Jampel Gyepai Dorje

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Jampel Gyepai Dorje, the Second Pelyul Choktrul, was born in 1894 the wood-horse year in Gyakha Bhoto (rgya kha bho to) in Gyelrong, Amdo. His father, of Han Chinese or mixed ethnicity, was named Loye Tenshiu (lo ye then shi’u) and his Tibetan mother was named Mentar (sman thar).According to legend, when his mother died three days after his birth, his family believed that he could not possibly survive without her milk, and abandoned him with her corpse. Yet as the death rituals for his mother were performed he seemed to get stronger, and one evening, it is said, an elderly neighbor discovered him, seated in the lap of a four-headed man in the midst of a brilliant white light. When the family consulted a local hermit called Gezhu Lama (dge zhus bla ma) about this, they were told that the child must be the incarnation of some great being and that they must find a way to care for him.

In time, when Lhatrul Rinpoche, also known as Pema Garwang Tendzin (pad+ma gar dbang bstan ‘dzin, 1852-1935/45), travelled to Gyelrong, he recognized the young boy as the incarnation of the First Dzigak Choktrul, Jamyang Sherab Chokyi Nangwa (‘dzi ‘gag mchog sprul 01 ‘jam dbyangs shes rab chos kyi snang ba, 1854-1893). As the young Choktrul could not yet ride a horse, he was carried in a basket on horseback to Dartang Monastery (dar thang dgon) in Golok, and enthroned there. Soon afterwards, Dongak Chokyi Nyima (mdo sngags chos kyi nyi ma, 1854-1906) visited Dartang and granted the empowerments of Karling Zhitro (kar gling zhi khro), the treasure revelation of Karma Lingpa (karma gling pa, fourteenth century), as well as the six volumes of Jatson Nyingpo‘s (‘ja’ tshon snying po, 1585-1656) revelations.

When the young Choktrul was in his sixth year, he was enthroned at Dartang’s ‘mother monastery,’ Pelyul Namgyel Jangchub Ling (dpal yul rnam rgyal byang chub gling) in southern Derge. One account says that he was enthroned at Pelyul together with the ‘wild’ Gyatrul Tulku (rgya sprul sku rgod, b.1893), who was recognized as the rebirth of Gyatrul Pema Dongak Tendzin (rgya sprul pad+ma mdo sngags bstan ‘dzin, 1830-1892), as well as the Peljor Tulku (dpal ‘byor sprul sku), and Baro Kuchen Pema Samdrub Dorje (sba rod sku chen pad+ma bsam grub rdo rje, 1887-1937). The lamas of Pelyul decided to select two of these young men to live at Dartang and two to remain at the mother monastery. As the story goes, they chose Gyatrul and Peljor to remain at Pelyul, prompting Lhatrul to laugh and say, “OK, so I’ll get the one who fulfills all wishes (the meaning of Samdrub) and the supreme incarnation (the meaning of Choktrul)!”

Beginning his education in earnest, the young Choktrul took the First Khangnang, Tashi Puntsok (khang nang 01 bkra shis phun tshogs, d.u.) as his tutor, and learned to read and to perform the chants and ritual practices of the Pelyul tradition. He also studied medicine with a lama named Tubwang (thub dbang) and grammar, poetics and other major and minor subjects with Gyara Jigme Lodro (rgya ra ‘jigs med blo gros, b.1870s).

His main teacher was Lhatrul Rinpoche, who instructed him in the preliminary practices (sngon ‘gro) of the Pelyul tradition, as well as the caṇḍālī practice of inner heat (gtum mo), the Sky-Treasure (gnam chos) instructions on Dzogchen contained in Buddhahood in the Palm of One’s Hand (sangs rgyas lag ‘chang), and Mahāmudrā. Garwa Terchen Pema Dudul Wangchuk Lingpa (mgar ba gter chen pad+ma bdud ‘dul dbang phyug gling pa, 1857-1911), another of his teachers, made him a custodian of his treasure revelations, granted him all the associated empowerments and transmissions, and offered him some of the sacred objects he had unearthed.

