Lama Gonpo with some of his nuns and monks. Amdo, Tibet, 1990.

IMMORTAL PROTECTOR OF BEINGS

A brief biography of Lama Gonpo Tseten Rinpoche

To Vimalamitra and his emanations

filling the Southern Continent,

Kunkhyen Longchen Rabjam, Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa,

Patrul Chokyi Wangpo, Khyentse Wangpo,

and the universally accomplished

Rigdzin Trinley Ozer,

delighting in the illusory display of wisdom's play;

to you who are the blazing sunsof the Three Realms

I bow down.

In 1906 in Amdo, the eastern province of the snow land of Tibet, a child was born into a family heritage of tantrikas. Although he was none other than an emanation of the supreme Vimalamitra, for the sake of inspiring disciples to be trained he passed through the stages of the path and underwent all the dangers and hardships of this life, displaying the courage and determination which is necessary for accomplishment.

At the age of seven he was sent to Sanchen Mingye Ling, a Nyingmapa monastery in the Amdo region of Tashi Gompa. After receiving his preliminary education, in 1922 at the age of 15 he studied with Kargi Terton and accomplished the ngundro, returning to his monastery the next year. He later completed the ngundro twice more, setting a personal example which undergirded his constant instructions that the whole path and its result is found in the preliminary practices.

At Sangchen Mingye Ling he continued his Dharma studies and the traditional Tibetan arts and sciences. It was at this time that he began to manifest great skill in drawing, painting, and sculpture. In 1925, at the age of 18, he completed two images of Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara, each standing over six feet high.

He then undertook a journey of twenty days in order to study at the feet of Terton Choling Tuching Dorje. After this he received the transmission and empowerments of the 62 volume Rinchen Ter Dzod for four months from the 5th Dzogchen Rinpoche Thubten Chokyi Dorje. Later, the powerful Ngagpa Gonpo Tsering taught him Tu, the art of overcoming enemies. This was essential since his gompa in Amdo needed protection from surrounding afflictions, including ruthless bandits and wild animals.

After this, he studied more Sutra and Tantra including the Yonten Tso at Sukchen Tago Gompa in Golok, Sikkim, which was established by the 1st Dodrupchen Rinpoche in 1799.

In 1932 he met his root guru, Patrul Rinpoche Kunzang Shenpen Ozer of Tso, the tulku of Patrul Chokyi Wangpo, who was himself a heart-son of Adzom Drupa Drodul Pawo Dorje. According to the late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in his autobiography Brilliant Moon, Patrul Rinpoche of Tso was an emanation of Avalokitesvara and a very unusual person who would feed hundreds of beggers at his monastery upon condition that they enter the gate of the Dharma and undertake ngundro practice.

Under his guru's direction he did a solitary mountain retreat for four years, including ngundro, tsa-lung, and dzogchen progressing through the stages of the path to the realization of the supreme state. At the end of his retreat Patrul Rinpoche asked him to teach others and, in 1936, he was given the role of Vajra Acharya to teach Patrul Rinpoche's disciples in the master's absence. As well, he was given the knowledge-holder name Rigdzin Trinley Ozer.

For two years he taught tsa-lung and dzogchen at Patrul Rinpoche's monastery at Tso. He then did further retreat for one year to deepen his realization before going to Dzogchen Monastery in 1939 and 1940. Lama Gonpo then returned to his own gompa, Sangchen Mingye Ling, bringing with him with him the Kanjur, Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa's Ton Bum, Yonden Subdon, and other profound texts totaling 1552 pages.

At Sangchen Mingye Ling he became Khenpo, and also did another several years in retreat. Converting his monastery to the Longchen Nyingtig teachings of Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa he would teach the Kunzang Lamai Shyelung of Patrul Chokyi Wangpo. in the winter the Lama taught tsa-lung and the Yeshe Lama in the summer. His fame spread far and wide like the rays of the sun. Numerous lamas asked him to teach at their gompas. He taught at eight monasteries throughout Amdo, teaching twice a year at each. From 1957 to 1959 he taught at the renowned Tsering Jong Monastery near Lhasa.

In 1959, like HH the Dalai Lama and his teachers Khyentse Chokyi Lodro and Dilgo Khyentse, Lama Gonpo managed to escape from Tibet. Having arrived in India, Lama Gonpo steadfastly continued to teach the Dharma far and wide, and received numerous teachings from other exiled teachers. To dispel obstacles, he did a three month retreat on Dorje Phurba at the residence of HH the Dalai Lama. At the end of his retreat the Dalai Lama presented Lama Gonpo with an offering of a phurba hidden as a terma treasure by Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche, and found by the supreme terton Nyang Ral Nyima Ozer in the 12th century.

