Living Legends of Tibetan Buddhism

[TaTa]

The one that i recall being told by many of them is when there was a get-together at my house, with special guest Lopon Tsechu and Lama Kalsang as a translator. Visualize about 15 people crammed into our small living room, about 7x4 meters of area (this was inside an apartment.) Outside, one of our sangha friends wanted to bring yet another person. My dad went more or less angry since we were far too many inside the room and this guy wasn't invited and wasn't part of the local sangha, just an outsider interested in buddhism who wanted to meet the famous Lopon Tsechu.

After some arguing, my dad agreed and this guy was allowed into the apartment. After he entered the door, Lopon Tsechu suddenly stopped doing what he was doing, and gestured the guy to approach to him. The guy sat besides Lopon Tsechu. They observed that he and Tsechu Rimpoche went talking for a quite long time, and that Tsechu started putting his finger on the top of the guy's head, in the typical point of the head that is signaled on a phowa (conciousness transference at the time of dying) retreat.

The rest of the people -the local sangha- were amazed at how this stranger just entered the door and then Rimpoche, without asking, stopped caring for the rest of them and just basically devoted most of the evening to him... I would bet they were a little bit jealous.

About seven days later, the guy died on a traffic accident.

Nice one!!!

[yegyal]

Since the second anniversary of his death was this past sunday, I'll share this pic of Khenpo Akhyug

Akhyug.png (177.42 KiB) Viewed 4176 times

[Schrödinger’s Yidam]

Without trying to convince anybody of anything, or explaining why I think so, I'd like to say that my dear departed teacher was a fully enlightened buddha. His name was Jampa Thubten. He was a Gelug/Nyingma mix, but that wasn't the only thing unusual about him.

He won't be back. You don't come back when the encore can't top the show.

[flavio81]

You don't come back when the encore can't top the show.

Well said!!

[Simon E.]

Here in the Yookay we are blessed by the presence of Lama Jampa Thaye and Lama Shenpen.

[Schrödinger’s Yidam]

Here in the Yookay we are blessed by the presence of Lama Jampa Thaye and Lama Shenpen.

Lama Shenpen is a white guy, right? Is Lama Jampa Thaye one also?

I was a bit shy about saying it for fear of creating controversy, but my teacher was also western.

[Simon E.]

Lama Jampa Thaye is a white guy. Lama Shenpen is a white gal. Her teacher is Khenpo Tsultrim.

[Schrödinger’s Yidam]

Lama Jampa Thaye is a white guy. Lama Shenpen is a white gal. Her teacher is Khenpo Tsultrim.

I had also heard good things about Sister Palmo. She was a Brit that nursed HHK 16 back to health when he first arrived in India, but she died before I came on the scene.

Is Lama Jampa Thaye Lama Shenpen's husband?

[Simon E.]

Lama Jampa Thaye is a white guy. Lama Shenpen is a white gal. Her teacher is Khenpo Tsultrim.

I had also heard good things about Sister Palmo. She was a Brit that nursed HHK 16 back to health when he first arrived in India, but she died before I came on the scene.

Is Lama Jampa Thaye Lama Shenpen's husband?

No, Lama Jampa Thaye is married but his wife is not a Dharma teacher.
Lama Shenpen is married to Shikpo Rigdzin.

[SuryaMitra]

These masters passed away not so long ago and they are certainly legends of Tibetan Buddhism

Gendun Rinpoche
Tenga Rinpoche
Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche

They will be remembered - that is for sure

Lopon Tsechu visited my city at least two times. I was about 10-13 years old but i remember him perfectly along with his translator Lama Kalsang.

He displayed some siddhis to many witnesses on the local buddhist community (my parents being among them), like the ability to walk faster than everyone else (not bad for an 80+ year old tibetan monk, eh?), and other incidents. Some accounts are described here:

http://kagyustories.blogspot.com/2012/0 ... -kalu.html

(Note that i'm not directly affiliated with the Diamond Way local community. But i know the writer and her accounts are honest.)

The one that i recall being told by many of them is when there was a get-together at my house, with special guest Lopon Tsechu and Lama Kalsang as a translator. Visualize about 15 people crammed into our small living room, about 7x4 meters of area (this was inside an apartment.) Outside, one of our sangha friends wanted to bring yet another person. My dad went more or less angry since we were far too many inside the room and this guy wasn't invited and wasn't part of the local sangha, just an outsider interested in buddhism who wanted to meet the famous Lopon Tsechu.

After some arguing, my dad agreed and this guy was allowed into the apartment. After he entered the door, Lopon Tsechu suddenly stopped doing what he was doing, and gestured the guy to approach to him. The guy sat besides Lopon Tsechu. They observed that he and Tsechu Rimpoche went talking for a quite long time, and that Tsechu started putting his finger on the top of the guy's head, in the typical point of the head that is signaled on a phowa (conciousness transference at the time of dying) retreat.

