Tolungpa Rinchen Nyingpo (stod lung pa rin chen snying po) was born in 1032, the water-monkey year of the first sexagenary cycle, in Serpuk (gser phug) in the Tolung Valley.
He took ordination from a teacher named Khyungwo Joso (khyung bo jo bsod) with the name Rinchen Nyingpo. He then went to Tsang and received teachings from two Indian masters: Rāhulabhadra and Paṇḍita Ḍhīrapāla and others,1 including Atiśa Dīpaṃkara (972/82-1054). He is said to have become skilled in debate, traveling to monasteries in U and Tsang to engage in the practice. It would appear that at a religious gathering at Tolung Takma (stod lung thag ma) he was warned against being excessively zealous in his pursuit of debate.2
He decided to go to India in search of further teachings, but encountered a man named Geshe Kharuwa (dge bshes mkha' ru ba) who convinced him to go with him instead to his monastery, Kharu (mkha' ru). Kharuwa said to him:
Life is short and there are many things to know,
But since you do not know how long you will live,
As a swan draws milk from a body of water,
Earnestly pursue what it is you desire!!3
After teaching him there, Kharuwa sent him to Reting Monastery (rwa sgreng). For nine years he studied with Neljorpa Yungdrung Gyeltsen (rnal 'byor pa g.yung drung rgyal mtshan) and Gonpawa Wangchuk Gyeltsen (dgon pa ba dbang phyug rgyal mtshan, 1016-1082) both students of Chennga Tsultrim Bar (spyan snga tshul khrims 'bar, 1038-1103), who was in retreat. He may also have received teachings from Dromton Gyelwa Jungne ('brom ston pa rgyal ba'i 'byung gnas, 1004-1064). Ultimately he met Chennga, who became his root teacher.
He founded two monasteries: Tolung Tsendro (stod lung btsan gro) and Takpu (stag phu dgon) in Meldro Gunkar. This was done in fulfilment of a pledge to Chennga. Among his disciples, said to number around three hundred, was Jayulwa Zhonno Wo (bya yul ba gzhon nu 'od, 1075-1138), who served as an attendant and, after being praised repeatedly by Chennga, went on to study with that master. Other disciples included Dingmowa Nub Chobar (sdings mo ba gnubs chos 'bar), and Dulwa Dzinpa Tsondru Bar ('dul ba 'dzin pa brtson 'grus 'bar, c. 1100-1170), also known as Geshe Zulpuwa (dge bshes zul phu ba).4
Rinchen Nyingpo passed away in 1116, the fire-monkey year of the second sexagenary cycle.
1 Ngag dbang kun dga' bsod nams, p. 131.
2 Ngag dbang kun dga' bsod nams, p. 132.
3 Vetturini, 137. See his note 654 for the antecedents of the verse in Indian literature such as the Ṛgveda and the Bodhipathapradīpa-pañjikā.
4 Vetturini, 138.
参考书目
Grags pa 'byungs gnas and Ggyal ba blo bzang mkhas grub. 1992. Gang can mkhas grub rim byon ming mdzod. Lanzhou: Kan su`u mi rigs dpe skrun khang, pp. 784-785.
Las chen kun dga’ rgyal mtshan. 2003. Bka’ gdams kyi rnam par thar pa bka’ gdams chos ’byung gsal ba’i sgron me. Lhasa: Bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang.
Ngag dbang kun dga' bsod nams. 1995. Spyan snga ba nas brgyud pa bka' gdams gdams ngag pa'i slob ma rnams byon tshul. In Bka' gdams chos 'byung, pp. 131-160. Xining: Mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang. TBRC W10319.
Paṇ chen bsod nams grags pa. 2001. Bka’ gdams gsar rnying gi chos ’byung yid kyi mdzes rgyan. Lhasa: Bod ljongs bod yig dpe rnying dpe skrun khang.
Roerich, George, trans. 1996. The Blue Annals. 2nd ed. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas.
Vetturini, Gianpaolo. 2007. “The bKa’ gdams pa School of Tibetan Buddhism.” PhD diss., SOAS, University of London.