karma play out in our lives; it reveals many specific effects and their causes. A poetic presentation, the "wheel of sharp weapons" can be visualized as something we throw out or propel, which then comes back to cut us... something like a boomerang. In the same way, Dharmarakṣita explains, the non-virtuous causes we create through our self-interested behavior come back to 'cut us' in future lives as the ripening of the negative karma such actions create. This, he explains, is the source of all our pain and suffering. He admonishes that it is our own selfishness or self-cherishing that leads us to harm others, which in turn creates the negative karma or potential for future suffering. Our suffering is not a punishment, merely a self-created karmic result. In most verses, Dharmarakṣita also offers a suggested alternative virtuous or positive action to substitute for our previous non-virtuous behavior, actions that will create positive karma and future pleasant conditions and happiness.
Despite the fact that ''Wheel of Sharp Weapons'' has come to be considered a Mahayana text, Dharmarakṣita is said to have subscribed to the Vaibhāṣika view. His authorship of the text is considered questionable by scholars for various reasons. [(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmarak%E1%B9%A3ita_(9th_century) Source Accessed May 18, 2021]) +
"After the death of 'Jam dbyangs chos kyi grags pa (the 3rd Drukchen or Gyalwang Drukpa), monks found the rebirth in the house of a minor aristocrat of Kongpo, to the disappointment of both the families of Rwa lung and Bya. This child, the sprul sku Ngag dbang nor bu, was to be the great Padma dkar po. Padma dkar po was one of those rare renaissance men. The breadth of his scholarship and learning invites comparison with the Fifth Dalai Lama. It was Padma dkar po who systematized the teaching of the 'Brug pa sect. It is no wonder that the 'Brug pa Bka' brgyud pa always refer to him as Kun mkhyen, the Omniscient, an epithet reserved for the greatest scholar of a sect. Padma dkar po was a shrewd and occasionally ruthless politician. His autobiography is one of the most important sources for the history of the sixteenth century. Padma dkar po was a monk and insisted on adherence to the vinaya rules for his monastic followers. He also held that in the administration of church affairs the claims of the rebirth and the monastic scholar took priority over those of the scion of a revered lineage. Although he preached often at both Rwa lung and Bkra shis mthong smon, the seats of his two immediate predecessors, he never exercised actual control over these monasteries and their estates. He founded his monastery at Gsang sngags chos gling in Byar po, north of Mon Rta dbang, which became the seat of the subsequent Rgyal dbang 'Brug pa incarnation." (Gene Smith, ''Among Tibetan Texts'', 81) +
G
The Third Gungtang Lama Konchok Tenpai Dronme was identified as reincarnation of the Second Guntang Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen. He studied in Drepung Gomang College near Lhasa and Labrang Tashikhyil in Amdo, and later he served as the twenty-first abbot of the monastery. He also served as the first abbot of Ngawa Gomang Monastery. Familiar with Chinese and Mongolian languages, he spent most of his life in teaching and composing texts on many subjects such as ethics and medicine as well as religion. ([https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Konchok-Tenpai-Dronme/4730 Source Accessed Feb 3, 2022]) +
K
Karma Chakme, also known as Raga Asé (Rāgāsya), was one of the most highly realized and accomplished scholar-yogins of Tibet. An important Karma Kamtsang teacher, he was recognized by many as the incarnation of the ninth Karmapa (but not selected.) His teachers included the most famous masters of his time, both Nyingma and Kagyu. He was both the teacher and student of Tertön Mingyur Dorje. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Karma_Chakm%C3%A9 Rigpa Wiki]) +
An important master of the Dakpo Kagyu tradition. He was a student of the Seventh Karmapa and a teacher to the Eighth Karmapa and the Second Pawo Rinpoche. An immanent scholar, he wrote works on both sūtra and tantra, as well as an acclaimed commentary on the three cycles of doha of the famed Indian master Saraha. +
