Tenga Rinpoche (1932 – 30 March 2012) was a
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
an teacher (
lama
Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...
) in the
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mon ...
tradition.
[Short Biography of the Tenga Rinpoche](_blank)
Born in
Kham
Kham (; )
is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The original residents of Kham are called Khampas (), and were governed locally by chieftains and monasteries. Kham ...
in 1932,
Tenga Rinpoche was recognized as a
reincarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...
of Lama Samten
[Tenga Rinpoche](_blank)
at the age of seven.
As he grew older, he studied at
Benchen Monastery Benchen Monastery is the name of two Buddhist temples. The original Benchen Monastery in Tibet was destroyed by the Chinese Army in 1959. It later began to be reconstructed by the surviving sangha in the 1980s. The second Benchen monastery in Kathm ...
and was eventually
given the name Karma Tenzin Thinle Namgyal from
Situ Rinpoche.
Soon after, he was given ordination by Situ Rinpoche and entered a three-year retreat.
He was an expert in mandala painting and sculpture.
In 1959, Tenga Rinpoche left Benchen for
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
. After the
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...
left Tibet in relation with the
1959 Tibetan uprising
The 1959 Tibetan uprising (also known by other names) began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the People's Republic of China since the Seventeen Point Agreemen ...
, he escaped with
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Tashi Paljor, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche () (c. 1910 – 28 September 1991) was a Vajrayana master, scholar, poet, teacher, and recognized by Buddhists as one of the greatest realized masters. Head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism from 198 ...
, and the brother of Dilgo Khyentse, the 9th
Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche.
[Tenga Rinpoche]
Visions in Exile
p. 193-197, in ''Brilliant Moon: The Autobiography of Dilgo Khyentse'' He then eventually traveled to northern India.
In India, he settled at
Rumtek Monastery
Rumtek Monastery (), also called the Dharma Chakra Centre, is a gompa located in the Indian state of Sikkim near the capital Gangtok. It is the seat-in-exile of the Gyalwang Karmapa, inaugurated in 1966 by the 16th Karmapa. It is also a focal p ...
, the main seat of
the 16th Karmapa.
Tenga Rinpoche served the 16th Karmapa for seventeen years,
nine of those years in the position of
Dorje Lopön.
In 1976 Tenga Rinpoche settled in
Swayambhunath
Swayambhu (Devanagari: स्वयम्भू स्तूप; new, स्वयंभू; sometimes Swayambu or Swoyambhu) is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. The Tibetan name for the ...
,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, where he founded a second Benchen Monastery and a retreat center in
Pharping
Pharping (or Phamting) is a small Newar town lying above the Bagmati river on the southern edge of the Kathmandu valley, about 23 km from the capital. It is now part of the Dakshinkali Municipality.
The town and its environs is the site of sev ...
.
In 1986, Tenga Rinpoche established the new
Benchen Monastery Benchen Monastery is the name of two Buddhist temples. The original Benchen Monastery in Tibet was destroyed by the Chinese Army in 1959. It later began to be reconstructed by the surviving sangha in the 1980s. The second Benchen monastery in Kathm ...
in
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
.
He visited France regularly, giving teachings at
Kagyu-Dzong
The Kagyu-Dzong center is a Buddhist center in Paris, affiliated to the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. This center is linked to the 17th Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje.
History
It is situated in a temple of Tibetan and Bhutanese style ...
in Paris and
Vajradhara-Ling
Vajradhara-Ling is a center affiliated to the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism located in France in Normandy near the city of Lisieux.
History of the centre
Vajradhara-Ling is connected to Kagyu-Dzong in Paris, and both centers are linke ...
in Normandy. On 21 September 2003, he laid the
cornerstone
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over time ...
of the
Temple for Peace
The Temple for Peace ( French: ''Temple pour la Paix'') is a construction project of the congregation Vajradhara-Ling in Normandy to promote world peace. The cornerstone was laid in 2003 and construction started in 2010. This Temple will be built ...
in Normandy.
On 30 March 2012, at 3:24 in the morning Nepali time, Tenga Rinpoche died.
Nyima Döndrup, the yangsi (reincarnation) of the previous Tenga Rinpoche was born 14 December 2014 in Nepal. He was discovered in 2017 following the indications of the
17th Karmapa who met him on 21 March 2017 in
Bodhgaya
Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment ( pi, ...
for a ceremony at Tergar Monastery.
An Amazing Story: Finding the Reincarnation of Tenga Rinpoche
/ref>
Bibliography
* ''Cho: The Garden of All Joy and Generosity of the Body'', trans. Yeshe Gyamtso, Peter O'Hearn, ed. Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Charitable Trust, 2007, ,
* ''Transition and Liberation: Explanations of Meditation in the Bardo'', trans. Alex Wilding, Susanne Schefczyk, ed. Lorenz Dobrot Khampa-Buchverlag, 1999, ,
* ''Gampopa's Mahamudra: The Five-part Mahamudra Practice Taught to Phagmo Drupa by Gampopa'', Sgam-po-pa, Phag-mo-gru-pa Rdo-rje-rgyal-po, ed. Padma Karpo Translation Committee, 2008, ,
Visions in Exile
p. 193-197, in ''Brilliant Moon: The Autobiography of Dilgo Khyentse'', Dilgo Khyentse
Tashi Paljor, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche () (c. 1910 – 28 September 1991) was a Vajrayana master, scholar, poet, teacher, and recognized by Buddhists as one of the greatest realized masters. Head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism from 198 ...
, Sogyal Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse, Ani Jinba Palmo, Dalai Lama
* ''Mahamudra kagyu tradition 10/13/91'', New York : ARC Audio-Video,
References
External links
Brief biography
Web site of Tenga Rinpoche
;Video
Tenga Rinpoche
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tenga Rinpoche
1932 births
2012 deaths
Karma Kagyu lamas
Rinpoches
Tibetan painters
Buddhist artists