Khordong Byangter Gurus

Tulku Ugen Chencho Head of Khordong Byangter Monastery and Dungsi of Terchen Tulku Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche

 
Tulku Ugen Chencho is born in the family of Ven. Terton Tulku Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche and Sangye Dolma as the fourth child in the year 1956, on 15th August in Kalimpong, India.

He has been recognized by late H.H Dudjom Rinpoche and late H.H 16th Gyalwa Karmapa when he was a small boy, but all these were kept as a secret and was only revealed to him on his first trip to Tibet together with his father in 1985.
On that occasion he was told that he was Tulku of Shugchung monastery and was given a ceremonial enthronement at Khordong Monastery on the 10th day of the 4th Tibetan month, after which the traditional Cham (religious dance) was performed.

Tulku Ugen Chencho was also confirmed as the most recent incarnation of Vairocana the translator, by HH Terton Tulku Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche. While editing his own terma of the protectors’ pujah, Rinpoche made this information public by writing about it in the terma text he was publishing.

During his childhood Tulku Ugen Chencho has been fortunate to complete his education in Shantiniketan at the renowned Visva-Bharati University founded by the first Indian Nobel Laureate Poet Rabindhranath Tagore, from which he graduated in Indology as his honors subject and got two masters of Arts: one in Ancient Indian history, Culture and Archeology and the other one in Tibetan language and literature. There he met his wife Shashi Khandrola.


He joined the Centre for Himalayan Studies at North Bengal University in 1986 as a lecturer and worked there till May 1995. He then left voluntarily his job and the security of a comfortable and reassured life after retirement, in order to help his father fulfill his cherished wish to build a monastery where Byangter order of Tantric Tibetan Buddhism is to be continued and propagated under the structure of The Chhimed Rigdzin Society established since 1978.


During his second visit to Tibet in 1990 together with his father, he has received the entire set of transmission of Khordong Nuden Dorje Drophan Lingpa lineage along with Tulku Norbu at Khordong Monastery. He has received many instructions about pujahs and rituals from his father on many private moments during his childhood in Shantiniketan and during Rinpoche’s last years in Siliguri.


 Then on the first day of the Tibetan Losar 2002, while performing the Guru Rinpoche Sadhana at Khordong Byangter Gompa in India, Terton Tulku Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche cleared his voice and spoke loudly for everyone present to hear and announced:
“From this day onwards I pronounce my son Tulku Ugen Chencho Lama to be the head of this Gompa and also to take up activities as my principal regent. Ugen Chencho should dedicate his time in this life to carry out the mission I had undertaken, in India, Europe and Tibet”.
Since Rinpoche passed away in June 2002, Tulku Ugen Chencho has taken up the responsibilities and mission bestowed on him as Dungsi Tulku of H.H.Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche. He has been instructed by his late father about how his re-incarnation could be found and shall receive instructions in his dreams, on three occasions so that he would know precisely where and when to find him.

Tulku Ugen Chencho had once dedicated few years of his life for the sake of serving his father,but after his departure he has dedicated his life for the sake of the Dharma which was his own.

Since then, he has been endlessly striving to develop and establish Khordong Byangter Gompa in India, keep the sangha together and alive, while opening new perspectives for the teachings of the Khordong Byangter lineage, giving Wangs and Lungs in various parts of the world.

Long Life Prayer for Tulku Ugen Chencho 


CHE WAI     CHEM CHOG    DORJE DRO WO LOD
great                 supreme                  Dorje Drolo
Dorje Drolo, great supreme of all the great!

WANG   DRAG   BAR WAE   LHA   SRIN      WANG DU DUD
power      strong     blazing             gods    rakshas    overpower (obstacles)
With your blazing power you gather all gods and demons under your control

YESHE    ROL PAE    LOG DREN    THAM CHED   DROL
Wisdom     power             wrong views       all                          liberate
And your wisdom  energy liberates all misleaders and obstacles

GYAL KUN    TRIN LAE   DZAD PAI   DENTHU    YI
all jinas               activities        doing               power            by
Performer of all Jinas’ deeds! By your power,

URGYEN CHEM CHOG     ZHAB PE TEN GUR CHIG 
 Tulku Ugen Chencho               must have a long life
May Urgyen Chemchog have a long life!

