Difference between revisions of "Khenpo Shenga"
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− | [[ | + | [[Image:Khenpo Shenga.JPG|thumb|A rare photo of Khenpo Shenga]] |
− | + | '''[[Khenpo Shenga]]''' (Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[མཁན་པོ་གཞན་དགའ་]]}}, [[Wyl.]] ''[[mkhan po gzhan dga]]’'') aka '''[[Shenpen Chökyi Nangwa]]''' ({{BigTibetan|[[གཞན་ཕན་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྣང་བ་]]}}, ''[[gzhan phan chos kyi snang ba]]'') (1871-1927) — an important figure in the [[Rimé]] {{Wiki|movement}} who revitalized study in much of [[Eastern Tibet]] by founding [[shedra]]s and by revising the {{Wiki|scholastic}} {{Wiki|curriculum}} with an {{Wiki|emphasis}} on the classical treatises of [[India]]. | |
− | Khenpo Shenga | ||
− | ==Life== | + | =={{Wiki|Biography}}== |
+ | ===[[Birth]], Early [[Life]] & Studies=== | ||
+ | The great [[Khenpo Shenga Rinpoche]], or [[Shenpen Chökyi Nangwa]], was born into a family by the [[name]] of Gyakong, in a place called Drok Ruma. His youth was spent in ordinary [[worldly]] [[activity]], until one day, he was suddenly struck by the futility of [[samsara]] and overcome by [[boundless]] [[regret]] at how he had wasted his [[precious]] [[life]] up until then. It is said that he left [[home]] staightaway, without taking any of his possessions, and went off in search of the great [[Patrul Rinpoche]]. | ||
− | Khenpo Shenga he | + | [[Image:Orgyen Tendzin Norbu.JPG|thumb|left|Khenpo Shenga's [[root guru]], [[Orgyen Tendzin Norbu]])] |
+ | From [[Patrul Rinpoche]], he gained a [[letter]] of introduction to [[Önpo Tenzin Norbu]], who was to become his [[root master]]. [[Tenzin Norbu]] was the nephew of the great [[Gyalsé Shenphen Thayé]] and through his [[wisdom mind]] he could see that [[Shenga]] was the [[incarnation]] of his famous uncle. Despite his advanced age, [[Shenga]] had never learned to read, and so he had to begin by {{Wiki|learning}} the [[alphabet]]. All the younger [[monks]] used to mock him and call him names like ‘the grown up kid,’ but he persevered with unwavering [[determination]] and unimaginable [[diligence]]. In those early days he was so poor that he was forced to scavenge for [[food]] among the leftovers from his [[lama’s]] residence. He also [[suffered]] from a nervous [[condition]] which made it difficult for him to walk, yet still he exerted himself and persevered enormously in his studies. | ||
− | + | On one occasion, as he struggled to carry [[water]] and was obviously [[suffering]] greatly, his [[guru]] [[Tenzin Norbu]] saw him and was moved to {{Wiki|tears}}. “Here is a [[student]] who really has the right [[karma]],” he [[thought]], and considered [[offering]] [[Shenga]] some kind of financial support or additional assistance. But then as he considered it further, he [[realized]] that it would not be right for him to interfere and prevent such [[accumulation of merit]]. Instead, he pretended not to notice and said nothing. | |
− | - | + | After [[Shenga]] had been studying for a few months, [[Tenzin Norbu]] granted him an authorizing [[transmission]] (''[[jé nang]]'') for the practice of White [[Sarasvati]] and suggested he undertake a [[retreat]]. [[Shenga]] did the practice in [[retreat]] for just two weeks before he [[experienced]] the [[signs]] of [[accomplishment]], including [[visions]] of the [[deity]], and gained [[extraordinary]] [[powers]] of [[recollection]] and self-confidence. From that point on, he mastered all the instructions of his [[guru]] and became unbeatable in [[debate]]. |
− | + | On a few occasions, in the course of [[debating]], some of the senior students believed they had got the better of [[Shenga]] and tried to circle his head with their hand, in the [[traditional]] sign of victory during a formal [[debate]]. Whenever he saw this, [[Tenzin Norbu]] would stop them, saying, “Don’t do that! Don’t put your hands over Shenga’s head!” After this had happened a few times, one of the students asked the [[guru]] why he appeared to be favouring [[Shenga]] over the others. [[Tenzin Norbu]] said, “This is not a case of showing favouritism towards [[Shenga]]. Actually I am favouring you, because it would be a grave fault for you to show any {{Wiki|disrespect}} towards someone like [[Shenga]], who is clearly what the [[sutras]] call ‘a [[bodhisattva]] in his final [[birth]] before [[enlightenment]].’” | |
