Background Information about the Kunzang Zhitro - 100 Peaceful and Wrathful Deities (42 peaceful & 58 wrathful) empowerment

Dzogchen is a supreme ancient natural spiritual tradition of the “primordial state” or natural condition of the universe. The originates from the primordial Buddha and was passed to , Garab Dorje and Guru . The meaning of the word Dzogchen is “total perfection” and refers to the inherent natural state of all beings, free from conditioning and limitation. This tradition has been passed on directly in an unbroken descent from master to student since its beginnings.

Dzogchen Kunzang Zhitro text is from the 8th century. It was hidden by Guru Padmasambhava as a (treasure) at Samye Chimpu chorten in Tibet. In the 15th century Pema Lingpa found this treasure. He gave the empowerment and transmission blessing in public. Pema Lingpa had been to Zangdok Palri (Copper Coloured Mountain Heaven of Guru Padmasambhava) many times to receive empowerments and instruction in his lifetime. A copy of the text in a short version by HIs Holiness Gangteng , is available at cost price.

The empowerment is a strong blessing that is -energy and dharma-wisdom, combined, and permission to practice. The blessing comes through an unbroken lineage that goes back to Padmasambhava, Garab Dorje Vajrasattva and Primordial Buddha Samantabhadra.

We have two lineages: the long lineage and the short. The long lineage goes back to Second Buddha Guru Padmasambhava, Khandro , Princess Pemasel and Drimed Ozer . The short one is Guru Padmasambhava and Pema Lingpa. This lineage comes from the visits of Pema Lingpa to Zangtok Palri. This is a pure unbroken lineage. Pema Lingpa, in the fall of 1477 C.E. at age 27, while out walking, got tired and fell into a trance. He was offered a letter by Guru Padmasambhava from the Zangdok Palri. When Pema Lingpa awoke from the trance he was holding a letter from Padmasambhava, with the instruction to look at it carefully, it telling him to go to the Long Nose Cliff in Bumthang, now called Mebartso, along with five friends on the night of the next full moon. This first treasure found consisted of the text of the Longsel Sangwa Nyingchu concealed in a chest. In addition to the teaching, there was a letter of prophecy that he would find 108 termas in total.

If one does the practice perfectly, liberation is possible in one lifetime. A rainbow wisdom-body is attainable. For everyone the seed of liberation is planted. For this lifetime sickness and obscuration becomes less and positive things that we want will happen. We will be reborn in a bright, colourful and powerful place.

HIs Holiness Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche, a great Dzogchen master, the ninth Gangteng Tulku, is the holder of the Pema Lingpa tradition. He is the abbot of Gangteng Monastery known in as the Second Glorious Copper Coloured Mountain. The second Gangteng Tulku, Tenzin Legpai Döndrup (1645 -1727), who re-built the Gangteng Monastery to its present size, predicted that the ninth Gangteng Tulku would also rebuild the Gangteng Monastery and he would live more than 80 years. The monastery was rebuilt from 2002 to 2008. In 1955, Kunzang Pema Namgyal, was born near Trongsa, central Bhutan At the time of his birth in the morning, rainbows were seen. Subsequently, he was recognized as the ninth successive Body Emanation of Pema Lingpa by His Holiness the l6th , Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, by His Holiness Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, by His Holiness , and other masters of . Rinpoche is now in charge of 40 institutions: monasteries, shedras (monastic university) and retreat places in Bhutan. We have been requesting Rinpoche to visit us for 5 years but he has not had the time until now to accept.