Khyungdrak Dorje

Khyungdrak Dorje (khyung brag rdo rje, d.u.) was born in Sangen (sa ngan) in the seventeenth century. He was considered to be an incarnation of Yudra Nyingpo (g.yu sgra snying po, 8th cent.).

He initially served Yonge Mingyur Dorje (yongs ge mi 'gyur rdo rje, 1628/1641-1708) as an attendant.  According to Jamgon Kongtrul, he travelled to Katok Monastery (kaH thog rdo rje gdan) on an instruction in one of his treasures. He is said to have approached Longsel Nyingpo (rig 'dzin klong gsal snying po, 1625-1692), offering detailed information on his revelations (gter ma). Longsel Nyingpo apparently confirmed the young man as authentic terton, enthroned him at the monastery, and accepted him as a disciple. Khyungdrak Dorje received the commentarial teachings, empowerments, and instructions of Longsel Nyingpo's terma cycle, and studied many other topics in the Katok curriculum. He went on to reveal many treasure teachings relating to the Earlier and Later Eight Sadhana Teachings of Dzogchen (snga phyir rdzogs pa chen po bka brgyad), the Wrathful Wisdom Bhairava (drag po ye shes 'jigs byes), and cycles on the Three Roots (rtsa gsum skor).

At the urging of Yonge Mingyur Dorje, he returned to Sangen to continue his activity. It is said whatever wealth he collected from his disciples he put towards producing religious texts, mainly of the kama (bka' ma) and terma (gter ma) traditions of the Nyingma tantras. His disciples included Jamo Tulku of Lhateng Monastery (lha steng 'ja' mo sprul sku, d.u.) and Ga Damtsik Tulku (sga dam tsig sprul sku, d.u.).

It is said after Khyungdrak Dorje's death, his relics were housed at a temple at his birthplace.

In 1997, the Eleventh throne-holder of the Pelyul lineage, Penor Tubten Lekshe Chokyi Drayang (pad ma nor bu thub bstan legs bshad chos kyi sgra dbyangs, 1932-2009) identified Hollywood actor Steven Seagal (b. 1952) as the reincarnation of Khyundrak Dorje.

Sources

Blo gros mtha' yas. 2007. Gter ston khyung grags rdo rje o rgyan phun tshogs. In Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, vol. 1, pp. 660-661. TBRC W1KG14.

'Jam dbyangs rgyal mtshan. 1996. Rgyal ba kaH thog pa'i lo rgyus mdor bsdus. Chengdu: Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, pp.95-96. TBRC W20396.

Leslie Bradburn. 1995. Masters of the Nyingma Lineage. Berkeley, California: Dharma Publishing, p. 293.

Samten Chhosphel
May 2012