− | + | From that [[time]] onward, all the students in the encampment treated [[Shenga]] with the same [[respect]] as they did their [[guru]]. [[Tenzin Norbu]] gradually entrusted him with all the teachings of the [[lineage]], which he himself had received from [[Patrul Rinpoche]] and from his uncle, [[Gyalsé Shenphen Thayé]]. This included all the teachings on the basic {{Wiki|sciences}} such as {{Wiki|grammar}}, [[medicine]] and [[astrology]], as well as all the major texts of [[sutra]] and [[mantra]], and the [[Wikipedia:Absolute (philosophy)|ultimate]] [[pith instructions]] of [[Dzogpachenpo]]. | |
− | + | When [[Shenga]] took full [[monastic]] [[ordination]] he received the [[name]] [[Shenphen Chökyi Nangwa]], which was seen as a confirmation of his being the [[incarnation]] of [[Gyalsé Shenphen Thayé]]. | |
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− | + | ===[[Teaching]] & [[Parinirvana]]=== | |
+ | [[Image:Thubten Chokyi Dorje.jpg|thumb|[[Thupten Chökyi Dorje]], the [[Fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche]], who invited [[Khenpo Shenga]] to teach at [[Dzogchen Monastery]])] | ||
+ | Upon completion of his studies, [[Shenga]] received [[Tenzin Norbu’s]] own personal copies of many of the commentaries on the [[sutras]] and [[tantras]], and especially the so-called ‘thirteen classical texts.’ The [[guru]] said to him, “If you base your teachings on these texts, the students who uphold your [[lineage]] will be like {{Wiki|stars}} in the night sky, and the [[precious]] teachings of the [[Buddha]] will shine like the {{Wiki|sun}}.” True to this {{Wiki|prophecy}}, [[Khenpo Shenga’s]] famous annotated commentaries (''[[chendrel]]'') on the thirteen classical [[scriptures]] went on to [[form]] the core of the {{Wiki|curriculum}} in many of the [[shedras]] throughout [[Tibet]], especially in the [[Kham]] region, and his many learned students carried his [[tradition]] throughout the whole of the [[Land of Snows]]. | ||
− | + | Shenga’s [[powers]] of [[recollection]] were such that whenever anyone asked him a question he was able to recall precisely any passage from the teachings, almost as if the texts were right there before his [[eyes]]. In particular, he became known for his [[mastery]] of the [[Seven Treasures]] of [[Longchen Rabjam]]. | |
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− | + | When [[Tenzin Norbu]] passed away, [[Shenga]] stayed on and [[taught]] at the Gemang [[hermitage]]. Then, some [[time]] around 1902, he was invited by the [[Fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche]] [[Thubten Chökyi Dorje]] to teach at the great [[Shri Singha Shedra]] at [[Dzogchen Monastery]]. Although he was hardly known when he first arrived, before long students were flocking to his teachings from all the branch [[monasteries]] and hermitages connected to [[Dzogchen monastery]] and from further afield, as his reputation for {{Wiki|learning}} spread throughout the whole of [[Kham]]. | |
− | + | It is said that [[Khenpo Shenga]] was able to teach texts such as ''[[Bodhicharyavatara]]'' entirely from [[memory]], and that he [[taught]] in the style of [[Patrul Rinpoche]], by relating each verse of the text to both [[absolute]] and [[relative bodhichitta]], and using the most profound verses of the text as a way to introduce students to the [[nature of mind]]. He would sit in [[meditation]] in order to point out the genuine intent of verses such as: | |
− | When | + | :"When the notions of real and unreal<br> |
− | + | :Are absent from before the [[mind]],<br> | |
− | + | :Then, there is no other possibility,<br> | |
