The Treasury of Lives

Orgyen Jikdrel Jangchub Dorje (rdzogs chen grub dbang 06 o rgyan 'jigs bral byang chub rdo rje) was the Sixth Dzogchen Drubwang and the eleventh throne-holder of Dzogchen Monastery, Rudam Orgyen Samten Choling (rdzogs chen ru dam o rgyan bsam gtan chos gling).  He was born at a holy lake near Lhasa called Pelgyi Tsaritra (dpal gyi rtsA ri tra) in late 1935, the wood-pig year of the sixteenth sexagenary cycle. His father, Adro Ngawang Norbu (a gro ngag dbang nor bu, 1886-1958), was a student of the Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang Tubten Chokyi Dorje (rdzogs chen grub dbang 05 thub bstan chos kyi rdo rje, 1872-1935),  and had served as the twenty-fifth abbot of Śrī Siṃha College (shrI sing+ha bshad drwa) at Dzogchen Monastery. His mother was named Tsering Chodron (tshe ring chos gron, d.u.).

He was formally identified as the Sixth Dzogchen Drubwang at a place known as the "Dakini's Practice Ground" (mkha' 'gro'i sgrub gnas) and brought to Dzogchen Monastery. The young boy's elaborate enthronement ceremony was attended by large numbers of devotees that included many high lamas and members of the Derge royal family. His basic education began under the tutorship of the twenty-seventh abbot of Śrī Siṃha College, Yonten Gonpo (yon tan mgon po, 1899-1959), who taught him basic subjects such as reading, writing, grammar and poetry. He then studied Patrul Rinpoche's Words of my Perfect Teacher, and Longchenpa's Seven Treasuries (klong chen mdzod bdun) and Nyingtik Yazhi (snying thig ya bzhi) under the twenty-eighth abbot of Śrī Siṃha College, Pema Tsewang Gyatso (pad+ma tshe dbang rgya mtsho, 1902-1959). He received his primary monastic vows (rab byung) at the age of eight, then led thousands of monks in mass prayers and ritual performances of a Great Vase Initiation (bum grub chen mo), during which many miracles were said to have been observed, including the blooming of flowers and the sound of summer thunder even though it was the middle of winter.

At the age of ten, the famed Sakya master Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse chos kyi blo gros, 1893-1959) became his principal tutor and he traveled to Dzongsar Monastery (rdzong sar) to study with him. He also studied under many teachers that included his father, Adro Ngawang Norbu, and the twentieth abbot of Śrī Siṃha College, Pema Tekchok Loden (pad+ma theg mchog blo ldan, 1879-1955). He received the Nyima Drakpa (nyi ma grags pa) treasure cycle from the Sixth Nyidrak, Tubten Osel Tenpai Nyima (nyi grags 06 thub bstan 'od gsal bstan pa'i nyi ma, 1914-1964), and the empowerments of Rinchen Terdzod (rin chen gter mdzod) from Dzogchen Lingyen Rinpoche, Tubten Shedrub Trinle Gyatso (rdzogs chen gling rgyan rin po che thub bstan bshad sgrub phrin las rgya mtsho, d.u.), who had received it from the previous Dzogchen Drubwang. He studied the various teachings of both the Nyingma and Sarma schools with the twenty-third abbot of Śrī Siṃha, Tubten Nyendrak (thub bstan snyan grags, 1883-1959); Dzogchen Khenpo Pema Tsewang (rdzogs chen mkhan po pad+ma tshe dbang, d.u.); Khenpo Tubga (mkhan po thub dga', d.u.); the Fourth Mura Tulku, Pema Norbu (mu ra sprul sku 04 pad+ma nor bu, 1918-1951); Tsultrim Lodro (tshul khrims blo gros, d.u.); the twenty-first abbot of Śrī Siṃha, Khenpo Jigme Lodro ('jigs med blo gros, 1879-1955); Sonam Namgyel (bsod nams rnam rgyal, 1881-1954), and Tsewang Rigdzin (mkhan chen tshe dbang rig 'dzin, 1883-1958), among others.  

He began giving teachings on various topics including Madhyamaka, Prajñāpāramitā, Vinaya, as well as tantric subjects including the Guhyagarbha Tantra. It is said that his memory was such that he taught without needing to reference the texts themselves.

He ascended the throne of Dzogchen Monastery at the age of seventeen in 1951. He was known to have been a strict follower of the Vinaya rules and was instrumental in building new religious objects for the monastery.

At the age of twenty, in 1954, four years after the Chinese People's Liberation Army had marched into the city and declared Tibet to be part of China, he travelled to Lhasa. There he made offerings in the city's main temples, monasteries, and surrounding retreat centers. The government in Lhasa honored him with the official designation of Hutukhtu, an official honorific of Mongolian origin with several ranks; "hutuktu" is the Mongolian for tulku (sprul sku). No doubt he reported on the rapidly deteriorating situation back in Kham. During that same trip he visited many holy places in southern Tibet and gave teachings at Pelri Monastery (dpal ri dgon), which the First Dzogchen Drubwang, Pema Rigdzin (rdzogs chen 01 pad+ma rig 'dzin, 1625-1697) had been also connected. He also taught at his birthplace, Tsaritra (tsa ri tra), and visited many other sacred places, after which he returned to Lhasa and then back to Kham. He received the vows of full ordination (bhikṣu) in 1955 at the age of twenty-one.