Theckchok Dorje was born in the village of Danang in the Kham region of eastern Tibet. He was born in mid-winter, and the histories say that flowers spontaneously blossomed and many rainbows appeared. The baby recited the Sanskrit alphabet. He was recognized by Drukchen Kunzig Chokyi Nangwa, the holder of the thirteenth Karmapa’s letter giving the details of his forthcoming reincarnation. He was enthroned and later ordained by the ninth Tai Situpa. The Karmapa received teachings and the lineage transmissions from Situ Pema Nyinche Wangpo and Drukchen Kunzig Chokyi Nangwa. (Source: [https://kagyuoffice.org/kagyu-lineage/the-golden-rosary/the-14th-karmapa-theckchok-dorje/ Kagyu Office]) +
The Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, was a prominent Karma Kagyu hierarch who also held Nyingma and Chod lineages. He was likely the first man to carry the title of Karmapa, following his identification by Orgyenpa Rinchen Pel as the reincarnation of Karma Pakshi, whom Orgyenpa posthumously identified as the reincarnation of Dusum Khyenpa. He spent much of his life traveling across Tibet and made two visits to the Yuan court in China. ([http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Third-Karmapa-Rangjung-Dorje/9201 Read more at the source: Treasury of Lives]) +
The eighth member of the incarnation lineage of the Karmapas, Mikyö Dorje, was a prolific scholar and an acclaimed artist, often credited with the development of the Karma Gadri style of painting. Though he only lived into his mid-40's his contributions to the Karma Kagyu and Tibetan tradition, in general, were immense. His collected works are said to have originally filled thirty volumes and he is widely held to be one of the most significant of the Karmapa incarnations.
For a detailed discussion of The Eighth Karmapa's life, with interesting reference to source texts, see the [https://kagyuoffice.org/life-of-mikyo-dorje/ 17th Karmapa's teachings from February 2021].
'''From the book, ''Karmapa: 900 Years'' (KTD Publications, 2016, revised 3rd edition):'''
Mikyö Dorje is among the greatest scholars Tibet has ever produced. He was an active participant in the rigorous intellectual debates of his day, making major contributions in virtually all areas of textual study. He was an accomplished Sanskritist, and wrote Sanskrit grammars alongside works ranging from poetry to art to tantra. The Eighth Karmapa’s voluminous writings include substantial commentaries on all the principal Sanskrit texts, clarifying points of confusion and deeply engaging with their inner meaning. The act of composing philosophical texts within the Karma Kagyu—a lineage so fully devoted to attaining realization through practice—is wholly unlike the act of producing philosophical texts in a modern academic or scholastic setting. Rather, the philosophical works of Mikyö Dorje point out the way to view reality in order to be liberated from the cycles of samsaric suffering. As such, his compositions are a supreme act of kindness. It is said that Mikyö Dorje’s deeds in recording his insight and understanding in his commentaries had the effect of doubling or tripling the lifespan of the Karma Kagyu lineage.(Source: Page 73, ''Karmapa: 900 Years'' (KTD Publications, 2016, revised 3rd edition). E-Book available online here: http://www.ktdpublications.com/karmapa-900-third-edition-e-book/ .
Mikyö Dorje left numerous Buddhist writings on all major and minor topics, including a biography of Bodong Chogle Namgyal (1376–1451), entitled ''Ocean of Miracles'' (ngo mtshar gyi rgya mtsho), a Gongchik commentary, and he introduced a special guru yoga in four sessions, which is the basis for contemporary Karma Kagyu practice. See a list of Tibetan works by the 8th Karmapa available as free ePubs on [https://dharmacloud.tsadra.org/book-author/eighth-karmapa-mikyo-dorje/ Tsadra Foundation's DharmaCloud website].
'''For more biographical information see the following sources:'''
*Rheingans, Jim. 2017. ''The Eighth Karmapa's Life and His Interpretation of the Great Seal: A Religious Life and Instructional Texts in Historical and Doctrinal Contexts''. Bochum, Germany: Projekt Verlag.
