The Treasury of Lives

Tokden Orgyen Tenzin (rtogs ldan o rgyan bstan 'dzin) was born in Sengang (seng gang), on the west side of Sengchen Namdrak (seng chen gnam brag), a site on the list of the Twenty-five Great Sites of Kham, on June 19, 1888, the tenth day of the fifth month of the earth-mouse year, a day sacred to Padmasambhava. In honor of the day, he was given the name Tsechu Dorje (tshes bcu rdo rje) ("tsechu" means "tenth day"). His father, Tsering Wangchuk (tshe ring dbang phyug), also known as Tashi Dondrub (bkra shis don grub), belonged to the Drokhe family (gro khe) of the Gadrolo (sga gro lo) branch of the Ga (sga) clan. His mother was named Wochung Lhadron (bo chung lha sgron) and was also known as Yamgo Lhatso and Yamgo Detso (ya mgo lha mtsho / bde mtsho). He was one of eight children.

One of his brothers, Tsewang Gonpo (tshe dbang mgon po), would go on to marry a woman named Lhundrub Tso (lhun grub mtsho). Their son, Tsewang Namgyel, was the father of the Nyingma lama and scholar Namkhai Norbu (nam mkha'i nor bu, 1938-2018), on whose book on Tokden Orgyen Tenzin, Rainbow Body, this essay is based. The book pairs Namkhai Norbu's interview with his great uncle with recollections of Orgyen Tenzin's nephew and disciple, Sala Karma Samten (sa la karma bstam gtan, 1919-1993).

Tsechu Dorje stayed with his family for the first six years of his life. In 1893, his sister Tsekyi (tshe skyid) married and left the family, prompting their herdswoman also to leave. According to Namkhai Norbu, the boy was tasked with caring for the family's livestock, consisting of nine yak-cow hybrids and twenty goats. In 1894, when he was seven, a leopard attacked and took the finest goat. His mother's response was to slap and scold him for not scaring the predator away. Angry at his treatment, the next day he walked to the retreat hermitage of his uncle, a yogi named Orgyen Kyab (o rgyan skyabs).

The uncle welcomed him and declared he would do well to enter the religious life. His father soon came to bring him home, but the boy asked to stay so he could learn to read, and his father relented. Several weeks into his stay, Orgyen Kyab gave his disciples, including his nephew, an initiation from the revelations of Longsel Nyingpo (klong gsal snying po, 1625-1692). During the ceremony he bestowed on the boy the name by which he was thereafter known, Orgyen Tenzin.

Orgyen Kyab then sent him to Sengchen Namdrak Monastery (seng chen nam brag dgon). Orgyen Tenzin lived with Lama Pelzang (bla ma dpal bzang), a large monk with a thick black beard, and attended the monastery's reading class taught by a wrathful monk named Lama Nyidon (bla ma nyi don), who beat the children. Within the year, when Orgyen Tendzin was nine, his uncle Orgyen Kyab passed away, leaving him without a patron at the monastery, and so he returned to his family.

While his father was pleased to have him home, his mother had hoped that he would become a monk. The two debated what to do with the child, and, since he now knew how to read and write, they sent him tob work in the house of a local noble family that were distant relatives, Yago (ya mgo), ministers of Derge. Several months later, he was falsely accused of stealing a decorative bowl. Distressed, he fell ill with what was diagnosed as a "wind-in-the-heart disease" (snying rlung), which did not ease even after the actual thief had been caught. His father first brought him to a lama at Tsarashab Hermitage (rtswa ra zhabs) in Geok (dge 'og), in the Changra (lcang ra) district of Derge, for Chod practice. He next brought him to Khenchen Tashi Wozer (mkhan chen bkra shis 'od zer), a close disciple of Jamgon Kongtrul ('jam mgon kong sprul, 1813-1899), for an initiation of the Konchok Chidu (dkon mchog 'chi 'dus), a treasure revelation of Jatson Nyingpo ('ja' tshon snying po, 1585-1656) that is believed to have healing power. He improved slightly, and returned home with his father to spend the next five years learning his family's business, gold-and silversmithing. During this period he was largely confined to a single room in his house.

