The First Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche

The Second Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche

The Third Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche
In his room, Oct 2005

The Third Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche
In his room, Oct 2005

A video of Rinpoche 2.3mb

Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche is the Speech reincarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and the successor of Kenting Tai Situpa's Dharma activities.
Once, Jamyang Kyentse Wangpo (1820-1892) had a talk with the 10th Kenting Tai Situpa. He said, "I fail to do any help for your dharma teachings this life, but, certainly I would like to make a wish to contribute my next life generously to your dharma activities."

The First Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche (1890-1946)

When Gonpo Dudul, the king of the Tre-Hor Beru family, went to Palpung Monastery on pilgrimage, the first Jamgon Rinpoche said to him: "You will have a super favorable jewellery in the future, please give this jewellery to me." He promised.

Under the Dharma holder's great willing, the first Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche was born in 1890, the iron-tiger year of the 15th Shambhala-era of Tibetan calendar, in Tresho in Do-Kham (Ganzi today), a place propitious for giving birth to great men and the bumper grain harvests that blessed by many virtuous mahagurus. His auspicious family, the Hor Beru family, was a noble family that the first Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa and the fourth Shamar Rinpoche Chokyi Drakpa Yeshe were also from this family. His parents' pure natural disposition, little affliction mind, and the favourable hearts for benefit others, were always be applaud by the local people.

When Rinpoche was becoming an embryo, his mother dreamt a lot of good omens. Under the prediction from guru and yidam, the first Jamgon Rinpoche sent Kentchen Tashi Ozer to bring Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche back to Palpung Monastery, and recognized him as the speech incarnation of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. Kenting Tai Situpa and Kentchen Tashi Ozer later performed the enthronement ceremony for him and gave him the name "Shampa Dorje".

From his childhood, Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche received teachings of Kagyu lineage, Drukpa Kagyu lineage, Jonang lineage and Zhalu lineage with new and old traditions. He got so much initiation from so many yidams that showed the good quality of his favorable Buddha-activities and virtue karma. He was so different to kids of the same age because he always kept his aura and practiced the critical and non-critical path (prajna）analysis.

He wrote a dharma song at the age of seven, "I have been accumulating wealth and wisdom since hundreds of lives. Now, I Khyentse Ozer am very peaceful because I see the essentials of dharma-teaching. Also, I have been looking for the two truths (The absolute truth and the relative truth). Now, I Shampa Dorje am full of pleasure because I realize there is no difference between them".
The Tibetan painting master Tonla Tsewang said, "There was a small volume of such kind of dharma songs, I have read some of them, but I can not remember clearly."

Rinpoche learned culture, sutra and tantra from many Khenpos and scholars; he always could master them even only a little teaching. He gained knowledge about the Thirty Tibetan Stanzas, the Tense and Grammar Construe, Orthography, Rhetoric, and Sabda-vidya, especially about the five methods of Orthography and the Eight Books of Sabda-vidya. Then, when he went to Bodhgaya, he discussed Sabda-vidya with many Indian scholars and revised many translating mistakes from Indian to Tibetan.

He also studied astrology, the Four Books of medicine, its comments and case-experience, painting, carving, printing and seal-casting etc, and discussing with The Tibetan painting master Tonla Tsewang about some doubts.

He studied The Ocean of Pramana theory under Kentchen Tashi Ozer, common and uncommon Buddhism (vidya) under Mipham Rinpoche. In medicine science, he and Mipham Rinpoche taught to each other. It was said he and Mipan Rinpoche wrote the comments of Pramana varttika according to the book "The Ocean of Pramana theory" which was a writing of the 7th Kamapa Chodrak Gyatso.

After studying Buddhism(Vidya), he received Upasamapada in Palpung monastery and was given the name "Karma Jamyang Khyentse Ozer Lodro Mizad Jampal Gocha Ozer Drima Mepai Pal". He became a very famous master in Dharma teaching.

Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche visite the 15th Karmapa in Tsurphu many times; always received blessings from the Karmapa and rose illimitable reverence and believing in the Karmapa. From the Karmapa and the 11th Kenting Tai Situpa, he and the 2nd Jamgon Rinpoche together received a seven-days Kagyu Ngakzod (The Treasury of Kagyu Tantra), which including transmissions, empowerments and teachings. The 15th Karmapa Khakhyab Dorje affirmed Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche as the heir of the Action Tantra; he tried as he could to cultivate the 2nd Jamgon Rinpoche and Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche, gave them the Lord-Karmapa mystique tantras (from the first to the thirteenth Karmapa), and also gave each of them a one inch height Buddha statue which was made by the Seventh Karmapa Chodrak Gyatso.

Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche also received teachings and empowerments from the 11th Kenting Tai Situpa and many other masters. From the 2nd Jamgon Rinpoche, he received the teachings, transmissions and empowerments of the Five Great Treasures and Shangpa Kagyu's Five Golden Tantras (Hevajra, Guhyasamaja, Chakrasamvara, Mahamaya and Yamantaka). Palpung Khyentse RinpocheI also offered many teachings and empowerments to the 11th Kenting Tai Situpa and the 2nd Jamgon Rinpoche, so he became a master and also a vajra-apprentice of the Kenting Tai Situpa and Jamgon Rinpoche.

From Gangkar Rinpoche, Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche received many initiations and teachings, he became very good at sutra and tantra, not only gathering merits and virtues from sutra, but also enlightened super from generation and completion stages.

Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche practiced very hard according to the lineage method in order to reach the Union Vajradhara stage. He retreated many times, attained full self-confidence of no suspicious viewpoint to ask and could hold the essence to the details. After two retreats of practicing Mahakala prayer, Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche did saw Mahakala and his families, at that time, nectar falling from Tormas (manna), medical pills spilled out from vases, and five-color rosy clouds overspread the sky. When he was the chief master performing a Phurpa Prayer at Palpung monastery, the inner nectar overspread the Cross Dorje, the Vajrakila-dagger burnt in the Expel evil spirits ceremony, and when monks were on duty for the ceremony at night, they heard clangor sounds coming from the Cross Dorje. When he was the chief master performing the Vajrasattva ceremony, uncountable Vajrasattvas and buddhas appeared in the hall. All these auspicious miracles gained the reputation and fame with praise and admire for Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche.

Before the 16th Karmapa was born, Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche predicted, "In Denkhok of the Derge province, the 16th Karmapa with a round face like a full moon is watching outsides at the east window of a bedroom in A-Tu family's ". Very soon later, the 16th Karmapa was really born in the A-Tu family.

Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche ever hold a teaching and transmission of Kangyur for more than 2,000 sanghas, including tulkus, monks and teachers of different languages and nationalities, he taught and performed ceremonies of Karma Kagyu lineage for the public and individuals. Rinpoche also visited many monasteries and temples at the requests of disciples, gave teachings and empowerments to thousands of sanghas and laymen. He gave Vinaya commandments to more than three thousands monks (bhiksu and sramanera). He also instructed and explained detailed in the intoning, chant, making Torma, painting and trumpeting in the holy ceremony for the monasteries.

Rinpoche visited Bhutan, Sikkim, India and Nepal on pilgrimages, and taught meditation for students in remote mountains. Under the blessing of Rinpoche, the King of Bhutan and his mother became his disciples and donated much to the holding of dharma. One of Rinpoche's Chinese disciple, Chen-jia, offered all he had to fellow and studied under Rinpoche, and he became a Mahasiddha of all in manifest, conduct, and practice. Because Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche's compassion and blessing, there were so many monks and lay buddhists giving up their worldly business, doing practicing dharma, finally, getting the wisdom of Union Vajradhara.

During the Second World War, on behalf of the 11th Kenting Tai Situpa, Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche was invited by Chiang Kai-shek to hold a grand Wisdom Mahakala ceremony in Yaan to resist the invading Japanese. In the seven-days ceremony, the Torma burnt naturally and the fire became the nectar of eyes for all guests. Many people beheld that there was a vigorous black dog running to the East. Rinpoche gave the Red Avalokiteshvara empowerment to Chiang Kai-shek and his wife with eight generals (and their wifes) received initiation, and taught them primary practice of the lineage. Rinpoche was honored as "Monarch Guru" by Chiang Kai-shek and was offered many gifts such as crystal, jade seal, guns, camera, binocular, radio etc. and a passport made of satin.

Khyentse Rinpoche spread the seeds of dharma in the area from India to China, to disciples such as kings and fishermen, contributed greatly to the prosperity of Buddhism. All the offerings he received were used to increase the merits for all the sentient beings. He especially offered much to the 11th Kenting Tai Situpa to complete the wish of establishing Palpung monastery in all fields of body, speech and mind. He also held ceremonies to offer thousand monks, and so on.

The establishments of Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche in the depending of Buddha-body including: more than ten thousand china statues of buddhas such as Sakyamuni, Avalokiteshvara, Tara, Padmasambhava, Vajrasattva, 16 Arhats for Palpung monastery, till now, we still can find some of them here); twenty five Sandalwood Buddhist statues with back and irradiation thrones; sixteen middle-size Arhats made of gold plate copper; a the same height gold plate statue of himself; a large and a small statue of the 15th Karmapa Khakhyab dorje; copper statues of Vairochana, Vajrasattva, Akshobhya..., height from near one floor to one inch, which were made by Changdu artists; one inch height cupronickel buddha statues which is made by Bhutan artist; a protector statue which was made by the 7th Karmapa Chodrak Gyatso; thousands of new or old budda statues, made of gold, sliver, copper, or incense mud, for Palpung monastery and other Kagyu monasteries. Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche also invited Wangga, a new Meng lineage artist in Changdu, and Tonla Tsewang to draw 300 Thankhas into a collection called "The First Quarter of the Moon". It included the stories of Sakyamuni, all the Karmpas (the first to the 15th), the fellow eight disciples, masters, Yidams, and protectors of Karma Kagyu lineage, and the story of his vision of the manifesting of the protect. Until now, some of them are reserved in the monastery.

