| Foreword by Choyang Kuten (1917- 2002) |
|---|
| The following account is a response to repeated questions
asked of me and it is my sincere wish that what I have said will be truly
understood. Apart from that, at present in this wide world, there are many biographies said to be mine, told independently for whatever reasons great or small, among which are several which are discordant with the real story. Thus keep this account at the heart of your memory. Choyang Kuten 1988 |
| First of all I shall explain in a few words about my
native country, Tibet. Tibet is divided into four major provinces. I was born in
U -Tsang province, in Toepa region which is in the western part of Tibet. My
birthplace is Khele, a village whose name means 'corner of the mountain'. It is
near a larger town called Yenchoetenkar. My mother's name name was Lhagpa. In
Tibet there was no tradition to record the date of birth except for aristocratic
families or high lamas. I was born in Earth-Sheep year 1917, 15 Rapchung,
according to Tibetan system. I was born on Tuesday (Sa Migmar), so I was called
Migmar Tsering, my original name. At seven I was admitted to a large monastery called Ngamring. There were three main monasteries in my native region; Lhatse, Ngamring and Phuntsog-ling. All were part of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. I studied there until I was thirteen, going through all the basic training and rituals of that monastery. At thirteen I went to see my parents during the vacation. My parents were nomadic farmers so they traveled like merchants. I joined them on a merchant journey to Phagri. Phagri Monastery Phagri is a very strategic area, only an hour's journey
from Bhutan. It is also close to India. In that area was a monastery which was a
branch of Shartse Collage that had been established by Geshe Palden Tendar. He
was a great scholar and practitioner who came second in his final examination
above thousands of other monks. After his arrival in Phagri he established the
monastery, and engaged tantric retreats. On arrivl in Phagri I left my relatives
to join this monastery.
It was the custom of a monastery of another tradition in
that area to recieve geshes from upper Tantric College every three years, and so
Geshe Palden Tendar came to Phagri. At the end of his three years Geshe Palden
Tendar did not leave, but stayed in the area to benefit all beings there. He
estabnlished a monastery and built a retreat hermitage in the mountains,
engaging in Yamantaka retreats many times. It is through his activities and
those of Dromo Geshe Rinpoche that the Gelugpa tradition was established in this
remote part of Tibet. The dharmapala of both Dromo Geshe Rinpoche and Geshe
Palden Tendar was Gyalchen Dorje Shugden, the Vajra Mighty One.
The influence of these two great lamas reached India, to
Darjeeling and Kalimpong, for example. Dromo Geshe Rinpoche left messages
placing all responsibility for his monastery with Trijang Dorje Chang
(1901-1981), who later became tutor to the present Dalai Lama, and also with His
Holiness the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. He also gave instructions for how his body
should be treated and how the stupa containing his relics should be built.
Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang came to Phagri to fullfill these instructions and
from that time many lamas came to the area to teach.
Therefore the florishing of the Gelugpa tradition in
these areas is due to the kindness of Dromo Geshe Rinpoche, Geshe Palden Tendar
and Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang.
Generally, all monks studying in the two tantric colleges
belong to one of the 'Three Grat Seats'. Geshe Palden Tendar belonged to Ganden
Shartse College. Due to the requests of local people he engaged in intensive
retreats in the Phagri area and then built a monastery with a large Maitreya
statue. He also obtained copies of the Tibetan Canon. On the advice of His
Holiness the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, he gave this monastery's administration to
Shartse College. They sent a geshe every three years to run the monastery as an
abbot.
Geshe Palden Tendar was held in high esteem in that
province. He was constantly consulted by lay people and by the monks of the
monastery. He personally gave me instructions to look after my body and health
carefully, and left instructions to elder monks to care for me because I could
prove to be of benefit to beings in the future. I remained in that monastery
from the age of thirteen to seventeen. Sometimes I moved to Dromo Geshe
Rinpoche's monastery for climatic reasons. |
