The Treasury of Lives

Khenchen Dazer was born in Tsangtang (gtsang thang), in Dranggo (brag mgo), Kham, in 1922. His father was named Zhitruk (zhis phrug) and his mother was named Namlo (gnam lo).

He became a monk at the Nyingma monastery Rahor (ra hor) and studied at the monastery's college under Khenpo Pema Gyurme (mkhan po padma 'gyur med), Namtso Khenpo Tendzin (gnam mtsho mkhan po bstan 'dzin), and Rahor Khenpo Gechok (mkhan po dge mchog). He also studied new-translation traditions under Shenyen Jampa Yeshe (bshes gnyan byams pa yes shes) and Tra Geshe Tubten (skra dge bshes thub bstan). He trained in both religion and the sciences under Khenchen Thubten Nyendrak (mkhan chen thub bstan snyan grags, 1883-1959) of Chelmo Hermitage (dpyal mo'i ri khrod).

Yukhok Jadrel Choying Rangdrol (g.yu khog bya bral chos dbyings rang grol, 1872-1952) sent him to study with Botrul Dongak Tenpai Nyima (bod sprul mdo sngags bstan pa'i nyi ma, 1898-1959) at Gegong Monastery (dge gong dgon) in Dzato (rdza stod). Botrul, who was a close disciple of Khenpo Kunpel, a direct student of Mipam Gyatso ('ju mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846-1912), gave him the full transmission of his master's compositions. Botrul then sent him to Changma Hermitage (lcang ma ri khrod) to make a connection with Khenchen Tubga (mkhan chen thub dga') and observe the summer retreat.

At some point he visited Dzongsar (rdzong sar) and Dzogchen (rdzogs chen dgon), where he received instructions from the Sixth Dzogchen Rinpoche, Jigdrel Jangchub Dorje (rdzogs chen grub dbang 06 o rgyan 'jigs bral byang chub rdo rje, 1934-1959) and Khenchen Thubten Nyendrak.

Together with Khenpo Jigme Puntsok (mkhan po 'jigs med phun tshogs, 1933-2004) he next went to Golok to receive teachings from Lama Pema Siddhi (bla ma padma si+dhi), under whom he took full ordination. He then returned to Gegong to continue studying under Botrul. Around 1957 Botrul returned to his homeland of U in central Tibet and Khenchen Dazer went with him as part of his retinue. They visited Lhasa, Samye (bsam yas), Chimpu (mchims phu), Gangri Tokar (gangs ri thod dkar) and other sacred places. At Mindroling Monastery ( smin grol gling) the eighth abbot of the monastery, Ngawang Khyentse Norbu (ngag dbang mkhyen brtse'i nor bu, 1904-1968), taught him Lochen Dharmaśrī's (lo chen d+harma shrI, 1654-17171) Wish-fulfilling Grains, his commentary on Ngari Paṇchen Pema Wanggyel's (mnga' ris paN chen pad+ma dbang rgyal, 1457-1542) Ascertaining the Three Vows.

At the age of thirty-seven he left Tibet via the southern route through Lodrak and eastern Bhutan, eventually making his way to Sikkim. His companion was a Khenpo Tubten (mkhan po thub bstan) of Rahor, who later in Sikkim served as the tutor of the Seventh Dzogchen Rinpoche ('jigs me blo gsal dbang po, b. 1964). They traveled through Bhutan and made their way to the monastic refugee camp at Buxar, India. In 1963 Khenchen Dazer attended Dudjom Rinpoche's (bdud 'joms rin po che, 1904-1987) transmission of the Rinchen Terdzod in Kalimpong, and then went north to Rewalsar (Tso Pema, mtsho pad ma) in Himachal Pradesh and other sacred places in the region, including in Nepal, and he taught for a year at a place called Dorje Ling (rdo rje gling).

In 1967, at the request of King Pelden Dondrub Namgyel (dpal ldan don grub rnam rgyal, 1923-1982) and Queen Kunzang Dechen Tsomo (kun bzang bde chen mtsho mo, 1904-1987), the rulers of Sikkim, he taught for several years at the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in Gangok. At the request of the royal family, and with the aid of Trulshik Pawo Dorje ('khrul zhig dpa' bo rdo rje, 1897-1962) and the Fourth Dodrubchen Jigme Trinle Pelbar (rdo grub chen 04 'jigs med phrin las dpal 'bar, b. 1927), he built a stūpa not far from Gangtok and taught at the monastic college there, Tubten Dongak Choling (thub bstan mdo sngags chos gling), from 1967 to 1972. He was given the title of the second abbot of the college. He gave monastic ordination thirteen times to monks from all over Sikkim.