The establishments of Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche in the depending of Buddha-speech including: Kangyur and Tengyur of Derge edition, Kangyur of Wazao edition; 100,000 Tantra of the Nyingma School; Collection of Methods of Achievement ;the Collection of Tantra; Five Great Treasures; the Sutra at the beginning of Buddhism; the Seven Treasuries; Four comments of Heart Sutra; Three Rest; A Collection of Literatures of Chagmey Rinpoche; Mahamudra Teachings and Collections of Literatures of Kagyu masters; all the above were offered to Palpung Monastery and Kagyu mopnasteries. Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche made new printing plates of the Literature Collection of the 15th Karmapa and The method to Achievements of the Karmapas. These plates were conserved in the printing press of Palpung monastery. He and Gangkar Rinpoche tried to collect and edit a collection of literatures of all the Karmapas and Kagyu masters. When they completed 470 volumes and only 20 volumes left, Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche passed away. Among these volumes, those conserved in Gangkar monastery were all burnt in a fire, and those in Palpung monastery mostly lost.

The establishments of Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche in the depending of Buddha-mind including: a one-floor height stupa of the 15th Karmapa Khakhyab dorje; several stupas which contained small buddha statues inside; A stupa named "Scarce in the World", which was for Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, with height about one floor, decorated with various jewellery, and five circles of nine eyes zees around the door; brought 700 one-inch kadampa chortens, 20 small kadampa chortens and other stupas which were made of gold and sliver; made musical instruments such as the new gold and silver trombone, loudspeaker....; using many kinds of various jeweller to make sacrificial tools; eighty sets of lama dance dresses made of lotus lined satin; and the protector offerings, column long narrow flag, treasure covering, the ware, thick cushion, Tibetan blankets etc. offered to the monastic college, retreat centers and the main shrine hall of the Palpung monastery.

At the age of 47 years (in 1937), Rinpoche established the Mahavairochana retreat center, including a new building and all the interior supplements, in Palpung Monastery.

Rinpoche was very interesting in collecting various jewelries and artworks. He invited a skilled artist Danlang, who was called "the magic craftsman", and another blacksmith invited by the 11th Kenting Tai Situpa to make copper and nickel buddha statues and cymbals according to Rinpoche's designs. He invited artist Gazou to paint the masters of the eight schools of Tibetan Buddhism on the wall around the skylight of the top floor of the main shrine. He also asked Gawang to paint some thankha with him. He purchased cloth of high-quality silks and satins from Mainland China, and used the cloth to sew some dancing dress, the protectors' offerings, cylinder-face long narrow flag and canopy. He also designed some new and different style cloth of lama guard and escort, such as dharma flag etc.

The famous disciples of Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche included: the 16th Karmapa, the 11th Kenting Tai Situpa, the 2nd Jamgon Rinpoche, the 1st Karlu Rinpoche, Pawo Rinpoche, Gyaltsab Rinpoche etc and numberless Khenpos and sanghas in the Palpung monastery, Chiang Kai-shek, Bhutan King, and many other lineage masters.

Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche passed away at the age of 56(1946) in Palpung monastery, a grand cremation ceremony was held, and a stupa built.

The Second Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche (1964-1998)

The second Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche was born in 1964, his father's name is Tashi Phuntosk Wandu, and mother's name is Dechen Wangmor from Bhutan. His close disciple Chenja also ever said, "Phuntosk's son is the incarnation of my master". It was said that Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche had talked to Phuntosk many times, "We will meet again very soon."

Once, there was a gold vase divine, the 2nd second Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche also there in Lasa. His private doctor reported Rinpoche's situation to the 16th Karmapa. The 16th Karmapa recognized him as the second Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche and held an enthronement ceremony in the Tsurphu monastery in 1951. In October of the same year, he was sent to the Palpung monastery where the 11th Kenting Tai Situpa held another enthronement ceremony for him.

When he was seven years old, the 11th Kenting Tai Situpa passed away. Once when he was watching the Vajra-dancing of the 29 offering, he found three protectors faced and fingered to the south direction. He made a joke and said, "From that, the 11th Kenting Tai Situpa must be re-born in Payal". Actually, it really showed the rebirth fact of Kenting Situpa.

In his childhood, Gangkar Rinpoche was his main teacher in reading, writing, speaking and chanting. He went to Bhutan through Lhasa because the political change.

Rinpoche passed away In 1998. It was said that during cremation ceremony sariras fell out from his body and his heart, eyes and tongue remained with no damage.

Now the third Palpung Khyentse Rinpoche is residing and studying in Palpung monastery.

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