Drodul Dorje Tendzin

Drodul Dorje Tendzin (Tib. གྲོ་འདུལ་རྡོ་རྗེ་བསྟན་འཛིན་, Wyl. gro 'dul rdo rje bstan 'dzin) aka Aja Lama or Yarab Lama (1921-2005) was a contemporary nyingma lama from Buthan, closely connected with the lineage of Dorje Lingpa.

Birth, Family

Drodul Dorje Tendzin was born in 1921 in Buthan. His father was Tulku Namkha Dorje (1883-1941), his mother was Dorje Tsomo of Chungkar Choje. At the age of three, he was recognized as a reincarnation of Dromten Zhenpen Namrol who was a lineage holder of Dorje Lingpa . Drodul Tendzin Dorje's mother died two weeks after his birth. At the age of eighteen, his father gave him the entire transmission of Dorje Lingpa's termas teachings. After his father's death, he continued his preliminary practice and basic meditation at Yarab and Aja in Mongar, Buthan.

Training

At the age of twenty-four, Drodul Tendzin Dorje performed the Tsari Rongkor pilgrimage, a pilgrimage route circumambulating Tsari mountain in southern Tibet. The following year he again returned to Tibet, but this time in search of a teacher in order to advance his studies. He stayed for nine months at Okar Drak, a cave sacred to Padmasambhava and later visited by Dorje Lingpa. There he met Lama Tubten from Kurto Pangkhar (kur stod spang mkhar), who was one of the senior disciple of Tokden Shakya Shri.

Over the years, Drodul Dorje Tendzin studied with the following masters:

• Chamdo Drugu Sangnying Tulku
• Dudjom Rinpoche, from whom he received Dzogchen teachings in Lhasa for one year
• Dzogchen Purtsag Tulku
• Gyurme Kunzang Tenpé Nyima, the Sixth Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche
• Karmapa Rangjung Rigpé Dorje
• Karak Drukpa Yongdzin
• Karsé Kongtrul
• Lama Tsatrul
• Rinchen Zangpo
• Tokden Yeshe Nyingpo, from whom he received Mahamudra teachings for three years.

Activity

In 1951 at the age of thirty-two, Drodul Tendzin Dorje returned to Bhutan. Soon after, he took as his consort Ani Pema Lhazom, the youngest daughter of Ura Gaidan Lama Yeshe. Residing primarily at Aja and popularly known as Aja Lama, Drodul Dorje Tendzin took care of Dungkar Choling Monastery, which had been built by his father.

Drodul Tendzin Dorje was enthroned as Ladrong Lama by the people of Jare while the public of Mongar revered him as Yarab Lama . He moved frequently between the, Aja and Ladrong residences. Toward the end of his life, he stayed primarily at Ladrong Sanggye Choling Gonpa.

Drodul Tendzin Dorje adopted the lifestyle of a hidden yogi. To meet his basic needs, he relied on annual rounds of alms begging. Oral stories recounts that Drodul Tendzin Dorje have had multiple clear dreams and visions of Padmasambhava during tenth day ritual performances, of Sangyé Menla and of Dorje Lingpa.