“There is a sutra that says, “He has built the boat of dharma, beaten the drum of dharma, blown the conch of dharma, raised the banner of dharma, blocked the seeds of samsara, taught the nature of nirvana, cut off the wrong paths, taught the correct path, reversed bad karmas, and correctly taught the fields of merit.” What could these words be, I wonder, if they are not a description of Thrangu Rinpoche’s great qualities?….No matter how much I say, there is no way I could express in words how dedicated to him I am and how strong my faith is. “
—excerpt from 17th Karmapa’s speech on the 90th birthday of Thrangu Rinpoche
“Expansive body power of excellence, nobility and knowledge,
Elevated turquoise mane of listening, contemplation and meditation,
Uproarious laughter of examination, debate and composition,
Lion’s Speech please swiftly come again!”
–verse from Supplication for a Swift Re-birth of Thrangu Rinpoche by 17th Karmapa
It is with sadness, respect and devotion, I share the announcement made today, June 8th, by Thrangu Monastery that the Kagyu Dzogchen and Mahamudra master, HE 9th Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (also former abbot of Rumtek Monastery and personal tutor of the 17th Karmapa) passed away on June 4th 2023. The circumstances of his passing and why it was not announced until now are shared in the official letter, which concludes that:
Followers and those with a connection with Thrangu Rinpoche have also been asked to recite prayers including the short Guru Yoga, Calling the Guru From Afar and the Swift Re-birth supplication composed by the 17th Karmapa (see below) from 7pm Nepali time (13:45 GMT), livestream on Thrangu Media Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajPlwVshAvI
My own Vajrayana and personal connection with 9th Thrangu Rinpoche is through the 17th Karmapa, who was a student of Rinpoche. After meeting the 17th Karmapa in 2005, the first Tibetan Buddhist teacher I met and took refuge vows with (I was not a Buddhist prior to that). A few months later I then visited Vajra Vidya Institute in Sarnath India, at which the 17th Karmapa was also staying at that time, and met Rinpoche. I had the great fortune to receive my first Vajrayana empowerment of Vajrasattva from him with a small group of monks there. After that I also visited the Thrangu monasteries in Kathmandu and Namo Buddha (Tamolujin) and met Rinpoche for private audience blessings and teachings on a few occasions.
In this article, I offer a brief memorial tribute with details of Thrangu Rinpoche’s biographical background, lineage, connection to the Karmapas (in particular to the 16th and 17th Karmapas) his appointment as abbot and main teacher of Rumtek monastery, Sikkim and other Thrangu monasteries in Tibet, Nepal and India, his published works in the English language, and some video links to extensive teachings Rinpoche gave on the Bardo (intermediate state) and Mipham Rinpoche’s Song of the Dzogchen View.
Music? Yongzin Thrangu Khenno by Tsering Yangdon Pinky, Sung Gur Kagyama by Khenpo Norbu Rabgye, Tilopa’s Song to Naropa, audio read by Samaneri Jayasara and for the mental freedom of a great Mahamudra master, Free by Stevie Wonder:
“I’m free
To be nowhere
But every place I need to be
Freer than a sunbeam
Shining through my soul
Free from feelin’ heat or knowing bitter cold
Free from conceiving the beginning
For that’s the infinite start.”
May we all achieve the ultimate state of freedom Mahamudra and may Thrangu Rinpoche be swiftly re-born for the benefit of beings and the Buddha Dharma!
Written and compiled by Adele Tomlin, 8th June 2023.
Biographical background
7th Karmapa recognition of 1st Thrangu Rinpoche as one of the 25 disciples of Guru Rinpoche
The Seventh Karmapa, Chodrak Gyatso, recognized Sherap Gyaltsen, the First Thrangu Rinpoche, as Shubu Palgyi Senge, one of the 25 principal disciples of Guru Rinpoche.
It is said that 7th Karmapa, Chodrak Gyaltso appointed Thrangu Rinpoche as the abbot of Thrangu Monastery in Tibet, an important Kagyu monastery south of Jyekundo in Kham. The First Karmapa is credited with its founding in the twelfth century, though some sources suggest that it was in existence earlier. It consists of an upper and lower monastery containing well-preserved murals in the Rebkong style. At its height, Thrangu was home to around 500 monks. In 2010, an earthquake devastated the monastery.
Since that time, there has been an extraordinarily close relationship between each of the successive Karmapas and Thrangu tulkus.
The 9th Thrangu Rinpoche – recognition by 16th Karmapa and 11th Tai Situpa and awarded the Geshe Lharampa
When the present Thrangu Rinpoche, the ninth, was born in Tibet in 1933. When he was four, H.H. the Gyalwa Karmapa and Palpung Situ Rinpoche recognized him as the incarnation of Thrangu Tulku by prophesying the names of his parents and the place of his birth. A short video biography can be watched here.
In Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche’s Humble Autobiography, he says:
“I, Karma Lodrö Ringluk Maseng, am said to be his reincarnation, the Ninth Thrangu Tulku. I gained a precious human body in the Female Water Bird Year of the sixteenth cycle (1933). Though I myself have no confidence or proof at all, Situ Pema Wangchuk Gyalpo and the Sixteenth Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje recognized me in a wondrous way, and so I had the opportunity to enter the gate of the Dharma.
Subsequently, Traleg Shedrup Chökyi Nyima invited Khenpo Lodrö Rabsal from Shechen to found a monastic college, and though I lacked enough intelligence or diligence to develop any qualities, I did have the fortune to listen and contemplate. Later I encountered many difficulties during a tumultuous time, but because of the cool shade of the Sixteenth Karmapa’s compassion, I was very fortunate to at least develop an unmistaken virtuous mind. This is my own story.”
At the age of thirty-five Thrangu Rinpoche took the Geshe examination in Bengal and was awarded the degree of Geshe Lharampa, the highest degree conferred in the Gelug transmission (it is not uncommon for monks of other lineage to pursue studies in that tradition). He was subsequently awarded the Khenchen degree of the Kagyu tradition. He played a critical role in the recovery of important Buddhist texts
Abbot and tutor of many Kagyu tulkus at Rumtek Monastery and founder of several monasteries and Dharma centres in Nepal , India and Canada
Thrangu Rinpoche was appointed the abbot and main teacher at Rumtek Monastery by the 16th Karmapa and taught many of the young tulkus there, including the 12th Tai Situ, 12th Gyeltsab, and 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche.
As Abbot of the Nalanda Institute, Thrangu Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche trained all the younger tulkus of the lineage, including the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, who was in the first class. He was also the personal tutor of the four principal Karma Kagyu tulkus: Shamar Rinpoche, Tai Situ Rinpoche, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, and Gyaltsab Rinpoche. Thrangu Rinpoche established the fundamental curriculum of the Karma Kagyu lineage taught at Rumtek. In addition, he taught with Khenpo 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 of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in Woodstock, New York, the seat of Karmapa in North America.
In 1976, after 15 years at Rumtek, Thrangu Rinpoche founded the Thrangu Tashi Choling monastery in Boudhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal, and later also founded a retreat centre and college at Namo Buddha; Tara Abbey, which offers a full dharma education for Tibetan nuns leading to a khenpo degree; 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 of Nepal.
Thrangu Rinpoche also established the Vajra Vidya Institute monastery and shedra in Sarnath, India. Here is a lovely video of Thrangu Rinpoche at the Vajra Vidya Institute in 2001, with the young 17th Karmapa, former Bokar Rinpoche, and young tulkus Kalu Rinpoche and Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche.
Here is a video of the 17th Karmapa’s recent 2017 visit to Thrangu Monastery in Canada.
Personal Tutor of the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje
When the 17th Karmapa was recognised and enthroned in Tibet, Thrangu Rinpoche attended the ceremony. Then, later when the 17th Karmapa escaped from Tibet into India, he was appointed as his personal tutor.
Thrangu Rinpoche was always adamant that there was only one Karmapa who held the lineage, authority and transmission of the Karma Kagyu, and that was Ogyen Trinley Dorje. It is likely that Rinpoche’s integrity and sincerity on this issue left him somewhat isolated in Nepal, where several senior Rinpoches there, from the Nyingma and Sakya in particular, and those who followed 14th Zhamar supported the unofficial claimant, Thaye Dorje.
On the occasion of Thrangu Rinpoche’s 90th birthday, the 17th Karmapa said:
“There is a sutra that says, “He has built the boat of dharma, beaten the drum of dharma, blown the conch of dharma, raised the banner of dharma, blocked the seeds of samsara, taught the nature of nirvana, cut off the wrong paths, taught the correct path, reversed bad karmas, and correctly taught the fields of merit.” What could these words be, I wonder, if they are not a description of Thrangu Rinpoche’s great qualities?….No matter how much I say, there is no way I could express in words how dedicated to him I am and how strong my faith is. “
For full text of his speech see here. Here is a video with compiled photos and a short message to the Thrangu Community from the 17th Karmapa, given last year.
Uproarious Laughter of the Lion’s Speech: Supplication for the Swift Re-birth of Thrangu Rinpoche by 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje
Today, 8th June 2023, the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje also published his stunning, poetic composition of a supplication prayer for the swift re-birth of Thrangu Rinpoche, in which he compares his qualities to the turquoise mane of a lion and his speech to uproarious laughter of a lion’s speech. For video/audio of the supplication with Tibetan, phonetics and my original English translation, see here:
For freely downloadable pdf of it, see here.
