Tibet Oral History Project Interview #24C – T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche November 14, 2014 The Tibet Oral History Project serves as a repository for the memories, testimonies and opinions of elderly Tibetan refugees. The oral history process records the words spoken by interviewees in response to questions from an interviewer. The interviewees’ statements should not be considered verified or complete accounts of events and the Tibet Oral History Project expressly disclaims any liability for the inaccuracy of any information provided by the interviewees. The interviewees’ statements do not necessarily represent the views of the Tibet Oral History Project or any of its officers, contractors or volunteers. This translation and transcript is provided for individual research purposes only. For all other uses, including publication, reproduction and quotation beyond fair use, permission must be obtained in writing from: Tibet Oral History Project, P.O. Box 6464, Moraga, CA 94570-6464, United States. Copyright © 2015 Tibet Oral History Project. TIBET ORAL HISTORY PROJECT www.TibetOralHistory.org INTERVIEW SUMMARY SHEET 1. Interview Number: #24C 2. Interviewee: T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche 3. Age: 80 4. Date of Birth: 1933 5. Sex: Male 6. Birthplace: Thinkar 7. Province: Dhotoe (Kham) 8. Year of leaving Tibet: 1953 9. Date of Interview: November 14, 2014 10. Place of Interview: Private home, Seattle, Washington, USA 11. Length of Interview: 1 hr 12 min 12. Interviewer: Marcella Adamski 13. Interpreter: Tenzin Sherab 14. Videographer: Tony Sondag 15. Translator: Tenzin Yangchen Biographical Information: Tenpe Gyaltsen Dhongthog Rinpoche was born in Thinkar Village in Kham Province and was the eldest of five siblings. His was a farming family that earned their livelihood cultivating barley, wheat and peas in their fields. He joined the Dhongthog Rigdrol Phuntsog Ling Monastery at the age of 7 when he was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous Dhongthog Rinpoche. At age 13, T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche joined the Ngor Institute where he took his monk’s vows and received teachings from lamas. He was first taught reading and writing, then learned many Buddhist scriptures. T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche went on a pilgrimage to India to visit the sacred Buddhist sites like Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, and Varanasi. However, on his return journey he did not travel beyond Lhasa after he was informed that the Communist Chinese had arrived in his hometown and were mistreating the Tibetan people. He soon decided to return to India. T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche talks about his education in India where he learned English and Hindi. He then compiled the first Tibetan-English dictionary. He relates the various translation works he carried out and books he has written including his autobiography. He worked for the Tibet House, Delhi and the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala. Topics Discussed: Kham, monastic life, pilgrimage, education, life as a refugee in India. TIBET ORAL HISTORY PROJECT www.TibetOralHistory.org Interview #24C Interviewee: T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche Age: 80, Sex: Male Interviewer: Marcella Adamski Interview Date: November 14, 2014 Question: Please tell us your name. 00:00:11 Interviewee #24C: The name is Tenpe Gyaltsen Dhongthog. Q: His Holiness the Dalai Lama asked us to record your experiences, so that we can share your memories with many generations of Tibetans, the Chinese and the rest of the world. Your memories will help us to document the true history, culture and beliefs of the Tibetan people. Do you give your permission for the Tibet Oral History Project to use this interview? #24C: Yes. Q: Thank you for offering to share your story with us. #24C: Okay. Q: During this interview if you wish to take a break or stop at any time, please let me know. If you do not wish to answer a question or talk about something, let me know. #24C: Okay. Q: If this interview was shown in Tibet or China, would this be a problem for you? #24C: What? Q: If the video of this interview is seen by people in Tibet or China, would this be a problem for you? 00:02:24 #24C: What is it about China and Tibet? Q: If they see it, would this be a problem for you? #24C: What? Q: Would it cause you harm? Tibet Oral History Project Interview #24C – T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche 1 #24C: Would it cause harm? Q: Yes. #24C: Were [I] to go now? Q: No. You are being video graphed for this interview. After everything’s complete and should people living in Tibet or China see this, would it be a problem for you? #24C: It will not be. Q: Rinpoche, can you please tell us where you were born? #24C: What? Q: In which part of Tibet were [you] born? #24C: [I] was born in Kham. Q: What village in Kham and what was the nearest monastery? 