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THE CHARIOT for TRAVELLING the PATH to FREEDOM the Lama's Life Story Which Nurtures Faith

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THE CHARIOT for TRAVELLING the PATH to FREEDOM the Lama's Life Story Which Nurtures Faith THE CHARIOT FOR TRAVELLING THE PATH TO FREEDOM the lama's life story which nurtures faith ith constant reverence, l bow and pay homage At the lotus feet of my glorious lama. W He is Vajradhara*, the lord encompassing the hundred aspects of enlightenment, Who in a single form unites all sources of refuge without exception, The victonous ones of the ten directions and their sons. In general, one's lot in samsara (1) My father was the noble Mantra-Holder foUows from previous virtuous and evil (8) Lekshe Drayang. His history begins actions. In particular, the experience of with Kagyu Tenzin*, the great master of the precious human form endowed with Tsabtsa Monastery in Kham or Eastern the eighteen kinds of freedom and good Tibet. The spiritual heir of Kagyu Tenzin fortune (2) arises as the result of complete­ was Karma Lhatong*, and he attained ly pure moral conduct-renunciation of natural control of mind and phenomena. the ten non-virtuous actions and cultiva­ His student was Karma Norbu* who was tion of the ten virtuous ones (3). Even also known as Karma Shen pen Ozer. more, to be born the son of religious Through his practice of the orally trans­ parents, to be guided by fuUy capable holy mitted instructions, he attained control teachers, and to immerse oneself in the of mind and phenomena and openly per­ Buddha's teachings which are as vast and formed such physical miracles as flying deep as the ocean-aU come from being and soaring in the sky like ci bird. His stu­ gloriously filled with oceans of the two dent was Ratak Palzang T ulku, the twelfth accumulations of merit and pristine cogni­ incarnation of the incarnation lineage of tion (4) over the course of countless T sona Monastery in the Nyarong district previous aeons. Such is my praiseworthy of Kham. He also received the elixir of the karmic heritage. key instructions of the glorious Shangpa My practice in this life has been to apply Kagyu (9). For many years, he stayed the essential points of the techniques of sealed in caves and, enduring tremen­ development and completion (5) of the dous hardships, practiced the wonderful profound mystic path of mantra and the Shangpa Kagyu cycle of teachings. In two kinds of precious bodhicitta (6) of the short, he planted the royal banner of greater vehicle (7) which develops the practice. With full control of dreams and seeds of spiritual understanding. The con­ illusion-like appearances, he could pass sistent power of coincidence and connec­ without hindrance through the walls of tions graduaUy brought about mastery of his house and could know clearly and these practices. The result has been oceans directly past and future events, such was of splendid benefits for both others and the level of mastery that he had achieved. me, aU of which I now enjoy. In accordance with his prophecy that in The last line of the verse addresses the his next birth he would come as a guard­ prayer to me, Rangjung Kunchab, which ian of the remaining treasure teachings Vajradhara Buàdha means Self-Arisen and AU-Pervading. (10) of the great treasure-finder Yong-ge 28 29 When Rinpoche was in his early twenties, White Tara. ln addition to the five one he supervised the restoration of the Kuhum hundred thousands of the preliminary stupa which had been severely damaged dur­ practices (17), she completed one hundred ing border clashes with Chinese troops. At million recitations of the Vajra Guru* that time, the significance of the name Kubum mantra, two hundred million Mani's (18), (one hundred thousand images) had been for­ one hundred million Amitabha* mantras, gotten, but during the restoration the stupa and one hundred million Vajrasattva* was found to contain, in fact, one hundred mantras. Ever engaged in extensive accu­ different medicinal plants, she sensed that thousand small images. mulations of virtue and purification, she birth would soon take place and returned Dusum Khyenpa \.