Spiritual Deeds of Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche

The Spiritual Deeds
of the Wish-fulfilling
Dharma Lord Jigme
Phuntsok Rinpoche:
A reminiscence
by
Khentrul Gyurme Dorje
2018
The Spiritual Deeds of Lord Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche:
Published by:
Venerable Khentrul Jurme Dorje
Ngagyur Nyingma College, Clement Town,
Dehradun, 248002 (U.K.) INDIA
[email protected]
Translated by: Acharya Tenpa Tsering
Edited by: Eden Merritt,

Tenpa Tsering,
Dylan Lott
Layout & Design: Norbu Graphics
Printed at New Delhi by: Norbu Graphics
2
Dedication
To the memory of he who represents the

Buddha of the Three Times, the Regent
of the Great Guru Padmasambhava,
emanation of the great treasure
revealer Larab-lingpa, and great
Vinaya upholder.
Since the qualities of such a

being are inconceivable, it would
perhaps be some sort of sacrilege to
address him merely by his name. Yet
for the sake of his praise and memory, I
humbly take the liberty to address him
by his name: Choje-Dampa-Khenchen-
Yeshe-Norbu-Jigme-Phunsok-Jung-
nas, also called Ngawang-Lodeo-
Tsongpal-Zangpo. His fame and
spiritual activities have transcended
3
the Himalayan mountain range and

have spread throughout the world
like the sun. Not only His Holiness
Dharma Lord himself, but even his
close disciples are being honored by
hundreds and thousands of followers
who consider his Infallible Reason
to be the epitome of the Truth of the
Three Jewels. These followers are even
today busy offering genuine praise
and commendation to the disciples
of His Holiness Dharma Lord Jigme
Phuntshok Rinpoche. At present, when
his living disciples are as plentiful as
stars who are themselves inseparable
from Bodhisattva Manjushri, for
an insignificant person like me, an
ordinary being possessing all possible
negative emotions, telling the spiritual
activities of His Holiness Dharma Lord
4
Chapter: 1
is exactly like a person born blind trying

to describe the shape of an elephant.
Formerly, when I was in a state
of confusion, not knowing where to go
and where to stay, like one trapped in
the intermediate state, I could not calm
my deep sadness. I then recalled to
myself the joyful and festive moment
of meeting His Holiness Dharma Lord,
a remarkable meeting which was like a
dream come true.
In order to alleviate my own
sadness, I wrote down some of my
impressions of my meeting with His
Holiness Dharma Lord as an offering.
By the blessings of the gurus of the three
lineages, the compassion of Ma and
the dakinis, and the power of the Truth
of the Three Roots of all protectors
of the dharma, may His Holiness the
5
Dalai Lama, Jetsun-Ma-Yeshi-Tsomo,

and great Khenpo Tsultrim Lodoe, as
well as all the great teachers of dharma
holders of all traditions, have great
health. May they easily accomplish
their wishes without any obstacles.
May this piece of writing become a
cause benefiting that said purpose.
6
CHAPTERS
1 Meeting His Holiness Dharma
Lord in Nya-Rong for the first time

2 Narrating some of the spiritual
deeds which appeared within the context
of conventional truth
3 How the miraculous City of

Dharma was established
4 Establishing the shrine temple and

simple residences
5 His Holiness Dharma Lord’s daily

teaching
6 Spiritual activities involving the

restoration of the Buddha’s teaching
7
7 His Holiness Dharma Lord gives

equal standing to his disciples
8 The fascinating dialectical debate

exam
9 Ensuring that the items offered to

devotees are not misused
10 His Holiness Dharma Lord’s visit

to other countries
11 Happy moment for both teacher

and his disciples during a summer picnic
8
-I-
Meeting His Holiness Dharma Lord
in Nya-Rong for the first time
From the depths of my heart, I recall

my Guru,
Who is by nature inseparable from the
spotless and dustless Bhagavan,
And who through the power of
primordial wisdom,
Appeared to me as a teacher.
Though thousands of Buddhas
appeared on this earth,
I as well as many others failed to
become their disciples, and so remain
in the ocean of fear,
Where waves of karma and afflictive
emotions shake us from all sides,
Where flows the incessant river of the
9
Three Sufferings, a place devoid of the

sun of intelligence,
Even here you who – without
forsaking us – came again as a
teacher.
The story of your spiritual life which,
like a beautiful lady,
Attracts the minds of both humans and
gods,
The fullness of your deeds over
lifetimes, like a great treasure of
nectar,
Here, I narrate a portion of it.
The spiritual deeds of he,

who rose from the lineage of Vinaya
upholders like a Sun over golden
mountains and spread the Buddha’s
10
Chapter: 1
Dharma in the land of Tibet, are as

impressive as those of the Buddha
himself. So difficult a task it is to tell
such things that I permit myself to
undertake it only that it may benefit
others. And with this intention to benefit
all sentient beings I narrate the life of
Choje-Dampa-khenchen-yeshe-Norbu
Jigme-Phun-tsok-Jungnas, known
also as Ngawang as Ngawang-Lodeo-
Tshungpal-zangpo. To his home, the
Spacious Jewel of Lhang Drag in
Nyag-Rong, came senior monks who
hold Vinaya and so are as precious as
an unchipped vase. It is a place blessed
by Padmasambhava, an embodiment
of the Buddha of the Three Times who
hid there many treasures.
I arrived in this wonderful
11
place when there was a celebration

of the Dharma discourse offered by
His Holiness Dharma Lord. For me,
this was a benefit of good karma and
of virtuous prayers in the past. To this
place also came devotees like drought-
stricken people wanting to quench their
thirst. As per each one’s wealth, they
had loaded their provisions on their
yaks, horses, asses and carts. They had
journeyed in such a hurry that each one
seemed faster than the other.
Thus, at this time the whole land
and mountains were filled with horses
and asses and people. In the minds of
each of them – old, young and aged –
there was an inexpressible joy which
appeared as the frequent smiles on
their faces. They talked about the life
stories of His Holiness Dharma Lord as
12
Chapter: 1
much as they knew and also how much

suffering they themselves went through
during the invasion of Tibet and the
Cultural Revolution. They discussed
these things amongst themselves while
they waited for His Holiness Dharma
Lord. As soon as they saw the face of
His Holiness Dharma Lord they each
uttered words that were mixed with
crying, like a child calling for his or
her parents out of longing. They cried,
ah! Nyag-lama-Sogyal
Rinpoche, we take refuge in you, do
not limit your compassion! What a joy!
What happiness! May you dispel the
obstacles of this life and guide us to the
path for future lives!
At that moment, the color of the
13
earth changed and the sufferings and

anguishes which had been embedded
in the hearts of these people for such a
long time were eliminated and replaced
by a pervasive and indescribable sheer
happiness. At this point, I withdrew my
mind back to myself and reflected on
what I just witnessed. I asked myself:
due to whose power did this happiness
come into being? As soon as I had
asked myself this question, I clearly
heard the Dharma preaching of His
Holiness Dharma Lord for whom I had
waited for such a long time.
At the time, I was a bit confused
as to whether what was happening was
real or just a dream. For this scene, this
place, and his teaching had generated
in me a deep devotion; it is very hard
indeed to find such a devotion in this
14
Chapter: 1
world. And I recognized this devotion

