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'''Apang Terchen Orgyen Trinlé Lingpa (1895-1945)'''
Choktrul Lozang Tendzin of Trehor studied with the lord Kunga Palden and the Chö
master Dharma Seng-gé, and Apang Terchen in turn studied with Lozang Tendzin.
Apang Terchen, also known as Orgyen Trinlé Lingpa, was renowned as the rebirth of
Rigdzin Gödem. He was reputed to have been conceived in the following way: Traktung
Dudjom Lingpa focused his enlightened intent while resting in the basic space
of timeless awareness, whereupon Apang Terchen's mother experienced an intense
surge of delight. This caused all ordinary concepts based on confusion to be arrested
in her mind for a short time, and it was then that Apang Terchen was conceived in her
womb.2 From that moment on, his mother constantly had dreams that were amazing
omens. For example, she found herself among groups of dakinis enjoying the splendor
of ganachakras, or being bathed by many dakas and dakinis, or dwelling in pavilions
of light, illuminating the entire world with her radiance.
The child was born one morning at dawn, in the area of Serta in eastern Tibet, his
mother having experienced no discomfort. Her dwelling was filled with [2.188a] and
surrounded by light, as though the sun were shining brightly. There were also pavilions
of light, and a fragrance pervaded the entire area, although no one could tell
where it came from. Everyone saw numerous amazing signs on the child's body, such
as a tuft of vulture feathers adorning the crown of his head.3 The mother's brother,
Sönam Dorjé, asked, "What will become of this boy who has no father? How shameful
it would be if people saw these feathers!"4 But although he cut the feather tuft
off the child's head several times, it grew back on its own, just as before. This upset
Sönam Dorjé even more, and he berated his sister angrily, saying on numerous occasions,
"How could your child have no father? You must tell me who he is!" His
sister retorted, "With the truth of karma as my witness, I swear I have never lain with
a flesh-and-blood man of this world. This pregnancy might be a result of my own
karma." She became so extremely depressed that her fellow villagers couldn't bear it
and used various means to bring a halt to her brother's inappropriate behavior.
From an early age, this great master, Apang Terchen, felt an innate and unshakable
faith in Guru Rinpoché and had a clear and natural knowledge [2.188b] of the ''vajra guru''
mantra and the Seven-Line Supplication. He learned how to read and write
simply upon being shown the letters and exhibited incredible signs of his spiritual potential
awakening. For example, his intelligence, which had been developed through
training in former lifetimes, was such that no one could compete with him. As he
grew up, he turned his attention toward seeking the quintessential meaning of life.
He studied at the feet of many teachers and mentors, including the Nyingtik master
Gyatsok Lama Damlo and Terchen Sogyal, studying many of the mainstream traditions
of the sutras and tantras, especially those of the kama and terma.
The most extraordinary lord of his spiritual family was Trehor Drakar Tulku,5
with whom he studied for a long time, receiving the complete range of empowerments,
oral transmissions, and pith instructions of the secret Nyingtik cycles of utter lucidity.
He went to solitary ravines throughout the region, making caves and overhangs
on cliffs his dwelling places, taking birds and wild animals as his companions, and
relying on the most ragged clothing and meager diet. He planted the victory banner
of spiritual practice, meditating for a long period of time. He was graced by visions of
an enormous array of his personal meditation deities, [2.189a] including Tara, Avalokiteshvara,
Mañjushri, Sarasvati, and Amitayus. He was not content to leave the
true nature of phenomena an object of intellectual speculation, and his realization
progressed in leaps and bounds.
Apang Terchen bound the eight classes of gods and demons — including such spirits
as Nyenchen Tanglha, Ma Pomra, and Sergyi Drong-ri Mukpo6 — to his service.
He communicated directly with Tsiu Marpo, the white form of Mahakala, Ganapati,
and other protective deities, like one person conversing with another, and enjoined
them to carry out his enlightened activities. So great was his might that he also bound
these protective deities to his service, causing lightning to strike and so forth, so that
those who had become his enemies were checked by very direct means, before years,
months, or even days had passed.
