''
Geshe
Geshe (Tib. ''dge bshes'', short for ''dge-ba'i bshes-gnyen'', "virtuous friend"; translation of Skt. ''kalyāņamitra'') or geshema is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks and nuns. The degree is emphasized primarily by the Gelug lineage, ...
y'' Gendün Rinchen (, 1926–1997) was the 69th
Je Khenpo
The Je Khenpo (; "The Chief Abbot of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan"), formerly called the ''Dharma Raja'' by orientalists, is the title given to the senior religious hierarch of Bhutan. His primary duty is to lead the Dratshang Lhentshog ...
of
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
.
Biography
Gendün Rinchen was born in a small cave by the side of the path to
Paro Tagtsang, so as a child he was nicknamed ''"Dragphugpa"'' (Cave Man).
He was the eldest son born to Kinzang Dorji and Tashi Chokey. He has two other brothers namely Ugyen Tshering (full-brother) and Phup Dorji (half-brother, born to Tashi Chokey and Tazi, her second husband, after the death of Kinzang Dorji).
At a young age he showed great interest in the Buddhist religion and at seven he received novice ordination at
Tashichö Dzong in
Thimphu
Thimphu (; dz, ཐིམ་ཕུག ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan, and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's ''dzongkhags'', the Thimphu District. The ancient ...
and was given the name Gendün Rinchen.
When he was twenty-seven he travelled to Lhodrak Lhalung, center of the tradition of
Padma Lingpa in Southern Tibet. There he studied the Thirteen great texts of Mahayana Buddhist Philosophy from Khatok Khen Rinpoche. At the age of twenty-nine he went to
Drigung in Central Tibet where he studied classical Tibetan orthography, grammar and poetry; the works of
Mipham Rinpoche and
Khenpo Shenga
Khenpo Shenga Rinpoche, also Shenpen Chökyi Nangwa (1871–1927) was a Tibetan scholar in the Nyingma and Sakya traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
Life
Khenpo Shenga he undertook religious study at a relatively young age under the tutelage of Önpo ...
and received many tantric teachings including those on the ''
Mañjuśrīnāmasamgīti
The ''Mañjuśrī-Nāma-Saṃgīti'' () (hereafter, ''Nama-samgiti'') is considered amongst the most advanced teachings given by the Shakyamuni Buddha. It represents the pinnacle of all Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings, being a tantra of the nondual ...
''. Afterwards he went to
Samye Monastery
Samye (, ), full name Samye Mighur Lhundrub Tsula Khang (Wylie: ''Bsam yas mi ’gyur lhun grub gtsug lag khang'') and Shrine of Unchanging Spontaneous Presence is the first Tibetan Buddhist and Nyingma monastery built in Tibet, during the reign ...
where he received the empowerments and instructions of the ''
Rinchen Terdzö''; the ''Nyingthig'' and
Longchenpa's ''Dzödun'' from
Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje
Kyabje Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje (, THL ''Düjom Jikdrel Yéshé Dorjé'') was known as Terchen Drodül Lingpa and as Dudjom Rinpoche (10 June 1904 – 17 January 1987). He is considered by many Tibetan Buddhists to be from a line of importan ...
.
After returning to Bhutan, he entered a three-year meditation retreat at the
Tagsang Palphug hermitage, which was followed by another three year retreat he entered when he was forty at Kungachöling in
Paro. From Lopon Sonam Zangpo, a disciple of Drubwang Shakya Shri, he received teachings on the
Six Yogas of Naropa
The Six Dharmas of Nāropa (, Skt. ''ṣaḍdharma'', "Naro's six doctrines" or "six teachings"), are a set of advanced Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices compiled by the Indian mahasiddhas Tilopa and Nāropa (1016-1100 CE) and passed on to the ...
,
Mahāmudrā
Mahāmudrā (Sanskrit: महामुद्रा, , contraction of ) literally means "great seal" or "great imprint" and refers to the fact that "all phenomena inevitably are stamped by the fact of wisdom and emptiness inseparable". Mahāmudr ...
, and so on.
For ten years he was the abbot of
Tango Monastery
The Tango Monastery is a Buddhist monastery located to the north of the capital city of Thimphu in Bhutan, near Cheri Mountain. It was founded by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo (1184? - 1251?) in the 13th century and built in its present form by Tenzin Rab ...
where he wrote many commentaries on Buddhist philosophy, sutra and tantra.
In 1990 he was enthroned as the 69th Je Khenpo of Bhutan and subsequently travelled throughout the country giving religious teachings. At the age of 61 he resigned from the post of Je Khenpo and retired to a life of prayer and meditation at Jangchub Ding in Yangchenphug. In 1997, on the ninth day of the third month according to the Bhutanese calendar, he died sitting in a straight meditation posture. It is reported that his body remained sitting thus for more than a week or eleven days during which time his body remained flexible and showed no signs of decay.
[
]
His physical remains are now preserved in a gold and silver reliquary
stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
in the ''Shabdrung'' Chapel of
Tashichö Dzong, Thimphu.
Works
The Collected Works of Gendün Rinchenpublished in 6 volumes, include:
* ''lho 'brug chos 'byung'' - A detailed account of the religious history of Bhutan
* ''dpal 'brug pa rin po che mthu chen chos kyi rgyal po ngag dbang rnam rgyal gyi rnam thar rgya mtso'i snying po'' - A biography of
Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651)
* ''kyai rdor rgyud kyi tshig don rnam bshad'' - a commentary on the
Hevajra Tantra
Hevajra (Tibetan: kye'i rdo rje / kye rdo rje; Chinese: 喜金剛 Xǐ jīngāng /
呼金剛 Hū jīngāng;) is one of the main yidams (enlightened beings) in Tantric, or Vajrayana Buddhism. Hevajra's consort is Nairātmyā (Tibetan: bdag med ...
based on the exegesis of the Ngok tradition.
* brug pa kun legs kyi rnam thar rgya mtsho'i snying po mthong ba don ldan'' - A hagiography of the holy madman
Drukpa Kunley
Drukpa Kunley (1455–1529), also known as Kunga Legpai Zangpo, Drukpa Kunleg (), and Kunga Legpa, the Madman of the Dragon Lineage (), was a Buddhist monk and missionary in the Tibetan Mahamudra tradition, as well as a famous poet, and i ...
(1455-1529). This has been translated into English by Keith Dowman and published as ''The Divine Madman: The Sublime Life and Songs of Drukpa Kunley''.
Honours
* :
**
The Royal Saffron Scarf (1990).
References
Sources
*
External links
TBRC profile of Geshe Gendün RinchenAn account of Gendün Rinpoche's death by Matteo PistonoGendün Rinchen- at Rigpa Shedra Wiki
''dge 'dun rin chen gyi rnam thar mA li ka'i do shal''- A biography of Gendün Rinchen in verse (Tibetan language) by Lopön Tshering ''(slob dpon tshe ring)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rinchen, Geshe Gendun
Tibetan Buddhists from Bhutan
Bhutanese lamas
Bhutanese Buddhist monks
Drukpa Kagyu lamas
1997 deaths
1926 births
20th-century lamas
People from Paro District
20th-century Buddhist monks