in others too. For example, early one
morning on the road, I came across an
old man past the age of eighty. He had
come from a distant place only with the
support of his walking stick. The old
man said, “Though the length of the
road is very long and I am quite old, I
always come to receive the teachings.
I absolutely don’t feel any problems;
my mind is very happy, and out of
happiness and satisfaction I wake up
from my bed early in morning thinking
‘today I will see Jigme Phunstok
Rinpoche again.’” This kind of feeling
was shared by all the devotees. And I
knew that this feeling was the seed for
peace in my country.
According to our different
mental capacities and dispositions,
15
His Holiness Dharma Lord bestowed

on us vows, such as ‘taking refuge’
(which serves as a foundation for all
other qualities) and the ‘Bodhisattva
vow’ (the root of the path leading to the
Great Vehicle). With these teachings,
His Holiness Dharma Lord helped
many people to fulfil their wishes as
he consecrated and conducted the
purification ritual by sprinkling the
water on Nyag-lhang Drag, a hidden
holy site. And, at that moment in the
ritual, the sky was thoroughly filled
with a network of wonderful rainbows
forming a canopy. Everyone gathered
there heard the musical sound of a
conch-shell blowing from the great
holy site. And then, near the dakini’s
Dancing Site, on a slightly dark-colored
boulder located in the inner path for
16
Chapter: 1
circumambulation, an inch-long image

of a stupa spontaneously appeared.
I then recalled the fascinating
spiritual deeds of His Holiness
Dharma Lord which were told to
me. For example, the way in which,
according to Khenpo Tenzin Norbu His
Holiness Dharma Lord had identified
a meditation cave which belonged to
the master Vimalamitra and which was
located in a place within the district of
Dra-go region.
Many of the people who were
gathered at the Nyag-lhang Drag holy
site permanently ceased committing
non-virtuous acts such as stealing,
hunting and so forth, and they made
a pledge before His Holiness Dharma
Lord that they would engage in
wholesome deeds as much as they
17
could. Thus, he had wonderfully

inspired them to engage in virtuous
deeds in an unbounded way. Since
His Holiness Dharma Lord himself
visited the place in person frequently,
the number of devotees also grew
over time. And, during the Dechen
Zhingdrub Chenmo (Great Prayer),
sixty thousand people had assembled
there. And while the gathering of
hundreds and thousands of people
before His Holiness Dharma Lord is
just a tiny part of his overall spiritual
activities, such massive gatherings
were really unique, something which
had never happened in the remarkable
history of my region.
Thanks to the peerless kindness
of His Holiness Dharma Lord and
the fundamental conditions created
18
Chapter: 1
by him, many noble individuals such

as the great Khenpo Tsultrim Lodoe
and others have shown great care and
attention to preserve the teachings
of His Holiness Dharma Lord.
Consequently, hostility, robbery, theft
and hunting ceased permanently in the
region while the study and practice
of Buddhism flourished in many
surrounding monasteries. As a result
of nurturing many great individuals
such as the late abbot Do-Gha, great
Khenpo Tsultrim-Od-zer, the ascetic
lama lo-Ga and others, the Nyag-Rong
region (which was formerly like the
land of demons) became transformed
into a peaceful land.
19
One can never forget your

kindness, O Dharma Lord. I pray
from the core of my heart: May the
peerless spiritual activities of your
sun and moon like disciples and other
great dharma holders protect this land
as long as the sky exists and may all
sentient beings live with a sense of
glory of compassion and benefit.
20
-II-
Narrating some of the spiritual
deeds which appeared within the
context of conventional truth
Since the literature of both Tantra

and Sutra defines the characteristics
of a teacher as one who is like a vase
replete with all precious things, His
Holiness Dharma Lord was like a
resplendent vase, wondrous inside
and out. Just as there is no chance of
darkness prevailing upon the glorious
sun, so too did His Holiness Dharma
Lord never allow for himself mundane
elaborations and distracting activities.
As soon as one saw His Holiness
Dharma Lord, one’s mind would be
moved by his beautiful and glowing
21
body, his eyes and face, which shone

like a fully-blossomed autumn moon.
When he sat on a throne or in his room
or in his car, he gave such a magnificent
impression that the whole space of the
place he was in was filled with his
presence. His Holiness Dharma Lord
pacified egoistic individuals as quickly
as a heap of dry grass catches fire, or
as fully as the light of the Buddhas
generated from merit outshines the dim
light of gods who rest on the merits of
past karma but do little virtue in this
life.
As when the sunlight which
lands upon the petal of the lotus flower
causes it to bloom, so His Holiness
Dharma Lord revealed to us remarkable
spiritual realizations during his
teachings. Each and every disciple of
22
Chapter: 2
His Holiness Dharma Lord felt that His

Holiness Dharma Lord was looking at
each one of them individually and this
feeling made each of them voluntarily
behave themselves without the need for
disciplinarian policing! Furthermore,
since His Holiness Dharma Lord knew
the hidden phenomena as clearly as
the reflections of things appearing in a
clean mirror, people who were living
around him spontaneously chose to
abide with moral conduct.
Just as a wish-fulfilling jewel

fulfills all the things one desires, your
way of transforming your devotees
was remarkable and unsurpassable.
Furthermore, on this earth, there is no
one like you who motivates the people
to confess their wrong-doings and
23
transgression of their commitments

and vows.
As for any wrong-doers who

may have abandoned the dharma and
allowed themselves to be moved by a
strong sense of harming His Holiness
Dharma Lord, whatever accusations
and blames they levelled against
His Holiness Dharma Lord became
as mere child’s play. Among such
unvirtuous minded people, some of
the more fortunate ones later took the
noble path and became practitioners of
dharma while others, who were devoid
of Bodhichitta-seed and less fortunate,
were simply stunned by the wonder of
seeing His Holiness Dharma Lord. It
was clear to them that this person was
not like any other they had seen on this
24
Chapter: 2
earth: aren’t these spiritual activities

of His Holiness Dharma Lord the true
embodiment of the Buddha? For His
Holiness Dharma Lord always sat in the
center of his disciples with a smile on his
face. As long as his disciples remained
around His Holiness Dharma Lord,
their faith, devotion, pure perception,
sense of renunciation, Bodhichitta and
so forth increased more and more like a
waxing moon. These spiritual activities
of His Holiness Dharma Lord are the
true signs of a peerless scholar, a strict
Vinaya upholder and accomplished
practitioner. Taking these wonderful
spiritual activities into account, the
great teachers and the dharma holders
of all traditions adorn him with the
flowers of praise and admiration.
I recall that at one assembly in
25
Nechung monastery in India, powerful

