Biographies

The First Drubwang Pedma Norbu Rinpoche

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The Third Throneholder

The First Drubwang Pedma Norbu Rinpoche

(1679 – 1757)

The birth of the first Drubwang Pedma Norbu Rinpoche as an emanation of the great Pandit Vimalamitra and the Vidyadhara Terton Jatson Nyingpo was prophesied in Terton Jatson Nyingpo’s Ma-ning revelation. He was born in Chagril near the town of Ahchog in the eleventh rabjung year of the Earth Sheep (1679).

From his root guru Pema Lhundrub Gyatso, he received all the transmissions and practices belonging to the Palyul lineage. Due to his success in attaining accomplishment in all the teaching he received, he was given the title “Drubwang” which means the Powerful Lord of Accomplishment. When Drubwang Pedma Norbu performed the Lama Cham of Vajrakilaya from the Sakya tradition at the palace of Tenpa Tsering, the Dharma King of Dege, the audience was astonished to notice his feet did not appear to touch the ground. At the age of seventy-nine, the first Drubwang Pedma Norbu Rinpoche dissolved his mind into the pure sphere of truth. His body was reverently preserved inside a wooden stupa, which was assembled within the private chamber of his residence, and there he remained.

Courtesy of Pathgate Institute of Buddhist Studies

The Second Throneholder

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The Second Throne Holder
Pedma Lhundrub Gyatso
(1660 – 1727)

Pedma Lhundrub Gyatso was born in the province of Do Kham in a place known as Seng-gang in the eleven rabjung year of the Iron Rat (1660). His birth was prophesied in Terton Duddul Lingpa’s Vajrakilaya Terma as the reincarnation of Sogpo Lhapal, one of the twenty-five disciples of Guru Rinpoche.

From the age of eight, Lhundrub Gyatso started receiving all the Nam Chö empowerments, transmissions and secret instructions from Vidyahara Migyur Dorje [who lived at Mugsang Monastery]. At age sixteen, he went to the Palyul Monastery to receive more profound instructions on personal attainment from his uncle, the Vidyadhara Kunzang Sherab. By the time he was twenty-five, he came into direct experience with the true nature of mind. Under the continued guidance of his uncle, Kunzang Sherab, who transmitted to him the Secret Oral Transmission lineage, Lhundrub Gyatso advanced his accomplishment with great enthusiastic perseverance. He took on the responsibility of transmitting the sutra and tantra at the Palyul Monastery after Kunzang Sherab dissolved his body into the pure realm of ultimate truth at the age of sixty-four. When Lhundrub Gyatso was fifty-four years old, he became the second Throne Holder of the Palyul Lineage. Under his charge, propagation of Buddha’s Doctrine flourished in all directions.

At the age of sixty-eight, on the tenth day of Saga Dawa in the year of the Fire Sheep (1727), Pema Lhundrub Gyatso entered into a state of meditative equipoise. Then his body dissolved into the sphere of clear light while loud thunder reverberated and streaks of lightning lit up the sky. During his cremation, rainbows like treasure vases and wish-granting trees appeared in the sky and the images of deities could be seen clearly in the smoke. Many precious bone relics were found in the ashes.

Reference: Pathgate Institute of Buddhist Studies

Vidyadhara Kunzang Sherab

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The First Throne Holder
Vidhyadhara Kunzang Sherab
(1636 – 1699)

Kunzang Sherab was born in the province of Do-Kham in the region of Bubor on the eleventh rabjung year of the Fire Rat (1636 A.D.). He showed great capacity of compassion as a small child and would not cause harm to even the smallest creature under any circumstances. His connection to Dharma was so strong that he could memorize a great score of prayers at a tender age. With enthusiastic effort, he applied himself diligently in his practice and in the process actualized realization of the instruction he received and showed signs of accomplishment in his practice.

A new monastery was built by King Lhachen Jampa Phuntsog (King of Dege Kingdom) and Trichen Sangye Tanpa near the ruins of a previously existing monastery. They invited Kunzang Sherab to serve as the Head of the new Palyul Monastery and later it was named Palyul Namgyal Chanchub Chöling. Encouraged by his guru, Terton Migyur Dorje to fulfill prophecies by Guru Padmasambhava, Kunzang Sherab, at the age of thirty, assumed the position as Head of the Palyul Monastery on the eleventh rabjung year of the Wood Snake (1665 A.D.).

Through skilful means and compassion, he guided many sentient beings towards the path of Dharma and nurtured a great number of disciples who displayed signs of success in their practices. Several even attained the rainbow body.

On the fifth day of the first month of the year of Earth Rabbit (1699 A.D.), Kunzang Sherab dissolved his body into the pure realm of ultimate truth at the age of sixty-four. Although it was the coldest month of the year at the time of his passing, the weather suddenly became very warm and spring-like. Shoots sprouted and buds flowered out of season. When his disciples and monks from the monastery performed offering prayers in his honor, many experienced an extended period of clear light awareness. During the subsequent cremation ceremony, clouds of auspicious signs and rainbows filled the sky. The bone relics at the completion of the cremation included the skull embossed with the syllable AH. These relics together with the Longsal Terma of Avalokiteshvara were placed inside a Stupa erected in honor of the Great Vidhyadhara.

Reference:  Pathgate Institute of Buddhist Studies

Kunzang Sherab’s current incarnation is Ven. Gyaltrul Rinpoche.

