Ngari Panchen Pema Wangyal

Ngari Panchen Pema Wangyal (mnga' ris pan chen pad+ma dbang rgyal) was born in 1487 in Lhundrub Choding (lhun grub chos sding) in the district of Lo Montang (glo sman thang). His father was Jamyang Rinchen Gyeltsen ('jam dbyangs rin chen rgyal mtshan), who was considered an incarnation of Marpa Lotsawa (mar pa lo tsA ba) and his mother was Drocham Trompagyan (l'bro lcam khrom pa rgyan). They gave him the name Pema Wangyal.

At the early age of eight Pema Wangyal received lay vows of an upasaka, and soon after his father gave him the bodhisattva vow. He studied the Nyingma teachings with his father, including the Gongpa Dupai Do (dgongs pa l'dus pa'i mdo) the Guhyagarbha, and the Dzogchen semde (rdzogs chen sems sde), representing the Nyingma teachings of Maha, Anu, and Atiyoga. He studied the Vinaya in the Kadampa tradition from a lama named Norten Zangpo (nor bstan bzang po). At the age of twenty he mastered the Mahyana teachings of Madhyamika and Prajnaparamita.

Pema Wangyal trained in both Nyingma and Sarma traditions. In his twenty-first year Pema Wangyal engaged in further Vajrayana training, receiving empowerment from Jamyang Chokyong ('jam dbyangs chos skyong), Tsultrim Pel (tshul khrims dpal), and others. When he was twenty-three he studied Lamdre (lam 'bras) with Lowo Lotsawa (glo bo lo tsA ba), and at age twenty-five took full ordination from the Sakya lama Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrup (glo bo mkhan chen bsod nams lhun grub) and Samdrubling (bsam 'grub gling) in Lo Montang. He also studied the Changter (byang gter) under Drangpo Terton Shakya Zangpo (drang po gter ston shAkya bzang po). His mastery of the Buddhist doctrine earned him the title Ngari Panchen (Lo Montang being historically a region of Ngari).

Pema Wangyal traveled widely, spending time in the Kathmandu Valley studying with numerous Newari masters there, and teaching in the Lhasa area. He visited the Kagyu monastery of Shungtreshing (gzhung spre zhing), built by Marpa's disciple Ngok Choku Dorje (rngog chos sku rdo rje) and received the Ngok Mandalas from Ngokton Sonam Tendzin (rngog ston bsod nams bstan 'dzin) and Zhalu Lochen of Dratang (gra thang zhva lu lo chen). He received teachings from a number of Nyingma lamas at Samye, including Trengso Orgyan Chozang (phreng so o rgyan chos bzang) and Kongchen Namkha Pelden (kong chen nam mkha' dpal ldan), who taught him Sanggye Lingpa's (sang rgyas gling pa) Lama Gondu (bla ma dgongs 'dus). He also extensively studied Nyangral Nyima Oser's Kabgye Deshek Dupa (bka' brgyad bde gzhegs 'dus pa), receiving the transmission from a number of lamas, including Jeu Namkhai Naljor (rje'u nam mkha'i rnal 'byor). Together with Drigung Rinchen Puntsok ('bri gung rin chen phun tshogs) and the Second Dorje Drak Rigdzin Legden Dorje (rdo rje brag rig l'dzin 02 legs ldan rdo rje) he reconsecrated Samye.

Pema Wangyal engaged in treasure revelation. When he was forty-six, he revealed a treasure, sadhana for the seven-line prayer to Padmasambhava (gsol 'debs le'u bdun ma), in the upper hall of Samye Monastery at the back of a statue of Vairocana with four bodies facing in the four directions. However, his most important work was a composition he distributed under his own name: the Domsum Nampar Ngepai Tencho (sdom gsum rnam par nges pa'i bstan bcos), which has been translated into English as Perfect Conduct: Ascertaining the Three Vows.

Among the lamas who are said to have been reincarnations of Pema Wangyal are Tashi Topgyal (bkra shis stobs rgyal), a treasure revealer of the Changter.

Sources

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

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

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 cho 'byung. Darjeeling: Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche Pema Wangyal, Orgyan Kunsang Chokhor Ling, p. 265.5. ff.

'Jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas. 1976. Gter ston brgya rtsa. In Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo v.1 pp. 291-759. Paro: Ngodrup and Sherab Drimay, p. 131B.3. ff.

Bstan 'dzin lung rtogs nyi ma. 2004. Snga 'gyur rdzogs chen chos 'byung chen mo. Beijing: China Tibetan Publishing House, pp. 53-54.

Ron Garry
August 2007