+ | :But to rest in total [[peace]], beyond [[Wikipedia:concept|concepts]]." | ||
− | + | [[Khenpo Shenga]] continued to receive teachings throughout this [[time]], from the [[fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche]] and from other [[masters]] such as [[Khenpo Pema Vajra]]. He also studied with the great [[Jamyang Loter Wangpo]] at [[Lasi Gang hermitage]], and received from him teachings on the [[sutras]] and commentaries and also the [[Lamdré]] instructions of the [[Sakya]] [[tradition]]. | |
− | + | [[Image:Palpung.jpg|thumb|left|Traditional painting of [[Palpung Monastery]] in [[Tibet]])] | |
+ | From [[Dzogchen Monastery|Dzogchen]] he went to [[Palpung Monastery]] at the behest of his [[student]] and {{Wiki|patron}} [[Palpung Situ Pema Wangchok Gyalpo|Tai Situ Wangchok Gyalpo]], in order to establish a [[shedra]] there. It was during his [[time]] at [[Palpung]] that he composed many of the annotated commentaries for which he is now so renowned. After about seven years, he was invited by [[Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö]] to become the first [[khenpo]] of the newly built [[Dzongsar Kham-je Shedra]]. He inaugurated the [[shedra]] in 1918 and then [[taught]] there during its first two years. His students at the [[time]] included [[Khenpo Jamyang Gyaltsen]], also known as [[Khenpo Jamga]], who had also studied with him in [[Dzogchen Gemang hermitage]] and later at [[Dzogchen monastery]], and who later [[gathered]] together the writings of the great [[scholar]] [[Gorampa Sonam Senge]] and became an important [[teacher]] of the [[Sakya tradition]]. After his [[time]] at [[Dzongsar]], [[Khenpo Shenga]] founded another [[shedra]] at the [[Sakya monastery]] of [[Kyegön Döndrub Ling]]. | ||
− | + | He frequently undertook [[retreats]] focused on various [[yidam]] [[deities]] and gained [[signs]] of [[accomplishment]]. He was blessed with a [[vision]] of the [[omniscient]] [[Longchenpa]] and afterwards wrote a praise of his qualities. | |
− | + | When he passed away on the fifth day of the first [[Tibetan]] month of the [[Fire Hare year]] (1927) at a place called Gyawa Phuk, he was only fifty-six, which, if we consider how late he began his studies, makes his achievements all the more remarkable. | |
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− | + | ===Legacy=== | |
− | + | It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of his contribution to the [[Buddhadharma]] through founding [[shedras]], [[teaching]] almost continuously for more than twenty years, and establishing the basis of the {{Wiki|curriculum}} in many [[shedras]] through his writings. Almost single-handedly, he revitalized [[Tibetan]] {{Wiki|scholarship}} for the [[Nyingmapas]], [[Sakyapas]] and [[Kagyüpas]] and brought about a significant shift in focus, away from the arguments and controversies of later [[Tibetan]] [[scholars]] and back to the original [[Indian]] sources. As he wrote: | |
− | + | :"[In [[Tibet]]) there have appeared highly accomplished [[saints]] who were no different from the [[vidyadhara]]s of [[India]], the Land of the [[Aryas]]. Yet although there have been countless {{Wiki|eminent}} [[scholars]], none of them might be compared with the [[Six Ornaments and Two Supreme Ones]] of [[India]] in terms of [[wisdom]] and [[enlightened activity]]. […Some] [[Tibetan]] [[scholars]] took as their basis the {{Wiki|excellent}} [[Indian]] treatises but then added explanations based on their own clever [[ideas]], with the result that on occasions their statements no longer accord with [[scripture]] or valid {{Wiki|reasoning}}. In particular, the works of [[Nagarjuna]] and his successors have been fervently [[debated]] among [[Tibetans]], with the assertions of earlier [[Tibetan]] [[scholars]] subjected to a great deal of presumptuous refutation and [[affirmation]] by later [[scholars]]." | |