He was ordained as a novice, or getsul (dge tshul), by Detso Khenpo Sonam Pelden(sde tso mkhan po bsod nams dpal ldan), who also taught him a number of major treatises and granted him the reading transmission of the entire Kangyur (bka’ ‘gyur). In his twenty-second year he was fully ordained as a bhikṣu by Katok Situ Chokyi Gyatso (kaH thog si tu chos kyi rgya mtsho, 1880-1923/5) and given the name Tubten Jigme Chokyi Dawa Shedrub Rabten Pelzangpo (thub bstan ‘jigs med chos kyi zla ba bshad sgrub rab brtan dpal bzang po). During the same visit, Katok Situ, whom Detso Khenpo had invited to Dartang, also granted him a number of empowerments and enthroned him as a vajra master (rdo rje slob dpon).

The following year, when Choktrul went to Pelyul he received a number of teachings and empowerments, especially on Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā, fromPelyul Drubwang Rigdzin Pelchen Dupa (rig ‘dzin dpal chen ‘dus pa, 1887-1932), clarifying doubts and offering his realization on several occasions. He was also present while, over six months in 1919, the earth-sheep year, the Pelyul Drubwang granted all the empowerments and reading transmissions of the Rinchen Terdzod(rin chen gter mdzod).

From Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang (mkhan po ngag dbang dpal bzang, 1879-1940), Choktrul received teachings from the Nyingtik Nyengyud (snying thig snyan brgyud) lineage of Dzogchen, the Chetsun Nyingtik (lce btsun snying thig), and several other empowerments and instructions.

At the age of twenty-nine, he received teachings on several works by Tsongkapa Lobzang Drakpa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357-1419)  and on theGuhyagarbha Tantra and other texts from Lushul Khenpo Konme (klu shul mkhan po dkon me, 1859-1936), one of the ‘four great khenpos’ of Dodrubchen Monastery(rdo grub chen dgon). It is said that Choktrul remained devoted to Tsongkhapa throughout his life and always took a set of his writings with him wherever he went.

From Tra Gelong Tsultrim Dargye (khra dge slong tshul khrims dar rgyas, 1866-1937) he received an empowerment from the Ghaṇṭāpāda tradition of Sky-Faring (khecarī) Vajrayoginī. Tra Gelong later remarked that he had never met anyone like Choktrul and that the experience of granting him empowerment was even more frightening than seeing a ghost, as he had once in Dzatro (rdza khrod).

On one occasion Choktrul went to visit Tsangdrub Jampa Chodzin (gtsang grub byams pa chos ‘dzin, 1830-1954), who had just had a pure vision indicating that he would soon meet the reincarnation of his root teacher, Gyatrul Pema Dongak Tendzin. When Pelyul Choktrul arrived he treated him with great respect and offered him a number of Dzogchen pith instructions. Henceforth, Choktrul was considered an incarnation of both Gyatrul and the First Choktrul. By this time, it is likely that the official Gyatrul incarnation, known as Wild Gyatrul, with whom, he had been enthroned at Pelyul, had already died. His unconventional behavior, combined with the fact that he was born just seven months after the previous Gyatrul had died, had led some to question his authenticity, especially after he was beheaded during a conflict that flared up when he took the wife of a chieftain as a consort.

In addition to the teachers listed above, Choktrul also studied with Yakshul Khenpo Lodro (yag shul mkhan po blo gros, d.u.), Apang Terton Pawo Choying Dorje (a pang gter ston dpa’ bo chos dbyings rdo rje, 1895-1945), Terse Dorje Dradul (gter sras rdo rje dgra ‘dul, 1891-1959), Katok Khenpo Lekshe Jorden (kaH thog mkhan po legs bshad ‘byor ldan, d.u.), Amchok Jamyang Khyenrab Gyatso (a mchog ‘jam dbyangs mkhyen rab rgya mtsho, 1903-1958), and many others. It is sometimes said that he also studied with the Third Dodrubchen, Jigme Tenpai Nyima (rdo grub chen 03 ‘jigs med bstan pa’i nyi ma, 1865-1926), but, according to Tulku Thondup, although Choktrul was granted an audience with the master, he did not ask him a single question, and simply sat in silence, later saying that he went only to receive the teacher’s blessing, not to question him.

When he took responsibility for Dartang Monastery, he oversaw the restoration of the retreat center (sgrub grwa) and the construction of a new golden temple, complete with all its images, and a number of other buildings.

At the age of thirty-five, he toured the regions of Gyelrong, offering teachings and empowerments and sponsoring the repair of derelict temples. The following year, he granted the empowerments for the Rinchen Terdzod at Marrong (smar rong) Monastery.