deities, including the most powerful
dharma protector Nechung Oracle
Pehargyalpo, who had made a pledge
before Padmasambhava to protect
the dharma, naturally came to the
side of His Holiness Dharma Lord
despite having other activities such as
blessings and official receptions and
procession in which they had to take
part. This unrivalled and marvelous act
of Nechung Pehargyalpo induced faith
and devotion in the minds of high-
ranking officials of Tibetan government
in Exile and signified that His Holiness
Dharma Lord was indivisible from the
master Padmasambhava of Oddiyana,
who had gained absolute control over
the mind and Vayu.
At this time, though His Holiness
26
Chapter: 2
Dharma Lord was physically staying

in India, many of his faithful Chinese
disciples and many other devoted
individuals saw His Holiness Dharma
Lord in person as though with them and
a ray of light radiated from his portrait
in the great land of China.
Such grand spiritual activities
manifested by the His Holiness Dharma
Lord awakened millions of Chinese
people to the dharma and ripened their
karmic propensities. These kinds of
spiritual deeds really strengthen our
conviction in the concept found in
both Sutra and Tantra which asserts
that due to the power of the prayers
of the devoted, they receive the vision
of many images of Buddha. Just as
Padmasambhava said: though one’s
view is as high as the sky, one still has
27
to respect karma though subtle as the

wheat flour.
As per the Vinaya introduced
by the Buddha who was skillful and
compassionate, His Holiness Dharma
Lord would wear the lower robe which
was free from two stains of extremes
(being either too red or too dark) and
his shawl, also in accordance with
the Vinaya, was a slightly lighter
red compared to his lower robe. In
considering the way he always wore
the three sets of monastic robes, isn’t
it honest and fair to call him one who
truly abides by the Vinaya?
In addition, when he took his
tea, he never set aside his prayer beads
on a bare place; instead, he hung them
on his ear. Single spiritual deeds like
this indicate how deeply he was aware
28
Chapter: 2
of karma. He said he never let himself

get separated from his prayer beads
and instructed his disciples thus, “you
should take praying beads, they will
act as an inspiration for you to engage
in virtuous deeds”. As I was a beginner,
such instructions struck me as truly
as vajra speech and I will prefer this
instruction to hundreds of lofty views
and meditation practices.
At this time I also learned that the
predecessor of His Holiness Dharma
Lord left a Treasure Phurpa for His
Holiness Dharma Lord who himself
possessed the three qualities. He would
always take the said Treasure Phurpa
with him and the way he took it with
him was not for a mere pompous display
and imitation. Rather, it had a deeper
underlying meaning and significance
29
in relation to his wonderful deeds

including revealing the new dharma
treasures.
When reflecting on these mind-

boggling spiritual deeds, you, Dharma
Lord, are indeed what is called a
peerless and glorious teacher.
As your qualities of body,
speech and mind firmly reside in my
mind forever without change, like a
vajra-mountain, I recall you and offer
supplication to you from the midst of
an infinitely mundane world.
30
-III-
How the miraculous City of
Dharma was established
Larung Buddhist Institute is

situated in a beautiful region with clear
seasons. During winter there is snow-
fall and during summer the entire land
becomes as green as turquoise and
various flowers blossom, while small
birds enjoy flying over many twigs and
branches. It is a wonderful land where
a stainless divine river serenely flows.
It is also home to the many herbivorous
animals, such as the mountain rat,
antelope, gazelle and musk deer which
happily and peacefully dwell there.
During the Chinese invasion
31
of Tibet, His Holiness Dharma Lord

posed as a shepherd in the region.
During the day, he would go to graze
the sheep and goats on the slope of
the mountain, loading his meal on a
black she-goat. At night he would give
teachings to his disciples. He spent
many years of his life in this routine.
Once, His Holiness Dharma Lord told
his great dharma friend Khenpo Gha’-
dor, “When my disciples, who pursue
study and reflection and will fill this
whole plain and the mountains of this
region in the future, then you must take
up the responsibility of skyor-dpon1.”
His Holiness Dharma Lord granted
those who came to him empowerments
and oral transmission of both Tantra
and Sutra as well as teachings on
1 Leader of monastic class; a substitute teacher
32
Chapter: 3
Tibetan grammar, in accordance with

the mentalities of each and every one
of his disciples. As this renaissance of
Buddhism in the land increased day by
day, more and more disciples flocked
to His Holiness Dharma Lord whose
kindness was unparalleled.
His disciples voluntarily
followed the examples set forth in
the spiritual biographies of the past
kadampa masters; they lived in caves
or in simple shelters which had nothing
other than a roof protecting them
from rain fall. To support themselves,
His Holiness Dharma Lord and his
disciples would go for alms. During
the summer, they would seek their alms
from nomad communities and during
the winter they would seek alms from
farmers and semi-nomad communities.
33
His Holiness Dharma Lord would give

Dharma teachings in the middle of a
pasture during summer and in animal
stables during the winter.
Having endured all such
difficulties, his disciples later built
a simple temple, which could
accommodate up to one thousand
monks. However, like the rising tide
of an ocean, the number of disciples
rapidly increased such that even if the
said temple were expanded several
times, it could not accommodate the
mass gathering of monks. Therefore,
they built kri-shong-kun-ga’-ra-va,
a temple which does not have roof
but is framed by two lines of poles at
each of the corners. In addition, on the
outer circumference of the miraculous
Mandala structure at Larung, the eight
34
Chapter: 3
chariot lineage transmissions were

portrayed there. There are also other
shrines and a Bonpo temple with rich
items representing Buddha’s body,
speech and mind. All of these glitter
with the rays of the light of blessing.
The temple itself has ten
great sections: five sections of Hero
(monks) quarters, three sections of
Dakinis (nuns) quarters, one section
of Upasaka/lay practitioners quarters,
and another section which served as
a hostel for international students. It
also had three big halls. Once the mass
of monks enter the main shrine of the
temple, one can see a myriad of sandals
lined up outside the temple.
The Larung Buddhist Institute
was also equipped with all the required
facilities and had many working
35
committees such as a Disciplinary

Committee, an Advisory Board, a
Health Committee, an Administrative
Office, a Student Welfare Committee
and an office for the Ten Thousand
Bhadracarya-Pranidhana-raja
Accumulations Committee. As a result
of the qualities of the monks living
there who are endowed with wisdom
and liberation, the Victor’s teachings in
the form of transmission and realization
are flourishing everywhere.
Nearby, there are many monks’
cells. So many, in fact, that if one looks
at them at night from a distance, it seems
like one is viewing a constellation; all
the cells are illuminated beautifully
with light. Similarly, as all the monks
make their tea at the same time in the
morning, the smoke emitted through
36
Chapter: 3
the roof of their cells mixes with each

other and appears as if a mass of bluish
clouds had come to greet them in the
morning.
In the morning, around seven or
eight o’clock, the khenpos (professors)
start their review of the previous day’s
lessons, each in his own residence area
and attended by students. As a signal
that dharma teachings were about to
take place, the monks blow a conch-
shell that seemed to fill the whole
region with melodious and dignified
music.
The monks themselves were
divided into different groups and
teachings would take place at various
places, sometimes in the middle of a
pasture or in the yard of a residence or
inside the temple. Regardless of where,
37
the monks are always read to receive

the teachings. When His Holiness
Dharma Lord gave teachings, numerous
students arrived like an avalanche
or flood. As the space became very
crowded, it was very difficult to find a
place for oneself.
38
-IV-
Establishing the shrine temple and
simple residence
Just like at the great Nalanda