From 1967 to 1978 Lama Gonpo taught at the Nyingmapa Lamas' College at Clement Town, Dehra Dun, India, teaching both the entire range of preliminary and advanced practices. From 1979 to early 1982, accompanied by his consort Pema Lhanzam, he taught in the United States, mainly in California. In 1982, at the age of 76, Lama Gonpo courageously returned to Amdo, Tibet, and gathered a dedicated community of practitioners. After visiting America once more for a brief period, Lama Gonpo remained in Tibet until his passing at the age of 85.

Although he had planned to change realms on the tenth day of the sixth Tibetan month, that day being a day special to Guru Rinpoche, Lama Gonpo kindly acceded to his students' request and delayed his departure three days. Like Kunzang Sherab, the 1st Throneholder of Palyul, just before his parinirvana the supreme Vidydhara Trinley Ozer saw the dakinis coming to convey his consciousness, as he himself had predicted, to the Copper Colored Mountain, Guru Rinpoche's Pure Land. Lama Gonpo made beautiful inviting mudras as he lay dying, and passed into the sphere of ultimate truth on the 13th day of the sixth Tibetan month, 1991.

Lama Gonpo Tsetan was deeply humble man and comfortable in all situations, both high and low. Although he himself possessed unimpeded insight and had the power to authoritatively to recognize and enthrone tulkus, which he occasionally did as he foresaw would be helpful, Lama gonpo did not consider enthronement himself as a sublime reincarnation to be necessary.

However, he was widely known and declared by the other great Lamas of his time to be the pure emanation of Panchen Vimalamitra himself. This fact is reflected in his Long Life Prayer, written by HE Dungse Thinley Norbu of Pemako, himself the emanation of Kunkhen Lonchen Rabjam Drimed Ozer, and in this life the eldest son of HH the late Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje:

Of the millions of knowledge-holders

The chief is the Supreme Vimalamitra,

Whose light-ray sunlike activity you invite as guests

Into the lotus-like Wisdom Mansion of your heart.

Glorious teacher Rigdzin Trinley Ozer,May you live long.

The Dzogpa Chenpo is the Dakinis' luminous heart-essence,

The Supreme Dharma's excellent activity spread widely like pollen.

May your fortunate disciples gathering like bees to honey,

Fly in the Dharmakaya's sky.

Lama Gonpo had previously declared that he would not reincarnate as a conventional tulku, but would send emanations directly from the Copper Colored Mountain.

Some writings of Lama Gonpo Tseten Rinpoche: Dorje Phurba: Developing and Completion Stage Practice (1962), Preliminary Practices of the Longchen Nyingtig: a Commentary (1964), Tsa-Lung: Completion Stage Practice (1966), Life History of the Longchen Nyingtig Lamas: Longchenpa and Jigme Lingpa (1979), In Praise of Longchenpa (1979), The Life of Guru Rinpoche and the Meaning of the Tsog Offering (1981), Kye Rim: A Developing Stage Practice of Rigdzin Dupa, and Yonten Tso: a Comprehensive Nyingtig Text.

In addition to his own writings, in 1977 Lama Gonpo Tseten Rinpoche also published the following texts by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo: Immortal Celebration: the Empowerment Liturgy of the Text “Extracting the Essence for Prolongling Longevity (a terma of the 5th Dalai Lama), A Rough List of Scholars and Translators of Tibet, the Land of Snow, A Brief Account of the Throneholders of Both New and Old Tantric Schools of the Land of Snow: The Wondrous Lotus Garden.

Among Lama Gonpo Tseten's many artistic accomplishments are two major murals in Clement Town, Dhera Dun, India: “Amitaba in Dewachen” at Tashi Gommo Gelugpa Monastery, and “Mount Meru and the Universe System” at the Nyingmapa Lama's College.

May whatever merit accumulated by this short biography unite with the intention of the Lama, and may all being see the truth revealed. Sarva Mangalam!

Lama Gonpo's Lonchen Nyingtig Lineage

KUNTUZANGPO

DORJE SEMPA

GARAB DORJE

MANJUSRIMITRA

SRISIMHA

JANANSUTRA

VIMALAMITRA

PADMASAMBHAVA

KUNKHYEN LONGCHEN RABJAM

RIGDZIN JIGME LINGPA

JIGME GYALWE NYUGU

JAMYANG KHYENTSE WANGPO

PATRUL CHOKYI WANGPO

ADZOM DRUPA DRODUL PAWO DORJE

PATRUL KUNZANG SHENPEN OZER OF TSO

RIGDZIN TRINLEY OZER (LAMA GONPO TSEDAN RINPOCHE)

(An alternate lineage goes from Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo to Chokyi Dorje the 5th Dzogchen Rinpoche to Khyentse Chokyi Lodro to Dilgo Khyentse to Rigdzin Trinley Ozer)

Why this blog?

To enable people to share photos, reflections, and reminiscenses of the late Lama Gonpo Tseten Rinpoche. Because his name is spelled two different ways, I'll also post on a mirror blog at www.lamagonpo.blogspot.com