Changlung Pelchen Namkha Jigme

Changlung Pelchen Namkha Jigme (spyang lung dpal chen nam mkha' 'jigs med) was born in a nomad tent in Changlung, Rebkong. He was given the name Gonpo Gyal (mgon po rgyal). His ancestors were from the important Dro ('bro) clan. His mother was Tseyag (tshe yag) and his father, Lama Kyab (bla ma skyabs), was an accomplished tantric practitioner.

Namkha Jigme was ordained at the age of twenty-five. He stayed for eighteen months in intensive retreat at Watse (rwa rtse) in Chang (phyang) and trained in the Dzogchen practices of trekcho (khregs chod) and togal (thod rgal).

At the age of forty-three Namkha Jigme went to Kham and met Dodrupchen Jigme Trinle Oser (rdo grub chen 'jigs med 'phrin las 'od zer, 1745 -1821) from whom he received many empowerments and instructions. Other teachers he met in Kham were Khatog Gertse Gyurme Tsewang Chogdrub (kaH thog sge rtse 'gyur med tshe dbang mchog grub, 1761-1829), Gyalrong Namkha Tsewang Chogdrub (rgyal rong nam mkha' tshe dbang mchog grub, b. 1744) and the third Shechen Rigdzin Peljor Gyatso (zhe chen rig 'dzin dpal 'byor rgya mtsho, 1771-1809). He then travelled to Kham Singmo Dzong (khams srin mo rdzong) in Riwoche, the seat of Terton Nyima Drakpa (gter ston nyi ma grags pa, 1647-1710) where he met Migyur Phande Gyatso (mi 'gyur phan bde rgya mtsho, b. 1772).

Under the advice of Tsendro Khanchen Rinpoche (mtshan sgrogs mkhan chen blo bzang dar rgyas, b. 1720), a Gelug master from Rebkong, Namkha Jigme went to meet the third Khardo Rigdzin Chokyi Dorje (mkhar rdo sku phreng gsum pa rigs 'dzin chos kyi rdo rje, b. 1790). From this treasure revealer he received empowerments, transmissions, blessings and oral instructions.

Traveling to the Lhasa area, Namkha Jigme studied with Jigme Lingpa ('jigs med gling pa, 1730-1798), Minling Trichen Trinle Namgyel (smin gling phrin las rnam rgyal, 1765-1812) and Olga Nangse Dorje ('ol dga' snang mdzad rdo rje, d.u.).

At the age of forty six, Namkha Jigme returned to Rebkong from Lhasa and gave to the monks and lay people of the tantric community the empowerment of the Hundred Supreme Deities (zhi khro dam pa rigs rgya), Longchen Nyingtik, the entire transmission of Khardo Rinpoche's pure vision (mkhar rdo rin po che'i dag snang), the revelations of Minling Trichen, and others.

At the age of forty eight, Namkha Jigme travelled again to U-Tsang to express his gratitude to the ninth Dalai Lama, Lungto Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 09 lung rtogs rgya mtsho, 1805-1815), seventh Panchen Lama, Pelden Tenpai Nyima (paN chen 07 dpal ldan bstan pa'i nyi ma, 1782–1853), Khardo Rinpoche and his other former teachers. From there, he travelled to Kham and went to see Dodrupchen Jigme Trinle Oser and expressed his gratitude to him by offering a feast. When leaving, Namkha Jigme received many gifts from Dodrupchen.

After his return, around 1810, Namkha Jigme founded Khyunggon Mingyur Dorjeling (khyung dgon mi 'gyur rdo rje gling). This monastery, along with Rigdzin Pelden Tashi's (rig 'dzin dpal ldan bkra shis, 1688-1743) seat Rigdzin Rapel Ling (rig 'dzin rab 'phel gling) and Shabkar's monastic centre, Yama Tashikyil (g.ya ma bkra shis 'khyil), was one of the main three seats of the tantric community of the “shaded” side (srib lta sngags mang) at Rebkong, and followed the tradition of Mindroling.