Notably, he beheld the great master of Orgyen in a vision and was blessed as the
regent of Guru Padmakara's three secret aspects. On the basis of a prophecy he received
at that time, Apang Terchen journeyed to amazing holy sites, such as Draklha
Gönpo in Gyalrong, Khandro Bumdzong in the lowlands of eastern Tibet, and Dorjé
Treldzong in Drakar, where he revealed countless terma caches consisting of teachings,
objects of wealth, and sacred substances. He revealed some of them in secret,
others in the presence of large crowds. In these ways, he revealed a huge trove of profound
termas. [2.189b] Those revealed publicly were brought forth in the presence of
many fortunate people and in conjunction with truly incredible omens, which freed
all present from the bonds of doubt and inspired unshakable faith in them. Apang
Terchen's fame as an undisputed siddha and tertön resounded throughout the land, as
though powerful enough to cause the earth to quake. His terma teachings are found
in the numerous volumes of his collected works and include ''The Hidden Treasure of Enlightened Mind: The Thirteen Red Deities'',
practices focusing on the Three Roots, cycles concerning guardian deities and the
principle of enlightened activity, and his large instruction manual on Dzogchen teachings.
Apang Terchen's students, from Dartsedo in the east, to Repkong in Amdo to the
north, to the three regions of Golok and other areas, included mentors who nurtured
the teachings and beings, masters such as those known as the "four great illuminators
of the teachings," the "four vajra ridgepoles,11 the "four named Gyatso," the "great
masters, the paired sun and moon," and Jangchub Dorjé (the custodian of Apang
Terchen's termas).7 He also taught important political figures who exerted great
influence over the people of their areas, including the "four great chieftains of the
region of Dza in the north," [2.190a] that is, Getsé Tsering Dorjé of Dza in the northern
reaches of eastern Tibet, Gönlha of Akyong in Golok, Mewa Namlo of the Mé
region of Golok, and the chieftain of Serta in Washul. Apang Terchen's students also
included countless monks, nuns, villagers, and lay tantric practitioners. He transmitted
his own termas and the great Nyingtik cycles of the Dzogchen teachings, and so
numerous were those he guided that he truly embodied the enlightened activity of
one who held sway over the three realms. In these times of spiritual degeneration, he
alleviated problems caused by disease, famine, border wars, and civil unrest. In such
ways, Apang Terchen rendered great service to the land of Tibet. His kindness to the
Tibetan people as a whole was truly extraordinary, for he worked to ensure a glorious
state of peace and well-being.
During a pilgrimage to Jowo Yizhin Norbu, the statue of the lord Shakyamuni in
Lhasa, Apang Terchen paid respect to many tens of thousands of ordained members
of the sangha, sponsoring ganachakras, making offerings, and offering meals, tea,
and donations at such monastic centers as Sera, Drepung, and Ganden. He sponsored
the gilding of statues in these centers and in such ways strove to reinforce his positive
qualities. Everyone could see that no matter how many avenues he found to extend
generosity, his resources of gold, silver, and other valuables [2.190b] continued to
increase, as though he had access to a treasure mine.
Among his heart children and intimate students were his sons, Gyurmé Dorjé,
Wangchen Nyima, and Dotrul Rinpoché; his daughter, Tare Lhamo; and the custodian
of his termas, Jangchub Dorjé. Until recently, Tare Lhamo lived in eastern Tibet,
maintaining the teachings.8
Thus did Apang Terchen benefit beings with his incredible compassion and activities.
As his life was nearing an end, he remarked, "For the sake of the teachings and
of beings, I must enter the bloodline of the glorious Sakya school." This fearless lion's
roar proved to be his last testament, spoken with an unobscured awareness of past,
present, and future. He then manifested incredible miracles and departed for the
great palace of Pema Ö.
Source: Richard Barron translation of Nyoshul Khenpo, A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems: Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage, Padma Publications, 2005, pages 488-491.
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Kyabjé Chatral Rinpoche, Sangye Dorje (Tib. བྱ་བྲལ་སངས་རྒྱས་རྡོ་རྗེ་, Wyl. bya bral sangs rgyas rdo rje) (1913–2015) was a renowned Dzogchen master, a reclusive yogin famous for his great realization and strict discipline. A disciple of the great master Khenpo Ngakchung, he was widely regarded as one of the most highly realized Dzogchen yogins of recent times. In addition to his relationship with Khenpo Ngakchung, Chatral Rinpoche also studied with some of the last century's most renowned masters, including Dudjom Rinpoche, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, and the famed dakini, Sera Khandro. Rinpoche was one of the primary lineage holders of the Longchen Nyingtik, and in particular the lineage that descends through Jigme Lingpa's heart son Jikmé Gyalwé Nyugu and then on to Patrul Rinpoche.
