Lineage

The Importance of Lineage

In our tradition, knowing the lineage of the teachings you are taking as your path means you can have confidence in the source of their wisdom. Moreover, you can be sure that this authentic wisdom has been accurately preserved and maintained right up to your personal connection with it. If you are studying a tradition that began with an enlightened being, such as Buddha Shakyamuni, and it has been held and passed on through the generations in an unbroken succession of qualified masters who themselves have not only studied but thoroughly trained in those teachings, you can trust that practicing such a tradition can bring you, too, to awakening. Tashi Choling’s founder, Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche (link to his bio page) was constantly reiterating the importance of each student knowing the lineages of the practices, teachings, and lamas that they were relying on. When he himself was going to invite lamas to teach or perform ceremonies, he first established their lineage source to his own satisfaction, and encouraged his students to do the same for themselves. Understanding the lineages of the teachers bringing us the precious teachings, we can assess for ourselves if these are authentic. Again and again Rinpoche made the point: without knowing the origin and the qualities of the masters who have passed the tradition down to ourselves, how can we be sure we are receiving genuine, effective instructions and practices to shape our spiritual path?

The History of Our Lineage

The founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha, lived 2,500 years ago in ancient India. Born as a prince, he was handsome, athletic, kind, and had many natural talents. He lived an idyllic, sheltered life in his palace, until one day he went outside the palace walls and beheld the sufferings of birth, sickness, aging and death. He realized that he, too, would be subject to these universal sufferings. Renouncing his kingdom, he committed himself to one goal: to find out if a state of permanent, stable peace and happiness could be found, for himself and all beings. After many trials and struggles, his spiritual journey eventually led him to discover this state of peace in the depths of his own mind, which is called “enlightenment.”

Once the Buddha achieved this state of perfect peace, wisdom, omniscience, power and compassion, he taught others the path to enlightenment, perfectly explaining it in many different ways useful to many different types of individuals. In the following centuries, his teachings of Buddhism spread widely across Asia.

In the 8th century, Buddhism spread to the mountainous region of Tibet, high in the Himalayas. Guru Rinpoche (Also known as “Padmasambhava”), a great Indian Buddhist master considered to be a reincarnation of Shakyamuni Buddha, and holding lineages that could be traced back to the Buddha, was a principal figure in its establishment there. Due to his pivotal role, Guru Rinpoche is considered by Tibetans to be the Second Buddha. Buddhism was brought to Tibet in a goverment-sanctioned and wholehearted endeavor, with a systematic effort to translate the entire Sanskrit Buddhist canon into Tibetan, to train Tibetan teachers, to establish authentic temples and monasteries and to preserve each aspect of the tradition. From then on, Tibet became a mecca of authentic buddhism, preserving the living lineages over the centuries even when Buddhsim was threatened in its motherland, India, and other countries.

While Guru Rinpoche was in Tibet, with his enlightened wisdom he looked into the future, beholding the passing of the ages with their many fluctuations in worldly circumstances, and, likewise, fluctuations in the availability and authenticity of the Buddhist teachings. Over time, it was likely that the living lineage passed from teacher to disciple might be lost, or that the wisdom of the practices might become misunderstood, mixed up or corrupted. He also perceived a great variety of beings with different capacities and interests, who would require similarly diverse presentations of the teachings.

In order to remedy these potential issues and to provide a way to revitalize and refresh the teachings periodically in the future, he revealed from his wisdom mind many different practices and rituals that would be fitting for particular future eras, circumstances, or groups of disciples. Entrusting these practices to various of his closest disciples, he gave prophecy that in specific future times, they would reveal these ‘wisdom treasures’ to benefit the beings of that era.

Over the subsequent centuries and continuing today, these prophesied individuals have indeed revealed treasures specifically designed for the beings of their time, with fresh and powerful blessings and a direct, uncompromised lineage connection. Again and again, the treasures of Guru Rinpoche have proved powerful and perfectly suited to their particular time, and the treasure tradition has been of distinct, extraordinary benefit to beings over more than a thousand years.

Our Specific Lineages of Practice

The practices that we perform here at Tashi Choling, and our lineages, are mainly those of the treasure tradition, though we preserve a connection with the sacred Kama tradition, which stretches back to Guru Rinpoche and Buddha Shakyamuni in an unbroken continuous line of masters, as well.

