arjia rinpoche

7/29/2019 Arjia Rinpoche

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FirstArjiaRinpoche(16thcentury)

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ItisunclearastowhethertheFirstArjia

RinpochewasTsultrimJongniorChuedon

Banjorashistoricaldocumentsdiffer.Hewas

borninthe16thcentury,the11thRabchungand

mayhavecomefromtheCentralTibetarea,

accompanyingtheThirdDalaiLamawho

establishedKumbumMonasteryin1560,the

YearoftheIronMonkey.PrevioustotheThird

DalaiLamasvisit,Kumbumwasasmalltemple

withonly7monksdoingpracticethere.


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SecondArjiaRinpoche:ArjiaSherapSangbo(16331707 )

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ArjiaSherapSangbowasbornintheYearofthe

WoodRoosteranddiedtheYearoftheFireDog

(11thto12

thR).HisbirthplacewastheSina

TribalAreainthevillageofLiShu.Hebecame

the16thAbbotofKumbum.Besidesbeinga

sutraandtantramaster,hewasagifted

administratorwhoformulatedrulesand

regulationsforthemonasteryandsetupa

curriculumforlearningandpracticingthe

dharma.Inaddition,heinitiatedtheSummer

DebatingProgramatKumbum.Duringhistime

asAbbotofKumbum,herenovatedthetemples,builtabigcommunitykitchen,and

enlargedtheCongregationHall,increasingittoaSixtyPillarHall.


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ThirdArjiaRinpoche:ArjiaLobsangTenbeGyaltsen(17081768)

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ArjiaLobsangTenbeGyaltsenwasbornanddied

intheYearoftheEarthRat,(12thR).His

birthplaceisnotknown.HecametoKumbumat

ayoungageandfinishedtheFiveMajorStudies.

Hebecameanotedscholarwhowrotemany

importantbooksandarticlesaboutcosmology,

themetaphysicalstudyoftheoriginandnature

oftheuniversethatplaysanimportantrolein

Buddhism.Inaddition,hewroteabookaboutthe

correctmeasurementsandproperproportionsan

artistshouldemployinmakingathangka

painting.Healsocomposedamanualonhowto

writeTibetanpoetry.Hewashonoredby

EmperorQianLongoftheQingDynastywho

invitedhimtoBeijing.


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FourthArjiaRinpoche:ArjiaLobsangJamyangGyatso(17681816 )

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"48

ArjiaLobsangJamyangGyatsowasbornintheYear

oftheEarthRatanddiedintheYearoftheFire

Bird(13thto14

thR).HewasfromGomeeHorja

VillageinAmdowherehisfamilyservedasthe

villagesTribalChief.ArjiaRinpochebecamea

monkat7yearsoldinKumbum.Whenhewas12,

thePanchen,BaldenYeshi,cametoKumbumand

hebecamehisnovicemonk.Later,hestudiedwith

ArjiaYungtsenNgawangNyima,hismainteacher.

Whenhewas18,hewenttoChinatomeetthe

Emperor.UponhisreturntoTibet,hetraveledto

LhasawherehemetwiththeEighthDalaiLama

JamphelGyatso,andthePanchenLama.TheDalai

LamagavehimhisfullMonasticOrdinationandbestoweduponhimthehonorarytitle,

ErdenePandita.Whenhewas20,hewenttoSeraMonasteryandstudiedwithLungdo

LamaRinpoche,afamousteacherofcosmology.HereturnedtoKumbumwhenhewas25,

butthentraveledagaintoChinawherehestayeduntilhewas36yearsold.