University in India, His Holiness
Dharma Lord – who had extinguished
his afflictive emotions, upheld Vinaya,
taught dharma, spoke elegant sayings
and actualized enlightenment –
had established La-Rung Buddhist
Institute. Known also as the city
of dharma, it served as a centre for
him to give instruction and liberate
his disciples, including the monks,
nuns, Upasaka and Chinese monks.
Nevertheless, the shrine temples and
his resident buildings were neither
39
beautifully designed nor did they

contain any valuable materials. His
Holiness Dharma Lord never liked to
build impressive shrine temples and
residences.
His Holiness Dharma Lord said,
“Having a place where teachings can
be arranged for around ten years is
sufficient. There is no need for a fancy
throne, valuable religious ritual objects
and other things which generally can
be found in most monasteries.” Though
His Holiness Dharma Lord established
a huge mansion called the ‘Mansion of
Joy’, its columns and beams and other
materials are of such a slight quality
that even a single man can lift them up.
The outer walls of the mansion were
built by local devotees within the span
of eight days and therefore it is not so
40
Chapter: 4
strong.
When the construction of the
mansion was underway, workers
weren’t able to find stones for the walls
and so faced a huge problem. However,
His Holiness Dharma Lord himself
visited the working-site and told the
workers that, in fact, the “stones to be
used for building the shrine temple are
located here”. As per his advice, the
workers found all varieties of stones,
and as many as they needed, as they
were digging through the specified
patch of the pasture. Consequently,
they were all amazed.
As His Holiness Dharma Lord
liked the concept of simplicity, there
was no mural of the Buddha or of the
gods painted on the walls of the shrine.
However, it is painted with common
41
colors, as in a rainbow, and depict

nothing specific or in detail. As noted
in the previous chapter, this shrine
temple does not have any roof, even
though his devotees had to receive his
teachings in the rain and snow during
summer and winter. Yet, as followers
saw their teacher’s face and heard his
teachings, they never seemed to have
any difficulty or suffering under such
conditions.
His Holiness Dharma Lord’s

residence is also suitable only for
the Catur-vidham-irya-patham.2
Although His Holiness Dharma Lord
did not like impressive and elaborated
mansions, he did like to make many
small rooms for his residence and was
2 The Four Postures: sitting, walking, standing and
reclining – each suitable for meditation.
42
Chapter: 4
fond of living at one place for several

months or several years and then
moving to another place. During the
summer, he sometimes liked to stay
either at Magical Manjushri Palace
located on the Kunga-ra-va temple or
his own residence: a five-colored glass
cabin. During his visit to the Nyag-
Rong region, though there is a three-
storey mansion known as the Blissful
Palace of Dharma Fountainhead, he
preferred to put up a tent in the garden
in front of the said mansion and stay
there. Wherever or whichever place
His Holiness Dharma Lord stayed in,
people found the place to be sacred and
spiritually inspiring due to the blessings
43
44
-V-
His Holiness Dharma Lord’s daily
teaching
To He who was a backbone of the

Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism,
a treasure trove of ocean like Sutras
and Tantras and a supreme luminary
of all Tibetan Buddhist schools.
During the time when Buddhism

was in decline and reduced to little
more than a mere name in the Land of
Snows, the prayers which His Holiness
Dharma Lord’s offered in his past lives
were ripened, accruing blessings from
the great Mipham who is indivisible
from Manjushri himself.
45
Further, he had a vision of the

great teachers of Mahayana such as
Manjushri Sakya Pandita, the great
Tsongka-pa, and many others. In
particular, he received the qualities
of body, speech and mind of Dharma
Lord Thubga-Yeshi-Norbu, as fully
as though pouring from one vase to
another vase. In this way, His Holiness
Dharma Lord acquired fearless
confidence in his knowledge of Sutra
and Tantra as well as in the conventional
subjects, such as grammar. With this
confidence, he voluntarily undertook
the responsibility of restoring the
Buddha’s teaching and gave teachings
six times a day in accordance with the
moods of his disciples at his monastery.
Through these rigorous teachings and
trainings, His Holiness Dharma Lord
46
Chapter: 5
nurtured many khenpos (professors)

who uphold Vinaya.
The sessions offered by His
Holiness Dharma Lord’s teachings
lasted one and half hour, usually 10
am to 11:30 am, though sometimes
he stayed at the teaching venue till 12
pm answering questions. His disciples
would come to the main shrine temple
at the blowing of the conch-shell. As
soon as they entered the shrine temple
they would be seated and begin reciting
supplications as His Holiness Dharma
Lord would approach his throne. His
throne was a portable square box a bit
more than eighteen inches wide. It was
not painted with any color, nor was it
adorned with back curtains or other
decorative items. There was a portable
table covered with multi-colored cloth
47
in front of His Holiness Dharma Lord,

and several microphones and scripture
cases were displayed on the table.
During the summer, different
kinds of flowers would often be
arranged before the throne. His Holiness
Dharma Lord would start his teaching
soon after his disciples finished their
supplication, the ‘Seven Limb Prayer’,
and taking the Bodhisattva vow.
As for his disciples, they had
neither a fixed seat nor a cushion in the
teaching hall; they could sit wherever
they liked to sit. Among the three great
secretaries were Tulku Tenzin Gyatso,
Khenchen Tsulrim Lodoe and the great
translator Khenpo Sod Dargyas. One
of them was always near His Holiness
Dharma Lord. This is because when the
‘mind treasure teachings’ would come
48
Chapter: 5
to His Holiness’ mind, those treasures

had to be written down immediately for
such treasures could not be captured
afterwards. Therefore, on such
occasions when a mind treasure came
to the mind of His Holiness Dharma
Lord, the concerned secretaries either
wrote them down or recorded them on
audio tape. Thus, most of the scriptures
found in the collected works attributed
to His Holiness Dharma Lord are
sourced from either ‘mind treasure’
or ‘pure perception’ teachings. For
instance, when His Holiness Dharma
Lord was offering the ‘Crooked
Phurpa Transmission’ to His Holiness
the Dalai Lama, a mind treasure came
to his mind, and His Holiness the Dalai
Lama wrote it down for him.
His Holiness Dharma Lord
49
liked questions tremendously. So, once

he had finished his main teaching,
he would engage in a question and
answer session, during which time his
disciples could ask him any questions
they would like to ask. From his
throne, His Holiness Dharma Lord
would take pleasure in debate and take
the position of proponent from time to
time. He even let his disciples debate
before him. During his teaching, the
disciples did not seem to have any
trouble even if they sat in the sun or in
the rain for long. On the contrary, they
would feel how wonderful it would
be if the teaching did not finish soon!
Inexpressible happiness was generated
in the minds of his disciples from the
unparalleled and remarkable qualities
50
Chapter: 5
When there was spare time, he