Though his main lineage is the Longchen Nyingtik, Chatral Rinpoche was also closely associated with the Dudjom Tersar lineage. He was empowered as the regent of Kyabjé Dudjom Rinpoche and passed on this lineage to this master's reincarnation, who lives primarily in central Tibet.
Chatral Rinpoche in his youth, courtesy of Matthew Pistono (photographer unknown)
Chatral Rinpoche shunned institutional and political involvement his whole life, choosing instead to live the life of a wandering yogin. A lay yogin, he was also greatly concerned with maintaining strict discipline in the context of the Dzogchen view. He was especially well known for his advocacy of vegetarianism and his yearly practice of ransoming the lives of thousands of animals in India. In addition to his emphasis on the union of view and conduct, Rinpoche also stressed the practice of retreat. He established numerous retreat centers throughout the Himalayas, including in Pharping, Yolmo and Darjeeling.
He passed into parinirvana in Yangleshö in Nepal on December 30th, 2015, at the age of 102. He had two daughters, Tara Devi and Saraswati (recognised as a tulku of Sera Khandro), with his wife Sangyum Kamala. ([https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Chatral_Sangye_Dorje Source Accessed Feb 11, 2025])
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Known as the first human teacher of Dzogchen (Ati Yoga). Often referred to as Prahevajra or other Sanskrit reconstructions such as Vajraprahe, Pramodavajra, Surativajra, or as argued in the 1986 article by Hanson-Barber, the name Ānandavajra. However, these appear to be academic speculations without substantial textual evidence. This person has complex naming and dating issues, but traditional accounts may have him living in the 500s. Modern scholarship has not found clear manuscript evidence for this person, who may be more a legend or a mythical figure than a historical one. Jean-Luc Achard's comments are instructive:
"....The first human master in the Buddhist lineage of rDzogs chen is known as dGa' rab rdo rje, a very shadowy figure whose legend is filled with allegories and visionary experiences. dGa' rab rdo rje was born to a virgin princess of Oddiyana and at still quite an early age, he received teachings directly from the Sambhogakaya deity Vajrasattva. Later he defeated numerous pandits in a debate held at the court of the King and his keen intelligence gained him fame. He appears to have spent most of his life in charnel grounds (dur khrod) where he gave tantric and rDzogs chen transmissions to non-human beings and where he is said to have compiled all the instructions of the Great Perfection. At the end of his life, he reached the ultimate stage of the path of rDzogs chen, the Rainbow Body ('ja' lus), a sign of his total mastery over the teachings of the Great Perfection. At the time of his parinirvana, he transmitted his ultimate testament (zhal chems, 'das rjes) to Mañjushrimitra, his main disciple." (Source: "The Tibetan Tradition of The Great Perfection", Unpublished Paper.)
See relevant scholarship for more details, such as Jean-Luc Achard's paper "The Tibetan Tradition of The Great Perfection" and other sources:
*Tarthang Tulku. Crystal Mirror Volume V. CA: Dharma Publishing, 1977, page 182-186.
*H. Guenther, “Early Forms of Tibetan Buddhism”, p. 86
*Hanson-Barber, A. W. "The Identification of dGa' rab rdo rje." Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 9, no. 2 (1986): 55-63.
*Germano, David Francis. "Poetic Thought, the Intelligent Universe, and the Mystery of Self: The Tantric Synthesis of rDzogs Chen in Fourteenth Century Tibet." PhD diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1992.
*Achard, L'Essence Perlée du Secret, pp. 31-33. Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études Section des Sciences Religieuses 107. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols Publishers, 1999.
*Valby, J. The Great History of Garab Dorje, Manjushrimitra, Shri Singha, Jnanasutra and Vimalamitra, pp. 15-21. Shang Shung Edizioni, 2002.
*Nyoshul Khenpo, A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems, pp. 37-38. Translated by Richard Barron. Junction City, CA: Padma Publishing, 2005.