− | He | + | He was widely [[recognized]] as an [[incarnation]] of [[Gyalsé Shenphen Thayé]] although he was not the official [[Gemang Tulku]]. [[Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö]] and the great [[Sakya]] [[master]] [[Jamgön Ngawang Lekpa]] had clear indications that he was also an [[emanation]] of [[Sakya Pandita]], and many of his students saw him as none other than glorious [[Chandrakirti]]. To many however he became known simply as [[Shenga Dorje Chang]], [[Buddha]] [[Vajradhara]] in [[person]]. |
− | + | ==Students== | |
− | + | [[Image:Khenpo Shenga thangka.JPG|thumb|Khenpo Shenga, from a [[thangka]] of the [[Dzogchen]] [[lineage masters]])] | |
+ | His many illustrious [[disciples]] included [[Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö]], [[Palpung Situ Pema Wangchok Gyalpo|Tai Situ Pema Wangchok Gyalpo of Palpung]], [[Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]], [[Serkha Chökyi Drakpa]] and [[Rahor Chökyi Drakpa]], who were known as the ‘Two Chödraks’, [[Khenpo Ngawang Palzang]] (also known as [[Khenpo Ngakchung]]), [[Öntö Khyenrab Chökyi Özer]] (the second [[khenpo]] of [[Dzongsar shedra]] and also [[Khenpo Shenga’s]] successor at [[Palpung]] [[shedra]]), [[Khenpo Jamyang Gyaltsen]] (the third [[khenpo]] of [[Dzongsar shedra]]), [[Kunga Tenpé Gyaltsen|Dezhung Tulku Ajam Rinpoche]] (1885-1952), [[Dezhung Chöphel]] (the fourth [[khenpo]] of [[Dzongsar shedra]]), [[Dezhung Rinpoche]], [[Bo Gangkar Tulku]], [[Khenchen Tsewang Rigdzin|Washul Khenpo Tsewang Rigdzin]] of Mewa, [[Sönam Gönpo]] (1895-1967), [[Norbu Tenzin]], [[Khangmar Rinchen|Khangmarwa Rinchen Dorje]], [[Jikmé Dorjé]], [[Dosi Thubten]], [[Khenchen Surmang Pema Namgyal]], [[Kardzé Buram Nawa Lobzang Tenzin]], [[Alak Gurong Choktrul]], [[Khenchen Thubten Chöpel|Bathur Khenpo Thubten Chöphel]], [[Drayab Lodrö Zangpo]], [[Rinchen Dorje]], [[Geshe Tsultrim Palzang]], [[Geshe Namgyal Palzang]], [[Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen]] (the famous [[teacher]] of [[His Holiness the Dalai Lama]]), [[Geshé Tenpa Rinchen]] of [[Bhutan]], [[Geshé Rinchen Dorjé]] and [[Geshé Padma Tsering]]. | ||
− | + | At [[Dzogchen Monastery]] his [[principal]] students were [[Khenpo Lhagyal]] (aka [[Abu Lhagong]]), [[Khenpo Thupten Nyendrak]], [[Khenpo Jikmé Lodrö]], [[Könchok Zangpo]], [[Khenpo Chimé Yeshé]], [[Khenpo Yönten Gönpo]] (aka [[Khenpo Gönri]], 1899-1959), [[Pema Chöphel]], [[Kyamo Chökho]], [[Khenpo Ngawang Norbu|Yabchen Ngawang Norbu]] (father of the [[sixth Dzogchen Rinpoche]]) and [[Khenchen Pema Tsewang]] (1902-1959). | |
− | + | ==Writings== | |
+ | Aside from his major annotation commentaries on the [[thirteen classical treatises]] and also one on the [[root text]] of the [[Guhyagarbha Tantra]], his collected writings include ''[[A Mirror Clearly Reflecting What Must Be Known: The Six Topics of the Learned]]'', as well as various praises and songs of [[realization]]. A previously unknown commentary of his on [[Patrul Rinpoche’s]] ''[[Advice that is Virtuous in the Beginning, Middle and End]]'' was discovered recently in [[Tibet]] and published in [[Nepal]]. Other works include: | ||
− | + | *[[Annotated Commentary on the Bodhicharyavatara]] | |
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− | + | ==[[Tibetan]] Text== | |
+ | * {{TBRC|W1PD2074|གསུང་འབུམ། གཞན་ཕན་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྣང་བ་, ''gsung 'bum/_gzhan phan chos kyi snang ba''}} | ||
+ | * {{TBRC|W23198|གཞུངས་ཆེན་བཅུ་གསུམ་, ''gzhung chen bcu gsum''}} | ||
+ | * {{TBRCW|O003JR198|O003JR198003JR5060$W25983|སྒྱུ་འཕྲུལ་དྲྭ་བ་རྩ་བའི་རྒྱུད་ཀྱི་མཆན་འགྲེལ་ཉི་ཟླའི་སྙིང་པོ་, ''sgyu 'phrul drwa ba rtsa ba'i rgyud kyi mchan 'grel nyi zla'i snying po''}} | ||
− | + | ==Further Reading== | |
− | + | {{Nolinking|*Bayer, Achim. ''The Life and Works of mKhan-po gZhan-dga' (1871-1927)'', M.A. Thesis, University of Hamburg | |
+ | *[[Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]], ''Brilliant Moon'', Shambhala, 2008, pages 31-38. | ||
+ | *Jackson, David. ''Saint in Seattle: The Life of the Tibetan Mystic Dezhung Rinpoche'' (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2003), pages 25-33. | ||