always engaged in general talk which
was no different from his dharma
teaching because both instilled faith
and pure perception in the minds of
his disciples. At such times he talked
about the biographies of lamas, history,
stories, flowers and astrology.
When he was giving the Dharma
talk, our mundane conceptual thoughts
automatically ceased and this generated
enormous feelings of bliss in their
place. At that time, our minds seemed
like they reached other places and his
disciples felt as though some sort of
burden was relieved from their bodies.
When the session of teaching,
questions and answers was finished,
it was followed by a recitation of
Bhadracarya-pranidhana-raja and His
51
Holiness Dharma Lord would return

to his Zang-Thal-Rigpa—Pho-Brang
(Palace of Unobstructed Wisdom)
and sit there in a state of ‘clear light
meditation’.
These spiritual activities,

undertaken voluntarily by your
Holiness Dharma Lord, are the true
embodiment of wisdom of Vidyadhara
and the deeds of Buddhas of Three
Times.
52
-VI-
Spiritual activities involving
the restoration of the Buddha’s
teaching
As a result of consecutive
revolutions that then were taking
place in Tibet, all ethical and unethical
conduct became mingled and, in the
processes, the doctrine of the Buddha
was reduced to little more than a
mere name. His Holiness Dharma
Lord showed serious concern about
this and made a firm pledge to restore
the doctrine of Buddha, the source
of happiness and benefit for sentient
beings. His Holiness Dharma Lord
said, “Even if I have to risk my life,
it is my obligation and commitment
53
to restore and purify the doctrine of

the Buddha”. Following this pledge,
he made a formal declaration that
(as per the teachings of the Buddha
Shakyamuni and Vajrapani Buddha)
those individuals who transgress the
vows and commitments of the Tantra
and broke the Vinaya would not be
allowed to stay in La-rung Buddhist
Institute and would be permanently
banned. He also urged other monasteries
to make the same declaration. As a
result, many khenpos, Tulkus and
Geshes who venerated the doctrine of
the Buddha as important as their own
eyes put His Holiness Dharma Lord’s
instruction into practice. Therefore,
the monasteries situated around that
region became excellent venues for the
accumulation of merit. The obstacles
54
Chapter: 6
and adverse circumstances caused by

hatred and hostility of both human
and invisible spirits turned out to be
conducive conditions for spiritual
activities of His Holiness Dharma
Lord. As a result, more than a hundred
thousand people, both monks and lay
people, entered the gate of Dharma and
there their minds abided in the ‘three
higher trainings’.
All who heard him had faith in
His Holiness Dharma Lord as deep as
though seeing the Buddha in person. In
this way they became true practitioners
of dharma, never letting their minds be
distracted from wholesome deeds. They
were all are cordial to each other and
kept their vows intact and, when they
engaged in meditation and study, they
became an ornament of the Buddha’s
55
doctrine, like peaks in a range of

golden mountains. Taking note of this,
His Holiness, the omniscient Penchen
Rinpoche, gave a letter of gratitude and
praise to His Holiness Dharma Lord.
Similarly, His Holiness the
Dalai Lama, with whom His Holiness
Dharma Lord had a connection with
over many life times, came to know
the spiritual deeds of His Holiness
Dharma Lord and asked His Holiness
Penor Rinpoche many times to invite
him to India for the sake of sentient
beings and the Dharma. Accordingly,
His Holiness Penor Rinpoche sent
the great Khenpo Namdrol to Tibet
to issue an invitation to His Holiness
Dharma Lord. His Holiness Dharma
Lord came to India at the invitation of
His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
56
Chapter: 6
While in India, His Holiness

Dharma Lord performed many
auspicious dharma activities such as
empowerments, oral transmissions and
so forth. His Holiness the Dalai Lama
and His Holiness Penchen Rinpoche
came to know each other through His
Holiness Dharma Lord and realized
that they both shared the same vision
and were working for the same goal.
Concerning the glorious spiritual
activities (as infinite as the sky)
undertaken by His Holiness Dharma
Lord for the sake of the Buddha’s
doctrine and sentient beings, all these
spiritual deeds became possible for
him, along with the powers of blessing
of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of
three times that came with the fruition
of prayers said in his previous lives. It
57
also seemed that we the disciples were

very fortunate and had some good
karma.
58
-VII-
His Holiness Dharma Lord gives
equal standing to his disciples
Since the disciples of His

Holiness Dharma Lord are as many
as the stars in the sky, it is an apt
expression to say that there will
never be a time in which the sun of
the disciples of His Holiness Dharma
Lord will set. His disciples gathered at
La-rung Buddhist Institute and spent
their time doing spiritual deeds which
were in keeping with the discipline of
study, reflection and meditation. They
kept themselves at a distance from
the mundane temptations which lead
one to engage in unethical or non-
dharmic deeds, such as the struggle
59
for positions, discrimination between

regions, discrimination over clans or
imitating the behavior of high profiled
people. Whether the monks had been at
the La-Rung Buddhist Institute for ten
years or just one year, both groups had
to observe the three sets of rules and
take part in community duties equally;
there is no exemption for being a Tulku
or Khenpo or staff. When dharma
teaching is conducted in the Kun-ga-ra-
va (Garden of Joy), there is no seating
arrangement, in the sense of high and
low or front and back; participants can
sit wherever they would like to sit. As
a result, there is no dispute or struggle
for seats in this monastic institute.
However, in some unique cases,
such as when gso-sbyong (Ritual of
Confession) takes place, the monks
60
Chapter: 7
have to sit according to their seniority.

This is often difficult to make happen,
as one would expect giving the massive
gathering of monks. Occasionally, in
order to foster interest in the minds
of students in terms of their study and
reflection, His Holiness Dharma Lord
gave slightly special treatment to those
who made grand offerings of dharma
discourse in the presence of mass
assemblies.
conferred the certificate of Khenpo
(professor) to those who are kind by
nature, kept their code of conduct intact
and possessed good understanding
of the teachings of the Buddha and
the commentaries on them. There is
a tradition of honoring and showing
immense respect to those awardees of
61
khenpo (professor) certificate by other

disciples.
emphasized the need for disciples
who understand the meaning of the
text by means of study, clarify their
doubts by means of reflection, and
actualize the meaning by means of
meditation. In this way, and by giving
education to those intelligent disciples
in the field of Sutra, Tantra and other
conventional subjects like grammar,
such disciples become scholars of all
Tibetan Buddhist traditions and benefit
both the doctrine and sentient beings;
their desires become less, sectarianism
is abandoned, and wrong livelihood in
the name of dharma is discarded.
Thanks to the combination
of the powers of the blessing of
62
Chapter: 7
His Holiness Dharma Lord and his

disciples’ unwavering faith and
commitment, within a short period of
time, His Holiness Dharma Lord was
able to nurture hundreds of scholar-
practitioners who lead the same life
as the past great noble beings of both
India and Tibet led.
Nowadays, some of those scholar-
practitioners nurtured by His Holiness
Dharma Lord have taken their practice
of meditation to the mountain slopes
and engage happily in ‘clear light
meditation’, while others live in Larung
Buddhist Institute and help guide other
trainees. Though there are also many
things to write about the life of each
of his disciples it would take a great
number of volumes to do so! I must
trust that wise individuals know the
63
value of the aforementioned through

