Biography

The Brief Biography of Ven. Khenpo Pema Rangjung of Dzogchen Monastery

Ven. Khenpo Pema Rangjung was born in 1970 to his father, Lama Thubten Kalzang and his mother, Yangdu Wangmo.

When Khenpo was seven years old, he learned from his father how to read and write Tibetan, and trained in the melodies and recitations of the rituals of secret mantra through the lineage of observation.

When Khenpo Pema Rangjung was twelve years old, through the force of previous positive traces, he visited the S̄ākyamuni statue in the Jokhang Temple, the Akṣobhyavajra statue in Ramoche Temple, and the Avalokiteśvara in the Potala Palace in Lhasa, offering supplications, aspirations and prostrations. He then returned to his own region.

Under the continuous guidance of his father, Khenpo Pema Rangjung diligently trained in the inner Dharma. He received instruction in the common and uncommon preliminaries of the Great Perfection in the presence of Venerable Lama Dechen Namdrol, praised as an emanation of the Mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo. Pema Rangjung understood the hidden flaws of samsara. He received novice ordination from Khenchen Dawa Ozer and entered into the Buddha’s teachings.

 

In 1984, as soon as Khenpo Pema Rangjung turned 15, he was nominated the chant master of the Dzogchen Monastery’s great accomplishment of the Glorious Eight Transmissions, and was appointed chant master for four years.

In 1988 Khenpo Pema Rangjung entered the great Shri Singha College of Dzogchen Monastery. Serving many sublime masters such as Khenchen Dawa Ozer, Khenchen Pema Tsewang Lhundup, Gemang Khenchen Wanglo, Tsara Khenchen Chodak, and so on, he trained expertly for twelve years, focusing on the thirteen Indian treatises along with Sūtra, Mantra and the Five Sciences.

During his twenty-first year, Khenpo Pema Rangjung received full ordination from Gegyal Khenchen Thubten Namgyal and a quorum of ten senior and knowledgeable Sangha members such as and so on. He protected the precious training of monastic discipline.

In his twenty-second year, Khenpo Pema Rangjung was appointed the disciplinarian of the great assumably of the great Shri Singha College for a period of four years. He maintained the rules of the College and the conduct of the newly ordained Sangha by keeping the precious Vinaya as a foundation, as well as preventing faults in discipline and so on. Thus he was appointed to increase activities that benefit the teachings generally and specifically.

In Khenpo Pema Rangjung’s twenty-ninth year, without any pretenses of the three doors, he relied upon his root guru, Akyong Togden Rinpoche, a perfect buddha in person, receiving limitless profound Dharmas, primarily the Highest Wisdom (ye shes bla ma), the instruction manual of Great Perfection, the Seven Treasuries of Longchenpa, and so on.

Similarly, Pema Rangjung received from Togden Rinpoche’s heart son, the yogi of the Great Perfection, Khangsar Wöntul Tenpey Wangchug Rinpoche, detailed instruction on the Highest Wisdom (twice); Shabkar’s teaching of the Soaring Garuda on the view; theCloudless Sky taught by his root guru, Akyong Togden Rinpoche, and various teachings composed by Chöje Wöntul himself.

Furthermore, from Dzogchen Drukpa Rinpoche, Pema Rangjung received the empowerments and reading transmissions for many profound Dharmas such as theTreasury of Precious Treasures, the Four-Fold Heart Essence of the Great Perfection,  and so on.

From the Sovereign Guru, the King of Refuges, Dzogchen Pema Kalsang, Khenpo Pema Rangjung received many profound Dharmas as indicated by Kama empowerments such as the Sūtra that Gathers the Great Assembly, the peaceful and wrathful deities of the Guhyagarbha, the great empowerment of Kālacakra, the tantra system ofMañjuśrī and so on, and the empowerments of the Infinite Deities of the Excellent Three Roots of the Treasures called the Excellent Vase of the Wishfulfilling Cow, and so on, and especially the Four-Fold Heart Essence of the Great Perfection. After Khyabjey Pema Kalzang named Pema Rangjung a khenpo of Dzogchen Shri Singha College, granting him a diploma, Khyabjey Pema Kalsang gave him high praise, saying “It is necessary for you to turn the Profound Secret Dharma Wheel impartially for migrating beings.”

When Khenpo Pema Rangjung was ten years, he attended the empowerment of Four-Fold Heart Essence of the Great Perfection bestowed by Khyabje Dilgo Khyentse at Dzogchen Monastery when the latter came to Tibet. Likewise, he met many impartial great beings such as the sublime Khenchen Jigme Puntsok Jungney, Chatral Sangye Dorje, Dodrubchen Rinpoche Jigme Thubten Thinley Palbar, Drupwang Pema Norbu and so on. Khenpo supplicated them for the blessing of the transference of the transcendent state of their minds and requested Dharma connections through aspirations.

Khenpo Pema Rangjung always practices the profound Dharmas he received. He is very diligent, as exemplified by his strict three year retreat and his constant practice.

According to the command of the Sovereign Guru Pema Kalzang Rinpoche, for a period of three years beginning in 2002, Khenpo Pema Rangjung was in charge of all aspect of the reconstruction and consecration of the temple of the Dzogchen Shri Singha College (enlarging the foundation, and making five stories with a copper and gold roof) as well as the fabrication of new images of Śākyamuni, Guru Rinpoche and  Mañjuśrī made from copper and gold and so on. He also acted as the Dean of Shri Singha College for a few years.

When he has time, Khenpo Pema Rangjung applies himself diligently to practice in strict retreat and loose retreat. Traveling to many countries of the world, East and West, he teaches the profound Dharma and encourages the gathering of the vast accumulations. Likewise, he assists people with their daily problems, and shows the path of accomplishing virtue and abandoning nonvirtue. As the embodiment of all-pervading great compassion, Khenpo ripens and benefits all living beings who are connected to him with the ocean of the activities of his three secrets of body, speech and mind.

Khenpo Pema Rangjung presently dwells in the state of effortlessly accomplishing the two benefits. I sincerely wish his three secrets remain like an indestructible vajra so that he can that accomplish the ocean of his vast intentions without impediment.

Having thought a biography of Khenpo Pema Rangjung was necessary, I, one called Gyurme Ngodrub Dargye wrote this down.