In 1902, Orgyen Tenzin's mother passed away, and he relapsed. His family brought him to local monasteries to make offerings in his mother's behalf. At Dzogchen Monastery (rdzogs chen dgon), he met the Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chokyi Dorje (rdzogs chen grub dbang 05 thub bstan chos kyi rdo rje, 1872-1935), who blessed him and advised him to seek assistance from Adzom Drukpa Pawo Dorje (a 'dzom 'brug pa 'gro 'dul dpa' bo rdo rje, 1842-1924). Orgyen Tenzin's sister-in-law, Lhundrub Tso, was then living at Adzom Gar (a 'dzom sgar) with her son. Lhundrub Tso's husband, Orgyen Tenzin's elder brother, was in a Chinese prison, arrested alongside other men in the wake of the suspicious death of his Chinese employer, a Qing official in Batang ('ba' thang). On learning that her younger brother-in-law would be going to Adzom Gar, Lhundrub Tso sent her son, Tsewang Namgyel, who was then living in the household of the king of Derge, Dorje Sengge (rdo rje seng ge, 1865-1919), to encourage him to go to the monastery.

Orgyen Tenzin arrived at Adzom Gar in 1908. Adzom Drukpa diagnosed his illness as the result of possession by a malevolent spirit, which he cured via an exorcism (gdon 'bud). He stayed on for about a year, receiving the Longchen Nyingtik (klong chen snying thig) initiation the first summer, together with the tsalung (rtsa rlung) practice and then the Chetsun Nyingtik (lce btsun snying thig) the following summer. These are Dzogchen treasure cycles of Jigme Lingpa ('jigs med gling pa, 1730-1798) and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1829-1892), respectively. Adzom Drukpa gave him a new name, Drodul Longyang Dorje ('gro 'dul klong yangs rdo rje).

Following the transmission, Adzom Drukpa sent Orgyen Tenzin into retreat in the Lotus cave at Sengge Namdrak. Adzom Drukpa's disciple Pema Kundrol (padma kun grol), known as Lungtri Tokden (lung khrid rtogs ldan), went along with him, and Adzom Drukpa charged Orgyen Tenzin's nephew, Tsewang Namgyal, with arranging provisions. The two spent over a month making their way to Sengge Namdrak, frequently stopping at important places to practice, which provided the opportunity for Lungri Tokden to teach guru yoga, Chod, and the trekcho (khregs chod) practice of Dzogchen. Lungri Tokden stayed with Orgyen Tenzin for a month before departing.

Orgyen Tenzin remained in retreat for three years. At the end, he went with his brother and father to Dzogchen, where he requested permission to enter retreat in the caves above the monastery. Dzogchen Rinpoche, Tubten Chokyi Dorje, however, sent him back to Sengge Namdrak where he spent another three years in solitary retreat.

At the beginning of 1917, after six years in retreat, Orgyen Tenzin received a summons from Adzom Drukpa. He thus ended his retreat, and after visiting his family, he crossed the Drichu River and traveled to Geok, where his nephew Tsewang Namgyel and his wife, Yeshe Chodron (ye shes chos sgron), had settled. Yeshe Chodron was the sister of Khyentse Chokyi Wangchuk (mkhyen brtse chos kyi dbang phyug, 1910-1963), who had recently been identified as the reincarnation of Jamyang Chokyi Wangpo ('jam dbyangs chos kyi dbang po, 1894-1909), himself one of the main rebirths of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. He gave the family a long-life initiation and performed a Chod ceremony, the first time he played the role of a lama.

A contingent of Republican Chinese troops were then occupying a section of his route to Adzom Gar from Changra. The Chinese at the time were being forced out of Kham by the Tibetans, and this military company was stranded in southern Derge. At the Dotson Bridge (rdo tshon zam pa), which crossed the Sershul River (ser shul) not far upstream from where it flows into the Drichu, he was captured and accused of being a spy for the Tibetans, based on the fact that he was wearing a red wool cloak in the central Tibetan style that had been given to him by his nephew. Orgyen Tenzin described being bound and shot by the soldiers and then thrown naked into the river. He visualized himself as Guru Drakpo (gu ru drag po), a wrathful form of Padmasambhava, which he credited for saving him from the bullets.