+ | *[[Nyoshul Khenpo]], ''A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems: Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage'', Padma Publications, 2005, pages 492-499.}} | ||
− | + | ==External Links== | |
+ | *{{LH|tibetan-masters/khenpo-shenga|Khenpo Shenga Series on Lotsawa House}} | ||
+ | *{{TBRC|P699|TBRC Profile of Khenpo Shenga}} | ||
+ | *[http://www.treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Zhenpen-Chokyi-Nangwa/9622 Biography at Treasury of Lives] | ||
− | + | {{RigpaWiki}} | |
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+ | {{NewSourceBreak}} | ||
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+ | '''[[Khenpo Shenga Rinpoche]]''' (or [[Shenpen Chökyi Nangwa]]; 1871–1927) was a prominent [[scholar]] in the [[Nyingma]] and [[Sakya]] [[traditions]] of [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==[[Life]]== | ||
+ | [[Khenpo Shenga]] he undertook [[religious]] study at a relatively young age under the tutelage of [[Önpo Tenzin Norbu]]. Eventually he was [[recognized]] as an [[incarnation]] of that [[lama's]] uncle, a [[scholar]] named [[Gyalsé Shenphen Thayé]]. Upon the [[death]] of his [[guru]], he remained at [[Gemang hermitage]] until 1902 when he was invited by the [[fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche]], [[Thubten Chökyi Dorje]], to teach at the [[Shri Singha Shedra]] at [[Dzogchen Monastery]]. His skill as a [[scholar]] soon burnished his reputation and attracted many students. | ||
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+ | From [[Dzogchen]] he went to [[Palpung monastery]] at the behest of [[Tai Situ Rinpoche]], where he composed his best known works and established a [[shedra]]. A few years later he was invited by [[Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö]] to become the first [[khenpo]] of the new [[shedra]] at [[Dzongsar Monastery]], inaugurated in 1918. He later founded another [[shedra]] at the [[Sakya monastery]] of [[Kyegön Döndrub Ling]]. | ||
==Legacy== | ==Legacy== | ||
− | Khenpo Shenga is remembered for his annotated commentaries on the thirteen primary texts of the Nyingma shedra curriculum, which are now the standard. He did much to revitalize scholarship in the Rime movement spirit of returning to Indian textual sources. He also taught a number of lamas who would become illustrious in their own rights | + | [[Khenpo Shenga]] is remembered for his annotated commentaries on the thirteen primary texts of the [[Nyingma]] [[shedra]] {{Wiki|curriculum}}, which are now the standard. He did much to revitalize {{Wiki|scholarship}} in the [[Rime movement]] [[spirit]] of returning to [[Indian]] textual sources. He also [[taught]] a number of [[lamas]] who would become illustrious in their own rights. |
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[[Category:Tibetan Buddhist Teachers]] | [[Category:Tibetan Buddhist Teachers]] | ||
− | + | [[Category:Rimé Masters]] | |
− | + | [[Category:Nyingma Masters]] | |
+ | [[Category:Sakya Masters]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Dzongsar]] |
Latest revision as of 14:13, 3 April 2016
Khenpo Shenga (Tib. མཁན་པོ་གཞན་དགའ་, Wyl. mkhan po gzhan dga’) aka Shenpen Chökyi Nangwa (གཞན་ཕན་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྣང་བ་, gzhan phan chos kyi snang ba) (1871-1927) — an important figure in the Rimé movement who revitalized study in much of Eastern Tibet by founding shedras and by revising the scholastic curriculum with an emphasis on the classical treatises of India.
Biography
Birth, Early Life & Studies
The great Khenpo Shenga Rinpoche, or Shenpen Chökyi Nangwa, was born into a family by the name of Gyakong, in a place called Drok Ruma. His youth was spent in ordinary worldly activity, until one day, he was suddenly struck by the futility of samsara and overcome by boundless regret at how he had wasted his precious life up until then. It is said that he left home staightaway, without taking any of his possessions, and went off in search of the great Patrul Rinpoche.
