Thrangu Rinpoche

Thrangu Rinpoche(Tibetan:ཁྲ་འགུ་,Wylie:Khra-'gu[ˈtʰran.ɡuˈrinpotʃe]^{[need tone]}) (1933 – 4 June 2023)^[1]was born inKham,Tibet.^[1]He was deemed to be a prominenttulku(reincarnate lama) in theKagyuschool ofTibetan Buddhism,^[1]the ninth reincarnation in his particular line. His full name and title was theVery Venerable Ninth Khenchen Thrangu Tulku, Karma Lodrö Lungrik Maway Senge.The academic titleKhenchendenotes great scholarly accomplishment (English-language analogues include the titlesDistinguished Professorand AcademicFellow), and the termRinpoche( "Precious" or "Precious One" ) is a Tibetan devotional title which may be accorded to respected teachers and exemplars.

Biography[edit]

Early life and exile[edit]

Thrangu Rinpoche was installed atThrangu MonasteryinKham(eastern Tibet) after his identification by the SixteenthKarmapaand the previousTai Situpaat age five. He was one of the principal lamas there, althoughTraleg Rinpocheis the supreme abbot of the complex. He fled to India following theChinese invasion in 1959.

At the age of thirty-five Thrangu Rinpoche took the geshe examination inBengaland was awarded the degree ofGeshe Lharampa,the highest degree conferred in theGelugtransmission (it is not uncommon for monks of other lineage to pursue studies in that tradition). He was subsequently awarded theKhenchendegree of theKagyutradition. He played a critical role in the recovery of important Buddhist texts that had been largely destroyed by the Chinese Communists. He was named Abbot ofRumtek monastery,the home monastery in exile of the Karmapa, and also of theNalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studiesat Rumtek.

Establishment of Buddhist institutions[edit]

As Abbot of the Nalanda Institute, Thrangu Rinpoche andKhenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpochetrained all the younger tulkus of the lineage, including theDzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche,who was in the first class. He was also the personal tutor of the four principalKarma Kagyutulkus:Shamar Rinpoche,Tai Situ Rinpoche,Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche,andGyaltsab Rinpoche.Thrangu Rinpoche established the fundamental curriculum of the Karma Kagyu lineage taught at Rumtek. In addition, he taught withKhenpo Karthar Rinpoche,who had been a teacher at Thrangu Rinpoche's monastery in Tibet before 1959, and who was until his death the founding abbot ofKarma Triyana DharmachakrainWoodstock, New York,the seat of Karmapa inNorth America.

In 1976, after 15 years at Rumtek, Thrangu Rinpoche founded theThrangu Tashi Cholingmonastery inBoudhanath,Kathmandu, Nepal,and later also founded a retreat centre and college atNamo Buddha;Tara Abbey,which offers a fulldharmaeducation for Tibetan nuns leading to akhenpodegree; a school in Boudhanath for the general education of Tibetan children and young monks in Western subjects and Buddhist studies; and a free medical clinic in an impoverished area ofNepal. Thrangu Rinpoche recently completed a large monastery inSarnath,India,overlooking thedeer parkwhere theBuddhagave his first teaching on theFour Noble Truths.The monastery is namedVajra Vidyain honor of theSixteenth Karmapa.It is now the seat of the major annual Kagyu conference.

Worldwide activities[edit]

In 1976, Thrangu Rinpoche began teaching Buddhism throughout Asia and in the West. He founded Thrangu House inOxford,England,in 1981, then in the United States and Canada, he established centres inCrestone, Colorado,Maine,California,VancouverandEdmonton.He established another fourteen centres in nine other countries. He was the Abbot of Gampo Abbey, aKarma Kagyumonastery inCape Breton,Nova Scotia,founded by his dharma brotherChogyam Trungpa Rinpoche,reflective of his close ties with theShambhala Buddhistcommunity.

Rinpoche resided inNepalwhere he served as senior tutor toUrgyen Trinley Dorje.

On 25 July 2010,Thrangu Monasterywas opened by Thrangu Rinpoche inRichmond, British Columbia,Canada. It is the first traditional Buddhist monastery in Canada. It contains a six-metre-tall (20 ft) gold-plated statue ofShakyamuni Buddha,and the shrine hall can seat 500 people.^[2]

Rinpoche died on 4 June 2023 at Thrangu Monastery.^[3]

Bibliography[edit]