Orgyen Tenzin told Namkhai Norbu that he made his way to a place called Tsezungdo (rtse zung mdo), up the Sershul towards Derge, where the route to Pelpung Monastery (dpal spungs), and thence to Adzom Gar, leaves the Drichu Valley. He took a woman's dress that had been left outside after washing and made his way up to the Gotse La Pass, eventually coming to another house. As he readied himself to ask for food, he heard a woman wailing; her husband had died, inebriated. Her two sons, one a monk at Pelpung and another a translator for the Chinese soldiers that had recently attacked Orgyen Tenzin, were both away. Orgyen Tenzin offered to perform the funeral service, laying out the body for the vultures and practicing Chod. The woman gave him a set of clothes that had belonged to her husband, and he remained at the house to continue the services. After a week, the translator returned and begged his forgiveness, and the family convinced him to stay on. After his story circulated, his nephew Tsewang Namgyel came to escort him to Adzom Gar. Orgyen Tenzin first sent him to return the borrowed dress, and, with the help of the second son who had come from Pelpung, he completed the second week of funeral services. They rested several days at Pelpung and there Orgyen Tenzin sent his nephew away, insisting on making the journey to Adzom Gar by himself.

Here the narratives of Sala Karma Samten and Orgyen Tenzin himself diverge considerably. Sala Rinpoche told Namkhai Norbu that Adzom Drukpa refused to allow Orgyen Tenzin into the assembly and drove him out of the temple any time he attempted to sneak in. This continued for two years, long after his provisions were exhausted, and he had to resort to begging for his food. Only after he went for permission to leave did Adzom Drukpa embrace him and give him teachings. In contrast, Orgyen Tenzin told Namkhai Norbu that Adzom Drukpa welcomed him immediately, delighted by his story of his capture and escape, which he had him retell multiple times. That summer, he received additional Longsel Nyingpo transmissions, the Nyingtik Yabzhi (snying thig yab zhi) of Longchenpa (klong chen pa, 1308-1364), and instructions and transmissions from the great Drukpa Kagyu master Shākya Shrī (1853-1919), who was then at Adzom Gar to receive teachings from Adzom Drukpa.

Orgyen Tenzin remained at Adzom Gar for several years. He was able to sit in when Adzom Drukpa gave the Kunzang Gongpa Zangtel (kun bzang dgongs pa zang thal) treasure cycle of Rigdzin Godemchen (rig 'dzin rgod ldem chen, 1337-1409) to Lerab Lingpa (les rab gling pa, 1856-1926), and later when Adzom Drukpa gave his own revelation, Wosel Dorje Sangdzod ('od gsal rdo rje'i gsang mdzod).

In 1921, the iron-bird year, Adzom Drukpa gave him a Chod ḍamaru drum—the large circular- drum with two attached strikers traditionally used by Chod practitioners—and sent him off to wander. He made his way through Amdo to central Tibet and then down through southwestern Kham and, eventually, back to Sengchen Namdrak. By now, he was known as Drokhe Tokden (gro khe rtog ldan), which apparently Adzom Drukpa was the first to use. After a few months in his homeland, he had a dream in which Adzom Dukpa died, and he hurried back to the monastery. Adzom Drukpa had gathered many of his disciples, including his Chod instructor, Pema Kundrol, and was transmitting multiple Dzogchen treasure cycles. He advised his students to practice Dzogchen earnestly, and he instructed Orgyen Tenzin to accumulate eleven million prostrations. Orgyen Tenzin returned to Sengchen Namdrak, but soon, in November 1924, he received word that Adzom Drukpa had passed away and so returned to the community to participate in the funeral services. On the completion of the ceremonies, he returned to Geok with his sister-in-law, Lhundrub Tso.

For three years, Orgyen Tenzin remained in his home region, staying primarily in Tsarashab Cave, doing his best to avoid the supplicants who came to him for blessings but serving his relatives' families by practicing Chod for them and giving monor initiations. After wandering for several months, in 1926, he settled for seven years in the cave at Drinyendong ('bri gnyan gdong), a mountain sacred to the Derge. He wore out two cypress prostration boards fulfilling Adzom Drukpa's instructions.

