Jamgon Kongtrul


Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé, also known as Jamgön Kongtrül the Great, was a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, poet, artist, physician, tertön and polymath. He was one of the most prominent Tibetan Buddhists of the 19th century and he is credited as one of the founders of the Rimé movement, compiling what is known as the "Five Great Treasuries". He achieved great renown as a scholar and writer, especially among the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages and composed over 90 volumes of Buddhist writing, including his magnum opus, The Treasury of Knowledge.

Overview

Kongtrül was born in Rongyab, Kham, then part of the Derge Kingdom. He was first tonsured at a Bon monastery, and then at 20 became a monk at Shechen, a major Nyingma monastery in the region, later moving on to the Kagyu Palpung monastery in 1833 under the Ninth Tai Situ, Pema Nyinje Wangpo. He studied many fields at Palpung, including Buddhist philosophy, tantra, medicine, architecture, poetics and Sanskrit. By thirty he had received teachings and empowerments from more than sixty masters from the different schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Kongtrül studied and practiced mainly in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions, including Mahamudra and Dzogchen, but also studied and taught Jonang Kalachakra. He also went on tour with the fourteenth Karmapa and taught him Sanskrit. He became an influential figure in Kham and eastern Tibet, in matters of religion as well as in secular administration and diplomacy. He was influential in saving Palpung monastery when an army from the Tibetan government of Central Tibet occupied Kham in 1865.
Kongtrül was affected by the political and inter-religious conflict going on in Tibet during his life and worked together with other influential figures, mainly Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and also with the Nyingma treasure revealer Chogyur Lingpa and Ju Mipham Gyatso. Kongtrül and his colleages worked together to compile, exchange and revive the teachings of the Sakya, Kagyu and Nyingma, including many near-extinct teachings. This movement came to be named Rimé, “nonsectarian,” or “impartial,” because it held that there was value in all Buddhist traditions, and all were worthy of study and preservation. According to Sam van Schaik, without this collecting and printing of rare works, the later suppression of Buddhism by the Communists would have been much more final.
Jamgon Kongtrül's personal hermitage was Kunzang Dechen Osel Ling, "the Garden of Auspicious Bliss and Clear Light", and was built on a rocky outcrop above Palpung monastery. It became an important center for the practice of three year retreats. This is also where he composed most of his major works. Kongtrül's works, especially his 10 volume The Treasury of Knowledge. has been very influential, especially in the Kagyu and Nyingma schools.

Philosophy

Besides promoting a general inclusiveness and non-sectarian attitude towards all the different Buddhist lineages and schools, Kongtrül was known to promote a shentong view of emptiness as the highest view.
His view of Prasangika Madhyamaka is outlined in the following verse from the Treasury of Knowledge:
Conceptual imputations are abandoned; all things are merely designations.
Compounded phenomena are deceptive; nirvana is not deceptive.
The root of samsara is clinging to true existence, which generates the obscuration of the afflictive emotions.
Since the first three yanas have the same way of seeing reality, there is only one path of seeing.
All phenomena dissolve such that ones enlightenment only appears for the perception of others.
According to Kongtrül, the difference between prasangika and svatantrika Madhyamaka is:
These schools differ in the way the ultimate view is generated in one's being. There is no difference in what they assert the ultimate nature to be. All the great scholars who are unbiased say that both of these schools are authentic Madhyamaka.
Kongtrül also held that "Shentong Madhyamaka" was a valid form of Madhyamaka, which was also based on the Buddha nature teachings of the third turning and Nagarjuna's "Collection of Praises". For him, this Shentong Madhyamaka is the view which holds that the Ultimate truth, the "primordial wisdom nature, the dharmata":
always exists in its own nature and never changes, so it is never empty of its own nature and it is there all the time.
However, he makes it clear that "The Shentong view is free of the fault of saying that the ultimate is an entity." Furthermore, Kongtrül states:
The ultimate truth is the primordial wisdom of emptiness free of elaborations. Primordial wisdom is there in its very nature and is present within the impure, mistaken consciousness. Even while consciousness is temporarily stained, it remains in the wisdom nature. The defilements are separable and can be abandoned because they are not the true nature. Therefore, the ultimate truth is also free of the two extremes of nihilism and eternalism. Since emptiness is truly established, then the extreme of nihilism is avoided; and since all phenomena and concepts of subject-object grasping do not truly exist, then the extreme of eternalism is avoided.