[[Image:Orgyen Tendzin Norbu.JPG|thumb|left|Khenpo Shenga's root guru, Orgyen Tendzin Norbu)] From Patrul Rinpoche, he gained a letter of introduction to Önpo Tenzin Norbu, who was to become his root master. Tenzin Norbu was the nephew of the great Gyalsé Shenphen Thayé and through his wisdom mind he could see that Shenga was the incarnation of his famous uncle. Despite his advanced age, Shenga had never learned to read, and so he had to begin by learning the alphabet. All the younger monks used to mock him and call him names like ‘the grown up kid,’ but he persevered with unwavering determination and unimaginable diligence. In those early days he was so poor that he was forced to scavenge for food among the leftovers from his lama’s residence. He also suffered from a nervous condition which made it difficult for him to walk, yet still he exerted himself and persevered enormously in his studies.
On one occasion, as he struggled to carry water and was obviously suffering greatly, his guru Tenzin Norbu saw him and was moved to tears. “Here is a student who really has the right karma,” he thought, and considered offering Shenga some kind of financial support or additional assistance. But then as he considered it further, he realized that it would not be right for him to interfere and prevent such accumulation of merit. Instead, he pretended not to notice and said nothing.
After Shenga had been studying for a few months, Tenzin Norbu granted him an authorizing transmission (jé nang) for the practice of White Sarasvati and suggested he undertake a retreat. Shenga did the practice in retreat for just two weeks before he experienced the signs of accomplishment, including visions of the deity, and gained extraordinary powers of recollection and self-confidence. From that point on, he mastered all the instructions of his guru and became unbeatable in debate.
On a few occasions, in the course of debating, some of the senior students believed they had got the better of Shenga and tried to circle his head with their hand, in the traditional sign of victory during a formal debate. Whenever he saw this, Tenzin Norbu would stop them, saying, “Don’t do that! Don’t put your hands over Shenga’s head!” After this had happened a few times, one of the students asked the guru why he appeared to be favouring Shenga over the others. Tenzin Norbu said, “This is not a case of showing favouritism towards Shenga. Actually I am favouring you, because it would be a grave fault for you to show any disrespect towards someone like Shenga, who is clearly what the sutras call ‘a bodhisattva in his final birth before enlightenment.’”
From that time onward, all the students in the encampment treated Shenga with the same respect as they did their guru. Tenzin Norbu gradually entrusted him with all the teachings of the lineage, which he himself had received from Patrul Rinpoche and from his uncle, Gyalsé Shenphen Thayé. This included all the teachings on the basic sciences such as grammar, medicine and astrology, as well as all the major texts of sutra and mantra, and the ultimate pith instructions of Dzogpachenpo.
When Shenga took full monastic ordination he received the name Shenphen Chökyi Nangwa, which was seen as a confirmation of his being the incarnation of Gyalsé Shenphen Thayé.
Teaching & Parinirvana
[[Image:Thubten Chokyi Dorje.jpg|thumb|Thupten Chökyi Dorje, the Fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche, who invited Khenpo Shenga to teach at Dzogchen Monastery)] Upon completion of his studies, Shenga received Tenzin Norbu’s own personal copies of many of the commentaries on the sutras and tantras, and especially the so-called ‘thirteen classical texts.’ The guru said to him, “If you base your teachings on these texts, the students who uphold your lineage will be like stars in the night sky, and the precious teachings of the Buddha will shine like the sun.” True to this prophecy, Khenpo Shenga’s famous annotated commentaries (chendrel) on the thirteen classical scriptures went on to form the core of the curriculum in many of the shedras throughout Tibet, especially in the Kham region, and his many learned students carried his tradition throughout the whole of the Land of Snows.
Shenga’s powers of recollection were such that whenever anyone asked him a question he was able to recall precisely any passage from the teachings, almost as if the texts were right there before his eyes. In particular, he became known for his mastery of the Seven Treasures of Longchen Rabjam.
When Tenzin Norbu passed away, Shenga stayed on and taught at the Gemang hermitage. Then, some time around 1902, he was invited by the Fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche Thubten Chökyi Dorje to teach at the great Shri Singha Shedra at Dzogchen Monastery. Although he was hardly known when he first arrived, before long students were flocking to his teachings from all the branch monasteries and hermitages connected to Dzogchen monastery and from further afield, as his reputation for learning spread throughout the whole of Kham.