HereturnedtoKumbumandwasappointeditsAbbotwhenhewas40yearsold.Duringthis

time,hewroteascholarlybook,didmonasteryrenovations,beganastudyprogram,andgave

teachings.WhenJetsunDhanba,Mongoliasspiritualleader,invitedhimtoMongoliatobe

histutor,hewenttoUlaanbaatarwherehestayedfor4years,givingoraltransmissions,

initiationsandteachings,includingtheKalachakra.JetsunDhanbabestoweduponhimthe

MongoliantitleofPunditoftheThreeJewels.ThenattheChineseEmperorsrequest,he


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returnedtoChinawhereEmperorgavehimthetitleVirtuousandTalentedMasterArjia,the

HutukKhtu.Additionally,hewasawardedaveryhighpositioninthegovernmentthat

includedofficialdocumentsandstamps.Whenhewas47,ArjiaRinpochereturnedto

KumbumanddidrenovationstotheGoldenTileTempleSerdongChenmo-LamaTsong

Khapasbirthplace.Hediedattheageof49.HisrelicsarehonoredintheGoldenTile

Temple.


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FifthArjiaRinpoche:ArjiaYesheKalsangKedrupGyatso(18171869)

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ArjiaYesheKalsangKedrupGyatsowasbornin

theYearoftheFireCowanddiedintheYearof

theEarthSnake(14thR).HewasborninGomee

HorjaVillageandwasrecognizedastheFifth

ArjiaRinpochebyKumbumsNechungOracle.

Whenhewas7yearsold,hecametoKumbum

wherehereceivedhighpositionsandgreat

honor.AtKumbum,hewasknownasavery

diligentstudent.

At the invitation of the Emperor, he went to

China several times. When he returned from

Chinaattheageof37,hemademanyofferingsforthemonks.WhenhighlamasatKumbum,

requestedthatherenovatetheGoldenTileTemple,hewenttoMongoliaandChinatoraise

fundsfortheproject.Hewas46whenhereturned.

AtthattimeawarhadstartedwiththeMuslimsandChinese.ArjiaRinpochehadprotectthe

monasterysohebecameamilitaryleader,workinginthemilitaryservicedayandnight.

WhenherequestedaidfromtheQingGovernment,hewastoldthatalthoughtheywerevery

concernedaboutthismatter,itpreferredthatArjiaRinpochesolvetheproblemthrough

peacefulmeans.OfcoursetheFifthArjiaRinpocheagreedthatcultivatinglovingkindnesswas

thebestsolutioninthelongrun,butintheshortrun,thesituationwasdire.Monksand

villagerswereforcedtotakeuparmsandfightfortheirfamilies,homes,andtemples.


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Eventually,theQinggovernmentdispatchedtroopstoaidthem,andsuppressedthe

rebellion.ArjiaRinpochepassedawayinDongKorFortresswhenhewas53.


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SixthArjiaRinpoche:ArjiaLobsangTenbeWanshukSonamGyatso

(1871-1909)

$(!% !#$)/356$(# !#$)!*, " 38

ArjiaLobsangTenbeWanshukSonamGyatsowasborn

intheYearoftheIronSheep.HediedintheYearofthe

EarthRooster(15thR).HewasborninGomeeHorja

Village.HeenteredKumbumMonasterywhenhewas9

yearsoldandwasreveredasanexcellentstudent.Like

hispredecessor,hewasalsoamilitarymonk.Adept

withswordandspear,he,too,wascalledupontofight

whentheMuslimrebellionresumedin1895.In1900,

theQingEmperorGuangXu,sentArjiaRinpocheto

JapanasaBuddhistdelegatetoasktheJapanese

EmperortostopthewarbetweenChinaandJapan.

Whilethere,hewasinvitedtoaswordmatchinKyototo

demonstratehisskill.Hewonadmirationfromthe

JapaneseEmperor,whohonoredtheSixthArjia

Rinpochewithgifts,includingastatueoftheBuddha

andaprecioussword.Whilehewasthere,oneofthe

secretariestooknotesandmadesketchesoftheevents.

Thisbook,alongwithsomeofthegiftsfromthe

JapaneseEmperor,werekeptinBeijinginArjia

RinpochesresidenceinYongheKongTemple(now

calledtheBeijingTibetanBuddhistLamasary).


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AlloftheseitemsdisappearedduringtheCulturalRevolution.ThestatueoftheBuddhaand

aprecioussword,aswellasphotographsofthevisittoJapan,werekeptintheresidenceat

Kumbum,wheretheywouldbetakenoutandputondisplayonNewYearsDay.Sadly,they

wereconficatedbytheChineseGovroenmentin1958,duringaviolentpoliticalpurgeat

KumbumMonastery.