*[https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:P385 BDRC Person page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje]
*[https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1335480 WikiData entry for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje]
*[https://www.himalayanart.org/items/560 Himalayan Art Resource page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje]
*[https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/People/Karmapa,_8th Tsadra Foundation person page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje]
*[https://kagyuoffice.org/life-of-mikyo-dorje/ Official Karmapa Office Page on the 8th Karmapa]
*[http://tsurphu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19:the-eighth-karmapa-mikyo-dorje-1507-1554&catid=10&Itemid=280&lang=en Tsurphu Monastery Page on the 8th Karmapa]
Also known as Klong chen pa (Longchenpa). An esteemed master and scholar of the Rnying ma sect of Tibetan Buddhism known especially for his promulgation of rdzogs chen. Klong chen pa is believed to be the direct reincarnation of Padma las 'brel rtsal, who revealed the ''Rdzogs chen snying thig'', and also of Padma gsal, who first received those teachings from the Indian master Padmasambhava. Born in the central region of G.yo ru (Yoru), he received ordination at the age of twelve. At nineteen, he entered Gsang phu ne'u thog monastery where he engaged in a wide range of studies, including philosophy, numerous systems of sūtra and tantra, and the traditional Buddhist sciences, including grammar and poetics. Having trained under masters as diverse as the abbots of Gsang phu ne'u thog and the third Karma pa, Rang 'byung rdo rje, he achieved great scholarly mastery of numerous traditions, including the Rnying ma, Sa skya, and Bka' brgyud sects. However, Klong chen pa quickly became disillusioned at the arrogance and pretention of many scholars of his day, and in his mid-twenties gave up the monastery to pursue the life of a wandering ascetic. At twenty-nine, he met the great yogin Kumārarāja at Bsam yas monastery, who accepted him as a disciple and transmitted the three classes of rdzogs chen (rdzogs chen sde gsum), a corpus of materials that would become a fundamental part of Klong chen pa's later writings and teaching career . . . Among the most important and well-known works in Klong chen pa's extensive literary corpus are his redaction of the meditation and ritual manuals of the heart essence (Snying thig), composed mainly in the hermitage of Gangs ri thod dkar. Other important works include his exegesis on the theory and practice of rdzogs chen, such as the Mdzod bdun (“seven treasuries”) and the Ngal gso skor gsum (“Trilogy on Rest”). (Source: “Klong chen rab 'byams.” In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 439. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)
Kunga Lekpé Rinchen (fifteenth century) — a student of Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo. He wrote ''A Concise Guide to Parting from the Four Attachments'' (translated in ''Mind Training, The Great Collection'', by Thupten Jinpa for the Institute of Tibetan Classics, Wisdom Publications). ([https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Kunga_Lekp%C3%A9_Rinchen Source Accessed April 30, 2025]) +
M
Chim Namkha Drak (mchims nam mkha' grags) was born in Mondoi Kau (smon 'gro'i kha'u) in Upper Nyang (myang stod), in U, in 1210, the iron-horse year of the fourteenth sexagenary cycle. He was of the Chim (mchims) clan. His parents were named Dargon (dar mgon) and Lhemen (lhas sman); his father's family claimed descent from Chim Dorje Drelching (mchims rdor rje sprel chung), a minister to the Tibetan king, Tri Songdeutsen (khri srong lde'u btsan, 742-797).
He took novice vows and later full monastic ordinations by a lama named Pelden Dromoche (dpal ldan gro mo che), who was possibly the same person as the fourth abbot of Nartang Monastery (snar thang dgon), Droton Dutsi Drakpa (gro ston bdud rtsi grags pa, 1153-1232), one of his main teachers.