It is said that Khenpo Shenga was able to teach texts such as Bodhicharyavatara entirely from memory, and that he taught in the style of Patrul Rinpoche, by relating each verse of the text to both absolute and relative bodhichitta, and using the most profound verses of the text as a way to introduce students to the nature of mind. He would sit in meditation in order to point out the genuine intent of verses such as:
- "When the notions of real and unreal
- Are absent from before the mind,
- Then, there is no other possibility,
- But to rest in total peace, beyond concepts."
Khenpo Shenga continued to receive teachings throughout this time, from the fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche and from other masters such as Khenpo Pema Vajra. He also studied with the great Jamyang Loter Wangpo at Lasi Gang hermitage, and received from him teachings on the sutras and commentaries and also the Lamdré instructions of the Sakya tradition.
[[Image:Palpung.jpg|thumb|left|Traditional painting of Palpung Monastery in Tibet)] From Dzogchen he went to Palpung Monastery at the behest of his student and patron Tai Situ Wangchok Gyalpo, in order to establish a shedra there. It was during his time at Palpung that he composed many of the annotated commentaries for which he is now so renowned. After about seven years, he was invited by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö to become the first khenpo of the newly built Dzongsar Kham-je Shedra. He inaugurated the shedra in 1918 and then taught there during its first two years. His students at the time included Khenpo Jamyang Gyaltsen, also known as Khenpo Jamga, who had also studied with him in Dzogchen Gemang hermitage and later at Dzogchen monastery, and who later gathered together the writings of the great scholar Gorampa Sonam Senge and became an important teacher of the Sakya tradition. After his time at Dzongsar, Khenpo Shenga founded another shedra at the Sakya monastery of Kyegön Döndrub Ling.
He frequently undertook retreats focused on various yidam deities and gained signs of accomplishment. He was blessed with a vision of the omniscient Longchenpa and afterwards wrote a praise of his qualities.
When he passed away on the fifth day of the first Tibetan month of the Fire Hare year (1927) at a place called Gyawa Phuk, he was only fifty-six, which, if we consider how late he began his studies, makes his achievements all the more remarkable.
Legacy
It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of his contribution to the Buddhadharma through founding shedras, teaching almost continuously for more than twenty years, and establishing the basis of the curriculum in many shedras through his writings. Almost single-handedly, he revitalized Tibetan scholarship for the Nyingmapas, Sakyapas and Kagyüpas and brought about a significant shift in focus, away from the arguments and controversies of later Tibetan scholars and back to the original Indian sources. As he wrote:
- "[In Tibet) there have appeared highly accomplished saints who were no different from the vidyadharas of India, the Land of the Aryas. Yet although there have been countless eminent scholars, none of them might be compared with the Six Ornaments and Two Supreme Ones of India in terms of wisdom and enlightened activity. […Some] Tibetan scholars took as their basis the excellent Indian treatises but then added explanations based on their own clever ideas, with the result that on occasions their statements no longer accord with scripture or valid reasoning. In particular, the works of Nagarjuna and his successors have been fervently debated among Tibetans, with the assertions of earlier Tibetan scholars subjected to a great deal of presumptuous refutation and affirmation by later scholars."
He was widely recognized as an incarnation of Gyalsé Shenphen Thayé although he was not the official Gemang Tulku. Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö and the great Sakya master Jamgön Ngawang Lekpa had clear indications that he was also an emanation of Sakya Pandita, and many of his students saw him as none other than glorious Chandrakirti. To many however he became known simply as Shenga Dorje Chang, Buddha Vajradhara in person.