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SeventhArjiaRinpoche:ArjiaLobsangLunakJigmeTanbeGyaltsen

(19101948)

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ArjiaLobsangLunakJigmeTanbeGyaltsenwasbornin

theYearoftheIronDoganddiedintheYearoftheFire

Pig(15thto16

th ).Like threeofhis predecessors, he

was born in GomeeHorja village. The Seventh Arjia

Rinpoche devoted his life to Buddhist teachings and

wasagreatscholar,publishing4booksinhislifetime.

AsabbotherantheMonasteryaccordingtostrictrules

and regulations, but despite his efforts he presided

overthemonasterysmoraldecline,atatimewhenthe

Qing Dynasty collapsed, replaced by the Republic of

China, and a senseofWesternmodernismsweptthe

land, further undermining discipline among some

monks.

Whenamonkstoleaniconographicpainting(athangka)

fromthemonasteryandputitintheprivatealtarofhis

ownfamilyshome,somehowtheSeventhArjia

Rinpochefoundout,andalthoughhewasaverygentle

person,hebecamesoangrythathestruckthemonk.

ThefollowingdayArjiaRinpocheshandswelled,never

totrulyheal.ShortlythereaftertheRinpocheshandthat

hadresortedtoviolenceswelledup,andhewasnever

wellagain.TheSeventhArjiaRinpochediedoneyear

later,in1948,whenhewasonly38yearsold.His

cremationtookplaceinthecourtyardofhisresident.


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EighthArjiaRinpoche:LobsangTubtenJigmeGyatso(1950-)

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ArjiaLobsangTubtenJigme

GyatsowasbornintheYearof

theIronTiger(16thR)in

Kokonor,Amdo.Hisparents

wereMongolianwholivedas

nomadontheTibetanPlateau.

HewasrecognizedasArjia

RinpocheandtheAbbotof

Kumbumwhenhewastwo

yearsoldbythe10thPanchen

Lama.HelivedinKumbumuntil1958atwhichtimeduringtheReligiousReformMovement

theCommuniststookoverthemonastery.YoungArjiaRinpochewasforcedtowearcivilian

clothesandattendaChineseSchool.In1962,hewasabletostudyunderthePanchenLama

for4yearsatTashiLhumpoMonastery.butduringtheCulturalRevolutionhadtoworkina

forcedlaborcamp.

AfterthepassingofMaoTseTung,hewasrestoredtohisformerpositionandslowlyroseto

positionsofpowerandeminenceintheBuddhisthierarchyinTibetandChina.In1998,

becausehewasgoingtoberequiredtobecomethetutoroftheChineseelected11thPanchen

Lama,hefledfromTibetandwentintoexileintheUnitedStates.HeestablishedtheTibetanCenterforCompassion&WisdominMillValley,California.In2005,HisHolinesstheDalai

LamarequestedthathebecometheDirectoroftheTibetanMongolianBuddhistCultural

CenterinBloomingto,Indiana.Presently,hedirectsbothTCCWandTMBCC.Bothcenters


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arededicatedtothepreservationofBuddhistteachings,artandculturewithinandoutsideof

TibetandMongolia.

ArjiaRinpocheisengagedinCharityProjectsinvolvingMongoliansinMongoliaandTibetan

refugeesinIndia.AmongthesearetheMultiEducationEditingCenter(MEEC)toprovide

TibetantextsforrefugeesinIndia,sponsoringLibrariesforTibetanRefugeesinDharamsala,

India,spearheadingtheTofuprojecttoencourageavegetariandietformonksand

MonasteriesinIndia,conductingmedicalresearchtoimprovethehealthofmonksatTashi

LhumpoMonasteryinSouthIndia,andconstructingaCancerCareTreatmentCenterfor

MongolianChildren.ThistreatmentcenterisscheduledtobeopenedinSeptember2013.

In2010theEighthArjiaRinpochepublishedhismemoirs,SurvivingtheDragonpublishedby

RodaleBookCompany

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