The five-deity Red Avalokiteshvara/Jinasagara (Gyalwa Gyamtso), from the female siddha, Machig Drupe Gyalmo lineage to Rechungpa (12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche empowerment Kagyu Monlam 2025)

“Karma Pakshi attained the state of siddha through this practice of Gyalwa Gyamtso. Then he met the Kings of Mongolia and through that a great, vast benefit to sentient beings arose. When he met the Mongolian kings Kublai Khan and Gushri Khan, he showed miracles such that they became Buddhists. Through their influence, they spread the Buddha dharma. Through Karma Pakshi’s practice of Gyalwa Gyamtso he became completely inseparable from the deity and then was able to be of vast benefit to beings. So it is said: “that just as space is endless, Karma Pakshi’s activities for beings was just as vast.’” —12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche (2019)

Introduction

Today, the 1st February 2025, the first day of the pre-Kagyu Monlam teachings, HE 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche gave a short torma empowerment of Red Avalokiteshvara/Gyalwa Gyamtso (རྒྱལ་བ་རྒྱ་མཚོ ) at the sacred Buddhist where Buddha attained full awakening, at Bodh Gaya, India (the empowerment and teaching was livestreamed here).  In attendance were also 3rd Bokar Rinpoche yangsi, his teacher Khenpo Donyo Rinpoche and hundreds of Karma Kagyu monastics and layfollowers from Tibet, China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Europe and North America.

Starting from tomorrow, Rinpoche will give two days of teachings on a crucial text Introducing the Three Kāyas (སྐུ་གསུམ་ངོ་སྤྲོད་).  For some background to this important teaching and textual tradition, see this brief Introduction written by 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche’s translator, Ziche Leethong, here.  I may also write more about this later.

HE 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche explained that:

“This empowerment comes from one of Milarepa’s main students, Rechung Dorje Dragpa, who had been sent to India to get some teachings. While he was there he received from the female Mahasiddha, Machig Drupe Gyalmo.

When Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye was preparing the Five Great Treasuries, Machig Drupe Gyalmo had not been met by many other translators and it was only Rechungpa who was able to meet her through his pure vision practice, so for that reason, due to his pure vision, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye included it in his Great Treasury of Revelations (Rinchen Terdzo).

So with the five deities of Gyalwa Gyamtso , in the middle is the main deity and he is surrounded by the thousand and two Buddhas and many other Buddhas. To the right is the wrathful Hayagriva and he is surrounded by the wrathful heroes. To the left is Sangwa Yeshe (Guhya Jnana) Dakini, who is actually Vajravarahi in form, and is surrounded by many dakinis and heroines,the ocean of heroines. Above his head is the Guru Padmasambhava surrounded by many great siddhas, so this is the ocean of great siddhas. Below him is Black-cloaked (Bernagchen) Mahakala and thousands of dakinis and protectors, the ocean of earth-bound protectors and dakinis.”

Rinpoche then explained the lineage of Gyalwa Gyamtso that was given to one Milarepa’s main students, Rechungpa by Machig Drupe Gyalmo as well as from Tipupa. The full lineage is said to be: Dharmakaya Amitabha, Sambhogakaya Mahakarunikaya, Nirmanakaya Padmasambhava, Ekajanani Siddha Rajni, Tipupa, Rechung Dorje Drag, Lama Zangri Repa, Drogon Repa Chenpo , Gyalse Pomdragpa then 2nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi.

As I detail in the 2022 article, Gyalwa Gyamtso became the 2nd Karmapa’s main yidam deity, inseparable from him. As the empowerment ended,  and Rinpoche’s bell and damaru filled the space of the mandala, Sangwa Yeshe (secret wisdom-awareness arose), and Rinpoche also expertly  bestowed the secret consort union with Gyalwa Gyamtso as its blissful ‘secret’ finale!

For those who attended, or who watched the livestream of it, I am reposting research from my article about this five-deity Red Avalokiteshvara, see: Five-Deity Mandala of Red Avalokiteshvara and Karma Pakshi’s Guru Yoga mandala. published in April 2022, which includes:

• Translation of a Supplication to the five-deity Gyalwa Gyamtso (རྒྱལ་བ་རྒྱ་མཚོ Red  Avalokiteshvara) mandala by the 1st Jamgon Kongtrul,
• Translation of  Clear Realisation of Gyalwa Gyamtso, a short daily practice of the five-deity Gyalwa Gyamtso composed by the 3^rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje. Available on request here only to those with the required empowerment.
• Compilation of transcribed teachings on 2^nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi’s Guru Yoga by the 17^th Gyalwang Karmapa, HE 12^th Gyeltsab Rinpoche and HE 8^th Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Downloadable here: Karma Pakshi Guru Yoga compiled teachings.

As well being the main practice of 2nd Karmapa, the deity practice is said to have been Jamgon Kongtrul’s personal year end retreat practice (he mentions it at the end of nearly every year).

The only major thing lacking from the event, was the presence of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa who has not publicly attended a Kagyu Monlam since 2018! May it be of benefit to the activities of the Gyalwang Karmapa, Goshri Gyaltsab lineages, the Karma Kamtsang and all pure lineage Dharma teachings and all sentient beings!

Music? 2nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi’s Om Mani Padme Hum mantra and melody (bestowed on him in the 13th Century by the dakinis, which then became widespread all over Tibet!). Om Mani Padme Hum Hri!

Written and compiled by Adele Tomlin, 1st February 2025.

Here are some photos  below from the empowerment today, from the Palchen Chosling Facebook page.