Genyenma Ahkön Lhamo, sister of Kunzang Sherab, while not a throne-holder, was a great practitioner, who accomplished her practice to completion. She was instrumental in helping her brother stabilize the Palyul Lineage. She was also a heart student of Terton Migyur Dorje and it is said that there were so many nuns who followed her that the hills of that region still bear the name of “Drongmar Teng” (the red knoll village). At the time of her death her entire kapala (skull) flew out of the funeral pyre and landed on the seat of the throne of Kunzang Sherab. Emblazoned in the kapala were the Tibetan symbols of the sublime original nature – and there was an “AH” at the very crown. This kapala was kept in the monastery and used during special ceremonies, like Drubchen, by the successive throne holders. It was considered one of the most sacred relics. While still in Tibet, H.H. Penor Rinpoche used to meditate on the kapala, making prayers to meet this Dakini if she were in the world today. He later found her in America. A piece of this skull relic resides at KPC, a gift of H.H. Penor Rinpoche to Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo, who His Holiness recognized, and enthroned as a Palyul Lineage holder, as the reincarnation of Genyenma Ahkön Lhamo.

Terton Ratna Lingpa

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Langdro Lotsawa returned to Trushul in Lhodrak,
You revealed the profound treasury of the four Kharchu Communions
Amongst your twenty-five treasures, your activity touching us all:
Homage to Chogyel Ratna Lingpa.

Ratna Lingpa 1403-1478/79. A reincarnation of Könchok Jungney of Langdro, he was born August 2nd 1403 to Dode Tar and his mother Sitar Men. At a very young age this great emanated master began having visions of Guru Pedma Jungnay and at the age of 27 received his first inventory cache directly from the great Guru himself. By 30 he extracted his first treasure cache and went on to discover 25 cycles of hidden treasures.

Of the many writings attributed to Terton Ratna Lingpa, the most well-known is the Nyingma Gyüdbum – A collection of scriptures belonging to the Three Inner Tantras, gathered by Ratna Lingpa and re-edited by Jigme Lingpa. Others include Dzepa Chuchig – The Eleven Deeds of Padmasambhava, and Sangye Lakchang – Placing Enlightenment in the Palm of the Hand.

Within Palyul, Terton Ratna Lingpa’s most practiced terma is that of Phurpa Yangsang Lame -The Most Secret and Unsurpassable Dagger. This is more commonly known as Ratna Lingpa Phurba (Vajrakilaya). Others include: Tukdrub Yangdü; Tukdrub Yangnying Dupa; Tsasum Drebu Dontri – Essential Instructions for the Accomplishment of the Three Roots; Yidam Tsasum Drildrub; Tsedrub Sangwa Dupa, and others.

Reference:  Wikipedia

The Great Terton

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Vidhyadhara Migyur Dorje
(1645 – 1667)

The Great Terton (Treasure Revealer), Migyur Dorje was born in Nhom Tod Rola in the province of Kham in Eastern Tibet on the seventh day of the ninth month of the Wood Bird Year (1645). Just as Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, he was born without harming his mother or causing her even the slightest bit of pain. His right hand was marked by an extraordinary blue mole, symbolizing the single-essential nature of the Dharmakaya (The Body of the Ultimate Truth).

As a small child, he enjoyed using his hands to perform mudras (Dharma hand gestures) and carried out secret yogic exercises by himself. As soon as he could speak, he told others that he was a lama of the Kathog tradition and was able to give detailed description of his previous life at the Kathog Monastery.

During his childhood, he had many visions of Great Masters. One day he had a vision of Guru Loden Chogsed, one of the eight manifestations of Padmasambhava, and through gesture transmission, he understood how to read and write. When he was seven years old, in a state of pure vision, many Primordial Wisdom Dakinis told him of the importance of relying upon a guru. Instantly, without any obscuration he had a vision of the great scholar and siddha, Raga Ah Syei (Chagmed Rinpoche), who was in solitary retreat, and an intense desire arose to be in his presence.

When he was ten years old, he met Karma Chagmed Rinpoche in person and received the purification blessing of Nam Jom and Dor Sem, and the transmission of Thug Drub Yang Nying Dupa (Innermost Essence of the Mind Accomplishment). The following year, Migyur Dorje entered into retreat with the Great Mahasiddha, Karma Chagmed Rinpoche. At the retreat, Migyur Dorje received continual visions of Buddha Amitayus, Guru Padmasambhava, Buddha Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara and many other Yidams (Meditational Deities). From each of the Yidams, Migyur Dorje received many specific empowerments and transmissions. These he compiled into thirteen volumes called Nam Chö (Space Treasures) and practiced with single-pointed focus until he attained the full accomplishment of each of these treasures.

Although Terton Migyur Dorje was destined to reveal earth termas, the merit of sentient beings was deficient and it was due to this that his presence in this world was cut short. In 1667, the year of the Fire Sheep, he was in his twenty-third year and while staying in a sacred place in Mugsang, he began to show signs of illness. As the third month approached, his illness grew worse and he was forced to stop giving all dharma transmissions. On the eleventh day, he prayed to the meditational deities and offered many dedication prayers. On the fourteenth day, he had a vision of all eight Herukas and their accomplishment mandalas. On the morning of the fifteenth day, he beheld the three root-peaceful and wrathful assemblies of deities and assuming the vajra posture he entered into meditative equipoise. On the evening of the sixteenth day, while counting mantras on his prayers beads, he passed into the empty sphere of truth and remained sitting upright in meditative equipoise for three days.

At the cremation, rainbows in the shape of pitched tents appeared in the sky. The heart and tongue of Migyur Dorje were undamaged by the fire. These, together with the bone relics embossed with vowels and consonants of the Tibetan language were placed inside golden Stupas, which served as objects of refuge revered by devotees to this day.

Reference:  Pathgate Institute of Buddhist Studies

Palyul Nyingma Institute, Singapore

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