In particular, the primary lineage we uphold is that of Dudjom Tersar, tracing back to the great 19th century treasure revealer Dudjom Lingpa, who was a reincarnation of Guru Rinpoche’s disciple, Khye’u Chung Lotsawa. Dudjom Lingpa was widely admired and recognized by the great masters of his time as an authentic reincarnation and a powerful and realized master in his own right. When Dudjom Lingpa passed away, he was reborn as five different emanations who lived in the 20th century, namely:

1. The enlightened body emanation was Sonam Deutsen.
2. The enlightened speech emanation was Dzongter Kunzang Nyima.
3. The enlightened mind emanation was Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje.
4. The enlightened qualities emanation was Tulku Pednam, recognized by Dodrubchen Rinpoche.
5. The enlightened activity emanation was Tulku Natsog Rangdrol, Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche’s root lama.

Many of the practices we perform, such as the Heart Essence of the Lake Born Vajra (Guru Rinpoche practice), Heart Essence of the Dakini (Yeshe Tsogyal practice), A Chariot of Great Merit (Vajrasattva practice), the Razor Which Destroys at a Touch (Vajrakilaya practice), and the Dudjom Tersar Preliminary Practice, were revealed by Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje (#3 in the list above). We also perform practices revealed by Dudjom Lingpa himself, such as Troma Nagmo (The Wrathful Black Dakini). And, we perform a practice revealed by Dzongter Kunzang Nyima (#2 in the list above), the Kunzang Nyima Vajrasattva.

Additionally, Tashi Choling has a strong connection with the Namcho lineage revealed by Terton Migyur Dorje and propagated by the Payul school, the Dzogchen lineage of Atiyoga teachings transmitted by Jigme Lingpa, the lineage of Dorje Dechen Lingpa, the predecessor of Yangthang Tulku Rinpoche, and the bardo teachings of Guru Rinpoche revealed by Karma Lingpa, and practices from these traditions are performed in group gatherings or by individual practitioners. It is an aspiration that Tashi Choling would hold the lineage and instructions of many more treasure lineages, in order to preserve these sacred, living streams of blessings in the world.

Our Lineage Masters

In terms of our lineage masters, many extraordinary masters have come to Tashi Choling, blessing the land, temple, and statues, bringing the elements into harmony, and creating an environment that can be stable, suitable and fruitful for Buddhist practice for many generations. As well, these great masters have given numerous empowerments and blessings upon the faithful students gathered here, in order to transmit the lineages just described.

Among these, first and foremost was the visit of Kyabje Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, the source of our lineage who, at the invitation of Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche, visited the bare, undeveloped land in 1980. Arriving in a helicopter on the hilltop, Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche consecrated a treasure vase which was buried there, planted a sprig of cedar which has since grown into a large tree, performed a longevity invocation and indicated that this land was indeed an auspicious place for practice.

Another momentous visit was that of H.H. Drubwang Penor Rinpoche, a foremost master of our time, who came to bestow the entire cycle of Namcho Empowerments in 1985, the first cycle of empowerments to occur on the land. He returned in 1988 to give the Kama Empowerments and reading transmissions.

Additionally, many great masters of our time have visited Tashi Choling to bestow their blessings, including:
Kyabje Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche, Sangyum Kusho, His Eminence Shenpen Dawa Rinpoche, Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche, Lama Gonpo Tsedan Rinpoche, Lama Ganga, Orgyen Tulku Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, Ngagpa Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Yangthang Tulku Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche, Dodrubchen Rinpoche, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, Lingtrul Rinpoche, Orgyen Kusum Lingpa, Namkha Drimed Rinpoche , Tulku Sang-Ngag Rinpoche, His Eminence Ngawang Pedma Namgyal, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche, Lopon Rechungpa, Khenpo Tenzin Norgay Rinpoche, Lama Nikula, Lama Sonam Tsering Rinpoche, Tulku Theglo Rinpoche, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, His Holiness Getse Rinpoche, Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, Lama Pema Dorje Rinpoche, Khenpo Namdrol Rinpoche, Chakung Jigme Wangdrak Rinpoche, Anyen Rinpoche, and His Holiness Dudjom Sangye Pema Shepa Rinpoche.

Tashi Choling’s statues, temples, and grounds hold the blessings of these great masters’ extraordinary wisdom, unfeigned compassion, and profound presence. It is our heartfelt aspiration that, by maintaining the practices and teachings which have been given here, we might uphold these sacred lineages for generations to come.