Finally, on the difference between Rangtong and Shentong, Kongtrül writes in the Treasury of Knowledge:
For both Rangtong and Shentong the relative level is empty, and in meditation, all fabricated extremes have ceased. However, they differ in their terminology about whether dharmata is there or not there in post-meditation, and in the ultimate analysis, whether primordial wisdom is truly established or not.
Shentong says that if the ultimate truth had no established nature and was a mere absolute negation, then it would be a vacuous nothingness. Instead, the ultimate is nondual, self-aware primordial wisdom. Shentong presents a profound view which joins the sutras and tantras.

Works by Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé

The main corpus of Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye vast scholarly activities is known as the Great Treasuries:
Jamgon Kongtrul's 'The Infinite Ocean of Knowledge' consists of ten books or sections and is itself a commentary on the root verses 'The Encompassment of All Knowledge' which is also the work of Jamgon Kongtrul. The Encompassment of All Knowledge are the root verses to Kongtrul's autocommentary The Infinite Ocean of Knowledge and these two works together are known as 'The Treasury of Knowledge'.
Of the Five, the Treasury of Knowledge was Jamgon Kongtrul's magnum opus, covering the full spectrum of Buddhist history, philosophy and practice. There is an ongoing effort to translate it into English. It is divided up as follows:

Other works published in English translation

• The Great Path of Awakening : The Classic Guide to Using the Mahayana Buddhist Slogans to Tame the Mind and Awaken the Heart
translated by Ken McLeod, Shambhala, 2000.
• Buddha Nature, The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra with Commentary
Arya Maitreya, with commentary by Jamgon Kongrul Lodro Thaye and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Snow Lion, 200.
• Cloudless Sky
commentary by Jamgon Kongrul the Third.
Shambhala, 2001.
• Jamgon Kongtrul's Retreat Manual
translated by Ngawang Zangpo. Snow Lion Publications, 1994.
• The Torch of Certainty
Foreword by Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala, 2000.
• Creation and Completion: Essential Points of Tantric Meditation
translated by Sarah Harding. Wisdom Publications, 2002.
• The Autobiography of Jamgon Kongtrul: A Gem of Many Colors
translated by Richard Barron, Snow Lion Publications, 2003.
• Sacred Ground: Jamgon Kongtrul on Pilgrimage and Sacred Geography
Snow Lion Publications, 2001.
• Enthronement: The Recognition of the Reincarnate Masters of Tibet and the Himalayas
Snow Lion Publications, 1997.
• The Teacher-Student Relationship
Snow Lion Publications, 1999.
• Essence of Benefit and Joy
Siddhi Publications, 2000.
• Timeless Rapture : Inspired Verse from the Shangpa Masters
Snow Lion, 2003.
• Light of Wisdom, Vol. 1
by Padmasambhava, commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul, translated by Erik Pema Kunsang, Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999.
• Light of Wisdom, Vol. II
by Padmasambhava, commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul, translated by Erik Pema Kunsang, Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999.
• Light of Wisdom, Vol. IV
by Padmasambhava, commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul, translated by Erik Pema Kunsang, Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 2001.

Tulkus

There have been several recognized tulkus of Lodro Thaye.

The Second Jamgon Kongtrul (1902–1952)

The biography of Khakyab Dorje, 15th Karmapa Lama mentions he had a vision in which he saw 25 simultaneous emanations of the master Jamgön Kongtrül. Preeminent among these was Karsé Kongtrül. Karsé Kongtrül was born as the son of the 15th Karmapa: Karsé means "son of the Karmapa". His formal religious name was as Jamyang Khyentsé Özer.
Karsé Kongtrül was identified and enthroned by his father at age twelve in 1902, in Samdrub Choling at the monastery of Dowolung Tsurphu. Karsé Kongtrül resided at Tsadra Rinchen Drak, the seat of his predecessor in eastern Tibet. He received the full education and lineage transmission from the Karmapa. Among his other teachers were Surmang Trungpa Chökyi Nyinche, the 10th Trungpa tulku. He attained realization of the ultimate lineage, was one of the most renowned Mahamudra masters and transmitted the innermost teachings to Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa. On many occasions he gave teachings, empowerments, and reading transmissions from the old and new traditions, such as the Treasury of Precious Termas, and he rebuilt the retreat center of Tsandra Rinchen Drak, his residence at Palpung Monastery. Karsé Kongtrül died on 10 May 1952 at the age of 49.