their genuine wisdom.
64
-VIII-
The fascinating dialectical debate
exam
At Larung Buddhist Institute,

dialectical debate, which takes place
for almost an hour each morning, is so
inspiring that it dispels confusion and
enhances students’ intelligence. During
the tea break, students do not engage in
mundane chitchat. They rather spend
this time talking about spiritual things
such as soteriological accounts of the
great masters or different philosophical
views attributed to the masters of both
India and Tibet. When I was in La-
rung Buddhist Institute, it was really
a time of great happiness because His
Holiness Dharma Lord’s heart sons,
65
who are like the sun and the moon,

were living there and the doctrine
which is comprised of scripture and
realization was also flourishing far and
wide. Among his disciples, the great
Khenpo Guru was very famous at that
time. He is a slightly thin and good-
looking man who laughed a lot and
usually wore a shabby robe and went
around bare-footed. His voice is also
very clear and when he participates in
a dialectical debate, he makes others
laugh with his sense of humor.
It was also the time in which
the name and the light of the fame of
the great Khenpo Tsultrim Lodoe was
radiating. He has a slightly oblong
face with beautiful eyes and nose and
his body is fit. Though he is always
in a smiling mood, it is difficult to
66
Chapter: 8
approach him due to his dignity and

charisma. He wears quality spectacles
and clean, good quality robes.
Somehow, he possesses the qualities
which fully qualify the characteristics
of a great scholar in this modern time.
When this great Khenpo participates in
dialectical debate, he attracts the hearts
and minds of the gathered monks and
makes them dumbfounded with his
courteous debating gestures, his joyful
smile, melodious arguments, and his
experience in the system of logic and
the understanding of many Buddhist
treatises.
There are many cases in which
the audience stayed past midnight in
witnessing such dialectical debate
presented by the great Khenpo Tsultrim
Lodoe and many other eminent masters.
67
Among these were His Holiness

Tulku Tenzin-Gyatso, Tulku Lungtok
Rinpoche, wisdom holder Tulku
Choskyi-Nyima, Mume-Yeshitsomo,
the supreme dakini, great Khenpo
Chime-Rigszin, great Vinaya holder and
hermit Lama Gha-dor, Khenpo Gephal,
Khenpo Chosphel, the great translator
So-dhargyas, the great Khenpo Sherab
Sangpo, great Khenpo Tenzin Lhakpa,
senior Khenpo and Lama Dadpa, great
Khenpo Namdrol of Namdrol-Ling
monastery in India, Khenpo Tenzin
Norbu, Khenpo Zabsang, hermit Lama
Loga, the great scholar Yeshi Phuntsok,
great Khenpo Tsultrim Odzer, Khenpo
Chostho and many others. When the
time for dialectical debate exams
arrives, the krishong-kungarava would
be decorated with various magnificent
68
Chapter: 8
religious articles including the parasol,

the victory banner, the canopy and
the great dharma flag. A good-voiced
speaker would call out the names
of the debaters, both thesis holder
and antagonist, each welcomed with
religious music and made to sit in a
line.
Wearing three sets of robes,
His Holiness Dharma Lord would
sit on a square cushion in the upper
platform of the Krishong-Kunga-rava
as an observer of the debate. Other
audience members would sit in an
orderly fashion in the front which is set
a little lower than the platform where
His Holiness Dharma Lord sits. When
the debate centres around texts such as
Madhyamakaavatara and others, the
person who presents his position sits
69
by His Holiness Dharma Lord’s side.

When the debate is on Tantra texts,
His Holiness Dharma Lord would sit
there as main thesis holder, and after
him, great Khenpo Chime Rigszin
and others would sit one after another
in order. The debater and rest of the
Khenpos gathered there would sit
on both the right and left side of the
ground floor.
To begin, the debater would stand
up in the center and start his argument.
Soon after that other Khenpos would
stand up and present their argument. In
between these debates, all the monks
who were gathered there would recite
this verse, along with music:
May all denominations of

the Buddha be victorious; may the
70
Chapter: 8
stainless tradition be victorious.
During this verse, religious banners

would be hoisted and a variety of
melodious music would be played
as offerings for the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas.
As the debaters showed utmost
respect to each other and engaged in
debate, the dialectical debate became
a dharma offering for the Buddhas
and Bodhisattvas of ten directions
and especially for the wish-fulfilling
Dharma Lord His Holiness Lord
Jigme-Phuntsok Rinpoche. The
dialectical debate became such an
auspicious spiritual activity, it inspired
and motivated the audience to seek a
state of devotion and faith.
Thanks to such infallible and
71
authentic masters, many sentient beings

found the path leading to happiness and
benefit, and the doctrine of the Buddha
once again flourished in the Land
of Snows. Knowing the spectacular
spiritual deeds of his Holiness Dharma
Lord and his disciples, many great
luminaries of the Buddha’s doctrine,
including His Holiness the Dalai
Lama, have been offering praise and
appreciation to His Holiness Dharma
Lord and his disciples.
72
-IX-
Ensuring that the items offered to
devotees are not misused
If we were able to measure the

entire spiritual activity of His Holiness
Dharma Lord by means of infallible
reason, it would be seen that not even
his tiniest deed had infringed on the
permissions and prohibitions laid down
by the Buddha in his Vinaya. Truly,
his deeds have benefited the dharma
and all sentient beings. For example,
concerning the offerings made for the
monks of La-Rung Buddhist Institute
(which includes money and other items,
large or small), His Holiness Dharma
Lord, neither kept these donations
for himself nor put these offerings in
73
the fund for the temple construction.

Rather, he distributed the donations
among his monks equally without any
favoritism.
Every day, after His Holiness
Dharma Lord’s teaching finished, the
‘Long Life Prayer’ and other prayers
would start. Those who did not want to
attend this prayer session could go back
to their own rooms, however they were
not allowed to receive the offerings
which were distributed during those
sessions. When each month ended,
all the offering items were exchanged
for money and offered to those who
attended the Tshogs or mass gathering
prayer.
For example, during the ‘Mass
Prayer Gathering’, one secretary was
appointed in a group of ten monks and
74
Chapter: 9
that secretary would take record of who

had attended and who had not attended.
These secretaries had to summit the
records to the disciplinarians at the
end of each month. After reviews, the
disciplinary heads from each section,
or Ling, and the chief disciplinarian
of the institute would sit together and
distribute the offerings of money to
those monks from respective Ling who
had attended the Tsogs. In case anything
unethical happened concerning the
use of the offerings, the disciplinary
committee would investigate into
it thoroughly. Because of this clear
system, there was no chance to misuse
the offerings. There was no practice of
saving such money or donations for
community purposes.
If there was need of spending
75
money for an important community

cause, His Holiness Dharma Lord and
disciplinary heads did not decide this
directly. Rather they would decide this
in committee with the respective heads
of the different Ling.
76
-X-
His Holiness Dharma Lord’s visit to
other countries
In order to know whether it

would be more beneficial for the
Dharma and sentient beings for his
Holiness Dharma Lord to stay in his
own place or to visit other countries, he
called for a horse-shoe and a cushion
and then tossed a dice in front of the
images of the three jewels in the
presence of more than a hundred fully
ordained monks. The sign given by the
dice favored the horse-shoe. From that
point on, the door for devotees to see
His Holiness Dharma Lord and listen
to his teachings became totally open as
he and they visited other countries.
77
Later, while visiting India, Nepal,

