Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche

Life of Losang Tenpay Wangchuk Pelzangpo, the 12th Dagom Rinpoche

Kyabje Dagom Rimpoche is a Gelug incarnate lama (tulku) and a direct disciple of Trijang Dorjechang, tutor to the 14th Dalai Lama, from whom he received most of his heart instructions. Rimpoche has been the holder the Ganden 'Ear-Whispered' Lineage until his parinirvana in 2007.

Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche was recognized and confirmed as a Tulku by Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang. As such he became the 12th incarnation of the lineage of Dagom Rinpoches. He took Novice ordination at the age of 9 and full ordination, Bhikshu, at the age of 21 years old.

At the age of 8 and until he was 25, Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche studied all of the major and minor Tibetan sciences in Drepung Gomang Monastery in South India. Right after completing these studies, for many years, he continued to receive further teachings from such masters as H.H. Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang, H.H. Ling Dorje Chang, Kyabje Gyara Dorje Chang, Kyabje Zong Dorje Chang, Kyabje Zemey Dorje Chang, and Yongzin Kunchok Gyatso. He received all the teachings, empowerments and oral transmissions. In 1983, after completing his studies, he received the degree of Geshe Lharampa, the highest degree in the Tibetan monastic system. In 1987, Rinpoche passed the tantric examinations and served as the Headmaster of Gyume Tantric College in Hunsur, India. Since then, he has given sutra and tantra transmissions to over a hundred thousand disciples in Ladakh, India, Nepal, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Germany, Singapore, and Mongolia.

From April 3, 1989, at Samten ling Monastery in Nepal for the commemoration of the passing of H.H. Panchen Lama, for twenty-two days, Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche gave instructions on the "Stages of the Path [to Enlightenment] " (Lam Rim) as the initiation of Vajrabhairava to 260 disciples including Gangchen Chogtrul Rinpoche, Lingka Chogtrul Rinpoche, the abbot of Samten Ling Monastery, the abbot of Shelkar Monastery, the master of Chozang Monastery, and the master of Segyu Monastery. Then, from March 26 until May 3, 1990, for a month and twenty-seven days, Rinpoche gave the profound oral instructions of "Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand" by Pabongka Rinpoche to 780 monks, nuns and lay disciples including Ganden Jangtse Serkong Chogtrul Rinpoche, Drepung Loseling Drubtob Rinpoche and the masters of seven different monasteries in Nepal. At Ganden Jamgon Ling Monastery near Swayambu, Nepal, on May fourth and fifth of this year, Rinpoche gave Avalokiteshvara initiation and advice to more than a thousand Tibetans.

In 1991 from March 3rd to April 23rd at Drepung Gomang Monastery, Kyabje Rinpoche gave oral transmission of ten volumes of the collected works of Je Tsongkhapa, 13 Deity Yamantaka initiation, as well as the 13 Mahakala initiations and transmission of the 5 major fields of studies’ root texts to Kyabje Sharpa Choeje Lobsang Nyima, Kyabje Trijang Chogtrul Rinpoche, Kyabje Gyara Chogtrul Rinpoche, Kyabje Zong Chogtrul Rinpoche, Kyabje Lakha Chogtrul Rinpoche, and Kyabje Yongzin Tulku as well as many Geshes, over three hundred monks and lay people.

In that same year from May 28 for about one month at the Ladakh Zanskar Duzing Podrang, Dagom Rinpoche gave instructions on the 8 great commentaries on the "Stages of the Path [to Enlightenment] " to more than three hundred disciples. On June 30th he also gave teachings on generating bodhicitta and the White Umbrella initiation to more than 4000 people of Zanskar in India. Rinpoche has a very close relation with the people of Zanskar and, at people’s requests, has traveled to sixty-eight different regions there again and again, undergoing great hardship of jorneying on foot and horseback over rivers and through dangerous passes in order to kindly give Dharma advice for the alleviation of suffering.

In the year 1992, Kyabje Rinpoche established the Ganden Monlam Chenmo Dharma Center and Dagom Migtsema Dharma Center in Nepal. On that same occasion Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche presided as throne holder of Nepal Ganden Monlam Chenmo for five days over the gathering of more than 800 Sangha members from Nyanang Phegya Ling Monastery, Samten Ling Monastery, Gaden Jamgon Ling Monastery, Shelkar Monastery, Segyu Monastery, Drupthok Monastery, Thukjechoe Ling Nunnery and Kopan Nunnery. Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche also gave teachings on Legends of Buddha’s Birth and performed prayers for all deceased and living beings. From that time on, the Ganden Monlam Chenmo Festival has been held every year.

In India Dagom Rinpoche established Jangchub Tensung Dorje Center in Lingshed and the Lhasa Monlam Festival in Zanskar. In 1996, Rinpoche established Dagom Gaden Tensung Ling [cite web|url=http://www.ganden.org Dagom Gaden |title=Dagom Gaden |accessdate=2008-07-04] in Bloomington, Indiana and Dagom Tsongkhapa Dharma Center in Massachusetts (USA).

In the year 1997 Rinpoche toured Mongolia for six months, giving teachings and tantric initiations to thousands of monks and lay people. During the month of May in Hentic Almic, Mongolia, the local practitioners requested Rinpoche to bring rain and, when it rained, they were filled with joy, faith and devotion.

In the year 1999 Rinpoche founded Dagom Choeling Dharma Center in Minneapolis, USA.

After being a fully ordained monk for ten years, Rinpoche started to give ordination to other people according to the rules of the Vinaya, which is an important basis of Buddha Dharma. From then on, Rinpoche has bestowed Novice ordination on more than five hundred people and Bhikshu ordination on several dozen people.

And so for a long time Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche has been teaching Buddha Dharma and giving spiritual advice to thousands of students throughout the world, always with love and compassion. Rinpoche does not at all like to deal with politics. He only gives spiritual and truthful advice. It is because of this that his blissful Dharma activities have been flourishing purely year after year. Yet Rinpoche’s faith and respect in the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden has remained firm and unchanging from early childhood up to the present time. Because of this, some Tibetan political officials in Dharamsala have, since 1996, made intense effort to split Rinpoche’s many faithful disciples away from him. Dorje Shugden is a very renowned compassionate protector deity in Tibetan Buddhism. Many hundreds of highly qualified masters and many tens of thousands of people of many different nationalities have revered him as a supreme supramundane protector. Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche does not care for any mixture of religion and politics and, on the contrary, is one who, in every country where he travels, puts forth great effort in solely spiritual means, for the happiness and peace of everyone. If anyone wishes to know more about Rinpoche’s extensive activities, they are described in the Tibetan volume called "The Jewel Garland of Precious Activities". In 2007, he performed the deed of parinirvana. All his life, he blessed countless number of beings with Buddhadharma teachings and living life according to the true teachings of Buddha. [http://www.ganden.org]

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