3rd Jamgon Kongtrul (1954–1992)

The 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul, Karma Lodrö Chökyi Senge, a tulku of Khyentse Özer, was born on 1 October 1954. He fled to India in 1959 in the aftermath of the 1959 Tibetan uprising and grew up at Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim under the care of Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa. Following the Karmapa's death, the 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul was actively involved in the search for the Karmapa’s successor.
On 26 April 1992, a mysterious accident occurred in Darjeeling District, India, with Jamgon Kongtrul as a passenger, when a new BMW veered off the road into a tree, ejecting the engine far away from its motor mount. The accident coincided with the discovery of the 16th Karmapa's prediction letter, but before the search could be completed. Tai Situ Rinpoche, previously working with Jamgon Kongtrul on the search committee, afterwards led the search efforts that found and recognized Ogyen Trinley Dorje five weeks after the accident.

4th Jamgon Kongtrul (1995 to present)

Recognition by 17th Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje-
The 4th Jamgon Kongtrul, Lodro Choyki Nyima Tenpey Dronme, was born in the wood pig year in Central Tibet on the 26th of November 1995. His birth was prophesied by The Seventeenth Karmapa, Ögyen Trinley Dorje, who also recognised, confirmed the authenticity of his incarnation, and proclaimed it to the world. The prophecy, the search, and the recognition of the Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche are told in the book E MA HO! published by the Jamgon Kongtrul Labrang and can be obtained from Pullahari Monastery and viewed on www.jamgonkongtrul.org. He spent time between Kagyu Tekchen Ling and Pullahari Monastery, the monastic seats in India and Nepal founded by the Third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche. Jamgon Kongtrul Labrang gave his studies, training, and the receiving transmissions from the Lineage Masters. Annually, he also attended the Kagyu Monlam in Bodhgaya, India, led by the Seventeenth Gyalwa Karmapa, and led the Kagyu Monlam in Kathmandu, Nepal. On April 14 2016, the Jamgon Yangsi left Pullahari monastery and his monastic vows, stating he wanted to pursue his 'dream of becoming a doctor'.
The 4th Jamgon Kongtrul Mingyur Drakpa Senge was born on 17 December, 1995 in Nepal.
The day before he was born, the late Chogye Trichen Rinpoche said in front of many Lamas and Tulkus: “Like prophesied... today Jamgon Rinpoche arrived.”
In 1996, when the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje, arrived in Bodhgaya, when he met the young Jamgon Rinpoche for the first time. Yangsi Rinpoche despite his young age was able to spontaneously pick up some rice and toss it into the air as a mandala offering, Straight away he exclaimed: “This is the Jamgon Yangsi indeed!” He then issued a recognition letter and gave him a name Karma Migyur Drakpa Senge Trinley Kunkhyab Palzangpo.
In 1998, when the Dalai Lama was visiting Bodhgaya, the Yangsi Rinpoche had a private audience with him, where they showed him the recognition letter and the 14th Dalai Lama performed the hair cutting ceremony for the 4th Jamgon Yangsi. In 2000, Drubwang Pema Norbu, was invited to the Karma Monastery in Bodhgaya, and he performed the vast and profound enthronement ceremony of 4th Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, again reconfirmed Jamgon Yangsi as reincarnation of the great Jamgon Kongtrul.

Other tulkus of Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye

In addition to Karsey Kongtrul Khyentsé Özer , there were four other reincarnations of the first Jamgon Kongtrul: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Dzogchen Kongtrul Rinpoche, and Shechen Kongtrul Rinpoche. Kalu Rinpoche, also recognized post-facto as the incarnation of Lodrö Thaye's activity, was never enthroned as such.
According to the 15th Karmapa, there were 25 simultaneous reincarnations.

Terma