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Jamgon Kongtruls are the mind incarnations
of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great, Lodro Thaye.
His previous incarnations can be traced back
to the time of Buddha Shakyamuni and include
deeply realized masters and teachers who were
significant in establishing, preserving and
upholding the Buddha’s teachings. One
was Ananda, the devoted attendant to the Buddha
and a main holder of his teachings and another
Aryadeva, the principle disciple of Nagarjuna,
who defeated the heretics. |
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The first Tibetan
incarnation was one of the twenty-five exceptional
disciples of Guru Padmasambhava, the Great
Lopon Vairotsana, a deeply realized being,
scholar and translator. Because of his vows
and practice in Tibet, he incarnated there
from that time on. These incarnations have
always been actively involved in important
sequences of the dharma in Tibet and include
Khyungpo Naljor and Jetsun Taranatha, founders
of the Shangpa and Jonangpa lineages respectively;
and Longchen Rabjam, a greatly realized master
and scholar of the Nyingma lineage.
The birth of the 1st Jamgon Kongtrul was predicted
in the Larkauatara Sutra where the Buddha
said:
“A great being and liberator
by the name of Lodro Thaye, shore of the
five fields of knowledge, will come into
existence. He will be a bodhisattva of ineffaceable
qualities.”
The First Jamgon Kongtrul the
Great (1813 – 1899) as predicted
by the Buddha was born in East Tibet, during
which time manifested many miracles indicating
that he was the incarnation of an enlightened
being.
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| In the earlier
part of his life he appeared as a Bon teacher,
yet inwardly he manifested as a great Vajrayana
Master. Thus, he imparted the profound Vajrayana
teachings to the Bon followers in the most
skilful ways. Later on he traveled all over
Tibet receiving teachings and transmissions
from over one hundred of the most learned
and realized masters of the four major schools
of Tibetan Buddhism. He performed all these
activities as a simple monk carrying his basic
needs on his back and seeking alms whenever
food was needed. |
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He compiled the
most important teachings of the Buddha common
to all the lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, called
“Five Great Treasures (mDzod-lnga) of
Jamgon Kongtrul the Great.” Not only
did he preserve the essence of buddhadharma
through the “Five Great Treasures,”
but during his lifetime he personally helped
to sustain these unbroken lineages by giving
empowerments and oral transmissions to numerous
practitioners of the dharma.
Among all his renowned teachers, his personal
root guru was Situ Pema Nginje Wangpo, the
9th Situpa. Jamgon Kongtrul became a main
holder of the Karma Kagyu lineage, and the
Root Teacher of the 15th Karmapa, Gyalwa Khakhyab
Dorje and thus is among the golden chain of
Kagyu lineage masters. He was also very closely
connected with the great master Jamyang Khyentse
Wangpo in a way that their dharma lineages
were completely interrelated and they were
reciprocally responsible for each other’s
line of transmission in that they acted as
guru and disciple to each other. Both were
masters and founders with Chogyur Lingpa of
the non sectarian “Rimé”
movement and, in those days, they were the
famous charioteers of all eight lineages.
Jamgon Kongtrul the Great lived well into
his eighties and before passing away he prophesied
that he would have five incarnations of Body,
Speech, Mind, Qualities and Activities. After
his mind passed into paranirvana many of his
emanations appeared in the different sects.
Two of them came to the Kamtsang Kagyu, namely
Karse Kongtrul and Zigar Kongtrul, which were
both recognized by the 15th Karmapa, Khakhyab
Dorje.
The Second Jamgon Kongtrul,
(Karse Kongtrul) Palden Khyentse Oser (1902-1952)
was born, as predicted by the 15th Karmapa,
at Tsurphu monastery. He was the son of the
Karmapa and his principle disciple. A great
meditator and a main holder of the Karma Kagyu
lineage, he became one of the root teachers
of the 16th Karmapa, Ranjung Rigpe Dorje.
Thus again he is among the golden rosary of
Kagyu lineage masters.
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The Third Jamgon Kongtrul,
Lodro Chokyi Senge (1954-1992) was born in
central Tibet, as predicted by his root teacher,
the 16th Karmapa and precisely in accordance
with the predictions of the 2nd Jamgon Kongtrul.
He was born into a noble family from a dakini
mother with noble qualities. Enthroned by
the Karmapa at Rumtek monastery in Sikkim,
India, when he was six years old, he lived
there all his life.
In 1976 and 1980, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche
accompanied the Gyalwa Karmapa on tours of
numerous places in America, Europe, and Southeast
Asia. |
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| After His Holiness’
paranirvana, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche continued
to tirelessly travel the world to fulfill
the wishes and continue the activity of the
Karmapa. He established branches of the Rigpe
Dorje Foundation in many countries and the
Paramita Charitable Trust in India, to further
his activities of social development for the
benefit of others. Through empowerments, explanations,
and advice, he generously gave teachings for
the different types of students in accordance
with their needs, and so became like the medicine
that restores the teachings and healed sentient
beings. His qualities of devotion to the root
teacher, of loving-kindness and compassion,
of patience, sincerity and reliability are
difficult for ordinary beings to emulate.
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His life was
a profound teaching in guru devotion, and
an inspiration to practitioners of the path.
To many who had the merit to meet him, the
3rd Jamgon Kongtrul epitomized all that practitioners
seek to develop: devotion to the root teacher
and wisdom born of loving-kindness and compassion.
At the age of thirty-nine (by the Tibetan
calendar) due to the obstacles for Buddhism
and people in general, and in particular for
the Kagyu tradition, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche
suddenly passed away.
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| The Fourth
Jamgon Kongtrul was born in Tibet
in 1995 and discovered in accordance with
the prediction of His Holiness 17th Gyalwa
Karmapa. He returned to his main seat of Pullahari
in Nepal in 1997 amidst many auspicious signs
and huge crowds of Rinpoches, lamas and sangha. |
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