Namkha Drimed Rinpoche

H. E. Terton Namkha Drimed Rabjam Rinpoche (name in wylie)

A Short biography of Namkha Drimed Rinpoche

His Eminence Namkha Drimed Rabjam Rinpoche was born in 1938 in Tibet. From an early age, he would experience various verses of spiritual teachings welling forth spontaneously in the expanse of his awareness. His childhood games consisted entirely of playing at conferring empowerments, explaining teachings, performing sacred dances, and the like, for he was concerned solely with spiritual activities. As the past life habit patterns established during his previous lives became more dominant, Namkha Rinpoche began to sing vajra songs day and night and he demonstrated in various ways the uncontrived conduct of a spiritual master.

At the age of seven, His Eminence learned to read and write without any difficulty, and he began studying with his father and with the great terton Chojung Lingpa. His other masters have included authentic and great holy beings who are upholders of the teachings of both the ancient and the more modern schools of Tibetan Buddhism, without any sectarian bias on His Eminence’s part. In particular, he received teachings from His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama; His Holiness the sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, Rigpai Dorje; His Holiness Dudjom Drodul Lingpa; and His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. From all of these masters, Namkha Drimed Rinpoche received the boundless nectar of the Buddhadharma, all the spiritual advice of the ancient and more modern schools, of the long historical transmission and the hidden treasure tradition. Especially, His Eminence received the ripening empowerments, liberating teachings, and supportive oral transmissions found in the collection entitled Rinchen Terdzo (Treasury of Hidden Treasure Teachings), from Zurmang Trungpa Rinpoche, Chokyi Gyatso. The two masters developed a close bond, their minds merging as one.

From the age of eight, Namkha Drimed Rinpoche has had numerous pure visions of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), who conferred on him empowerments and spiritual advice beyond measure. Due to the blessings he received on these occasions, His Eminence was granted personal transmissions of a veritable ocean of profound hidden treasures of enlightened intent. In addition, he has been graced with visions of the Eight Manifestations of Guru Rinpoche, Hayagriva, Dorje Drolo, Mahottara Heruka, Avalokiteshvara, the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal, the divine consort Mandarava, and others from among the entire vast array of peaceful and wrathful dieties of the Three Roots (Guru, Yidam, Dakini). In particular, he has had repeated visions of Lord Gesar -- the great Lion and Wish-Fulfilling Gem -- surrounded by hosts of his spiritually accomplished kinsmen, receiving their blessings. On the basis of this, he has codified the cycle entitled Rigsum Norbui Gongdzo (Treasury of the Enlightened Intent of the Gem of the Three Buddha Families), which is a very exalted and timely spiritual teaching.

His Eminence Namkha Drimed Rabjam Rinpoche, as a sublime incarnate master who ranks among the highest masters of awareness, continues to bestow ripening empowerments, liberating teachings and spiritual advice to countless beings who are to be guided in these ways -- in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and recently in other countries in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, including the United States. His activities of opening the doorway to the Buddhadharma in these ways exemplify his immeasurable efforts to carry out enlightened activities in any way that will guide beings. He thus ensures that a rain of benefit and well being, in both the short term and the long term, will fall in a vast range of realms, establishing beings in the state of liberation.

His Eminence is a regent of the Lake-Born Lotus, Guru Padmasambhava, in the world. He is a Terton, revealer of hidden treasures, an emanation of one of Guru Rinpoche’s close personal students. He was Arya Sale, consort to Guru Rinpoche’s primary disciple Yeshe Tsogyal.

Previously, in India, he was Sariputra, one of Buddha Shakyamuni’s top two disciples. Also he was Kukuraja who received a personal transmission of the tantric teachings concerning the supreme secrets; and as the Master Mahahumkara, he accomplished Samyak, the diety of enlightened mind.

In Tibet, the Land of Snows, his lineage of rebirths includes Namkhai Nyingpo, the monk of the Nub clan; the master of awareness Gyalwa Chokyang; and Rechung Dorje Drakpa (Rechungpa), the heart son of the venerable Milarepa who established the Kagyu monastic lineage. In the Kingdom of Lingtri Karmo in eastern Tibet, he was reborn as Dongbumpai Gyatsa Zhalkar, the Chief Lord amongst the multitude of the warrior king Lord Gesar’s spiritually accomplished kinsmen. He was Gesar’s brother. He was also Gyalwa Gotsangpa, an accomplished master of the Drukpa Kagyu school.

In particular, Namkha Drimed Rinpoche was reborn as the omniscient Longchenpa, often referred to as ‘The King of the Dharma’, the famous Great Perfection master whose writings are studied today by Dzog Chen practitioners. As Longchenpa, he was the great helmsman of the teachings of the supreme spiritual approach of utter lucidity. Longchenpa is commonly recognized as the greatest thinker and most brilliant mind ever to arise within the Nyingma School of Buddhism

Among the hundred or more great tertons who were emanations of Guru Rinpoche’s personal students, His Eminence was Tangtong Gyalpo. Among the thirteen great Tertons who revealed hidden treasure teachings of the Vajrayana approach, His Eminence was Mingyur Dorje Drakpo Nudentsal; also the fourth sublime Taksham incarnation Padma Gyepai Dorje; as well as the incarnation Lord Padma Deje Rolpa of Ripa. In later times he was Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje, a powerful lord among accomplished masters, and the great and exalted Padma Lingpa, who was a magical emanation of the bodhisattva of supreme compassion. The great master of Orgyen, Guru Rinpoche, who knows the Three Times, clearly attested in his vajra prophecies to the pure rebirths that His Eminence would take.

In these times of spiritual degeneration, Namkha Rinpoche has taken rebirth as an expression of the innately compassionate and timeless awareness of, at one and the same time, Guru Dorje Drolo Tsal, Arya Sale, Gyalse Lhaje, and most especially the great lion Lord Gesar, Norbu Dradul Tsal. His Eminence’s father was Jigme Tsewang Chokdrup Dulay Namgyal Palzangpo, an emanation of Guru Dorje Drolo and the third generation in the line of the gurus of Ripa. His mother was Palden Tsomo, the daughter of Dronkar, who was in turn the daughter of the powerful and accomplished master Drubwang Shakyi Shri. Their son was born amid marvelous signs on the tenth day of the twelfth month, Gyal, in the Earth Hare Year.

Rinpoche’s monastery in India is Rigon Thupten Mindrolling. He also is now in the process of restoring his monastery in Eastern Tibet, Rigon Tashi Choling, largely destroyed by the Chinese. During the Chinese cultural revolution of 1959, he led thousands to safety in India, where he eventually settled in Orissa and built a monastery and retreat center.

He is renowned for his Gesar of Ling divinations. This special form of divination was transmitted by Lord Gesar and uses arrows to predict the future. It is known within Tibetan Buddhism as the most accurate form of divination.

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Primary Teachers

• Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje

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