In 1932 his father died, and so he returned home to begin the forty-nine-day funeral observances, using the liturgy of the Tukchen Dukngel Rangdrol cycle (thugs chen sdug bsngal rang grol) from the Longchen Nyingtik. So many people came for his blessing that he went to Sengchen Namdrak to finish the services, and he remained there for three years until Pema Kundrol came to join him, and his sister-in-law convinced the two of them to move to Tsarashab. After a year there, in 1936, the two left to wander southern Kham and Kongpo, visiting the sacred mountains of Khawa Kharpo (kha ba dkar po) and Tsāri (rtsA ri). They parted in southern Tibet, as Pema Kundrol went west and Orgyen Tenzin returned to Namdrak.

In Geok, in 1937, Orgyen Tenzin dreamed that Adzom Drukpa shrank and entered the womb of his nephew's wife, Yeshe Chodron. The child was born on December 2, 1938, and was given the name Namkhai Norbu by his parents, to which Orgyen Tenzin added the prefix Drodul ('gro bdul).

In 1939 the King of Derge, Tsewang Dudul (tshe dbang bdud 'dul, 1916-1942), invited Orgyen Tenzin, who had passed as much time as he was able in his isolated retreat caves, to reside at the capital. Orgyen Tenzin was deeply opposed to going to the crowded and busy center of the kingdom, a place he characterized as steeped in the "demon of the eight worldly concerns" but could not refuse the invitation. He agreed to serve as court preceptor, practicing Chod and giving instructions, for three years. However, after a year and a half, he fled across the Drichu and stayed in a cave—which he described as the nicest he had yet seen—with the support of a man he had met in the forest, a hunter whom he convinced to take up a new vocation. In the summer of 1941, servants of the Derge king located him and urged him to return to the capital. He refused but agreed to install himself at Drinyendong, where the king would be able to visit. He was largely left alone there, save for rare visits by the king or his ministers. The Tibetan government minister Ngapo Ngawang Jigme (nga phod ngag dbang 'jigs med, 1910-2009) visited him, arriving when a leopard was sitting with him in the cave. Orgyen Tenzin sent the cat away to allow Ngapo and his staff to approach.

In the summer of 1943, when Orgyen Tenzin was sixty-five years old, his sister-in-law and nephew persuaded him to move to Tsarashab. The king of Derge had passed away, and he was no longer required to stay at Drinyendong. His great-nephew, Namkhai Norbu, joined him there for a time, and they shared their ample provisions with the wild animals. Among the teachings that Orgyen Tenzin gave to Namkhai Norbu was the Union of the Sun and Moon Yantra ('phrul 'khor nyi zla kha sbyor), a system of yoga techniques that is said to have originated with Vairocana.[1]

For the next ten years, he remained in the region, sometimes at Sengchen Namdrak, sometimes with his relatives in Geok giving transmissions. In 1952, he accepted the invitation of the chief of Yilhung (yid lhung), Jago Tobden (bya rgod stobs ldan) of the Lhari family (lha ri). The minister built him a room at the top of the building that functioned like a hermitage. It was there, in 1954, that Namkhai Norbu interviewed him for his biography. According the Namkhai Norbu, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama visited him there in 1955 on his return from Beijing.

In the late 1950s, the Communists nationalized Jago Tobden's estate, and Orgyen Tenzin moved to a nomad's winter barn on the property. A Tibetan communist named Tsedon (tshe don) made the arrangement and brought him food surreptitiously, rescuing him from being accused of membership in the ruling class. At the beginning of 1962, he discovered Orgyen Tenzin's body, sitting erect in meditation posture, shrunken to the size of a small child. Understanding that Orgyen Tenzin was in the process of manifesting the rainbow body—a sign of realization in which the practitioner's corpse transforms into light—Tsedon reported to the Chinese district office, who posted guards at the barn. Tsedon, anxious that he would be punished, fled to Nepal, where he was able to report Orgyen Tenzin's death and rainbow body to Sala Rinpoche.

 

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Publication of this biography was made possible through support of National Endowment for the Humanities.

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