English-language publications
As it says on the Shambhala Publications Reader’s Guide of Thrangu Rinpoche’s works, his works in the English language explain many of the most important texts of the Kagyu tradition including those authored by Tilopa and Naropa.
For example, one of his books, On Buddha Essence, is a commentary about the Third Karmapa’s important text A Treatise on Buddha Nature, based on a commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul the Great.
As Rinpoche was a great practitioner and teacher of Mahāmudrā, several of his books are on the works of the The Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje (1556-1603), who wrote three definitive handbooks on how to attain the realization of Mahāmudrā, and thus nondual, nonconceptual meditative awareness: Ocean of Definitive Meaning, Pointing Out the Dharmakaya, and Eliminating the Darkness of Ignorance. Thrangu Rinpoche has two books that take different approaches on the most comprehensive of these works, the Ninth Karmapa’s Ocean of Definitive Meaning (Ngedon gyamtso).
Another book, Luminous Clarity, came out of an oral teaching that Khenchen Thrangu gave in Crestone, Colorado, on Karma Chagme’s text Meaningful to Behold: The Essential Instructions of the Compassionate One on the Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. Thrangu Rinpoche explains in lucid detail the advanced meditation practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen and also their similarities and differences, including advice on how to safely perform some of the more advanced Dzogchen practices.
For the full list of his publications by Shambhala, see the Reader’s Guide. For pdfs and e-book downloads of all Thrangu Rinpoche’s books and published teachings, see Namo Buddha Publications, here.
Video Teachings by 9th Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
There are several teachings by Thrangu Rinpoche available to watch on Youtube.
Teachings on the Bardo (2004)
Here is a series of 12 talks were given in Crestone, Colorado in 2004 and were translated by Lama Yeshe Gyamtso:
“With over 40 years of teaching Westerners, Thrangu Rinpoche has expanded the teachings on the intermediate state between life and the next life (the bardo) in this video to extensively cover how we can prepare for death in several different meditation practices including Shamatha, Vipashyana, Mahamudra and Dzogchen, and dream yoga and also in our conduct in everyday life. Then he describes that at the point of death, he describes the signs of death—both external signs, the internal signs experienced by the dying person, and the signs of the subtle body dissolving. After this dissolution the bardo of reality or dharmata Rinpoche describes how to deal with the seductive and terrifying appearances in this bardo. These appearances based on our previous practice are described in detail and Thrangu Rinpoche explains how we should handle these appearances. Finally, in the bardo of becoming or rebirth we become desirous of leaving the bardo and to be reborn in another life. Rinpoche then describes how we can chose a fruitful rebirth.”
Commentary on Mipham’s Song of the Dzogchen View
These teachings are a Commentary on one of the great teachings by Mipham’s Song of the Dzogchen View. Dzogchen is the main practice of the Nyingma Lineage in which one looks directly at the mind.
The great scholar and practitioner Ju Mipham (1846-1912) stayed in the previous Thrangu Rinpoche’s monastery for a few years. He has composed many texts on a vast number of Buddhist subjects and was a leading figure of the Rime (non-sectarian) movement. He composed this teaching on Dzogchen the main practice of the Nyingma lineage which was called “The Music of the Lute.” In this teaching of Thrangu Rinpoche who used an outline by one of his (and also Chogyam Trungpa’s) main gurus, Khenpo Gangshar, to give these 8 talks.
These teachings were given at Vajra Vidya Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado in 2009. They cover the direct examination of the mind with an extremely easy to understand explanation covering what is the pure, non-conceptual nature of mind, how we “look” at the mind without elaboration and fabrication, what techniques are employed by the great masters of Dzogchen, and how does this fit in with other Buddhist paths. These teachings were translated by David Karma Choephel.
A Commentary on Naturally Liberating What You Meet by Khenpo Gangshar
“In 1958, the Chinese invaded Kham in Tibet, destroying monasteries and imprisoning monks. In the previous summer, Khenpo Gangshar foresaw great difficulties and to help the monks progress rapidly on the path so they could meet these challenges, he gave this particular teaching. Thrangu Rinpoche, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche received these profound cycle of teachings before leaving for India. Khenpo Gangshar says: “A worthy student is one who aspires to practice the profoundest of the profound and secret vajrayana – the essential oral instructions of all the anuttara yoga tantras or the nature of the realization of effortless ati. To meet the needs of such a student, three points should be taught: The preliminary steps of mind training, the main practice of pointing-out, and the subsequent application combining the profound advice into key points.”