Dorje Lingpa

Dorje Lingpa (1346-1405), the third of the five sovereign terma revealers, was an emanation of the great translator Vairotsana. He was born in Tranang Entsa in Central Tibet. In his thirteenth year he had seven visions of Guru Rinpoche. He found his first terma behind the Jomo statue of Tara in the Tradruk temple. In his fifteenth year in a cave at the Ökar rock, when Guru Padmasambhava came to him in person and granted him empowerment, he revealed many termas. Altogether he discovered 43 great terma troves and met Guru Rinpoche, Yeshe Tsogyal, Vairotsana and other such masters on numerous occasions.

The foremost of his termas is the Trilogy of Lama, Dzogchen and Avalokiteshvara (Wyl. bla rdzogs thugs gsum). He also revealed wonderful images and blessed substances, as well as Bön treasures, texts on medical science and astrology.

The name under which he is best known is Dorje Lingpa, but he is also called Pema Lingpa, Kunkyong Lingpa, Yungdrung Lingpa and Jampel Chökyi Shenyen.

After he passed away, his corpse remained for three years without decay, during which time it continued to benefit beings by speaking and reciting four-line dedications of merit. When it was finally cremated, many sacred images and relics appeared. And with a roar of the flames his right foot flew from the crematorium and went to his spiritual son Tashi Jungne, and his left went to Tokmé Gyagarwa.

His lineage has persisted until today without decline, and some of his teachings have been preserved in a close lineage through Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo.