Dangma Lhungyel

The legend of Dangma Lhungyel’s (ldang ma lhun rgyal) life is primarily concerned with his role in the propagation of the Vima Nyingtik (bi ma snying tig) teachings of Dzogchen. A caretaker monk of the Zhai Temple (zhwa'i lha khang) to the north of Lhasa, Dangma Lhungyel is credited with discovered the seventeen Dzogchen tantras that are said to have been hidden there by Nyang Tingdzin Zangpo (myang ting 'dzin), a disciple of the Indian translator Vimalamitra. Because of his centrality in the story, Dangma Lhungeal is traditionally regarded as an incarnation of Vimalamitra.

Nothing is known about his life other than that he was the son of Uru Zholma Gechok (dbu ru gzhol ma dge mchog). He passed the Nyingtik on to Chetsun Sengge Wangchuk (lce btsun seng ge dbang phyug, d.u.) after keeping them to himself for fifteen years, and also to Karak Gomchung (kha rag sgom chung). Some sources also assert that Dangma Lhungyel also received the oral transmission of the Nyingtik from Be Lodro Wangchuk (sbas blo gros dbang phyug), a disciple of Nyang Tingdzin Zangpo.

Sources

Bradburn, Leslie. 1995. Masters of the Nyingma Lineage. Cazadero: Dharma Publications.

Dudjom Rinpoche. 2002. The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein, trans. Boston: Wisdom. Pp. 556-557.

Samten Karmay. 1998. The Great Perfection. Leiden: Brill. P. 210.

Zhang ston bkra shis rdo rje. 1985. Rdzogs pa chen po snying thig gi lo rgyus chen mo. In Rnying ma bka’ ma rgyas pa. Kalimpong: Dupjung Lama. Vol. 45, pp. 503‑675. Biography begins on page 647

Karma mi ’gyur dbang rgyal. 1978. Gter bton brgya rtsa’i mtshan sdom gsol ’debs chos rgyal bkra shis stobs rgyal gyi mdzad pa’i ’grel pa lo rgyus gter bton chos ’byung. Darjeeling: Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche Pema Wangyal, Orgyan Kunsang Chokhor Ling, page 59 ff.

’Jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha’ yas. 1976-1980. Gter ston brgya rtsa. In Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo Paro: Ngodrup and Sherab Drimay, pp. 44B-45b.

Jakob Leschly
August 2007