Rechung Dorje Drak

Rechungpa looking for Milarepa inside the Yak's Horn from a painting by Dugu Choegyal Rinpoche

Rechung Dorje Drak (Wyl. ras chung rdo rje grags) or Rechungpa (ras chung pa) (1083/4-1161) was one of the main disciples of Jetsün Milarepa. In later biographies, he is mentioned as the second most important of Milarepa's students, the 'moon-like' disciple, with Gampopa being the foremost, and compared to the sun. Rechungpa, as his name suggests, was a cotton-clad yogin, unlike Gampopa who was a monk.

Primary Students

• Sumpa aka Sumtön (sum-ston), Tsangpa Sumpa (gtsang-pa sum-pa) and Dampa Sumpa (dam-pa sum-pa)
• Gyal-lo
• Yang-gön aka Tönpa Yangdak Pal

Further Reading

• Peter Alan Roberts, The Biographies of Rechungpa: The Evolution of a Tibetan Hagiography, Routledge, 2007