Blazing Splendor

Blazing Splendor: The Memoirs of the Dzogchen Yogi Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

Publication Data

• Kunsang, Erik Pema; Schmidt, Marcia Binder.
• Blazing Splendor: The Memoirs of the Dzogchen Yogi Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.
• Compiled, translated and edited by Erik Pema Kunsang and Marcia Binder Schmidt, with Michael Tweed.
• Foreword by Sogyal Rinpoche. Introduction by Daniel Goleman.
• Includes glossary with geographical and bibliographical references.
• ISBN 962-7341-56-8 (alk. paper.)
• 1. Eastern travels. 2. Biographies. 3. Tibet—Dzogchen (Nyingma). I. Title.

• Cover art detail: Fortress Peak (Dzong-go Ling), Nangchen; Erik Pema Kunsang
• Design: Rafael Ortet

Contents

• Contents 5
• List of Illustrations 7
• Foreword by Sogyal Rinpoche 11
• Introduction by Daniel Goleman 15
• Preface 19
• Prologue 23
• PART I: SPIRITUAL ROOTS 25
• Tibet, a Buddhist Land 27
• Gampopa and the Early Barom Masters 30
• The Treasures of the Lotus-Born 42
• My Great-Grandfather, the Treasure Revealer 45
• Two Sublime Masters 58
• Khyentse 58
• Kongtrul 65
• Lord of Activity, the Fifteenth Karmapa 69
• Spiritual Sons 77
• Karmey Khenpo 77
• Wangchok Dorje 80
• Tsewang Norbu 84
• My Precious Grandmother 92
• My Guru, Samten Gyatso 98
• My Father, the Performer of Miracles 113
• Two Special Uncles and Their Teachers 130
• Uncle Sang-Ngak 130
• Tersey Tulku 132
• Shakya Shri, the Lord of Siddhas 137
• The Master-Scholar Katok Situ 142
• PART II: EARLY YEARS 146
• My Childhood 146
• The Nunnery of Yoginis 159
• Receiving my First Teachings 164
• An Extraordinary Speech 166
• My Previous Life 170
• My Monastery and Enthronement 174
• The Young Karmapa 183
• Grandmother’s Death 189
• The Colorful Chokling of Tsikey 198
• Transmission at Surmang 207
• The Master in the Hollow Tree 210
• An Eccentric King 216
• My Last Days with Samten Gyatso 220
• My Guru’s Passing 223
• Meetings with a Remarkable Teacher 235
• PART III: CENTRAL TIBET 246
• At Tsurphu with the Karmapa 246
• Brilliant Moon 260
• My Last Visit to Central Tibet 269
• Amazing Masters in Lhasa 275
• Dzongsar Khyentse 275
• Dudjom Rinpoche 280
• Shechen Kongtrul 284
• PART IV: IN EXILE 292
• Leaving Tibet 292
• Sikkim 296
• Nepal 305
• The Chokling of Neten 308
• The Hearing Lineage from Bomta Khenpo 313
• Conclusion 319
• Afterword 322
• Acknowledgements 326
• Art Credits 328
• Appendix I: The Lineage of the New Treasures 329
• Endnotes 332
• Glossary 333
• Activities and information connected to the lineage of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche 356