He studied the texts of the Kadam tradition with several masters, including the fifth abbot of Nartang, Zhangton Chokyi Lama (zhang ston chos kyi bla ma, 1184-1241); the sixth abbot of Nartang, Sanggye Gompa Sengge Kyab (sangs rgyas sgom pa seng ge skyabs, 1179-1250); Chim Loten Nyamme (mchims blo brtan mnyam med, d.u.); Geshe Tashi Gangpa (dge bshes bkra shis sgang pa, d.u.); Drubtob Maṇi Hūṃbar (grub thob ma Ni hUM 'bar, d.u.). Tashi Gangpa transmitted the Avalokiteśvara teachings passed from Jangsem Dawa Gyeltsen (byang sems zla ba rgyal mtshan, d.u). (Source: [https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Chim-Namkha-Drak/2181 Treasury of Lives]) +
Khenchen Tashi Özer was an important figure in the Rimé movement. He served as a khenpo at the monasteries of Paljor and Palpung, the seat of the Tai Situ incarnations. He was a disciple of Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Patrul Rinpoche. When Jamgön Kongtrul wrote his auto-commentary to the Treasury of Knowledge in 1863, Khenchen Tashi Özer acted as his scribe. He was also in the presence of Jamgön Kongtrul when he passed into the samadhi of the clear light dharmakaya in 1899.
After offering the reading transmission for the entire Kangyur to the Fifteenth Karmapa at his seat of Tsurpu, he was rewarded with the fulfillment of any request, and took the opportunity to request that Karsé Kongtrul, the incarnation of Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye who had been born as the Karmapa's son be returned to his home monastery of Palpung. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Khenchen_Tashi_%C3%96zer Rigpa Wiki]) +
N
Niguma was one of two great dakinis who founded the Shangpa Kagyu school of Vajrayana Buddhism.
In the tenth and eleventh centuries, Niguma was one of the most important Buddhist teachers and yoginis in India. While there are only brief glimpses of her life from sources and texts, Sarah Harding’s Niguma: Lady of Illusion surveys what little literature there is surrounding “the heiress of unimaginable qualities.”
Although not much is known about Niguma’s life, her teachings had a significant impact on Buddhism. Alongside the dakini Sukhasiddhi, she is one of two female founders of the Shangpa Kagyu school of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Niguma developed esoteric instructions, treatises, and practice manuals. Within the collection of commentaries in the Tibetan Buddhist canon, called the Tengyur — part of the core of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition — seventeen texts are attributed to Niguma, though they were likely written by her student Khyungpo Naljor. Niguma is said to watch over the holders of the lineage with impartial compassion, blessing them and compassionately overseeing the success of their activity.
Niguma’s birthplace was most likely near Kashmir, a hub of Buddhist tantric activity. She is thought by some to be the sister of Naropa, the famous Vajrayana Buddhist teacher, although others suggest that Niguma was Naropa’s consort. There is often confusion and overlap between the biographical details of Niguma and Naropa’s respective lives and accomplishments.
Although it is difficult to identify the woman behind the mystery of Niguma’s dakini image, Tibetan master Taranatha (1575-1634) wrote a short biography that helps shine light on her story:
The dakini Niguma’s place of birth was the Kashmiri city called “Incomparable.” Her father was the brahmin Santivarman. Her mother was Shrimati. Her real name was Srijnana. She had previously gathered the accumulations for three incalculable eons. Thus, in this life, based on the teachings of the instructions by the adept Lavapa and some others, she manifested the signs of progress in the secret mantra Vajrayana, and attained the body of union. So her body became a rainbow-like form. She had the ability to really hear teachings from the great Vajradhara. Having become a great bodhisattva, her emanations pervaded everywhere and accomplished the welfare of beings.