Once he returned to Dzogchen Monastery, he commenced a major restoration and renovation of temples, monasteries, and objects of faith that had been damaged by earlier fires and earthquakes. He sponsored the building of a three-story gilded statue of Buddha; statues of the three Nyingtik root-deities; an embossed image of Guru Rinpoche's pure land, the Copper-colored Glorious Mountain (zangs mdog dpal ri); stupas made with silver and gold; and statues of the previous five members of his incarnation line. He also restored many ritual traditions, including an annual butter-lamp offering ceremony, which he increased from one hundred thousand lamps to one hundred ten thousand, and renewed the monastic dances at Dzogchen Monastery. The restoration work took about four years.

He gave extensive teachings at his seat monastery and its branches, which he increased to two hundred and fifteen separate institutions. At one point he divided the wealth of his estate into four parts. The first part was given to monks of every tradition to sponsor the recitation of the Kangyur as well as mantra accumulation; the second part sponsored prayers for national peace; the third was given to monks at his home monastery and as alms for the beggars and impoverished people in the area to use as subsistence; and the last was used to established a fund to support students at study and meditation centers. After he consulted with various people he distributed the accumulated wealth of his previous incarnations in addition to his personal possessions, and organized public audiences of certain sacred objects that traditionally had, until then, remained restricted for public view.

Some of his noted disciples included the Third Alak Zenkar, Tubten Nyima (a lags gzan dkar 03 thub bstan nyi ma, b.1943); Konchok Rinchen (dkon mchog rin chen, b.1922); Shertreng Tulku Jamyang Sherab Gyeltsen (sher phreng sprul sku 'jam dbyangs shes rab rgyal mtshan, b. 1930); the Third Pema Vajra Tulku, Pema Kelzang (pad+ma ba dz+ra sprul sku 03 pad+ma skal bzang, 1943); the thirty-third abbot of Śrī Siṃha College, Tsering Chojor (tshe ring chos 'byor, b.1928), Khenchen Tsondru (mkhan chen brtson 'grus, d. 1978), Jangchub Gyeltsen (byang chub rgyal mtshan, c. 1943); Mewa Khenchen Jampel (rme ba mkhan chen 'jam dpal, b. 1919); Dzogchen Khenpo Dawai Ozer (rdzogs chen mkhan po zla ba'i 'od zer, 1922-1990);  Gegyel Khenpo Tubten Namgyel (dge rgyal mkhan po thub bstan rnam rgyal, b. 1922); Adon Khenchen Trinle Wangyel (a don mkhan chen 'phrin las dbang rgyal, 1927-c.1993); the Fourth Dodrubchen, Choying Rangdrol (rdo grub 04 kun bzang 'jigs med chos dbyings rang grol, b. 1927); and Minyak Tsara Khenchen Tubten Chokyi Drakpa (mi nyag rtsa ra mkhan chen thub bstan chos kyi grags pa, b.1916).

At a certain point, he began to give long-life empowerments to his young disciples and powa instructions to senior devotees. Shortly before his death, he requested to be taken up to one of Padmasambhava's practice caves near the monastery. He began to cry, and quickly wrote a letter which he affixed to a statue there. It read "Although my current life has had little benefit to people, I pray fervently that my next incarnation will be richer in the qualities of wisdom, righteousness and goodness, so that I can serve better for flourishing dharma and benefit the beings at larger scale." He encouraged his students to practice the instructions they had received as much as they could, and to pray for attainment of more wisdom and to be reunited in their next lives for further practice.

The following account is adapted from the book Warriors of Tibet: The Story of Aten and the Khampas’ Fight for the Freedom of their Country written by Jamyang Norbu. In 1958 the Chinese came to Dzogchen Monastery and occupied his residence and personal college. They kept him and all other prominent lamas as hostages with them. The Chinese called a meeting and told the assembled monks that henceforth all monks were to disrobe and marry. The monks were made to work chopping trees in the forest and attending frequent criticism sessions, and the sacred books, images and statues of Buddha and deities were torn and desecrated. Then on August 25^th, the Chinese announced that the monks would have to criticize their abbots and lamas, including Dzogchen Drubwang, in a struggle session. These struggle sessions were very cruel meetings in which the accused was often beaten, spat on, urinated upon and otherwise degraded. The monks of Dzogchen met secretly to discuss what they should do and decided that they would fight the Chinese. Before a senior monk, they gave up their monk’s vows, including the vow not to kill. There were three hundred armed Chinese soldiers at the monastery. With swords, knives and axes for cutting trees, the monks stormed the labrang building where the Chinese were while a group of them went to rescue the lamas. As soon as the lamas were rescued, the monks called off the attack. As soon as all the monks had managed to come out, they set the place on fire. The Chinese who had survived the swords and axes were all burnt to death. About fifty monks were killed, many more wounded but none of the lamas were hurt except for Dzogchen Drubwang who had been wounded by a flying axe. Numbering about seven hundred now, all made their way to Zachukha where they were cared for by the local people and the Tibetan guerillas. Here at the local Wongpo Monastery, Dzogchen Drubwang died of his injury after three days.

Two reincarnations have been identified, one in Tibet and one in exile. Tendzin Lungtok Nyima (bstan 'dzin lung rtogs nyi ma, b. 1974), was born in Amdo, and is based at the rebuilt Dzogchen Monastery in Tibet. Another reincarnation, Jigme Losel Wangpo ('jigs me blo gsal dbang po, b. 1964) was born in Sikkim, and is head of the Dzogchen Monastery in India.