List of Illustrations

1 Tsewang Chokdrub Palbar—Blazing Splendor 9

• 2. Trisong Deutsen—the great Dharma king 27
• 3. Samye—the castle of the early Dharma 28
• 4. Chimphu—a view from the caves above Samye 28
• 5. Padmasambhava—the Lotus-Born master 28
• 6. Vajradhara—the dharmakaya buddha 30
• 7. Gampopa—the forefather of the Kagyu masters 30
• 8. Chokgyur Lingpa—the revealer of hidden treasures 45
• 9. The lotus crown of Chokgyur Lingpa 46
• 10. The Lotus Crystal Cave—sacred place of the Three Sections 46
• 11. Kala Rongo—where the Tukdrub was revealed 46
• 12. Yeshe Tsogyal—the great dakini disciple of the Lotus-Born 55
• 13. Longchenpa—the great Dzogchen master 61
• 14. Vairotsana—the great translator of Buddhist scriptures 65
• 15. Mipham—the famous scholar 66
• 16. The Great Dakini of Tsurphu 71
• 17. King Jah—the master of Mahayoga 80
• 18. Tara—the female buddha of compassion 95
• 19. Fortress Peak—the lofty hermitage 100
• 20. Tsewang Dechen—the tulku of Samten Gyatso 112
• 21. Tsechu monastery in Nangchen 117
• 22. Shakya Shri—the Lord of Siddhas 137
• 23. Druk Kharag Yongdzin Rinpoche 138
• 24. Cool Grove charnel ground in India 140
• 25. On the road from Lachab to Dechen Ling 149
• 26. Dechen Ling 152
• 27. Tsangsar County—on the road to Dechen Ling 152
• 28. View of Fortress Peak from the road to Lachab 156
• 29. Gebchak Gompa—the nunnery of meditators 159
• 30. Gebchak nuns sitting in their meditation box 162
• 31. The Derge royal family 167
• 32. The Situ of Palpung 168
• 33. Pages from the writings of Chowang Tulku 171
• 34. Lachab monastery 175
• 35. View from Lachab monastery 175
• 36. On the road from Fortress Peak to Lachab 175
• 37. The sixteenth Karmapa—a willful incarnation 183
• 38. The terma site above Tsikey and the present tulku 189
• 39. Karsey Kongtrul—the son of the fifteenth Karmapa 190
• 40. The tulku of Karsey Kongtrul 190
• 41. Tsikey monastery 201
• 42. The king of Nangchen 216
• 43. Prince Achen of Nangchen 217
• 44. The young Karmapa 246
• 45. Mural of Tsurphu monastery 246
• 46. Lotus Garuda Fortress above Tsurphu monastery 247
• 47. Shri Singha—the early master of Dzogchen 251
• 48. The young Dalai Lama 254
• 49. The inner retreat room at Lachab 259
• 50. Dudjom Rinpoche—flanked by Dordrak Rigdzin and Minling Chung 259
• 51. A tulku named Rabsel Dawa, Brilliant Moon 261
• 52. Early photo of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche 261
• 53. Pawo Rinpoche of Nenang monastery 269
• 54. The Moon Cave at Drak Yerpa 273
• 55. View from the Moon Cave 273
• 56. The young Dudjom Rinpoche 274
• 57. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche 275
• 58. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in Lhasa 279
• 59. Dudjom Rinpoche 280
• 60. Chatral Rinpoche 281
• 61. The Kongtrul of Shechen 284
• 62. Chökyi Nyima, Chokling and their mother Kunsang Dechen 292
• 63. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche early photo 293
• 64. The family in Sikkim 297
• 65. The Vajra Throne in Bodhgaya 299
• 66. Dzongsar Khyentse under the Bodhi Tree 299
• 67. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche 303
• 68. Trinley Norbu Rinpoche with his wife and the tulku of Dzongsar Khyentse 303
• 69. The sixteenth Karmapa 303
• 70. Trulshik, Dudjom and Tulku Urgyen, Rinpoches 305
• 71. Dudjom and Nyingma lamas in exile 305
• 72. The Great Stupa in Boudhanath 305
• 73. Swayambhu Stupa 306
• 74. Lama Tashi Dorje of Nubri 307
• 75. The third Chokling of Neten—Pema Gyurmey 308
• 76. The Chokling of Neten with his oldest son Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche 308
• 77. The fourth Chokling of Neten 308
• 78. Chökyi Nyima and Chokling, Rinpoches 309
• 79. View of Nagi Gompa 311
• 80. Bomta Khenpo 313
• 81. Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche 313
• 82. Vimalamitra—the Dzogchen master 314
• 83. Khenpo Ngakchung 314
• 84. The Black Crown ceremony of the Karmapa 317
• 85. The Boudha Stupa and Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery—old air photo by Toni Hagen 319
• 86. The sixteenth Karmapa with the tulkus at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery 319
• 87. The sixteenth Karma & King Birendra of Nepal at the inauguration 319
• 88. Chatral, Dudjom and Dilgo Khyentse, Rinpoches 320
• 89. Enacting the drama of Padmasambhava, Shantarakshita and King Trisong Deutsen—Dilgo Khyentse, Trulshik & Chökyi Nyima, Rinpoches 320
• 90. Lamas at the Boudha Stupa, at the end of the transmission for the New Treasures 321
• 91. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche with lamas at the Yak & Yeti 321
• 92. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche’s family 321
• 93. Five lamas in Boudha—Tulku Urgyen, Trulshik, Dilgo Khyentse, Dabzang and Depuk, Rinpoches 321
• 94. Tulku Urgyen with Tsoknyi and Mingyur, Rinpoches, and their mother Sonam Chodron at Nagi Gompa 324
• 95. Tsoknyi Rinpoche with Adeu Rinpoche of Nangchen 324
• 96. Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche—the youngest son 324
• 97. Tenga Rinpoche with Tenpa Yarpel 324
• 98. Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Boudha 324
• 99. The temple at Asura Cave in Parping 324
• 100. Ngedon Osel Ling monastery 324
• 101. Chatral and Tulku Urgyen, Rinpoches, with Kunsang Dechen and Phakchok Tulku 324
• 102. Chokling Rinpoche with his first son—Phakchok Tulku 324
• 103. Chokling Rinpoche with his second son—the incarnation of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche 324
• 104. The fourth Chokling of Tsikey in Nepal 324
• 105. The fourth Chokling of Tsikey in Kham 324
• 106. Neten Chokling and Tsikey Chokling 324
• 107. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche with Tsikey Chokling, Dechen Paldron and the incarnation of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche 325
• 108. Three sons and Phakchok Tulku at Nagi Gompa 325
• 109. Marcia Binder Schmidt in Nangchen 2003 327
• 110. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Erik Pema Kunsang at Nagi Gompa 327

Glossary of people, places and key terms

• Glossary from Blazing Splendor