Bhutan and many other countries, he
guided many devotees on the path to
liberation. He also visited all parts of
Tibet and consecrated and purified
the holy mountains, monasteries and
representational objects of body,
speech and mind of the Buddha by
sprinkling water over them. Foremost,
he established centers for the practice
and study of the Buddha’s dharma.
These wholesome deeds resemble
the spiritual deeds of the Bodhisattva
captain who magically produced a
patch of land in the middle of an ocean.
As it was a critical time, there
was much uncertainty in politics and
religion; the well-being of the people of
the Land of Snows was in decline, they
who had been reduced to a mere name.
78
Chapter: 10
The fertility of the land was also in

decline and the good karma of sentient
beings was depleted. Sadly, the laws
handed down from the authorities were
misused, and the monks transgressed
their Vinaya code. During this epoch in
which people were left in the hinterland
of suffering and did not know what to
do, His Holiness Dharma Lord made
the doctrine of Buddha, which is
comprised of precepts and realizations,
shine again like the sun and granted
the light of happiness to his followers.
This was a magnificent and miraculous
spiritual deed performed by him. His
Holiness Dharma Lord’s spiritual
activities were as prevalent as space
in the realm of human beings. They
stood even before those who do not
believe in the concept of karma and
79
who consider religion to be a source of

problems rather than a solution; a time
where the sinners are praised while the
honest and truthful were prosecuted
and punished.
In short, His Holiness Dharma
Lord, the sovereign lord, embodied
the integration of all the wisdoms
of the Buddhas of Three Times, the
compassion of Avalokitesvara and
Amitabha Buddha and the spiritual
activities of Padmasambhava.
When His Holiness Dharma
Lord would leave for other places from
the La-rung Buddhist Institute, the
city of dharma, there was no etiquette
required of his followers to see him
off. This had a significant symbolic
meaning in relation to the life of His
Holiness Dharma Lord. When His
80
Chapter: 10
Holiness finished his study of Buddhist

texts, oral transmissions, empowerment
and pith instructions completely with
his root teacher Thub-Ga-Yeshi-
Norbu (who was replete with three
kindnesses), his root teacher saw him
off when His Holiness Dharma Lord
left for home. Thereafter, His Holiness
Dharma Lord was never able to see his
root teacher again in person. Thus, he
thinks that seeing him off when he goes
out is a sign that one will not meet the
lama again. When His Holiness leaves
Larung Monastic Institute for other
places, his disciples see him off from
their own rooms, which are far away.
Nevertheless, when His Holiness
Dharma Lord comes back, he does
not show any displeasure over lines
of his monk disciples coming down to
81
welcome him. During such occasions

His Holiness Dharma Lord would be
welcomed by a gathering of disciples
who, while holding flowers and incense
in their hands, would sit themselves
in gser-preng (golden line) and recite
the ‘Supplication of the Subjugation
of Snang-Srid’. It was really an easy,
joyful and devotion-inspiring task.
While these things were
unfolding, and despite the fact that
there were hundreds of cars and incense
burning on both sides of his way, due
to our single-pointed focus on His
Holiness Dharma Lord I still remember
that we really didn’t pay attention
to other things, only slightly aware
of the generic images of other things
unfolding around him. His Holiness
Dharma Lord would sit in the front
82
Chapter: 10
seat of the car and give his blessing to

the devotees. A religious victory banner
was hoisted on the roof of his car while
soothing religious music was played
from two small sound boxes attached
to the car.
Lord made a distant trip to other parts
of Tibet, though people could see him
on his way it was rare to get one’s head
touched by his hand because the crowd
was so large. There are some devotees
who, despite having gotten blessing
from His Holiness, try another round
in order to get blessing from him again,
and so try to make it an endless process!
It is hard to describe how moving it is
to see the people pay their respects and
homage to His Holiness Dharma Lord
by sprinkling flowers and offering
83
prostrations from far away mountain

slopes.
Lord did place his hands on the head
of his devotees, he would also place a
religious victory banner adorned with
Mantras on the crowns of the devotees
and make them pledge that they will
stop unwholesome deeds such as theft,
hunting, smoking, and consumption
of alcohol. He would motivate them
to do prostrations, circumambulations
and save lives as much as they could.
Out of genuine faith in His Holiness
Dharma Lord, people made offerings
of flowers, grain and so forth. They
thought that if their offerings touched
the body of His Holiness Dharma
Lord, it would mean more blessings.
Keeping this in their minds, they tried
84
Chapter: 10
to make this happen, and on more than

a few occasions the Dharma Lord had
to close his eyes as the offerings were
coming towards them!
As far as the entourage of His
Holiness Dharma Lord is concerned,
it includes a doctor, one great Khenpo,
hundreds of other disciples and his
younger nun sister Me-sdron as well
as his niece Jetsun-ma-Mu-Tsho; the
two of them accompany His Holiness
Dharma Lord, without separation,
wherever he goes.
85
86
-XI-
Happy moment for both teacher
and his disciples during a summer
picnic
On one auspicious day in

May when, according to the Tibetan
calendar, the Shakyamuni-Buddha was
surrounded by his five disciples during
his Mahaparinirvana, His Holiness
Dharma Lord (who was peerless and
possessed ‘clear light wisdom body’
which shone like the sun among the stars)
was sitting in a relaxed manner in the
centre of his disciples, which included
gods, human Bodhisattvas, wisdom
holders and noble Sangha members.
In accordance with the mentalities of
of his trainees, His Holiness Dharma
87
Lord gave unobstructed teaching, as

ceaseless as water flowing from an
open container, on the great subject
which cannot be communicated in
conventional terminology.
While His Holiness Dharma
Lord’s mind was in the sphere of
perfect meditative equanimity, all
the phenomena of both Samsara
and Nirvana spontaneously became
a magnificent ornamental wheel of
body, speech and mind. Around him,
there was a gathering of pure-minded
retinues of His Holiness Dharma Lord
which included Vinaya holders, Sutra
holders, wisdom holder, dakas and
dakinis, human and nonhuman.
The blissful venue for the
aforementioned gathering was called
Smon-Lam-la-ka (Prayer Pass). It was
88
Chapter: 11
filled with the fragrance of flowers,

fruits, roots, trunks, branches, and
leaves which had nectar, medicine for
diabetes, and medicine for fever. There
was also a mountain, which looked as
though an ascetic was in the posture
of meditation. When one reached
there, one’s fatigue and tiredness was
instantly relieved. In front of this
mountain, there was a pasture, which
was beautiful and spacious and as
flat as the surface of a mirror. This
pasture was also replete with flowers
symbolizing the four activities and
arranged exactly like the feathers of a
peacock. On the border of this region,
there was a pristine river flowing
leisurely and clockwise through the
pasture until it finally merged into the
ocean in a distant region. As the force
89
of the wind of karma pushed this river,