00:03:26 #24C: The place in Kham where I was born is called Thinkar. [I] was born in the village of Thinkar. Q: Which is the nearest monastery? #24C: Monastery? Q: Yes. #24C: Khanur Monastery is the nearest from my village. Khanur Monastery is the nearest. Q: What was the province? #24C: What? Q: What was the province? #24C: What? Q: Under which province does it come? #24C: The province in Kham…the province is Kham. Q: Which province in Kham? Tibet Oral History Project Interview #24C – T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche 2 #24C: Province? Q: Which province? #24C: Should one say the province is China? Q: What was the name of the province when [you] were in Tibet? #24C: The province was Kham before the appearance of the Communist Chinese. Q: Is it Kham? #24C: Yes. Q: Rinpoche, what year were you born? 00:04:34 #24C: The year was 1993. Q: It isn’t. In which year were you born? #24C: The year I was born? Q: Yes. #24C: Yes, it’s 1993. Q: 1933? How old are you now, Rinpoche? #24C: Presently? Q: Yes. #24C: Presently am 82 years old. Q: Eighty-two. You’re 82 and what calendar, Tibetan calendar year were you born in? #24C: In the year of the water bird. Q: Water bird, okay. Can you tell us what did your parents do for a livelihood in Tibet? #24C: Farmers, [they] worked in the fields. Q: What kind of things did your family grow? #24C: [They] grew barley, wheat and peas in the fields. Tibet Oral History Project Interview #24C – T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche 3 Q: How many children were in your parents’ family? 00:06:23 #24C: We were around five children including me. Q: Can you tell us what are some of your memories as a child growing up in your village? #24C: When I was little [I] joined the monastery at the age of 7, the Dhongthog Monastery. Q: Oh, I see and was that because your parents wanted you to go or was that your wish? #24C: [I] was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous Dhongthog Tulku of Dhongthog Monastery. The father of the present Sakya Trizen recognized [me] as the reincarnation of Dhongthog Tulku. Q: Can you please tell us something about Dhongthog Rinpoche? Who was he? #24C: What? Q: Please say something about Dhongthog Rinpoche. #24C: About Dhongthog Rinpoche? Q: Yes. 00:08:58 #24C: I went to Dasar at the age of 13. The Dasar is Ngor. It is close to Shigatse. [Interpreter interprets as: At age 13 I went to Zongsar Institute for further studies.] #24C: It is to Dasar. [I] went at the age of 13. Q: What’s Dasar? #24C: Dasar means Ngor. Q: Yes, isn’t Ngor the Zongsar Institute? #24C: It isn’t Zongsar Institute. Q: Then? #24C: At age 13 [I] went to Ngor and received teachings from lamas and took the vows. Q: It’s at Ngor Monastery that [you] became a monk? #24C: Yes. Tibet Oral History Project Interview #24C – T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche 4 Q: Rinpoche-la , before you left for the monastery when you were 7, right? Seven? The first time, do you have any memories of your family home? What, like what were some memories you might have being a little child before you went to the monastery? 00:10:29 #24C: [I] do not have anything particular to talk about the family before the age of 7. Q: You said five children in the family? [Interpreter to interviewer]: Yes. Q: Rinpoche-la, where were you in the order? Were you the youngest, the oldest, what order? #24C: I am the oldest. Q: You were the oldest son. When you went to the monastery for the first time at 7, please say the name of that monastery again. #24C: It is called Dhongthog Rigdrol Phuntsog Ling. Q: About how many monks lived at that monastery? #24C: There might have been around 150 monks in the monastery then. Q: Rinpoche, did you have someone who was your teacher or your guide at the monastery, a relative or a friend of the family? #24C: My teacher was called Tsultim Sangpo. Tsultim Sangpo. He was the one that taught reading. Then there was a teacher called Tsenam who taught me to write. Q: Were they very…What kind of a student were you, Rinpoche? #24C: What? Q: What kind of a student were you when you first joined the monastery? 00:13:05 #24C: When [I] joined the monastery? Q: Yes. #24C: The teacher was Tsultim Sangpo when [I] joined the monastery. Q: When you joined the monastery as a little one, what kind of a student were you? Tibet Oral History Project Interview #24C – T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche 5 #24C: Student? Q: Yes.