Longchenpa

Longchenpa or Longchen Rabjampa (1308 – 1364 or possibly 1369) was a major teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Along with Sakya Pandita and Je Tsongkhapa, he is commonly recognized as one of the three main manifestations of Manjushri to have taught in Central Tibet. His major work is the "Seven Treasures", which encapsulates the previous 600 years of Buddhist thought in Tibet. Longchenpa was a critical link in the transmission of the Dzogchen teachings. He was abbot of Samye, one of Tibet's most important monasteries and the first Buddhist monastery established in the Himalaya, but spent most of his life travelling or in retreat.

Variants and origins of name and title

Apart from Longchenpa's names given below, he is sometimes referred to by the honorary title "Second Buddha" (Tib. rgyal ba gnyis), a term usually preserved for Guru Padmasambhava and indicative of the high regard in which he and his teachings are held. Like the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, Rongzompa and Jigme Lingpa, he carried the title "Kunkhyen" (Tibetan; "All-Knowing").

Various forms and spellings of Longchenpa's full name(s), in which 'Longchen' holds the semantic field "Great Expanse," "Vast Space," or "Immense Knowledge":

:* Longchen Rabjam (klong chen rab 'byams; realization of vast knowledge):* Longchen Rabjampa (klong chen rab 'byams pa):* Longchenpa Drimey Özer (klong chen pa dri med 'od zer):* Künkhyen Longchenpa (kun mkhyen klong chen pa; the omniscient Longchenpa):* Künkhyen Longchen Rabjam (kun mkhyen klong chen rab 'byams):* Künkhyen Chenpo (kun mkhyen chen po; Omniscient Great One):* Künkhyen Chenpo Drimey Özer (kun mkhyen chen po dri med 'od zer):* Künkhyen Chökyi (kun mkhyen chos kyi rgyal po; All-knowing Dharma King):* Gyalwa Longchen Rabjam (rgyal ba klong chen rab 'byams):* Gyalwa Longchen Rabjam Drimey Özer (rgyal ba klong chen rab 'byams dri med 'od zer)

Biography

A reincarnation of Pema Ledrel Tsal, as such Longchenpa is regarded as an indirect incarnation of the princess Pema Sal. He was born to master Tenpasung, an adept at both the sciences and the practice of mantra, and Dromza Sonamgyen, who was descended from the family of Dromton Gyelwie Jungne. Longchenpa was first ordained at the age of eleven and studied extensively with the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje. He received not only the Nyingma transmissions as passed down in his family, but also studied with many of the great teachers of his day without regard to sect. He thus received the combined Kadam and Sakya teachings of the Sutrayana through his main Sakya teacher, Palden Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen, in addition to the corpus of both old and new translation tantras. At the age of nineteen, Longchenpa entered the famous shedra (monastic college) Sangpu Neutok, where he acquired great scholarly wisdom. He later chose to practise in the solitude of the mountains, after becoming disgusted by the unpleasant behavior of certain scholars.

When he was in his late twenties two events occurred that were to be of decisive importance in his intellectual and spiritual development. One was a vision of Guru Padmasambhava and his consort Yeshe Tsogyal, and the other was his meeting with the great mystic Rigdzin Kumaradza (alt. Kumaraja). It was in the mountains that he met Rigdzin Kumaradza, who was traveling from valley to valley with his students under the most difficult of circumstances. Together with Rangjung Dorje, Longchenpa accompanied them for two years, during which time he received all of Rigdzin Kumaradza's transmissions. Through the efforts of these three, the diverse streams of the "Innermost Essence" ("nying thig") teachings of Dzogchen were brought together and codified into one of the common grounds between the Nyingma and Karma Kagyud traditions.

After several years in retreat, Lonchenpa attracted more and more students, even though he had spent nearly all of his life in mountain caves. During a stay in Bhutan (Tib., Mon), Longchenpa fathered a daughter and a son, of which the latter, Trugpa Odzer (b. 1356), also became a holder of the Nyingtig lineage. A detailed account of the life and teachings of Longchenpa is found in "Buddha Mind" by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche.

Pema Lingpa the famous "terton" (finder of sacred texts) of Bhutan is regarded as the immediate reincarnation of Longchenpa.

Works

Longchenpa is widely considered the single most important writer on the Dzogchen teachings. He is credited with more than 250 works, both as author and compiler, among which are the famous "Seven Treasures" (mdzod bdun), the "Trilogy of Natural Freedom" (rang grol skor gsum), the "Trilogy of Natural Ease" (ngal gso skor gsum), his "Trilogy of Dispelling Darkness", and his compilation - plus commentaries - of the "Nyingtig Yabshi." He is also a commentator of the "Kunyed Gyalpo Tantra" (Tib., kun byed rgyal po'i rgyud; "The King Who Creates Everything"), a text belonging to the Mind Class (Tib., sems sde) of the Ati Yoga Inner Tantras.

Longchenpa combined the teachings of the Vima Nyingtig lineage with those of the Khandro Nyingtig, thus preparing the ground for the fully unified system of teachings that became known as the Longchen Nyingtig (by Jigme Lingpa).

Translations in English

*Dowman, Keith, "Old Man Basking In the Sun: Longchenpa's Treasury of Natural Perfection", Vajra Publications, 2006
*Guenther, H.V., "Kindly Bent to Ease Us", vols. 1-3, Dharma Publishing, 1975-6
*Klong-chen rab-'byams-pa, "Looking Deeper: A Swan's Questions and Answers", translated by Herbert V. Guenther, Timeless Books, 1983
*Rabjam, Longchen (Longchenpa) (2000). "You Are the Eyes of the World". (trans of "kun byed rgyal po" by Kennard Lipman & Merrill Peterson and with an introduction by Namkhai Norbu). Snow Lion Publications; Revised Edition. ISBN-10: 1559391405; ISBN-13: 978-1559391405
*Longchen Rabjampa, "'The Four-Themed Precious Garland: An Introduction to Dzogchen", with commentaries by Dudjom Rinpoche and Beru Khyentse Rinpoche; translated by Alexander Berzin, LTWA, 1978
*Longchen Rabjam (author), Richard Barron (trans): "The Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena (Chöying Dzöd)". Padma Publishing
*Longchen Rabjam (author), Richard Barron (trans):" A Treasure Trove of Scriptural Transmission: A Commentary on the Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena". Padma Publishing (2001) ISBN 1881847306
*Longchen Rabjam (author), Richard Barron (trans): "Precious Treasury of the Way of Abiding". Padma Publishing (1998) ISBN 1881847098
*Longchen Rabjam (author), Richard Barron (trans): "The Precious Treasury of Philosophical Systems (Drupta Dzöd)": Padma Publishing (2008) ISBN 1881847446
*Longchen Rabjam (author), Richard Barron (trans): "The Precious Treasury of Pith Instructions (Man-ngak Dzöd)": Padma Publishing (2007). ISBN 188184742X
*Longchen Rabjam, "The Practice of Dzogchen", translated by Tulku Thondup, Snow Lion, 2002

Notes

External links

* [http://www.dzogchenproject.com/Longchenpabibliography.html Dzogchen Project] Extensive bibliography with information regarding available translations
* [http://lotsawahouse.org/longchenpa.html Lotsawa House] - Featuring translations of several texts by Longchenpa.
* [http://www.lotsawaschool.org/longchenpa.html Famous Quotes from Longchenpa]