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Karma Lingpa was a 14th century tertön known for his expansive revelation on the Peaceful and Wrathful deities, the ''Zab chos zhi khro dgongs pa rang grol''. Commonly known as ''Kar gling zhi khro'' it remains to this day an extremely popular treasure cycle and was highly influential in the early days of Western interest in Tibetan Buddhism, as it is the source of the text popularly known as the ''Tibetan Book of the Dead''. He was also the son of Nyida Sangye who is known for his '''pho ba'' revelation that would become the basis for the religious festival known as the Drikung Phowa Chenmo. +
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Lhatsun Namkha Jikme was an important conduit of the Dzogchen teachings who was considered to be the combined emanation of Vimalamitra and Longchenpa. He is credited with the "opening" of the hidden land of Sikkim and was instrumental in the establishment of the royal dynasty of this Himalayan kingdom. He was a student of two of the most influential treasure-revealers of his day, Jatsön Nyingpo and Dudul Dorje, though he is perhaps best known for his own pure vision cycle the ''[[Rtsa gsum rig 'dzin srog sgrub]]''. The mountain smoke offering from this cycle has become extremely widespread, especially in the West due to its propagation by Dudjom Rinpoche and his students. +
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Khyentse Tulku Dzamling Wangyal was a son of Dudjom Lingpa and one of the incarnations of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje... [he] assumed the leadership of Dartsang Kalzang Gompa after the departure of Dudjom Lingpa. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Khyentse_Tulku_Dzamling_Wangyal Rigpa Wiki]) +
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Pegyal Lingpa was born 1924, the wood-rat year of the 15th Rabjung Tibetan cycle, in Golok Serta, of Eastern Tibet, among the clan of Chok tsang of Mukpo clan. His father was Pema Jigme and his mother Sherab Tshomo. Pegyal Lingpa was later recognized as an incarnation of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe. Oral stories recount that from childhood Pegyal Lingpa was extraordinary and that he could perform all of the different tantric rituals even while he was playing. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Pegyal_Lingpa Rigpa Wiki]) +
Pema Tashi was a major student of Dudjom Lingpa, and unlike many other students who met Dudjom Lingpa after he gained renown, Pema Tashi was with him constantly, since the beginning. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Pema_Tashi Rigpa Wiki]) +
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*https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Rongzom_Ch%C3%B6kyi_Zangpo
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rongzom_Chokyi_Zangpo
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Sangye Lingpa (1340-1396). A reincarnation of the second son of King Trisong Deutsen; a major terton and revealer of the Lama Gongdu cycle in 13 volumes. Sangye Lingpa means ‘Sanctuary of Awakening.’
Sangye Lingpa took birth in Kongpo, the southeastern province of Tibet in the year of the Male Iron Dragon, the same year the 4th Karmapa, Rolpey Dorje, was born. Sangye Lingpa is considered an incarnation of Yeshe Rolpa Tsal, the second son of King Trisong Deutsen. In 1364 he revealed the Lama Gongdue cycle of teachings, his most important terma. Sangye Lingpa is also counted among the Five Terton Kings. (Source: [http://www.rangjung.com/book_author/sangye-lingpa/ Rangjung]) +
Taksham Nüden Dorje, also known as Samten Lingpa, was a famed Nyingma master from Kham who had settled in the kingdom of Powo and discovered many hidden termas. A tertön himself, Taksham Nüden Dorje was the incarnation of Acharya Salé, one of the consorts and disciples of Yeshe Tsogyal. He revealed the biography of Yeshe Tsogyal. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Taksham_N%C3%BCden_Dorje Rigpa Wiki]) +
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Yeshe Tsogyal was the principal consort of Guru Padmasambhava. She was Vajravarahi in human form and also an emanation of Tara and Buddhalochana.
She was born as a princess in the clan of Kharchen. According to some accounts her father was called Namkha Yeshe and her mother was Gewa Bum. In other histories, such as the Zanglingma and the biography revealed by Taksham Nüden Dorje, her father is named as Kharchen Palgyi Wangchuk, who is otherwise said to have been her brother. Yet another version names her father as Tökar Lek and her mother as Gyalmo Tso.
She became the consort of King Trisong Detsen before being offered to Guru Rinpoche as a mandala offering during an empowerment. She specialized in the practice of Vajrakilaya and experienced visions of the deity and gained accomplishment. In Nepal, she paid a ransom for Acharya Salé and took him as her spiritual consort. Through the power of her unfailing memory, she collected all the teachings given by Guru Rinpoche in Tibet and concealed them as terma. At the end of her life, it is said, she flew through the air and went directly to Zangdokpalri. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Yeshe_Tsogyal Rigpa Wiki]) +
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Zilnön Namkhé Dorjé (Wyl. zil gnon nam mkha'i rdo rje) (1868-20th c.) was a tertön from Kham, Tibet. One of his main termas is the Chime Soktik which he transmitted first to Khakhyap Dorje and later fully transferred to Dudjom Rinpoche who made it the main long life practice of the Dudjom Tersar lineage. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Ziln%C3%B6n_Namkh%C3%A9_Dorj%C3%A9 Rigpa Wiki]) +
