The Katok Getse incarnations, based at Katok Monastery, began with Getse Mahāpaṇḍita, one of the most reknowned scholars of the eighteenth century, a prominent chaplain at Derge and the compiler of the Collected Nyingma Tantras. The Fourth Katok Getse passed away in 2018 in Nepal. The Getse incarnations are considered emanations of the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, with a preincarnation line that begins with the Indian mahāsiddha Kṛṣṇācārya and includes Namkhai Nyingpo, Zur Śākya Senge, Lingje Repa, Jampa Bum, Sakya Paṇḍita, Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen, Śākya Chokden, Tāranātha, and Rigdzin Tsewang Norbu.
Biographies
Getse Paṇḍita Gyurme Tsewang Chokdrub
b.1761 - d.1829
Getse Mahāpaṇḍita was the most influential lama at Katok Monastery during the eighteenth century and a prominent chaplain in the Derge court. Trained by Drime Zhingkyong, he reorganized the liturgical and educational system of Katok, reestablishing the centrality of the kama rituals and study while at the same time enshrining the treasures of Longsel Nyingpo in Katok's liturgical calendar and curriculum. He revived the study of the Guhyagarbha in Kham through his extensive teaching tours, and he trained many of the leaders of regional monasteries, including Getse Dralek, which he established as his seat. Getse is recognized as the compiler and editor of the most well-regarded and distributed edition of the Collected Nyingma Tantras.
The Second Katok Getse, the reincarnation of Getse Paṇḍita, was a Nyingma lama of Katok Monastery. Few details of his life are available.
The Third Katok Getse, Gyurme Tenpa Namgyel
b.1886 - d.1952
Third Katok Getse, Gyurme Tenpa Namgyel was a Nyingma lama of Katok Monastery. He published multiple collections of Katok scripture and trained a generation of Katok lamas.