He traveled to Pema Yangtse Monastery (padma yang rtse) and Yuksam Norbu Gang (yug sam nor bu sgang) in western Sikkim, and visited the nearby sites, composing a song in praise of the footprint of Lhatsun Namkha Jigme (lha btsun nam mkha' 'jigs med, 1597-1650), the saint who is said to have first opened the hidden valley of Sikkim. In 1969 or 1970 Dilgo Khyentse (dil mgo mkhyen brtse bkra shis dpal 'byor, 1910-1991) gave the empowerment of the United Intent of the Guru cycle (bla ma dgongs 'dus) at Drakkar Tashiding (brag dkar bkra shis ldings). While participating in the ceremonies Khenchen Dazer took the opportunity to give teachings on Mipam's famous commentary on the ninth chapter of the Bodhicaryāvatāra to the son and heir of Dudjom Rinpoche, Trinle Norbu (phrin las nor bu, 1931-2011). Tashiding became a main teaching location in Sikkim with students coming from all areas. These included Khyentse Chokyi Lodro's (mkhyen brtse'i chos skyi blo gros, 1893-1959) secretary Sodrak (bsod grags) and a Rikhu Tulku (ri khu sprul sku).

British photojournalist Marilyn Silverstone (1929-1999) met Khenchen Dazer in Gangtok in the early seventies and offered this description:

Khempo Dazar is a quiet-spoken man of a kind of shining, bull-headed straightness and stubbornness. He cannot be shaken from what he thinks is right. He worries that his teaching may be lost when his students go home to their villages. Despite chronic headaches he refuses to give up his Chinese stone spectacles—made of clear crystal-like substances with wavy white lines across it. He believes that the cold touch on the veins below the eyes helps the eyes despite the fact that his headaches worsen while wearing them (doubtless from the strain of peering through the white squiggles) and refuses to wear a German pair a well-wisher has sent him despite admitting that he does see better through them! He feels somehow that they may damage his eyes. On the other hand, when asked whether there was anything against photographing an image, he replied that "it all depends on your intentions"—a very straight and not so orthodox reply.

In 1973 Khenchen Dazer left Sikkim for Bhutan, settling at a small meditation hermitage above Tharpaling Monastery (thar pa gling) in Bumthang (bum thang) that was a seat of Longchenpa Drime Wozer (klong chen pa dri med 'od zer, 1308-1364). He remained there teaching for ten years.

He returned to Sikkim to teach again in 1984 and 1985, this time at the Sikkimese Ngagyur College ('bras gzhung snga 'gyur bshad grwa), which had become an affiliate of Sanskrit University in Varanasi in 1983. He also taught at Dodrubchen's seat in Sikkim, Chorten Monastery (mchod rten dgon), where his chief disciple was Kunzang Tekchok Yeshe Dorje (kun bzang theg mchog ye shes rdo rje, b. 1957).

In 1985 Khenchen Dazer went to southern India to teach at Namdroling (rnam grol gling) in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, the Indian seat of Penor Rinpoche (pad nor rin po che, 1932-2009). He stayed several months, teaching Mipam's compositions. Khenchen Dazer returned to Tibet in 1985, traveling via Humla with his disciple Pema Rigtsel (padma rig rtsal, b. 1963) as a companion. They went first to Lhasa and then on pilgrimage to Mt Kailash. In 1988 he returned to Kham to help rebuild Dzogchen Monastery and Śrī Siṃha College (shrI seng chos grwa), where he was appointed director (zhabs pad) of more than three hundred monks whom he instructed in both religion and the sciences. While at the college he collected and arranged surviving material of his master, Botrul Rinpoche. He returned to Rahor where he reinstituted the monastic practices of summer retreat and the "Accomplishing the Pure Land" (bde chen zhing sgrub) ceremonies. He was able to meet with his previous colleague Khenpo Jigme Puntsok in Serta. Near the end of his life he built and resided in a hermitage near Dzogchen.

At the age of sixty-eight, in the year 1990, he fell ill and passed away in the early morning, at his hermitage, with a shout of the mantra "Phat!" (phaṭ). Witnesses claim that his corpse remained in meditative posture for seven days, shrinking and transforming into rainbow light, a phenomenon known as the "rainbow body." Relics were also said to have fallen from the sky during his cremation. His reliquary was installed at Rahor Monastery, with relics also sent to Sikkim.