Students
[[Image:Khenpo Shenga thangka.JPG|thumb|Khenpo Shenga, from a thangka of the Dzogchen lineage masters)] His many illustrious disciples included Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, Tai Situ Pema Wangchok Gyalpo of Palpung, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Serkha Chökyi Drakpa and Rahor Chökyi Drakpa, who were known as the ‘Two Chödraks’, Khenpo Ngawang Palzang (also known as Khenpo Ngakchung), Öntö Khyenrab Chökyi Özer (the second khenpo of Dzongsar shedra and also Khenpo Shenga’s successor at Palpung shedra), Khenpo Jamyang Gyaltsen (the third khenpo of Dzongsar shedra), Dezhung Tulku Ajam Rinpoche (1885-1952), Dezhung Chöphel (the fourth khenpo of Dzongsar shedra), Dezhung Rinpoche, Bo Gangkar Tulku, Washul Khenpo Tsewang Rigdzin of Mewa, Sönam Gönpo (1895-1967), Norbu Tenzin, Khangmarwa Rinchen Dorje, Jikmé Dorjé, Dosi Thubten, Khenchen Surmang Pema Namgyal, Kardzé Buram Nawa Lobzang Tenzin, Alak Gurong Choktrul, Bathur Khenpo Thubten Chöphel, Drayab Lodrö Zangpo, Rinchen Dorje, Geshe Tsultrim Palzang, Geshe Namgyal Palzang, Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen (the famous teacher of His Holiness the Dalai Lama), Geshé Tenpa Rinchen of Bhutan, Geshé Rinchen Dorjé and Geshé Padma Tsering.
At Dzogchen Monastery his principal students were Khenpo Lhagyal (aka Abu Lhagong), Khenpo Thupten Nyendrak, Khenpo Jikmé Lodrö, Könchok Zangpo, Khenpo Chimé Yeshé, Khenpo Yönten Gönpo (aka Khenpo Gönri, 1899-1959), Pema Chöphel, Kyamo Chökho, Yabchen Ngawang Norbu (father of the sixth Dzogchen Rinpoche) and Khenchen Pema Tsewang (1902-1959).
Writings
Aside from his major annotation commentaries on the thirteen classical treatises and also one on the root text of the Guhyagarbha Tantra, his collected writings include A Mirror Clearly Reflecting What Must Be Known: The Six Topics of the Learned, as well as various praises and songs of realization. A previously unknown commentary of his on Patrul Rinpoche’s Advice that is Virtuous in the Beginning, Middle and End was discovered recently in Tibet and published in Nepal. Other works include:
Tibetan Text
གསུང་འབུམ། གཞན་ཕན་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྣང་བ་, gsung 'bum/_gzhan phan chos kyi snang ba
གཞུངས་ཆེན་བཅུ་གསུམ་, gzhung chen bcu gsum
- སྒྱུ་འཕྲུལ་དྲྭ་བ་རྩ་བའི་རྒྱུད་ཀྱི་མཆན་འགྲེལ་ཉི་ཟླའི་སྙིང་པོ་, sgyu 'phrul drwa ba rtsa ba'i rgyud kyi mchan 'grel nyi zla'i snying po
Further Reading
- Bayer, Achim. The Life and Works of mKhan-po gZhan-dga' (1871-1927), M.A. Thesis, University of Hamburg
- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Brilliant Moon, Shambhala, 2008, pages 31-38.
- Jackson, David. Saint in Seattle: The Life of the Tibetan Mystic Dezhung Rinpoche (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2003), pages 25-33.
- Nyoshul Khenpo, A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems: Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage, Padma Publications, 2005, pages 492-499.
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Khenpo Shenga Rinpoche (or Shenpen Chökyi Nangwa; 1871–1927) was a prominent scholar in the Nyingma and Sakya traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
Life
Khenpo Shenga he undertook religious study at a relatively young age under the tutelage of Önpo Tenzin Norbu. Eventually he was recognized as an incarnation of that lama's uncle, a scholar named Gyalsé Shenphen Thayé. Upon the death of his guru, he remained at Gemang hermitage until 1902 when he was invited by the fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche, Thubten Chökyi Dorje, to teach at the Shri Singha Shedra at Dzogchen Monastery. His skill as a scholar soon burnished his reputation and attracted many students.
From Dzogchen he went to Palpung monastery at the behest of Tai Situ Rinpoche, where he composed his best known works and established a shedra. A few years later he was invited by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö to become the first khenpo of the new shedra at Dzongsar Monastery, inaugurated in 1918. He later founded another shedra at the Sakya monastery of Kyegön Döndrub Ling.
Legacy
Khenpo Shenga is remembered for his annotated commentaries on the thirteen primary texts of the Nyingma shedra curriculum, which are now the standard. He did much to revitalize scholarship in the Rime movement spirit of returning to Indian textual sources. He also taught a number of lamas who would become illustrious in their own rights.