In his thirty-seventh year, or thereabouts, he met the treasure-revealer Akye Terchen Orgyen Khacho Lingpa (a skyes gter chen o rgyan mkha’ spyod gling pa, 1893-1939) and received the transmissions for all his revelations. In return, he praised the terton and endorsed his treasures as authentic.

In 1937 when he met Chokyi Nyima, the Ninth Paṇchen (paN chen 09 chos kyi nyi ma, 1883-1937) in Mato (rma stod), he was given an official rank, a gold seal and other gifts, and was accorded special privileges, including the right to the corvée transport service (‘u lag) reserved for dignitaries between Chamdo and Lhasa.

In his forty-seventh year, he visited Pelyul, where he gave a number of teachings and empowerments, and then in 1941, the iron-snake year, he travelled to Lhasa via Gonjo (go ‘jo). He made use of the transport service from Chamdo onwards and was accompanied from Nakchu (nag chu) by monks of the Tsawa (tsha ba) section of Sera Monastery. He went to all the major pilgrimage sites, sponsoring the distribution of tea and offering generous donations in all the monasteries he visited.

In 1943, the water-sheep year, he returned to Kham and for four months gave theRinchen Terdzod empowerments at Pelyul. He then stayed at the Dago hermitage (brda go ri khrod), giving further teachings and empowerments. He returned to Dartang in 1944 and in 1946 undertook a teaching tour of Gyelrong, Donyi Sertel (rdo snyi gser thal) and other places. It was also around this time that he visited the sacred mountains of Serdrong (gser ‘brong) and Machen (rma chen). Everywhere he went, he made generous offerings to support monasteries and temples.

For the last few years of his life, Choktrul taught regularly at his own monastery of Dartang and in the surrounding area. Some sources give the year of his death as 1959, but according to Orgyen Tsondru (o rgyan brtson ‘grus), he died in the 1958, the earth-dog year, on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth Tibetan month, while interned at Saidrokchen (gsa’i sgrog chen) prison camp. Learning from a fellow prisoner, a mantra practitioner by the name of Loden (blo ldan), that it was the twenty-fifth, he said, “Oh, in that case we should do a gaṇacakra feast offering,” and used whatever tsampa he had to make a small offering torma. Then, as soon as he had recited the offering liturgy, he passed away. Lama Jampel Zangpo gives a similar account, but says that Choktrul died while reciting the Aspiration to Good Actions (bzang spyod smon lam), just a few days before he was scheduled to be publicly tortured. His body was buried in a mass grave before any rites could be performed, but years later, when the political situation abated, his remains were disinterred and enshrined in a gold and copper reliquary at his home monastery of Dartang.

Throughout his life, it is said, Pelyul Choktrul maintained four sessions of meditation practice each day and conscientiously observed every facet of monastic discipline. While seated, he would remain perfectly still and silent, directing his gaze downwards at a point about a yoke’s length in front—remaining so still, in fact, that he was nicknamed Serku Jasol (gser sku ja gsol), “the golden statue that drinks tea.”

Choktrul wrote a commentary on the three ‘mountain Dharma’ (ri chos) of the Pelyul tradition that was almost four hundred pages in length, and a commentary on Tsongkapa’s Golden Rosary of Fine Explanation (legs bshad gser phreng), but both appear to be lost. His surviving works were published in a single volume in 2008.

His most important student was the Third Penor, Lekshe Chokyi Drayang (pad nor 03 legs bshad chos kyi sgra dbyangs, 1932-2009), to whom he also gave getsul andgelong ordination. In spite of his failing eyesight, Choktrul passed on to Penor Rinpoche virtually all the major transmissions of the Pelyul tradition, saying on one occasion, “If I am not able to transmit all the empowerments, transmissions and teachings to the third Pema Norbu Rinpoche before I leave this world, then this precious human life of mine will have been wasted.” He guided Penor Rinpoche with extraordinary care and dedication, even spending four years in retreat in the same room with him at Dartang Monastery.

Choktrul’s other students include Tarthang Tulku Kunga Gelek Yeshe Dorje (dar thang sprul sku kun dga’ dge legs ye shes rdo rje, b. 1935), the founder of Dharma Publishing and the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, California; Khangsar Tenpai Wangchuk (khang gsar bstan pa’i dbang phyug, 1938-2014) and Dzongnang Jampel Lodro (rdzong nang ‘jam dpal blo gros, 1930/31-1987).

His reincarnation, Jigme Chokyi Sengge (‘jigs med chos kyi seng ge) was born in Darjeeling in 1966.
Source; The Treasury of lives