Rigdzin Gödem (
Tib. རིག་འཛིན་རྒོད་ལྡེམ།, ''rig 'dzin rgod ldem,'' 1337–1409)''.'' also known as Rigdzin Gokyi Demtru Chen and Ngodrub Gyaltsen, was a major
Nyingma
Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and transl ...
tertön
Tertön () is a term within Tibetan Buddhism meaning a person who is a discoverer of ancient hidden texts or '' terma''. Many tertöns are considered to be incarnations of the twenty five main disciples of Padmasambhava ( Guru Rinpoche), who fores ...
(a revealer of treasure texts in
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
). He revealed an important cycle of
termas called the "Northern Treasures" or ''byanggter'' (because they were found north of the
Yarlung Valley
The Yarlung Valley is formed by Yarlung Chu, a tributary of the Tsangpo River in the Shannan Prefecture in the Tibet region of China. It refers especially to the district where Yarlung Chu joins with the Chongye River, and broadens out into a la ...
).
His revelation include the important ''Pellucid Transcendent State of Samantabhadra'' (''Kun tu bzang po’i dgongs pa zang thal''), commonly known as the ''Gongpa Zangthal.''
[Katarina Turpeinen, ''“Luminous visions and liberatory amulets in Rig ’dzin rGod ldem’s Great Perfection anthology”'', Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 50, June 2019, pp. 132-149] The ''Gongpa Zangthal'' was revealed in 1366 in the
Tsang province and contains teachings on
tantra
Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian ...
and
Dzogchen.
Gödem's revelations also include the famous ''Prayer of Samantabhadra'' (''Kun bzang smon lam'').
According to Malcolm Smith, The ''Pellucid Transcendent State of Samantabhadra'' is one of the most important
Menngagde
In Tibetan Buddhism and Bon, Menngagde (, sa, upadeśavarga), is the name of one of three scriptural and lineage divisions within Dzogchen (''Great Perfection'' ).
Dzogchen is itself the pinnacle of the ninefold division of practice according ...
collections.
[Smith, Malcolm (2016). ''Buddhahood in This Life: The Great Commentary by Vimalamitra,'' Simon and Schuster, Introduction.] According to the Dalai Lama, "the main seat and source of this tradition is the monastery of Thubten
Dorje Drak
Dorjidak Gompa ( "Indestructible Rock Vihara") or Tupten Dorjidak Dorjé Drak Éwam Chokgar () is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and one of the Nyingma school's
"Six Mother Monasteries" in Tibet. It is located in the Lhoka (Shannan) Prefecture ...
, built in 1632, by the third Rigdzin Chenmo Ngak gi Wangpo."
[The 4thDalai Lama (2020). ''Dzogchen: Heart Essence of the Great Perfection'', p. 203. Shambhala Publications.]
References
1337 births
1409 deaths
Nyingma lamas
Tertöns
14th-century lamas
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