The Nyingtik Lineage

Shakyamuni Buddha was fully enlightened from the very beginning, in the form of Dharmakaya Buddha. Therefore, Dharmakaya Buddha was the source of all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and teachings. The Dharmakaya Buddha was the founder of Great Perfection. In the state of Dharmakaya, he gave his teachings to the five self-manifesting Buddhas of the Sambhogakaya Buddha, who are the same essence with the transmitted directly to their Wisdom Mind, without using words or any other indication. We call this the Lineage of transmission of the Wisdom Mind of the Buddha.

Nirmanakaya Buddha Gharab Dorjee was the emanation of Vajrasattva Buddha. Gharab Dorjee was fully enlightened from this birth and had no need to study or practice. Gharab Dorjee could debate and discuss about anything with the 500 great masters when he was only 7 years old. So no one could challenge through debates or spiritual power. He knew all the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana teachings. In particular, he understood the meaning of six million four hundred thousands verses of the Dzogpa Chenpo (Great Perfection) teachings. From his advice, his student, a Dakini, compiled all his instructions into books. The master himself later became rainbow body and dissolved into the Dharmakaya state. According to the students experience, the master received “great light initiation” (the final initiation) from Sambhogakaya Buddha Vajrasattva and immediately became fully enlightened, the ultimate stage of Buddhahood, and started to teach humans. He was the first human master.

Great master Shri Singha was born in 289 B.C. in the country known as the Black Expanse, in western China. From age 15, he started studying Astrology, and many other things from master Hastibhala. Also, Shri Singha studied inner and outer tantra from the master Bhela Kriti for seven years in WuTai Mountain in China. Later, when he was in meditation retreat, Buddha Avalokiteshvara appeared and predicted him that if he wanted to get enlightenment within his lifetime, he should go to India and see his master. So he went to India and met great master Jampal She-Nyen and later Nirmanakaya Gharab Dorjee. He spent 25 years with them, and received all the initiations, teachings, and pith instructions of Great Perfection, the Dzogpachenpo. He practiced and became fully enlightened. Later, he became rainbow body and became one with Dharmakaya Buddha. He transmitted his lineage to the second Buddha Guru Padmasambhava, to Vimalamitra, Buddhaguhya, and to Tibetan master Vairotsana Raksita.

Yeshi Tshogyal was Padmasambhava’s mystic consort and greatest disciple. She was the incarnation of Vajra Varahi and was instrumental in the transmission of essential teachings of the Nyingma tradition. She was also one of the three disciples who received the Vajrakila teaching from Padmasambhava. She practiced and accomplished these teachings. After Padmasambhava departed from Tibet, she continued the teachings and guided many hundreds of disciples.

Jigme Lingpa (1729-1798) was the combined emanation of Vimalamitra, King Trisong Detsen and Gyalse Lhaje. He received the complete Dzogchen Nyingtik teachings from Guru Rinpoche, Yeshi Tshogyal and Longchen Rabjam, through the state of pure vision. He saw Longchen Rabjam three times and received his blessings of body, speech, and mind. Thus he became inseparable from the Longchenpa and attained the realization of the Dzogchenpo. He write nine volumes of “Dharma treasures” (Terma), and became the founder of Longchen Nyingtik. His incarnation included Do-Kyen-Tse Yeshi Dorjee (1800-1866) as his body incarnation, Patrul Jigme Choyi Wangpo (1808-1887) as his speech incarnation, and Jamyang Kyentse Wangpo (1820-1892) as his mind incarnation.

Patrul Rinpoche (1808-1887) was the incarnation of Shanti Deva and the principle disciple of Jigme Gyalwai Nyu-gu. He received all the Nyingtik teachings, transmissions, and whispered pith instructions from his master. He also received other Dzogchen teachings from many other Lamas, including the first Dodrup Chen Rinpoche.
Patrul Rinpoche wrote many commentaries about Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. His book “Kunsang Lama’i Shelung” (The Words of My Perfect Teacher), the explanation of the Preliminary practice, is well known and widely used by the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He had many famous students through teaching and practice, including Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche., who wrote more than thirty volumes about Tibetan Buddhism philosophy. Among all the students, Lama Longtok was the best, to whom Patrul Rinpoche gave pith-instruction of Dzogpa Chenpo.

In the state of Sambhogakaya, Sambhogakaya Buddha Vajrasattva transmitted all the empowerments and teachings to the Nirmanakaya Prake Vajra (Gharab Dorjee), the first human master, through the sign, light, and pronouncing a mantra. Here, they don’t teach through regular speech. This lineage is known as Symbol Lineage.

H.E. Rigzin Dorjee Rinpoche was born on 1954 and at the age of fifteen Rinpoche was ordained monk and studied at the Higher Buddhist Institute in Varanasi. He graduated with the degree of “Acharya”, master in philosophy.
In his earlier ages, Rinpoche received many empowerments and teachings from H,H.The Dalai Lama, Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, Kyabje Dhilgo Kyentse Rinpoche, Kyabje Penor Rinpoche, Nyingma Khenchen Palden Sherab, Khenchen Dhaser, Khenchen Khasdrub, Khenchen Wanglo, Kyenchen Tsundue, Kagyud Khenchen Yeshi Chodar, Sakya Khenchen Rinchen, Gyelug Khenchen Tsultrem and many other masters in all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Through many years of study and meditation retreat, he has mastered the three Tripitakas and the four sections of yoga, and received the honor of Khenpo at the age of 25.
Especially, Rigzin Rinpoche received the complete Dzogchen teachings, initiations, pith instructions from his root Guru Kyabje Jadrel Rinpoche and also from Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche. He was acknowledged by Jadrel Rinpoche as his heart son, and was being compared as equal to himself and other Dzogchen masters in the lineage. Advised him to teach Dzogchen to his students and all over the world.
Rigzin Rinpoche devotes all his life to Buddhist education, with emphasis on both philosophical understandings and actual Dharma practices. Since 1988, Rinpoche has founded a Nyingma Institute and Retreat Centers. In 1998, Rinpoche founded Longchen Nyingtik Institute, USA. He has also taught extensively in institutions, universities and other Buddhist centers in Bhutan, Nepal, India, Canada, the Netherlands and USA. His wish is to bring peace and the enlightenment to all over the world.