Harding points out that Niguma’s life story consists of only six folios, while that of her student Khyungpo Naljor consists of forty-three. According to scholars, Niguma had high-level realization, attained rainbow body, and received teachings directly from Vajradhara — the tantric form of Shakyamuni Buddha. It is said that Niguma cultivated the Buddhist path in previous lives, so that in her lifetime she directly saw the truth of the nature of phenomena just by hearing basic instruction from a few adept masters. (Source: Buddhadharma Magazine, Spring 2024)
O
Orgyenpa Rinchen Pel (o rgyan pa rin chen dpal) was born in 1229 or 1230 in Tsang, the son of Won Jopen (dbon jo 'phan) and his wife Duggema (dug ge ma), who gave him the name Sengge Pel (seng ge dpal). His clan was the Gyu (rgyus). In his youth he trained in the Nyingma teachings of Mamo and Vajrakīlaya, and the sarma tantric cycles of Hevajra, Cakrasaṃvara, and Vajrapāṇi. At the age of sixteen he traveled to Bodong E monastery to study foundational Indian commentaries such as the Abhidharmakośa and the Abhidharmasamuccaya, and gaining a reputation as a formidable scholar.
At Golungpu (go lung phu) Orgyenpa met the Drukpa Kagyu ('brug pa bka' brgyud) teacher Gotsangpa Gonpo Dorje (rgod tshang pa mgon po rdo rje, 1189-1258). He offered him a copper pot and a piece of brown sugar, and became his disciple. Gotsangpa gave him Mahāmudrā teachings, and at the age of twenty Orgyenpa took full ordination at Bodong E, receiving the name Rinchen Pel. Bodong Rintse (bo dong rin rtse), Zang Samlingpa (zang bsam gling pa, 1189-1260), and Sonam Ozer (bsod names 'od zer) performed the ceremony.
For the next twelve years Orgyenpa studied Kālacakra, mainly in the traditions of Dro Lotsāwa ('bro lo tsA ba) and Chak Lotsāwa (chag lo tsA ba), and the major Kagyu doctrines with Gotsangpa. When Orgyenpa made his intention to travel to Shambhala known to Gotsangpa, Gotsangpa told him that he lacked the karmic propensity to do so, and guided him towards Oḍḍiyāna instead. Gotsangpa himself had traveled in the region, making a pilgrimage to Jalandhara, in the Ladakh region.
Orgyenpa traveled to Oḍḍiyāna via Kailash and Ladakh, suffering several nasty encounters with marauding Mongolian horsemen and experiencing visions of Vajravārāhī. Arriving Kashmir he escaped an attempt by the king to murder him. Returning to Tibet he found his teacher had passed away, he quickly put together a group of pilgrims to Bodh Gaya. According to the Blue Annals, in India he attained miraculous healing powers.
Returning to Tibet, he travelled through U and Yoru (g.yo ru) curing disease and subjugating demons. He was summoned to Mongolia to appear before Qubilai, on whom he bestowed a Kālacakra initiation, returning to Tibet despite the entreaties of the Emperor. While on that journey he encountered Karma Pakshi (kar ma pak shi, 1204-1283), the Second Karmapa, and became a disciple.
Orgyenpa served as an important early teacher to the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (karma pa 03 rang byung rdo rje, 1284-1339), and is often credited with identifying him as the reincarnation of Karma Pakshi, and giving him his name.
Orgyenpa passed away at the age of eighty, leaving numerous disciples in the Drukpa and Karma Kagyu traditions, who spread the “approach and accomplishment of the three vajras,” (rdo rje gsum gyi bsnyen sgrub), better known as the Orgyen Nyendrub (o rgyan bsnyen sgrub).
([https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Orgyenpa-Rinchen-Pel/2733 Source Accessed December 13, 2019])
R
Patriarch of the Kagyu lineage. The so-called "moon-like“ disciple and foremost heart son of Milarepa. He met Milarepa at the age of eleven and spent many years studying and practising under the guidance of his master. He was a Repa (ras pa) like Milarepa, unlike Gampopa, who was a fully ordained monk. At one time he even was married to a local princess for a while, before taking to the homeless life of a wandering yogin again. Rechungpa travelled to India three times and obtained teachings and transmissions which Marpa had not managed to receive in his time. In fact he was prophecied by Naropa, who said to Marpa that a descendant of his lineage would eventually come to receive more instructions on certain teachings.... (continue reading on [https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Rechungpa RYWiki]) +