< With the tremendous intellectual capa­ lefr her body at the age of seventy-eight at to her home. 1 was born upright, feet first, bilities from his training in former lives, Bumthang in Bhutan. amidst wonderful events that were seen by Mingyur Dorje*, he was born in T re-sho Lekshe Drayang became famous even at Portents and conditions favourable to everyone. Above and ail around the Gangi Rawa*, which is one of the four an early age for his learning in the five the union of myparents steadily assembled house brilliant rainbows formed and snow great provinces of the lower part of Do­ tradition al sciences (13) and particularly in even from the time that they were young. feU gently like a rain of flowers. kham, to the family of the first Karmapa, the science of healing. He studied under ln due course, they were married accord­ My mother and relatives described how, Dusum Khyenpa*. Jamgon Lodru Taye the two Jamgon lamas, Jamgon Lodru ing to their wishes. For sorne years they as soon as 1 was born, 1 looked around and (11) identified him as the intention al Taye and Jamgon Khyentse Wangpo*, stayed at a retreat center in the Dzongsho smiled radiantly, showing no fear or shy­ rebirth of Palzang Tulku. As the th ir­ and also under Mipam Nampar Gyalwa*. district called the Gathering Place of the ness, and how 1 spoke about the spread of teenth incarnation, he became a mantra­ From them he received oceans of pro­ Sugatas where they did separate yidam the Kagyu (22) teachings and repeated the holder or lay-practitioner of vajrayana found and extensive instructions includ­ retreats (19). One evening, when they met Six-Syllable Mantra (23). My parents and (12) and was known by the name Karma ing The Five Treasuries (14). Through his to celebrate a profound and elaborate everyone in the region were full of joy, and Lekshe Drayang. exertion in the path of development and tenth-day vajra feast (20), 1 approached my birth was heralded as the birth of a In Rinpoche's home valley is the great completion, he had visions of many my mother's womb. very wonderful incarnation. Kubum stupa. This stupa marks the birth- deities. Simply the mention of his lamas' On this occasion of celebrating the Even as a child, noble virtuous tenden­ ir place of the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. names would cause the hair on his body to tenth-day feast of warriors and dakinis cies stirred within me. NaturaUy and spon­ 1 As a child, Dusum Khyenpa wore a goat- rise and tears to come to his eyes, indica­ (21), my parents dreamt that their noble taneously, 1 wished only to dismiss the j skin while he herded sheep and caule in the tions of his faith in and devotion to them. lama, Jamgon Kongtrul, appeared. He said wealth and enjoyments of an ordinary life i hills. Later, when news of his great spiritual He engaged fully in union and destruction to them, "1 need a place to stay," and and to keep simply to religious practice in attainments filtered back to his homeland, the (15), profound practices of the secret path then merged with them. They also dreamt sorne rocky shelter in the solitude of a goatskin became an object of veneration. It of mantra (16). With the promise and that Orgyen Rinpoche* and his consort mountain valley. \ was the only possession of Dusum Khyenpa prophecy that in his next life he would be actually came from the Copper-Colored 1 had noble innate propensities for com­ which had been kept by his family. The stupa born in the country of Mi-nyak to the east Mountain* along with a throng of war­ passion and devotion. My compassion for \ of Kuhum was constructed in his memory and where he would work impartiaUy for the riors and dakinis. Thus was l conceived sentient beings would move me to tears, l two smaller stupas containing the remains of benefit of aU beings, he lefr his body at the amidst aU these portents. particularly for aIl those afflicted and 1 his parents were huilt on either side. Sub­ age of sixty-eight. This man was my father. During her pregnancy, my mother oppressed by suffering. So, too, would 1 be l il sequent/y, the family home became known as As for my mother, she was devoted to glowed with joy and good health. moved by my faith in and devotion to the \ Rat-tsak Dzong (Goatskin Castle) and the the Dharma from an early age. She had Wonderful dreams of good portent came lamas with whom 1 formed a connection \ family name became Rat-tsak which was later the good fortune to be worthy of partici­ to her continually. She stayed at a hilltop by receiving from them empowerments modified to Ratak, Rinpoche's family name. pating in the Vajra Feast of Noble Dakinis retreat called the Precipice Hermitage. which mature one spiritually and teach­ \ Rinpoche and his father are descendants of the and other ceremonies led by Jamgon One day while she was out gathering ings which en able one to attain liberation family of the first Karmapa. Kongtrul. He gave her the name Little roots, branches, flowers, and fruit from (24). 30 31 Treasury of Mantra (28) and detailed teach­ At the age of sixteen, 1 entered the three­ When Rinpoche was still a child, the fifth the day with meditation, practice, study, ings on the three main authoritative texts year, three-month course (32) of practice Dzokchen Rinpoche, Thubten Chokyi Dorje, and training.
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