The rest of the people -the local sangha- were amazed at how this stranger just entered the door and then Rimpoche, without asking, stopped caring for the rest of them and just basically devoted most of the evening to him... I would bet they were a little bit jealous.

About seven days later, the guy died on a traffic accident.

Another incident was a day where two practicioners of the local sangha went arguing very badly. They were on the 2nd floor of a house while Tsechu Rimpoche was on the 1st floor. Suddenly, the bathroom's toilet start overflowing for no reason at all and the filthy water, instead of running down the stairs, went into its opposite natural direction, onto the two practitioners that were arguing. They had to shut up, stop fighting, and clean all the mess.

Skillful means!!

Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche was a great teacher and great mahasiddha...There are countless stories about Him. I was blessed to obtein teachings and initiations from him.
Rinpoche was also a close friend of HH 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. It is said that on one occasion someone said that Karmapa is like a Buddha. Karmapa said "If I`m a Buddha, then He (Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche) is Ananda". He was incomparable

[Punya]

I always have held four people of the late 20th century to be contemporary buddhas. These are the 16th Karmapa, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Dudjom Rinpoche. Unfortunately, I never met any of them.

I would hope that there are practitioners of their caliber alive today. Who would you nominate as truly exceptional practitioners - either living or who lived in the 20th century? Stories about them are obviously very welcome.

Yes, these are my four too plus Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche who makes a cameo appearance here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4vw6RJ ... ata_player. I felt he was a Bodhisattva even before I realised who he was.

For living legends I also nominate Chatral Rinpoche.

[Tsultrim T.]

Having met many of the teachers listed in these posts, even though he was not my teacher, I can say without a doubt being in the presence of Drubwang Rinpoche was like being in the presence of a living Buddha. The few occasions I was able to meet him and receive his blessings felt unlike anything I had experienced before, being both profound and transformative I cherish those times dearly.

drubwang01_msia_dec03.jpg (41.13 KiB) Viewed 3660 times

[Paul]

Having met many of the teachers listed in these posts, even though he was not my teacher, I can say without a doubt being in the presence of Drubwang Rinpoche was like being in the presence of a living Buddha. The few occasions I was able to meet him and receive his blessings felt unlike anything I had experienced before, being both profound and transformative I cherish those times dearly.

drubwang01_msia_dec03.jpg

Wasn't he meant to be literally a buddha, ie he'd managed to become completely awakened?

[pensum]

Though I have only met a few lamas myself, I have been fortunate to have made the acquaintance of some remarkable ones. Among them i was most impressed by and have no doubts about Tulku Urgyen, Trulshik Rinpoche, Tenga Rinpoche, and Nyoshul Khen. Thrangu Rinpoche is very impressive as well. I am most fortunate to have spent time with Tulku Urgyen, but also to have met Adeu Rinpoche whom i view as Tulku Urgyen's equal. I never met the third Neten Chokling Pema Gyurme but from the few things I have read by him and heard about him (see pp. 340-1 in Blazing Splendor), not to mention that three of his sons are outstanding lamas in their own right--Orgyen Tobgyal, Khyentse Yeshe and Dzigar Kongtrul--I am fairly confident that he was the real deal as well.

[Rroman]

Khenpo karpo
Lama jangchup

[Rroman]

Misspelling.....

Lama jangchup. Livining in Kalimpong, India.

Dodrupchen Rinpoche. Maury continue to live long

[Tsultrim T.]

Wasn't he meant to be literally a buddha, ie he'd managed to become completely awakened?

That is what many people have said. I was around at the Garchen Institute in AZ when he was supposed to have attained an additional Bhumi but I never heard him speak about his realization directly.

[plwk]

[Palzang Jangchub]

Wasn't he meant to be literally a buddha, ie he'd managed to become completely awakened?

That is what many people have said. I was around at the Garchen Institute in AZ when he was supposed to have attained an additional Bhumi but I never heard him speak about his realization directly.

According to the narration in the documentary Yogis of Tibet, when Kyabjé Drubwang Rinpoche cut his hair in preparation for death, HH the Dalai Lama supplicated him to not pass into parinirvana until he reached the age of 100 for the benefit of the teachings. Of course, Drubwang Rinpoche agreed.

If that's not a ringing endorsement of his realization, I dunno what is.

For those who aren't familiar with the great Drikung tulkus and lamas of our time, or even those who are familiar with a few but have yet to see them all arrayed, that film is indispensable. It can be found in its entirety on YouTube and Google.