Khordong Terchen Tulku Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche 



H.H Khordong Terchen Tulku Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche, also known to many as C.R Lama, was one of the highest Nyingmapa Lamas of his time.
He was born in 1922 in the Kham Region of Tibet.
When he was 4 years old, several prominent Lamas, among them H.H. The 13th Dalai Lama, H.H. Minling Trichin and H.H. The Sakya Trizin confirmed that Chhimed Rigdzin is the 4th incarnation of the great Terton Nuden Dorje Drophan Lingpa.

The lineage of Nuden Dorje begins with Shariputra, one of the main disciples of Lord Buddha, and goes on to Humkara, the pupil of Garab Dorje, and Khyechung Lotsawa, one of Padmasambhava's 25 main disciples.
Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche was installed on the throne of the Khordong Monastery in Kham, Tibet at the age of 4. He was educated in Mandala, Grammar, Philosophy and Tantra. At the age of 7 he began to exhibit many miracles. It is said, that he left footprints in a rock and crushed a rock with his bare hand. Also at 7 he discovered his first Terma, a hidden text written by Padmasambhava in the 8th century.

Among his teachers were Tulku Tsurlo, Rigdzin Chenpo Nyamnyid Dorje (the 9th incarnation of Rigdzin Godem), Bane Tulku Orgyan Tenzin, Khenpo Sangthar, Yakhe Khenpo Lodro, Tulku Chokyi Gyaltsen, Khenpo Jigme as well as other great teachers of his time.

Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche completed his education at the age of 19 with the degree of Dorje Lopön Chenpo (Mahavajracharya), a title that is comparable to that of a doctorate. Then, on the advice of his Guru Tulku Tsurlo, he left his monastery and adapting the lifestyle of a wandering yogi he went on a long pilgrimage to the holy Buddhist places in Tibet, Nepal, India, Sikkim and Bhutan.

During this period Rinpoche met his wife, Khandro Sangye Dolma Lama. Together they had 5 children. Today four of them are still alive: two daughters and two sons. Both the sons have been recognized as tulkus (reincarnations of high lamas).  After the pilgrimage Rinpoche accompanied by his wife, went to Tso Pema for a traditional 3 years retreat.


From 1954 to 1987 Rinpoche was Head of the Department for Indo-Tibetan studies at the Visvabharati University at Shantiniketan in West Bengal, India. He taught Tibetan language and literature as well as Buddhist philosophy and practice.

In the late 50's he was invited by Professor Tucci to teach in Rome. During that time he met H.H. Pope John XXIII. In the following year he was invited to teach at the University of Munich by Prof. Hofmann.


In 1961 Rinpoche, together with his students and other high lamas, founded The Chhimed Rigdzin Society under the patronage of Dudjom Rinpoche.  
This society has taken up the task to preserve, cultivate and spread the teachings of Guru Rinpoche. 
Many important dharma texts, mainly from the Byangter tradition (Northern Treasures) have been translated and reproduced.
During this time he also helped many Tibetan refugees to start new lives in India.


 In 1985 Rinpoche could travel to Tibet so he received the teachings and initiations of the Khordong and Byangter lineages back to his "mother monastery" as well as to other prominent Dharma centers in Kham such as Serta. 

During his journey he became known as the Rainbow Lama, because wherever he went rainbows would appear in the sky.
He would visit Tibet again in 1990 and discovered further termas.


The Mahabodhi Society of India awarded him the honorary title of Bodhisattva for his


meritorious activities and for spreading the dharma.

 From his retirement on-in 1987- Rinpoche visited Europe every year, where he guided a small but devoted group of pupils. 
From this time till his paranirvana Rinpoche ceaselessly strived to teach the Dharma of his lineage and gather the necessary means to establish his Monastery in India near Siliguri - West-Bengal.Thanks to his vision and dedication now stands the Khordong Byangter Monastery.

Rinpoche was considered to be an emanation of Khyenchung Lotsawa's body, Nanam Dorje Dudjom's speech and Padmasambhava's mind. 



Long Life Prayer for Terchen Tulku Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche Yangsi


OM SOTI
LA ME TSO KYE GYAL WAI RING LUG CHOG  KA TER MIN DRO MEN NGAG SAM MI KYAB PEL DZE CHI WA MED PAI RIG DZIN JE ZHAB TEN DZE THRIN TAG KHYAB LHUN DRUB SHOG
Wonderful! Chhimed Rigdzin, you who spread the inconceivable instructions of initiation and teachings of the Buddhas' oral lineage and the hidden treasures belonging to the ancient tradition of the unsurpassed lake-born Buddha. May you Iive long and spontaneously accomplish all your activities!






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