Aspirational Prayer for Mahamudra of Rangjung Dorje(1999), Namo Buddha Publications.
Buddha Nature(1988, 1993), Rangjung Yeshe Publications.ISBN 962-7341-17-7
Buddhist Conduct: The Ten Virtuous Actions(2001), Namo Buddha Publications.
Creation and Completion(1996, 2002), Wisdom Publications.ISBN 978-0-86171-312-7
Crystal Clear: Practical Advice for Mahamudra Meditators(2003), Rangjung Yeshe Publications.ISBN 978-962-7341-51-2
Distinguishing Dharma and Dharmata: A Commentary on the Treatise of Maitreya(2004), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-33-4
Essential Practice: Lectures on Kamalashila's Stages of Meditation(2002), Snow Lion.ISBN 978-1-55939-181-8
Essentials of Mahamudra: Looking Directly at the Mind(2004), Wisdom Publications.ISBN 978-0-86171-371-4
Everyday Consciousness and Primordial Awareness(2002), Snow Lion.ISBN 978-1-55939-379-9
The Five Buddha Families and the Eight Consciousnesses(2013), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-51-7
The Four Dharmas of Gampopa(2013), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-50-0
Four Foundations of Buddhist Practice(2010), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-19-7
A Guide to the Bardo(2004), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-08-1
A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life of Shantideva(2002).
A Guide to Mahamudra Meditation(2008), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-15-9
A Guide to Shamatha Meditation(2001), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 0-9628026-4-6
The Heart of the Dharma: Mind Training for Beginners(2010), KTD Publications.ISBN 978-1-934608-15-9
A History of Buddhism in India(2008), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-39-6
The Jewel Ornament of Liberation(2003), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-27-3
Journey of the Mind: Putting the Teachings on the Bardo into Effective Practice(1997), Karma Thekchen Choling, Vancouver.
King of Samadhi: Commentaries on the Samadhi Raja Sutra(2004), Rangjung Yeshe Publications.ISBN 962-7341-19-3
The Life and Spiritual Songs of Milarepa(2003), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-26-6
The Life and Teachings of Gampopa(2003), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-30-3
The Life of the Buddha and the Four Noble Truths(2009), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-09-8
The Life of Tilopa and the Ganges Mahamudra(2002), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-22-8
Medicine Buddha Teachings(2004), Snow Lion.ISBN 978-1-55939-216-7
The Middle-Way Meditation Instructions of Mipham Rinpoche(2000), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-0-9628026-6-9
The Ninth Karmapa's Ocean of Definitive Meaning(2010), Snow Lion.ISBN 978-1-55939-370-6
An Ocean of the Ultimate Meaning: Teachings on Mahamudra(2004), Snow Lion.ISBN 978-1-59030-055-8
On Buddha Essence: A Commentary on Rangjung Dorje's Treatise(2006), Shambhala.ISBN 978-1-59030-276-7
The Open Door to Emptiness(2012), Namo Buddha Publications,ISBN 978-1-931571-21-0
The Ornament of Clear Realization(2005), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-34-1
Pointing Out the Dharmakaya(2003), Snow Lion.ISBN 978-1-55939-388-1
The Practice of Tranquillity and Insight(1993), Snow Lion.ISBN 978-1-55939-106-1
Rechungpa: A Biography of Milarepa's Disciple(2011), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-22-7
Seven Points of Mind Training(2006), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.
Shentong and Rangtong: Two Views of Emptiness(2009), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-17-3
Showing the Path to Liberation(2002), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-00-5
A Song for the King: Saraha on Mahamudra Meditation(2006), Wisdom Publications.ISBN 978-0-86171-503-9
Songs of Naropa: Commentaries on Songs of Realization(1997), Rangjung Yeshe Publications.
A Spiritual Biography of Marpa the Translator(2001), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-07-5
The Spiritual Song of Lodro Thaye(2008), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-40-2
Teachings on the Practice of Meditation(2001), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-04-4
The Three Vehicles of Buddhist Practice(2003), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-02-9
Transcending Ego: Distinguishing Consciousness from Wisdom(2001), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-0-9628026-1-4
The Twelve Links of Interdependent Origination(2013), Namo Buddha Publications.ISBN 978-1-931571-52-4
The Uttaratantra: A Treatise on Buddha-Essence(2004), Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications.ISBN 978-1-877294-29-7
Vivid Awareness: The Mind Instructions of Khenpo Gangshar(2011), Shambhala.ISBN 978-1-59030-816-5

References[edit]

^^a ^b ^cShort Biography of Ninth Khenchen Thrangu Tulku, Karma Lodrö Lungrik Maway Senge
^"Canada's first traditional Tibetan Buddhist monastery opens." By Andrea Woo,Vancouver SunJuly 23, 2010.ArchivedJuly 27, 2010, at theWayback Machine
^"To all those around the world who have a connection, direct or indirect, with the Lord of Refuge, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche:".rinpoche.com.Retrieved8 June2023.

External links[edit]

[bio-1] Short Biography of Ninth Khenchen Thrangu Tulku, Karma Lodrö Lungrik Maway Senge

[2] "Canada's first traditional Tibetan Buddhist monastery opens." By Andrea Woo,Vancouver SunJuly 23, 2010.ArchivedJuly 27, 2010, at theWayback Machine

[3] "To all those around the world who have a connection, direct or indirect, with the Lord of Refuge, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche:".rinpoche.com.Retrieved8 June2023.

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