BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO H.H. DHARMA
KING PENOR OF THE NINGMA SECT
The
Palyul network of monasteries is the largest of the six main subsects
within the Nyingma sect. There are more than four hundred of its branch
monasteries spread throughout Tibet and its dharma centers spread around
the world. Not only is H.H. Dharma King Penor the lineage holder of the
Palyul dharma lineage, he has been the supreme dharma king of the Nyingma
sect.
H.H.
Dharma King Penor is the nirmanakaya of Vajrapani Bodhisattva. In the
autumn of 2007, the International Buddhism Sangha Association held an
unprecedented Drawing Lots From a Golden Vase Ceremony to affirm the true
reincarnated identity of H.H. Dharma King Penor and others. There were ten
possible identities recognized by various rinpoches. One lot was drawn from
among 120 lots to affirm the true reincarnated identity of H.H. Dharma King
Penor. That drawing affirmed that H.H. Dharma King Penor is the nirmanakaya
of Vajrapani Bodhisattva, which is the reincarnated identity that H.H.
Dorje Chang Buddha III recognized before that lot was drawn.
His
Holiness was born in December of 1932 (the year of the water-monkey
according to the Tibetan calendar) in a place called Powo (in ancient times
called Bomi) in the western part of the Kham district in eastern Tibet. His
father was called Sonam Gyurme and his mother was called Dzemkyi. No
flowers can be seen in that village of Powo during the cold and dry winter.
However, fragrant flowers amazingly blossomed forth there when the rinpoche
was born.
At
the age of five, Penor Rinpoche was escorted to the ancient Palyul
Monastery in the western Kham district. A formal enthronement ceremony was
performed for him there in which he sat on the same dharma king throne he
sat on in his prior life. That ceremony was performed by the prior Thubten
Chokyi Dawa and Karma Thekchok Nyingpo, who is the fourth Karma Kuchen Rinpoche
and the tenth generation dharma king of Palyul. At that ceremony, he was
formally recognized as the incarnation of the second Penor Dharma King,
Baqian Douba. Thus, he became the eleventh lineage holder of the Palyul
lineage.
Khenpo
Ngaga (Kathok Kanqin Ngaga), an outstanding practitioner proficient in the
Great Perfection, foresaw the special mission of this recently born
incarnation. He therefore conferred upon the child the refuge precepts, a
Manjushri Bodhisattva initiation, and a holy Buddha statue. He also wrote
for the child a Long Life Prayer that is to this day recited by thousands
of Buddhist disciples all over the world. When he was thirteen years old,
Penor Rinpoche was formally tonsured in the prior Penor Dharma Kings
palace. That ceremony was performed and witnessed by five important khenpos
and monks. He was given the dharma name Dhongag Shedrup Tenzin Chokle
Namgyal, which means All-Victorious Holder of the Teachings of Study and
Practice of the Sutras and Tantras.
One
day when the rinpoche when was still a small boy, an elderly man walked up
to him and insisted that the rinpoche perform for him the Phowa Dharma. In
his boyish innocence, the rinpoche consented and practiced that dharma in
accordance with its rituals. After a short while, the rinpoche was
surprised to discover that the elderly man had already passed away. Facing
the corpse that lay before him, the rinpoche practiced dharma once more in
order to revive the elderly man. After the elderly man regained
consciousness, the rinpoche blew from his mouth a long puff. However, the
elderly man said, Heavens! Why did the rinpoche cause me to return? I was
already in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss of Amitabha Buddha!
Later,
the rinpoche received from numerous great masters, sutra teachers, and
khenpos various essential dharma teachings that have existed for many
generations. Such teachings include the Buddha in the Palm Great Perfection
of the Nanque lineage, the Eight Great Black Lugas, the Great Jewel Terma,
the Rena Lingpa Terma, the Great Perfection, the Great Perfection Mind
Essence Dharma, the Secret Dharma Protectors, and so on. The rinpoche
practiced such dharmas as he was taught and became accomplished. Later, at
a place called Tatang, Penor Rinpoche entered a long-term retreat together
with his master, Thubten Chokyi Dawa. Through practicing the fundamental
preliminary practices and progressing all the way up to the profound Great
Perfection, he returned to his dharma-nature true-suchness that has existed
since beginning-less time. Dharma King Dilgo Khyentse, the second dharma
king of the modern Nyingma sect, openly said, Dharma King Penor is already
a holy being who has surpassed samaya. Numerous dharma kings have said that
Dharma King Penor is an incarnated Buddha.
When
the Dharma King was conducting a Medicine Buddha Dharma Assembly, rainbows
soared from the mandala offering plate. Additionally, nectar overflowed
from the skull-cup. One time when he was conducting a Magong Accomplishment
Dharma Assembly, biscuits offered to the dakinis were clearly shaking.
Very
few rinpoches who are at the same level of Dharma King Penor are able to
endure the difficulties that Dharma King Penor has endured. Due to his
great vows of great compassion and his ceaseless determination, the
rinpoche is not troubled by any difficulty or obstacle he may face. Year
after year he has given of himself. He rebuilt the main Palyul Monastery
and the Palyul Buddhist Institute, which the rinpoche established in his
prior life. In India, the rinpoche established the Namdroling Monastery and the Ngagyur Nyingma Buddhist Institute. He
has gradually repaired all of the branch monasteries in his lineage that
urgently needed repair. His Buddhist centers in places such as Taiwan, Hong
Kong, Macao, mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, the
United States, and Canada have recently spread to countries in Europe,
including Greece, Germany, and France. His Namdroling Monastery in southern
India has become one of the largest monasteries in all of Tibetan Buddhism
in the world today, with more than three thousand monastics. It can be
called the largest Nyingma monastery in the world outside of China. Never
shirking hard work, the rinpoche is constantly rushing about in India, the
Himalaya mountains, Southeast Asia, and Europe in order to spread the
Buddha-dharma all around the world, thereby enabling all living beings to
experience the benefits of the dharma.
The
compassion of the dharma king has also benefited residents of local communities.
He has built bridges, paved roads, and founded a general hospital that uses
both western and Tibetan medicine. When there has been no seasonal rain in
Tibet or India, the rinpoche is famous for having caused rain to fall
promptly as a result of his prayers. Thus, local Indian residents have
affectionately called the dharma king the Rain Lama.
The
dharma king is a monk who flawlessly abides by the precepts and he himself
has given the monastic precepts to over 2,500 monks and nuns. Day after day
from morning until night, the dharma king selflessly benefits those living
in the world, those who are about to pass away, and those who have already
passed away.
At
the Nyingma Monlam Chenmo Ceremony for World Peace that took place in 1993
at the vajra throne area where the Buddha attained enlightenment in
Bodhgaya, India, the Nyingma dharma kings and eminent monastics who came
from China and other places all over the world unanimously selected H.H.
Dharma King Penor as the supreme dharma king of the Nyingma. Thus, His
Holiness became the successor to the deceased Nyingma dharma kings of prior
generations who possessed the Nyingma teachings. He is a person who in
reality matches the title of supreme Nyingma dharma king! In order to teach
the dharma and benefit living beings, the rinpoche has demonstrated the
brilliant wisdom of Manjushri Bodhisattva, the compassion of Kuan Yin
Bodhisattva, and the courage of Vajrapani Bodhisattva!
In
August of 2007, H.H. Dharma King Penor read A Treasury of True Buddha-Dharma
about H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu. He thought that book
is of limitless benefit to living beings. He was so moved that he wrote a
letter of congratulations to rinpoches.
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