it produced a sound thus:
All conditioned phenomena

are impermanent, all conditioned
phenomena are impermanent,
all conditioned phenomena are
impermanent.
Upon the mountains situated on the

edge of the region, youthful blankets
of clouds hung there mingled with a
rainbow which caused the nectar of
rainfall.
After this rainfall had thoroughly

cleansed the earth, the earth goddess
showed great joy and came to
receive His Holiness Dharma Lord
and his entourage of wisdom holder
90
Chapter: 11
Bodhisattvas who were calm, peaceful,

serene and intelligent. The tents put
up around the residence (known as
‘liberation by seeing’ of His Holiness
Dharma Lord) were situated in the upper
part of the ‘Great Playground’, close to
the dakinis of nun’s communities which
were as charming flowers blossoming
in the meadow. Similarly, in the lower
part of the Great Playground, wisdom
holder heroes (monks) from seven
communities put up magnificent tents;
their encampment looked as though
stars had taken residence upon the earth.
In between these tents, the praises of the
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas including
Avalokiteshra, Padmasambhava and
others were recited in a melodious and
pleasant voice. The whole scene was
fascinating and motivated one towards
91
the dharma by arousing a strong sense

of renunciation.
Furthermore, golden religious
flags which portrayed the deeds of the
Buddha and also dharma flags which
portrayed the dharma kings, ministers,
translators, Panditas and great Khenpos,
all of whom opened the great gate of
dharma for the great land of Tibet were
hoisted in the sky and were fluttering
in the wind. There were wisdom holder
Upasakas who were intelligent, brave,
graceful, and trustworthy. They stood
as night watchmen, dwelling on the
threshold of the tents resting on the
riverbanks and on the slope of the
mountains, and appearing as though
they were viewing the mountain itself
for permanent uprightness. They kept
ever watchful at all hours, guarding
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Chapter: 11
the Larung Buddhist Institute. Thus,

demonic forces, which included evil
spirits and those who have evil thoughts
and actions, could not find any chance
of harming this community.
In the vicinity of these tents,
there were disciplinarians appointed
from the ten sections to also serve as
night watchmen. They were slightly
aged, peaceful, truthful, abiding by
the commitments and skillful at giving
instruction on what to do and what not
to do. They held rosaries in their hands
and each one of them seemed happier
and more dignified than the other. They
guarded the area of Larung Buddhist
Institute by distributing themselves
into different groups. Thus, apart from
enjoying religious themed songs and
dances in their rooms, there was no
93
chance at all for the students to engage

in non-spiritual or mundane things
unless they were assigned to do so by
the authority.
When the time for the grand
picnic arrived, His Holiness Dharma
Lord presided like the Sun. Around
him sat Ananda and Nyiva-Kor, pure
Vinaya holders and senior disciples
who were peaceful and intelligent.
With them was a sea of other disciples
who sat around the corner of the Grand
Playground. In the center of the Grand
Playground, there were experienced
and dexterous singers, dancers, music
maestros and comedians who had
mastered the art of comedy. They had
learned the life story of the Buddhas
and the complete Gesar epic, which
they could recite with ease. As the day
94
Chapter: 11
went on, the artists gradually staged

the life stories of noble beings, the life
of Yogi Milarapa, religious ceremonial
dances, the epic of king Gesar, fictional
dramas and such stories as made one
reminisce about the things which
happened in the past.
The secular dances they
performed along with melodious music
of both traditional Tibetan pi-Wang3
and tabla seemed like the music of
Kinnaras4. Likewise, they recited many
prose works and verses and alternated
between the two in praise of great
beings and depictions of the nature of
cyclic existence. Furthermore, there
were comedians who knew the ups and
downs of the history of Tibet, spoke
different languages, and could imitate
3 A type of guitar
4 Demi-god sinners
95
others’ mannerisms. They were well-

versed in poetry and had such abilities
that merely by standing in the middle
of the gathering they could make
others laugh. These comedians enacted
the mannerisms of the Tibetans, the
Chinese, false lamas who cheated their
hosts, false monks and so forth. When
you listened to what the actors said
or what role they acted, all of these
were entertaining and fun, but when
you thought about them deeper, all
these presentations of comedy were in
fact pieces of advice: instructive and
meaningful play. When reflecting on
how they presented history and showed
joy and happiness with these comedies
and jokes, one ponders the special
quality of the comedies from Tibet.
The magnitude of the joy and
96
Chapter: 11
happiness which issued from these

grand picnic gatherings was perhaps
tantamount to the joy and happiness
experienced by the king, Acharyas
and translators when they met together
at the Miraculously Built Samye
Monastery.
97
98

Spiritual Deeds of Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche

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Spiritual Deeds of Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche

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The Spiritual Deeds

Translated by: Acharya Tenpa Tsering

Edited by: Eden Merritt,

Layout & Design: Norbu Graphics

Printed at New Delhi by: Norbu Graphics

To the memory of he who represents the

Since the qualities of such a

the Himalayan mountain range and

is exactly like a person born blind trying

Dalai Lama, Jetsun-Ma-Yeshi-Tsomo,

3 How the miraculous City of

4 Establishing the shrine temple and

5 His Holiness Dharma Lord’s daily

6 Spiritual activities involving the

7 His Holiness Dharma Lord gives

8 The fascinating dialectical debate

9 Ensuring that the items offered to

10 His Holiness Dharma Lord’s visit

11 Happy moment for both teacher

From the depths of my heart, I recall

Three Sufferings, a place devoid of the

The spiritual deeds of he,

Dharma in the land of Tibet, are as

I arrived in this wonderful

place when there was a celebration

much as they knew and also how much

At that moment, the color of the

earth changed and the sufferings and

world. And I recognized this devotion

His Holiness Dharma Lord bestowed

circumambulation, an inch-long image

could. Thus, he had wonderfully

by him, many noble individuals such

One can never forget your

Since the literature of both Tantra

body, his eyes and face, which shone

His Holiness Dharma Lord felt that His

Just as a wish-fulfilling jewel

transgression of their commitments

As for any wrong-doers who

earth: aren’t these spiritual activities

Nechung monastery in India, powerful

Dharma Lord was physically staying

to respect karma though subtle as the

of karma. He said he never let himself

in relation to his wonderful deeds

When reflecting on these mind-

Larung Buddhist Institute is

of Tibet, His Holiness Dharma Lord

Tibetan grammar, in accordance with

His Holiness Dharma Lord would give

chariot lineage transmissions were

committees such as a Disciplinary

the roof of their cells mixes with each

the monks are always read to receive

Just like at the great Nalanda

beautifully designed nor did they

colors, as in a rainbow, and depict

His Holiness Dharma Lord’s

fond of living at one place for several

To He who was a backbone of the

During the time when Buddhism