In the new assembly hall, Namkha Jigme established a fifteen-day Drupchen ceremony, explaining to the participants in full detail the rules and code of conducts. In particular, he prohibited the drinking of chang during the dharma sessions and the killing of animals for the purpose of offering meat (tshogs sha). During that ceremony, he offered each of the participants a wooden ritual dagger; by the end of the ceremony, Namkha Jigme had distributed one thousand nine hundred wooden daggers, roughly reflecting the number of tantric practitioners then living and practising in Rebkong. Since then, the tantric practitioners community in Rebkong was known as Rebkong's One Thousand Nine Hundred Ritual Dagger Holders (Reb kong phur thogs stong dang dgu brgya).

Among Namkha Jigme's students were Pema Rangdol (pad ma rang grol, 1786-1838), Choying Tobden Dorje (chos dbyings stobs ldan rdo rje, 1785-1848), Magsar Kunsang Tobden Wangpo (mag gsar kun bzang stobs ldan dbang po, 1781-1832), Nyang Nangse Dorje (nyang snang mdzad rdo rje, 1798-1874) and Kalden Rangdol (skal ldan rang grol, d.1828).

Namkha Jigme is said to have performed many miracles and revealed treasures such as a footprint of Padmasambhava on a flat stone and a self-arising statue of Songtsen Gampo (srong btsan sgam po, 617-650). He was said to have been prophesized by Padmasambhava with the lines “In the future, in the land of Domed, where the rivers cross, my blessed son, with the name of Namkha, will be born.”

Namkha Jigme passed away in 1821. Three reincarnations were identified in Khyunggon, Gurong (dgu rong) and Adarchaga (a dar cha ga).

Incarnation line of Changlung Pelchen Namkha Jigme

Changlung Tulku 02 (spyang lung sprul sku, 1822-1858)
Changlung Tulku 03 (kun bzang 'jigs med rgya mtsho, 1859-1911)
Changlung Tulku 04 (blo bzang legs bshad nyi ma, 1912-1947)
Changlung Tulku 05 (o rgyan bdud 'dul khrag 'thung che mchog rtsal, 1986 – present)

Gurong 02 (dgu rong sprul sku sna tshogs rang grol, 1822-1874)
Gurong 03 (o rgyan 'jigs bral chos dbyings rdo rje, 1875-1932)
Gurong 04 (gar dbang 'gro 'dul rdo rje, 1934-1952)

Sources

Grags pa 'byung gnas. 1992. Gangs can mkhas grub rim byon ming mdzod. Lanzhou: Kan su'u mi rigs dpe skrun khang, PP. 1002-1003

Lce nag tsang hum chen & Ye shes 'od zer sgrol ma, eds. 2004. “Khyung dgon mi 'gyur rdo rje gling gi lo rgyus mdo tsam brjod pa rig 'dzin dgyes pa'i mchod sprin”. In Reb kong sngangs mang gi lo rgyus phyogs bsgrigs, p. 35-69. Beijing: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang.

Lce nag tsang hum chen & Ye shes 'od zer sgrol ma, eds. 2004. “Grub pa'i dbang phyug dpal chen nam mkha' 'jigs med mchog gi rnam par thar pa snying bor dril ba skal bzang thar par 'khrid pa'i ded dpon”. In Reb kong sngangs mang gi lo rgyus phyogs bsgrigs, p. 702-742. Beijing: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang.

Dhondup, Yangdon. Forthcoming. “From Hermit to Saint: The Life of Nyang snang mdzad rdo rje (1798-1874)”. In Ancient Treasures, New Discoveries. PIATS 2006: Tibetan Studies. Proceedings of the Eleventh Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Bonn, 2006. eds. H. Diemberger and K. Phuntsho. Leiden: Brill.

Yangdon Dhondup
May 2010