Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche (1955–2012) was the ninth incarnation of the Traleg tulku line, a line of high lamas in the

Kagyu The ''Kagyu'' school, also transliterated as ''Kagyü'', or ''Kagyud'' (), which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools (''chos lugs'') of Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. The Kagyu lineag ...

lineage of

Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

. He was a pioneer in bringing

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 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Biography

Traleg Rinpoche was born in 1955 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 ...

(Eastern Tibet), and two years later was recognized by HH 16th Gyalwa Karmapa as the ninth incarnation of the Traleg Tulkus and enthroned as the Abbot of the

Thrangu Monastery Thrangu (or Trangu) Monastery is located about 7 km south of Jyekundo in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai province, China, or the traditional Tibetan cultural region of Kham. Description Prior to the huge earthquake on 1 ...

. He was taken to safety in India during the 1959

Chinese Communist The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

s invasion of Tibet. There he was given a traditional ''

tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor. High-profile examples ...

'' education, supplemented by five years of schooling at Sanskrit University in

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He lived and studied for several years 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 ...

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...

, the main seat in exile of the Kagyu Lineage. He died on July 24, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia.

Teaching in the West

In 1980 Rinpoche transmitted the

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

in Australia where he established Kagyu E-vam Buddhist Institute in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. He relinquished his

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

vows, became a lay teacher and married. He earned a master's degree in Comparative

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

from

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...

. In 1989, he taught extensively at

Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Karma Triyana Dharmachakra is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Woodstock, New York, United States, which serves as the North American seat of the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. It was founded in 1976 by the 16th Gyalwa Kar ...

, visiting the North American affiliates of HH Gyalwa Karmapa. In 2004 he established the Evam Institute in New York in Chatham, NY. He also taught extensively in the Karma Thegsum Choling network of the Karmapa's centers and at

Shambhala Buddhist Shambhala Training is a secular approach to meditation developed by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa and his students. It is based on what Trungpa calls Shambhala Vision, which sees enlightened society as not purely mythical, but as reali ...

centers. His wife, Felicity Lodro, is also an active dharma teacher.

Bibliography

*''Luminous Bliss: self realisation through meditation'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Lothian Books (2003), *''The Benevolent Mind'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Zhi-sil Cho-kyi Gha-Tsal Publications (2003), *''The Essence of Buddhism'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Shambhala (2001), *''Mind at Ease'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Shambhala (2004), *''The Practice of Lojong'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Shambhala (2007), *''The Influence of Yogacara on Mahamudra'', by Traleg Kyabgon, KTD Publications (2010), *''The Ninth Karmapa, Wanchuk Dorje’s Ocean of Certainty'', by Traleg Kyabgon, KTD Publications (2011), *''The Essence of Buddhism: An Introduction to Its Philosophy and Practice'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Shambhala; Reissue edition (2014), *''Karma: What It Is, What It Isn't, Why It Matters'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Shambhala (2015), *''Moonbeams of Mahamudra: The Classic Meditation Manual'', Traleg Kyabgon (translator), Shogam Publications (2016),

References

External links

Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche HomepageThe Evam Institute in New York homepageThe Kagyu E-Vam Institute in MelbourneAn introduction by Khenpo Karthar RinpocheAn Australian Buddhist magazine established by Traleg Rinpoche
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche Lamas Buddhism in Australia Tibetan Buddhists from Tibet Rinpoches 1955 births 2012 deaths Chinese emigrants to Australia 20th-century Buddhists 21st-century Buddhists Australian people of Tibetan descent

Biography

Teaching in the West

See also

Bibliography

References

External links