Soktse Rinpoche: Difference between revisions
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==Birth, Family and Recognition== | ==Birth, Family and Recognition== | ||
Soktse Rinpoche was born in 1928 and is the sixth in a line of incarnations that goes back to [[Rechungpa]], the great disciple of [[Milarepa]]. The fifth Soktse Rinpoche left a letter indicating various signs about this incarnation’s birth. The abbot of [[Mindroling Monastery]] at the time, Dordzin Gaje Rinpoche, had also predicted a couple of years before where the reincarnation would be born and Drukpa Yongdzin Rinpoche<Ref>Kyabgon Karak Yongdzin Rinpoche was the previous incarnation of Yongzin Rinpoche, who was the leader of the Drukpa Kagyü lineage in Central Tibet at that time. Karak Yongzin Rinpoche was also a [[tertön]] who had encountered Guru Padmasambhava’s wisdom body and had revealed a number of [[terma]]s. Karak Yongzin Rinpoche’s root teacher was [[Trulshik Dongak Lingpa]], the previous incarnation of [[Trulshik Rinpoche]]. Although Karak Yongdzin Rinpoche was a member of the hierarchy of the Drukpa Kagyü lineage, he and his disciples were primarily Nyingma practitioners.</Ref> received clear signs about Soktse Rinpoche’s rebirth. Yongdzin Rinpoche discovered the child at age five and then confirmed the reincarnation with the fifteenth Karmapa, [[Khakhyap Dorje]]. | |||
The | |||
==Training== | ==Training== | ||
Although the previous incarnation was Drukpa Kagyü, Soktse Rinpoche’s parents insisted on putting him in a [[Gelugpa]] monastery. Soktse Rinpoche stayed in this monastery from the age of six to the age of eighteen. | Although the previous incarnation was Drukpa Kagyü, Soktse Rinpoche’s parents insisted on putting him in a [[Gelugpa]] monastery. Soktse Rinpoche stayed in this monastery from the age of six to the age of eighteen. | ||
Soktse Rinpoche spent several years studying with Karak Yongzin Rinpoche | Soktse Rinpoche spent several years studying with Karak Yongzin Rinpoche, receiving many [[Kagyü]] and [[Nyingma]] transmissions, and completing the [[ngöndro]] twice, before beginning a long series of [[kyerim]] retreats. | ||
During his time studying with Karak Yongzin Rinpoche, Soktse Rinpoche also met [[Dudjom Rinpoche]], and later met [[Bomta Khenpo]], aka Polu Khenpo Dorje, who gave him [[Dzogchen]] teachings over the course of seventeen years. | During his time studying with Karak Yongzin Rinpoche, Soktse Rinpoche also met [[Dudjom Rinpoche]], and later met [[Bomta Khenpo]], aka Polu Khenpo Dorje, who gave him [[Dzogchen]] teachings over the course of seventeen years. | ||
Revision as of 08:34, 8 January 2020
Soktse Rinpoche (Tib. སོག་རྩེ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་, Wyl. sog rtse rin po che) aka Kunzang Tendzin Gyaltsen (ཀུན་བཟང་བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱལ་མཚན་, kun bzang bstan 'dzin rgyal mtshan) (b.1928) is one of the oldest living disciples of Dudjom Rinpoche and a major Drukpa Kagyü and Dudjom Tersar lineage holder. Based in Ladakh, in the northern part of India, he has literally spent half of his life in strict meditation retreats.
Birth, Family and Recognition
Soktse Rinpoche was born in 1928 and is the sixth in a line of incarnations that goes back to Rechungpa, the great disciple of Milarepa. The fifth Soktse Rinpoche left a letter indicating various signs about this incarnation’s birth. The abbot of Mindroling Monastery at the time, Dordzin Gaje Rinpoche, had also predicted a couple of years before where the reincarnation would be born and Drukpa Yongdzin Rinpoche[1] received clear signs about Soktse Rinpoche’s rebirth. Yongdzin Rinpoche discovered the child at age five and then confirmed the reincarnation with the fifteenth Karmapa, Khakhyap Dorje.
Training
Although the previous incarnation was Drukpa Kagyü, Soktse Rinpoche’s parents insisted on putting him in a Gelugpa monastery. Soktse Rinpoche stayed in this monastery from the age of six to the age of eighteen.
Soktse Rinpoche spent several years studying with Karak Yongzin Rinpoche, receiving many Kagyü and Nyingma transmissions, and completing the ngöndro twice, before beginning a long series of kyerim retreats.
During his time studying with Karak Yongzin Rinpoche, Soktse Rinpoche also met Dudjom Rinpoche, and later met Bomta Khenpo, aka Polu Khenpo Dorje, who gave him Dzogchen teachings over the course of seventeen years.
Soktse Rinpoche’s three root gurus are therefore:
- Karak Yongzin Rinpoche
- Dudjom Rinpoche
- Polu Khenpo Dorje
Activity
Soktse Rinpoche's main monastic seat is in the high border region of Ladakh in northern India, where he also established a nunnery called Tashi Chöling, in Hanley, Ladakh. He has also established a nunnery and retreat center at Kechuperi in the mountains of western Sikkim.
Soktse Rinpoche has literally spent half of his life in strict meditation retreats, having completed several three-year retreats, and many shorter ones. Numerous lamas have received meditation teachings from Soktse Rinpoche.
Over the years, Soktse Rinpoche has refused many offers to travel abroad and teach in Asia, North America and Europe, preferring to stay on retreat and to spend time with his teachers, Dudjom Rinpoche and Punda Khen Rinpoche.
However, in 1991 and 1999, he made two visits to the U.S. at the request of Chhoje Rinpoche, where he gave extensive teachings, including guiding a group of students on a year long retreat.
Students
One of Soktse Rinpoche's main student is Chhoje Rinpoche.
Notes
- ↑ Kyabgon Karak Yongdzin Rinpoche was the previous incarnation of Yongzin Rinpoche, who was the leader of the Drukpa Kagyü lineage in Central Tibet at that time. Karak Yongzin Rinpoche was also a tertön who had encountered Guru Padmasambhava’s wisdom body and had revealed a number of termas. Karak Yongzin Rinpoche’s root teacher was Trulshik Dongak Lingpa, the previous incarnation of Trulshik Rinpoche. Although Karak Yongdzin Rinpoche was a member of the hierarchy of the Drukpa Kagyü lineage, he and his disciples were primarily Nyingma practitioners.