Dhardo Rimpoche
Encyclopedia
Dhardo Rinpoche was the 12th in a line of tulkus from Dhartsendo on the eastern border of Tibet who hailed from the Nyingma Gompa in Dhartsendo called Dorje Drak (not to be confused with Dorje Drak in Central Tibet). The 11th tulku rose to the Abbot of Drepung and during the 1912 invasion of Tibet by China was the most senior of the retired abbots in the National Assembly. He died in 1916 and the 12th Tulku was born in 1917.
Dhardo Rinpoche was educated in the traditional Tibet
an monastic style, taking his Geshe Degree and graduating at the Lharmapa level at Drepung Monastery, and doing further study at Gyud-med Tantric College. In 1951 he was appointed abbot of the Tibetan monastery at Bodh Gaya, and then in 1954 moved to Kalimpong near the India-Tibet border. Kalimpong was to become an important staging post for Tibetans fleeing the Chinese invasion. Dhardo Rinpoche founded the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Institute (ITBCI), in 1952 which then opened an orphanage and school for Tibetan refugees. He was abbot of Yiga Choeling Monastery, Ghoom from 1964 till his death in 1990.
During the 1950s and 1960s Dhardo Rinpoche was friend and teacher to Sangharakshita
, an English Buddhist who spent 14 years based in Kalimpong before returning to England to found the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), now the Triratna Buddhist Community. Sangharakshita considered Dhardo Rinpoche to be a living bodhisattva
and he is still revered as such in the Triratna Community. In the 1980s the FWBO's charity Aid For India (now known as the Karuna Trust (UK)
) undertook to provide funding for the ITBCI School.
Portions of Dhardo Rinpoche's relics, the ashes from his cremation, have been installed in several stupa
s in the West: at Sudarshanaloka Retreat Centre (near Thames, New Zealand
), at Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre
(near Norwich
, England
), at Guhyaloka Retreat Centre http://www.guhyaloka.com.html, (near Alicante
, Spain
), at Tiratanaloka http://www.tiratanaloka.org.uk.html Retreat Centre in Wales
and at Vimaladhatu Retreat Centre in Sauerland
, Germany.
Dhardo Rinpoche's motto was: "Cherish the doctrine; live united; radiate lovehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/90664717@N00/290885159/in/set-72057594133885668/". He was concerned especially to teach the children at his school that "actions have consequences".
The thirteenth in the line of Tulkus, Tenzin Legshad Wangdi, was born in 1991 and still goes by the name of Dhardo Tulku.
Dhardo Rinpoche was educated in the traditional Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an monastic style, taking his Geshe Degree and graduating at the Lharmapa level at Drepung Monastery, and doing further study at Gyud-med Tantric College. In 1951 he was appointed abbot of the Tibetan monastery at Bodh Gaya, and then in 1954 moved to Kalimpong near the India-Tibet border. Kalimpong was to become an important staging post for Tibetans fleeing the Chinese invasion. Dhardo Rinpoche founded the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Institute (ITBCI), in 1952 which then opened an orphanage and school for Tibetan refugees. He was abbot of Yiga Choeling Monastery, Ghoom from 1964 till his death in 1990.
During the 1950s and 1960s Dhardo Rinpoche was friend and teacher to Sangharakshita
Sangharakshita
Sangharakshita is a Buddhist teacher and writer, and founder of the Triratna Buddhist Community, which was known until 2010 as the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, or FWBO....
, an English Buddhist who spent 14 years based in Kalimpong before returning to England to found the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), now the Triratna Buddhist Community. Sangharakshita considered Dhardo Rinpoche to be a living bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
and he is still revered as such in the Triratna Community. In the 1980s the FWBO's charity Aid For India (now known as the Karuna Trust (UK)
Karuna Trust (UK)
Karuna Trust is a charity based in London. It was established in 1980 under the name ‘Aid for India’, and linked to the Triratna Buddhist Community. It is administered by Western Buddhists, but the projects are open to anyone regardless of background...
) undertook to provide funding for the ITBCI School.
Portions of Dhardo Rinpoche's relics, the ashes from his cremation, have been installed in several stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
s in the West: at Sudarshanaloka Retreat Centre (near Thames, New Zealand
Thames, New Zealand
Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council....
), at Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre
Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre
Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre is a Buddhist retreat centre for men, located at Lesingham House in Surlingham, Norfolk, England. The centre is part of the Triratna Buddhist Community, formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, which aims to make the teachings of the Buddha and Buddhism...
(near Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
), at Guhyaloka Retreat Centre http://www.guhyaloka.com.html, (near Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), at Tiratanaloka http://www.tiratanaloka.org.uk.html Retreat Centre in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and at Vimaladhatu Retreat Centre in Sauerland
Sauerland
The Sauerland is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited...
, Germany.
Dhardo Rinpoche's motto was: "Cherish the doctrine; live united; radiate lovehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/90664717@N00/290885159/in/set-72057594133885668/". He was concerned especially to teach the children at his school that "actions have consequences".
The thirteenth in the line of Tulkus, Tenzin Legshad Wangdi, was born in 1991 and still goes by the name of Dhardo Tulku.
External links
- Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Institute
- Audio talks about Rinpoche
- A glimpse of light - an account of meeting Dhardo Rinpoche by a Western Buddhist
- Photos of stupas which contain Dhardo Rinpoche's relics
- More photos of the Sudarsanaloka stupa
- Photo of Dhardo Stupa at Padmaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre
- Another photo of Dhardo's Stupa at Padmaloka
- Karuna, charity work in india
- (German) info about the new stupa with Dhardo's ashes at Vimaladhatu
Further reading
- Suvajra, The Wheel and the Diamond : The Life of Dhardo Tulku (Windhorse Publications, 1991) ISBN 0-904766-48-9
- Sara Hagel (ed), Dhardo Rinpoche : A Celebration (Windhorse Publications, 2000) ISBN 1-899579-26-5